Technology entrepreneur, crypto expert and live leverage trader Waqar Zaka has won the TradFi Competition, a global solo trading tournament in which more than 3,000 participants from around the world traded remotely using their own money. He received a brand-new 2026 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon in Dubai as the winner’s prize.

Zaka has previously been officially recognised as a cryptocurrency expert in connection with his appointment by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to assist with cryptocurrency and blockchain-related initiatives.

Reference: Dawn Images – Waqar Zaka recognised as a crypto expert

Unlike a conventional cryptocurrency contest, TradFi required contestants to perform across stocks, gold, silver, commodities and cryptocurrencies through a single platform. There were no teams, referrals or promotional targets, as the competition was designed to evaluate each trader’s ability to adapt across multiple asset classes and deliver the strongest overall profit-and-loss performance.

Zaka emerged as the winner by demonstrating his ability to trade across both traditional and digital financial markets. A trader from South Korea secured second position, while a trader from China finished third.

All three leading traders competed with US$100,000 in capital. Pakistan’s Waqar Zaka finished first with a 74% return, generating US$74,000 in profit during the 20-day contest and taking his total account value to US$174,000. The South Korean runner-up earned 57%, equal to US$57,000 in profit, while the third-placed Chinese trader earned 35%, equal to US$35,000 in profit.

Official competition leaderboard: WEEX Master TradFi

Zaka had finished eighth in a similar international trading tournament last year. During the latest competition, he initially climbed to fourth position before eventually securing first place. His victory marks the first time a Pakistani trader has reached the top of an international multi-asset online trading event of this nature.

Much like electronic sports, competitive online trading is gradually developing into a new form of digital competition in which participants are judged on strategy, mathematical analysis, adaptability, profitability and disciplined risk management.

Zaka’s victory has also renewed public attention around his early calls for the Pakistani government to purchase Bitcoin and place it on the country’s national balance sheet as a strategic reserve.

Zaka repeatedly argued that Pakistan should build a Bitcoin reserve and use its long-term appreciation to help pay off the national debt and reduce the country’s dependence on the International Monetary Fund.

Many people are now recalling his old television appearances and social-media videos because US President Donald Trump has promoted the same central idea of creating a national Bitcoin reserve and using digital assets as part of a wider strategy for addressing national debt.

Social-media users have pointed out that Zaka had been presenting the same proposal in Pakistan years earlier, urging the government to purchase Bitcoin and include it on the national balance sheet rather than remaining dependent entirely on conventional borrowing.

His YouTube videos and appearances on local satellite television channels date back to 2016, when he began publicly promoting cryptocurrency while Bitcoin was trading near $268.

Around seven years ago, Zaka appeared on a television morning show and explained that Pakistan should establish a Bitcoin reserve and use the increase in Bitcoin’s value to help repay the country’s debt. The same policy idea is now being discussed internationally and promoted by President Trump in the United States.

Video: Waqar Zaka discussing a Bitcoin reserve and national debt

Video: Waqar Zaka promoting Bitcoin when it was around Rs25,000

His early videos remain available on social media today. In 2017, he began popularising live cryptocurrency trading on YouTube by executing trades publicly and in real time.

He became particularly known for appearing live during major market crashes and demonstrating how mathematics, probability, statistics and disciplined risk management could be used to identify opportunities even when fear dominated the market.

One of the most challenging chapters of his cryptocurrency advocacy came when digital assets faced serious regulatory uncertainty in Pakistan and lawyers were reportedly reluctant to take up the matter.

Zaka personally filed Constitutional Petition No. 7146 of 2019 before the Sindh High Court, appeared before the court and continued pursuing the case for nearly two years. The proceedings contributed to an important judicial clarification concerning the State Bank of Pakistan’s authority and the legal status of cryptocurrency.

Zaka maintained before the court that his objective was not merely to launch a private cryptocurrency business. He said he wanted the government to purchase Bitcoin as a national asset and consider it as a possible strategy for reducing Pakistan’s dependence on the IMF.

Cryptocurrency faced severe restrictions during the government of former prime minister Imran Khan. Zaka also faced criminal charges after publicly criticising the government’s refusal to allow cryptocurrency to become part of Pakistan’s national economic policy.

After the Imran Khan government left office, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, or NCCIA, withdrew the charges against Waqar Zaka, following which he was discharged by the court.

The constitutional case is considered a significant part of Pakistan’s early cryptocurrency policy debate because banks, exchanges and businesses previously faced considerable uncertainty over whether they could provide cryptocurrency-related services.

His legal campaign earned him considerable respect within Pakistan’s cryptocurrency community and helped bring cryptocurrency regulation into the national policy conversation.

Zaka is also recognised for using blockchain technology for humanitarian purposes. His videos show him personally visiting Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar and other vulnerable communities and educating them about how charitable assistance could be delivered directly through cryptocurrency.

The initiative demonstrated that blockchain technology could be used not only for trading and investment but also for transparent and direct humanitarian support.

International media coverage: Waqar Zaka helping refugees through blockchain

Video: Waqar Zaka educating refugees about cryptocurrency

Waqar Zaka is therefore more than a cryptocurrency trader or technology entrepreneur. Through competitive trading, public education, legal advocacy, humanitarian initiatives and engagement with government institutions on cryptocurrency regulation, he has played an important role in shaping Pakistan’s early cryptocurrency policy landscape.

He holds an academic background in civil engineering and later pursued entrepreneurship and business education at Stanford Graduate School of Business, combining his technical education with innovation, financial technology and global entrepreneurship.

Unlike many cryptocurrency influencers who primarily display luxury cars, wealth and an expensive lifestyle, Zaka rarely uses his platforms to showcase what he owns. Instead, he strongly encourages young people to aim for leading institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge whenever they have the opportunity, arguing that serious education, knowledge and international exposure are essential for achieving sustainable success.

Reflecting that belief, Zaka pursued business education at Stanford Graduate School of Business and documented his academic experience for his audience. He became one of the first Pakistani influencers and content creators to publicly document a Stanford academic journey, giving viewers an inside look at classroom learning, university life and how an advanced business programme is experienced at one of the world’s leading institutions.

Video documenting Waqar Zaka’s Stanford journey: Stanford academic journey vlog