Kingdom of Bhutan to Become Sei Validator

The collaboration between Sei and the Kingdom will grow Sei's global validator footprint and boost national capacity for blockchain infrastructure and create opportunities for the tokenization of assets and novel economic initiatives

NEW YORK, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Sei Development Foundation, the team dedicated to the advancement and adoption of Sei, the world's fastest EVM Layer 1 blockchain, today announced a collaboration with Druk Holding and Investments Ltd (DHI), the primary sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bhutan, to deploy and run a Sei validator in the Kingdom. The initiative is being led by the DHI InnoTech division. The validator is expected to go live in Q1 2026.

The collaboration will significantly increase national capacity for blockchain infrastructure in the Kingdom while unlocking new pathways for data valuation, scientific advancement, and financial technology. It has also created opportunities to explore the tokenization of assets and the deployment of novel economic incentives within the Kingdom. The collaboration is a product of the Kingdom's ongoing digital transformation initiatives.

The project is being supported in part through Sapien Capital, the investment vehicle focused on accelerating the growth of science and innovation on Sei.

"The Kingdom of Bhutan is an early adopter of advanced technology to support national economic and social initiatives, and we're proud to have been selected by DHI InnoTech to deploy Sei infrastructure in support of national priorities," said Eleanor Davies, Science and Innovation Lead at Sei Development Foundation. "Our collaboration is a significant investment in national blockchain adoption, further expands Sei's global validator footprint, and will set the stage for us to partner on innovative projects like payments, tokenization, and personal identification into the future."

"This collaboration marks an exciting step toward strengthening Bhutan's role in global blockchain innovation while unlocking new pathways for data valuation, scientific advancement, and financial technology," said Phuntsho Namgay, Head of the DHI Department of Innovation and Technology. "DHI looks forward to building on this momentum and continuing to explore impactful opportunities with the Sei Development Foundation in line with Bhutan's digital transformation goals."

About Sei

Sei is a blockchain designed for fast, cheap financial transactions, combining the network effects of Ethereum with the performance of Solana. Sei has processed more than four billion transactions across more than 80 million wallets and has become the #1 EVM chain by number of active users. The team is backed by top investors such as Multicoin, Jump, Coinbase Ventures, and Circle Ventures – and includes talent from companies like Robinhood, Google, Coinbase, Databricks, Uber, and Goldman Sachs.

To learn more about Sei, visit www.sei.io.

About Sei Development Foundation

Sei Development Foundation is an independent US non-profit dedicated to the advancement and adoption of open source, permissionless protocols like Sei – the fastest EVM Layer 1 blockchain built to support world-scale decentralized applications. Through education, funding, and ecosystem support, the Foundation collaborates with a global community of builders and users to promote and expand the benefits of Sei and related projects.

To learn more about Sei Development Foundation, visit www.seifdn.org.

About Sapien Capital

Sapien Capital is a venture investor focused on accelerating the growth of science and innovation on Sei, the world's fastest EVM Layer 1 blockchain. Science and innovation stands to be among the most impactful and defining segments of crypto, yet the sector remains radically undercapitalized. The Sapien Open Science Fund I, capitalized with $65M, is one of the industry's largest dedicated investment vehicles for DeSci start-ups and founders.

To learn more about Sapien Capital, visit www.sapienfund.xyz.

About Druk Holding and Investments Ltd

Druk Holding and Investments Ltd, the commercial arm and trusted steward of the Royal Government of Bhutan, was established in 2007 to hold and manage the existing and future investments of the Royal Government for the long-term benefit of the people of Bhutan. As the largest and only government-owned holding company in Bhutan, DHI holds shares of 25 different companies operating in the manufacturing, energy, natural resources, financial, communication, aviation, trading and real estate sectors.

DHI's wider portfolio contains investments across a range of asset classes that deliver exposure to traditional sectors and the industries driving the modern economy. This includes global equities, fixed income and venture capital investments in promising startups; domestic and international real estate; renewable energy including hydropower generation; health tech, biotech, life sciences and Agri tech; and digital asset mining and investment.

DHI's future-facing investment strategy is helping to build a more connected and sustainable Bhutan by deepening local knowledge of and engagement in the technology landscape. At the same time, it fosters relevant human capital for industries of the future, creating jobs and preparing citizens to participate in the modern global economy from within Bhutan

To learn more about Druk Holding and Investments Ltd, visit www.dhi.bt.

Media Contacts

Sei: M Group - [email protected]
DHI: Deepika Chhetri - [email protected]

SOURCE Sei Development Foundation