The Sei Development Foundation has partnered with Bhutan's sovereign fund, Druk Holding and Investments (DHI), to deploy a validator node within the Sei network in the country.
JUST IN: Kingdom of Bhutan is working with @Sei_FND and becoming a Sei validator.
— Sei (@SeiNetwork) January 20, 2026
Since 2019, Bhutan has been a global blockchain leader—its wealth fund DHI holds one of the largest national BTC reserves.
Now it'll secure the fastest L1 and explore tokenization on Sei.
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The technical implementation will be handled by DHI's innovative division, InnoTech. The node is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2026.
This initiative aims to enhance the national blockchain infrastructure. The partners plan to explore asset tokenization and test new economic models. The partnership will also address data evaluation and DeSci.
Sei's Director of Science and Innovation, Eleonore Davis, stated that this collaboration will lay the groundwork for future government projects, with a focus on digital payments and identification systems.
Additional support will come from the venture firm Sapien Capital.
Crypto Kingdom
DHI manages the government's strategic investments and is known for actively developing Bitcoin mining using the country's renewable hydropower.
Bhutan is consistently implementing distributed ledger technologies at the state level. Nearly 800,000 residents use a digital ID system based on Ethereum to access government services. Additionally, the country has launched the TER token, backed by physical gold.
The kingdom ranks seventh globally among countries holding Bitcoin, with the government owning 5,985 BTC (approximately $529 million), primarily acquired through mining.
In December 2025, GMC and market maker Cumberland DRW signed a memorandum of understanding. That same month, the country allocated 10,000 BTC for the construction of a "city of awareness."