Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), Bhutan’s burgeoning Special Administrative Region, officially unveiled a streamlined licensing pathway on Tuesday designed to drastically reduce the time it takes for globally regulated firms to become operational. The initiative specifically targets digital asset and fintech companies that are already licensed in established financial hubs, including Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), The Block said in a report.
The new framework addresses a primary bottleneck in the financial sector: the traditional separation of regulatory approval and the securing of banking services. According to a GMC press release, while most jurisdictions require these processes to be handled sequentially—often leading to months of delay—GMC has integrated them into a single, coordinated review. Companies that incorporate and receive a license through this expedited route are automatically provided with a corporate bank account via DK Bank, the city’s official banking partner.
To further incentivize long-term capital formation, the city has introduced a highly competitive tax regime. Qualified firms in priority sectors may benefit from 0% corporate tax depending on their investment levels, alongside a territorial tax system that only applies to income generated within the region. The city’s fiscal policy also features zero taxes on capital gains, dividends, or inheritance, as well as foreign tax exemptions that extend through 2030.
Jigdrel Singay, a Board Member and Digital Assets & Fintech Lead at GMC, emphasized that the goal is to eliminate systemic friction. He noted that by recognizing the credibility of firms already vetted by leading global regulators, the city allows these businesses to “move faster” and become fully operational rather than just legally approved. Singay added that the initiative is part of a broader strategy to position GMC as a trusted hub for financial innovation by aligning regulation and infrastructure from the start.
The announcement coincides with fresh data from blockchain analytics firm Arkham, which revealed that the Royal Government of Bhutan transferred approximately 100.44 BTC, valued at roughly $8.2 million, to an unlabeled address earlier on Tuesday. This movement continues a trend of outflows from the kingdom’s reserves, which have exceeded $230 million this year. While Bhutan has historically utilized its abundant hydroelectric power to mine Bitcoin, the lack of significant inflows over the past year has sparked industry speculation regarding the current status of its national mining operations.
