Bhutan’s Gelephu Mindfulness City Taps Nansen for On-Chain Data

Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), Bhutan’s Special Administrative Region under development, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Nansen, a blockchain analytics firm, to establish an operational presence within the city, according to an announcement made on Tuesday.

Under the arrangement, Nansen plans to register a local entity in GMC, recruit a Bhutan-based team, and develop on-the-ground analytics capabilities intended to support digital asset activity connected to the region.

No financial details or timelines were disclosed at the time of publishing.

Local operations planned in GMC

As part of the collaboration, Nansen will operate from within GMC rather than covering activity remotely. The company said it will incorporate a local unit and build analytics infrastructure focused on monitoring and interpreting on-chain activity linked to projects and institutions operating in the city.

Nansen is a blockchain analytics firm whose tools are used by institutional investors and market participants to analyze transaction data, wallet activity, and asset flows across public blockchains.

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“Bhutan is building something genuinely new – a jurisdiction designed for the future of finance, not retrofitted from the past. Nansen is proud to be part of that vision. We’re here to help make onchain trading accessible, transparent, and intelligent for everyone building in GMC,” said Alex Svanevik, CEO and co-founder of Nansen.

GMC’s broader digital asset strategy

GMC is being planned as a long-term economic zone rather than a short-term growth project. Over the past year, it has announced several digital asset–related initiatives, covering areas such as custody services, tokenization, access to institutional liquidity, and legal and regulatory frameworks.

Officials have described these steps as part of a phased approach aimed at building foundational systems before broader participation.

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“Developing a credible digital asset ecosystem requires both strong analytical foundations and committed local engagement,” said Jigdrel Singay, Board Director of Gelephu Mindfulness City. 

“At GMC, we are focused on building the supporting layers: data, governance, and human capability that enable innovation to develop responsibly. Nansen’s decision to invest in local capacity while contributing its analytics expertise aligns with this long-term vision.”

Role of on-chain analytics

The addition of locally based analytics capabilities is intended to improve visibility into digital asset activity as usage within GMC increases. These tools can help track transaction activity, follow participation across networks, and assist with reporting and oversight.

The real impact will depend on how widely the analytics are used and how they are applied within governance and regulatory processes over time.

Background: Bitcoin funding for GMC

The collaboration comes after a funding decision announced by Bhutan in December 2025.

At that time, the Royal Government of Bhutan confirmed it had allocated 10,000 Bitcoin from national reserves to fund the initial development of Gelephu Mindfulness City. Based on market prices at the time, the allocation was valued at approximately $900 million.

The government said the Bitcoin allocation would be used to support infrastructure and development for a new economic center in southern Bhutan, consistent with the country’s broader development approach.

What the partnership indicates

By setting up operations inside GMC, Nansen will be among the first blockchain analytics companies to have a local presence in the Special Administrative Region.

The development aligns with GMC’s broader effort to put basic data and monitoring systems in place alongside its digital asset initiatives, rather than pushing for fast or speculative growth. How meaningful the collaboration becomes over time will depend on whether institutions, regulators, and other participants actually use these analytics tools in practice.

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