Waqar Zaka Ranks Fifth in Ongoing International TradFi Masters Competition

Pakistani crypto expert and trader Waqar Zaka is currently ranked fifth in the ongoing International TradFi Masters Competition, where solo traders from China, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Pakistan and several other countries are competing with their own money.

The competition is based on real money trading rather than demo accounts. Every participant must use personal capital and independently trade across multiple financial markets.

TradFi in this competition means trading across both traditional and digital assets. Participants are required to trade US stocks, forex, gold, silver and cryptocurrencies instead of focusing on only one market.

Under the competition rules, traders must complete a high number of trades and trade every designated asset category at least once during the day. They cannot keep one position open for too long and must continue making active trading decisions throughout the competition.

The ranking is based on trading quantity, overall profit and risk management. Profitable trades improve a contestant’s score, while every stop loss hit results in minus points. The trader who completes more qualifying trades, produces the highest overall profit and records fewer stop loss hits will win the competition.

The winner will receive the latest model Mercedes G Wagon, valued at approximately 400,000 to 500,000 dollars depending on its model and specifications. The vehicle will be awarded to the winner regardless of which country the trader lives in.

According to the latest leaderboard, China is currently in first position, followed by South Korea, the United States and Japan. Waqar Zaka is representing Pakistan in fifth position, with six days still remaining in the ongoing competition.

This is not his first strong performance in an international trading contest. His previous results recorded in news reports include a ninth place finish among more than 3,000 traders and a fifth place finish in another global competition.

Waqar Zaka is also known for introducing Bitcoin education to Pakistani audiences when the price of Bitcoin was around 268 dollars. He began producing educational content about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency years before digital assets became part of mainstream financial discussion in Pakistan.

In 2019, he repeatedly argued on satellite television that Pakistan should build a national Bitcoin reserve. He also proposed that a digital Pakistani rupee could be backed by Bitcoin and said that countries holding the largest Bitcoin reserves could become some of the strongest economies in the digital era.

At the time, many people dismissed these ideas. Years later, when the United States moved towards establishing a strategic Bitcoin reserve under Donald Trump, many people revisited Zaka’s earlier statements and said that he had raised the same idea in Pakistan much earlier.

Zaka also established a cryptocurrency mining setup powered through hydropower and promoted the use of Pakistan’s energy resources for digital asset mining.

His role in Pakistan’s cryptocurrency debate also reached the courtroom. After being unable to find a lawyer willing to pursue the matter, Zaka appeared personally before the Sindh High Court.

During the hearing, the judge allowed him to present his argument. Zaka asked the court to question the State Bank of Pakistan about the exact section of law used to declare cryptocurrency illegal through its notification.

When the State Bank representatives were asked to identify the relevant legal provision, they were unable to provide an answer. The argument led to an important clarification in December 2020 that the State Bank had not declared cryptocurrency illegal.

The proceedings challenged the public perception that cryptocurrency had been completely banned in Pakistan and pushed government institutions towards legal clarification and regulation.

His humanitarian work also involved the use of cryptocurrency to support Muslim communities affected by conflict and displacement in Burma and Syria. In 2017, Zaka travelled to affected areas, provided assistance through cryptocurrency and educated people about how Bitcoin and blockchain technology could be used to receive funds and create financial opportunities. His work later led to invitations from international conferences to discuss the use of blockchain for social good.

Waqar Zaka has consistently argued that mathematics and statistics are essential for successful trading. He believes that traders cannot compete at an international level without understanding probability, risk, data and numerical analysis.

Zaka holds a degree in civil engineering from NED University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi and later completed business education at Stanford University. His academic background in engineering and business has shaped his approach of combining mathematical thinking, market analysis and risk management in trading.

Not to forget, Waqar Zaka was appointed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government as a crypto adviser and was officially given the title of crypto expert in 2021.