In a landmark announcement during the 118th National Day celebrations, His Majesty the King revealed that the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) will be developed as a publicly owned project, marking a significant shift in how large-scale national initiatives are conceived and shared in Bhutan.
The city, envisioned as a future hub for innovation, wellbeing, and sustainable development, will adopt a land-share model designed to ensure that every Bhutanese citizen has a stake in its growth and success. Under this approach, private landowners within the designated GMC area will receive shares in the project, while the majority of state-owned land will be collectively owned by the people of Bhutan.
This structure, His Majesty emphasized, is intended to foster a deep sense of collective ownership and responsibility. By anchoring the city firmly in public hands, the model also seeks to prevent foreign ownership of land while creating meaningful opportunities for Bhutanese citizens—particularly the younger generation—to participate as entrepreneurs, innovators, and stakeholders in the city’s future.
Adding to the project’s ambition, the King announced that GMC will be supported by a $1 billion investment in Bitcoin, underscoring a willingness to explore unconventional financial strategies to secure long-term economic resilience and innovation. The investment is expected to provide a strong financial foundation for the city’s development while positioning Bhutan at the forefront of forward-looking economic experiments.
His Majesty cautioned that the success of Gelephu Mindfulness City will depend not only on financial resources or planning, but also on the collective commitment of the people to safeguard and nurture the project. He stressed that GMC is not merely a city under construction, but a shared national asset that must be protected and guided with care.
As Bhutan looks toward the future, the announcement signals a bold attempt to balance modernization with national values—ensuring that progress remains inclusive, sovereign, and rooted in a shared sense of purpose.
