Nansen lands in Bhutan GMC, accelerating the formation of the sovereign digital asset ecosystem

On February 24, on-chain analytics platform Nansen announced the establishment of a local operational entity in the Gleaning Meditation City (GMC) in Bhutan, and the formation of a Bhutanese team to provide data analysis and localization support for the region’s expanding digital asset infrastructure. This move is seen as a significant step in Bhutan building a sovereign-level digital asset ecosystem and also reflects the growing demand for on-chain data services and institutional-grade analysis tools in emerging crypto jurisdictions.

According to Nansen CEO Alex Svanevik, the plan does not involve relocating headquarters; the company will still keep Singapore as its core base, with this being an additional entity in GMC. The choice of Bhutan is based on its “value-driven” economic zone model, which integrates crypto assets, regulatory frameworks, and financial infrastructure from the ground up, rather than adding digital asset policies retroactively.

GMC, located in southern Bhutan, is a special administrative region built around sustainable economy and future finance. Its features include incorporating crypto assets into strategic reserves, establishing dedicated regulatory rules, and promoting custody, tokenization, and institutional liquidity infrastructure. This sovereign-level institutional integration gives it a competitive edge among global crypto-friendly regions and has attracted on-chain analytics platforms and institutional service providers to plan early deployments.

Strategically, this cooperation aligns with Nansen’s transition toward an AI-driven on-chain investment platform. Since 2026, the platform has launched AI trading execution and AI agent functions across multiple public blockchains, gradually evolving from a simple wallet tagging and data analysis tool to an integrated on-chain investment system covering analysis, execution, and intelligent decision-making. Currently, Nansen tracks over 500 million labeled wallet addresses, with data network effects continuously strengthening.

Jigdrel Singay, a board member of GMC, stated that the region is prioritizing the development of foundational capabilities such as data, governance, and talent to support long-term innovation. As custody systems, institutional capital inflows, and compliance frameworks are gradually improved, Bhutan is exploring a new type of crypto economic zone centered on sovereign digital asset reserves and regulatory innovation. Industry experts generally believe that if this model operates smoothly, it could become an important example of integrating sovereign digital asset regulation with on-chain financial infrastructure in the future.