At the Bitcoin MENA conference, Strategy (MSTR) Executive Chairman Michael Saylor urged the Middle East to position itself as the “Switzerland of the 21st century” by adopting bitcoin-backed banking, credit, and digital money products, describing the opportunity as a $200 trillion market.
Saylor outlined a three-tier strategy: a “big idea” for sovereign wealth funds to invest in bitcoin, a “bigger idea” to build banks that custody BTC and offer BTC-backed credit, and the “biggest idea” to launch digital money accounts backed by BTC credit instruments offering up to 8% yield with no volatility. “You won’t draw a little bitcoin — you will pull billions, tens of billions, even trillions of dollars,” he said.
He highlighted U.S. regulatory support, noting top officials, including the Vice President, Treasury Secretary, and SEC Chair, view bitcoin as a strategic asset. Major banks, including BNY, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Charles Schwab, JPMorgan, and Citi, are now exploring credit products tied to bitcoin and derivatives.
Strategy holds over 660,000 BTC and is issuing BTC-backed instruments, including perpetual preferred stocks and short-term notes with monthly dividends. “Digital capital creates digital credit, and digital credit creates digital money. That’s the killer app,” Saylor said, framing it as the foundation of a new financial system.
