Small steps in greater Asia

From Islamabad to Jakarta—Riyadh to Kathmandu, countries across Greater Asia are racing toward a digital future. They’re building massive data centers, buying up AI chips, and chasing the promise of Web3. Yet these grand ambitions often crash against hard realities: poverty, corruption, and the absence of even basic infrastructure.

ForkLog explored why some governments pour millions into artificial intelligence, others mine bitcoin under state control, and still others spiral into disorder—banning cryptocurrencies and social media altogether.

The cost of a “digital leap”

The dream is enticing: why repeat centuries of industrial growth when you can jump straight into the digital age? Policymakers across the region see technology as a shortcut to prosperity—a way not just to catch up with the West, but to overtake it by betting on blockchain, AI, and the data economy.

But in practice, this leap often looks like trying to clear a canyon. On one side are the bold plans, press releases, and billion-dollar announcements. On the other, the grim facts: unreliable electricity, patchy internet, systemic graft, and political instability.

Technology cannot thrive in a vacuum. It must grow on solid ground. The experiences of different countries show one truth: digitalisation only works when it addresses real problems instead of masking them.

Every nation in Greater Asia is feeling its way through, experimenting with wildly different models—from tight state control to near-total chaos.

Bhutan: mining for the state

Tiny Bhutan is following its own path. With abundant hydropower, it channels surplus energy into government-run bitcoin mining, aiming to build national crypto reserves.

It’s a tightly managed system: the state treats crypto as a strategic asset while insulating its financial system from volatility. At the same time, Bhutan is testing its own central bank digital currency.

But dependence on hydropower leaves it vulnerable to climate shifts, and the lack of homegrown tech talent forces reliance on foreign partners.

Bangladesh: digital dreams, harsh realities

Bangladesh’s government has set its sights on “Smart Bangladesh 2041,” a sweeping plan for nationwide digitalisation. Yet the vision feels detached from daily life. The country remains one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable, plagued by pollution and poverty.

Despite official talk of using blockchain for transparency, citizens are banned from all cryptocurrency activity. Not a single large-scale blockchain project has materialised.

Bangladesh’s story shows that no nation can digitise its way out of basic problems. A “smart nation” cannot be built while millions struggle for clean water and survival.

Pakistan: chaos under pressure

Pakistan offers the opposite picture. A young, tech-savvy population turns to crypto as a shield against runaway inflation. Chainalysis data shows some of the highest adoption rates in the region.

Authorities, caught off guard, oscillate between bans and half-hearted legalisation. Proposals appear to use excess electricity for mining and AI-driven national bitcoin reserves—but all within a fog of unclear laws and political disorder.

Add to that dependence on China’s investments and India’s control over vital rivers, and Pakistan’s “digital leap” becomes a tightrope walk over an economic abyss.

Nepal: when youth revolt

Nepal’s recent turmoil shows what happens when digitalisation outpaces social reform. A government attempt to block social media triggered mass protests.

Young people—empowered by access to information—saw the stark divide between their lives and the elite’s wealth. What began as a digital rights protest quickly became political, toppling the government.

The message is clear: you can’t give young people smartphones and deny them a future. Without jobs and justice, digital progress becomes a spark for rebellion.

Indonesia: a nation of traders

Indonesia’s young, connected population is among the world’s most active online. But much of that energy goes into speculation—meme coins, play-to-earn games, and quick-profit ventures.

Meanwhile, the government is crafting an ambitious AI strategy, but faces a severe talent shortage. Many skilled engineers leave for Singapore, drawn by better pay and stability.

The result is a widening gap: the youth chase fast money, while the state struggles to build lasting digital foundations.

The gulf: petrodollars fuel AI ambitions

The Gulf—especially Saudi Arabia and the UAE—presents a different model entirely: top-down, lavishly funded, and efficient. Backed by oil wealth, these states are buying thousands of Nvidia AI chips, developing homegrown large language models, and recruiting global talent with record salaries.

They see blockchain not as speculation but as infrastructure for tokenising real-world assets. So far, it’s the most successful digital transformation model in the region.

But the approach comes with geopolitical risks. The U.S. is wary of advanced tech flowing into a region that’s deepening economic ties with China.

The real test: breaking old hierarchies

No nation can leap into the digital age without dismantling the systems that hold it back. Technology is a multiplier—it magnifies both order and dysfunction.

While Silicon Valley drifts toward a “network caste system,” where privilege depends on access to elite circles, Asia’s success will hinge on inclusion and mobility.

The region faces a defining choice: build a digital future that empowers the many—or replicate the hierarchies of the past in new, high-tech forms.

To succeed, countries across Greater Asia must:

• Secure political stability and the rule of law.
  
• Fight corruption genuinely, not symbolically.
  
• Invest in education, infrastructure, and affordable internet.
  
• Regulate pragmatically instead of banning in panic.
  
• Give young people real opportunities to stay and build at home.
  

Right now, grand ideas like “corporate transhumanism” dominate global tech debates—but few address Asia’s real needs. The region must craft its own narrative, grounded in its people and problems.

Otherwise, its “digital leap” could become a fall—another grand promise ending in disappointment, leaving millions waiting for a future that never comes.