Bhutan has signed a multi-year memorandum of understanding with Cumberland — the digital-asset arm of Chicago trading firm DRW — to help build digital-asset infrastructure in Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC). The agreement, announced by the special administrative region and shared with Cointelegraph, is framed around Bhutan’s long-term, sustainability-first approach to crypto. Highlights of the MoU - Cumberland will support GMC’s Bitcoin reserve management and establish a local presence, including hiring and training local talent. - The firm will send subject-matter experts to help develop an onshore digital-asset workforce. - Parties will explore building a national crypto ecosystem: modern financial frameworks, sustainable mining and AI compute, yield generation, and stablecoin infrastructure. - Green Digital — a GMC-linked company focused on renewable-energy-powered computing — will lead the initiative and align digital-asset projects with Bhutan’s sustainability and economic diversification goals. Why this matters Gelephu Mindfulness City is a special administrative region designed to attract global talent while emphasizing technology, sustainability and mindful development. For Cumberland — one of the largest institutional liquidity providers in crypto markets and DRW’s digital-asset unit active since 2014 — the MoU opens a pathway to work with a sovereign partner that is explicitly prioritizing environmental and governance values. Bhutan’s crypto track record Bhutan already stands out among nations for integrating crypto into national strategy rather than treating it as speculative or purely financial innovation. The Himalayan kingdom: - Uses surplus hydropower for sovereign Bitcoin mining and has accumulated a national Bitcoin reserve. - Has incorporated digital assets into GMC’s strategic reserves and enabled crypto payments in tourism and merchant services. - Launched TER, a sovereign-backed digital token linked to physical gold. A note on scope The agreement is a memorandum of understanding — it lays out areas of cooperation but is not a binding commitment to specific deployments. That means the projects described remain exploratory until formal contracts and implementations follow. Commenting on the deal, DRW founder Donald R. Wilson said: “Bhutan’s clarity of vision and emphasis on sustainable development make it a natural partner for responsible and forward-looking innovation. We are honored to support Bhutan as it builds the foundations of a modern digital economy.” Taken together, the MoU and Bhutan’s prior moves reinforce the country’s emerging role as a rare example of a state treating Bitcoin, stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure as long-term economic tools tightly coupled with sustainability goals. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

#BTC #AI