Summary
- Gelephu Mindfulness City in southern Bhutan hired Toronto-based 3iQ to manage part of its bitcoin treasury using a low-risk, market-neutral strategy aimed at generating long-term returns.
- The size and source of the bitcoin mandate were not disclosed, amid ongoing questions about Bhutans earlier pledge of up to 10,000 BTC and onchain data suggesting about $1 billion has left wallets linked to its sovereign fund.
- Beyond asset management, officials say the deal with 3iQ is intended to create jobs for Bhutanese youth and build skills in technology and finance, with specific programs still being developed.
Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), a special administrative region in southern Bhutan, awarded 3iQ Corp. a mandate to manage part of its bitcoin treasury, the firms said in an email.
GMC declined to disclose the size of the mandate to CoinDesk.
How the money will be run is the new information. GMC told CoinDesk it selected the Toronto-based company to generate long-term returns through a low-risk, market-neutral investment approach, meaning the reserve is to be deployed for yield rather than simply held.
A market-neutral strategy covers a range of possibilities, including basis trades and lending. Such strategies usually yield at least 5% annually in the general market. GMC did not say whether any specific approach has been selected.
In December, when Bhutans king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, pledged up to 10,000 BTC, then worth about $1 billion, the allocation was called a long-term national asset for the city's development, with collateralization, treasury strategies or holding all listed as options still under consideration.
The mandate's size matters because the pledge behind it has been in question for months.