Bitget Seeks Bhutan License for Regulated Crypto Presence
Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) is a self-governing economic zone in the country’s south, designed to attract digital-finance and technology businesses under its own regulatory framework. Bhutan pledged in December 2025 to commit as much as 10,000 Bitcoin to GMC’s long-term development, tying the project to one of the world’s most ambitious sovereign crypto strategies. A licensed global exchange would test whether that state-backed plan can translate into regulated commercial activity and local jobs.
Bitget said on Aug. 7, 2026, that it signed an agreement with the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority to establish a regulated local presence and seek a financial-services license. The move remains subject to regulatory approval and does not yet authorize the exchange to begin licensed operations in GMC. Bitget and the authority said the initiative would support a compliant digital-asset ecosystem, but they disclosed no investment amount, application deadline or launch date for the planned Bhutan operation.
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The history behind this eventBitget Gains New Zealand Financial Services Registration
New Zealand’s Financial Service Providers Register, or FSPR, is a public record of entities offering financial services in the country. Registration identifies a provider and its listed activities, but does not necessarily amount to comprehensive licensing or supervision by the Financial Markets Authority. For Seychelles-based crypto exchange Bitget, the entry strengthens its compliance footprint and supports a push beyond digital-asset trading into foreign exchange, payments and other traditional financial services.
Bitget said on July 23, 2026, that it had registered as a financial service provider in New Zealand. The listed categories cover foreign-currency exchange, domestic and cross-border money transfers, client-asset custody, portfolio and money management, and execution of financial-product or foreign-exchange transactions for clients. Bitget also joined the New Zealand Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman dispute-resolution scheme, providing eligible customers an external complaints channel. The company disclosed no investment or transaction value tied to the registration.
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