In a news piece on Oman News agency, the Board of governors of the Central Bank of Oman, held their third meeting for 2023 where the followed up on developments as well as reviewed the international stance on cryptocurrencies as well as related studies conducted by the executive management team at the central bank on cryptocurrencies. This comes as Oman works on its virtual asset regulations, having   at the end of July 2023 announced a public consultation paper on virtual assets regulatory framework by the Oman Capital Market Auhtority. The Capital Market Authority, Sultanate of Oman (CMA), which regulates and develops Oman's financial markets for the capital market and insurance sectors, had earlier announced its plans to establish the new regulatory framework for Virtual Assets (VA) and Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP). The proposed new regulatory framework is envisaged to cover activities such as crypto assets, tokens, crypto exchanges, and initial...

    As Taurus, digital asset infrastructure provider, offer digital custody and tokenization services, partners with Deutsche Bank, it plans to expand into the UAE among other countries. Founded in 2018, Taurus offers enterprise-grade digital asset infrastructure for the issuance, safeguarding, and trading of various digital assets, including cryptocurrencies, tokenized assets, NFTs, and digital currencies. The company’s product portfolio includes Taurus-Protect, a secure storage solution used by over 25 financial institutions and corporations in Europe, and Taurus-Capital, which facilitates the issuance and management of NFTs and tokenized assets on public and private blockchains. Deutsche Bank’s partnership with Taurus builds on the bank’s recent initiatives in the digital asset space. By leveraging Taurus’ technology, the bank aims to meet the evolving needs of its clients in the digital asset ecosystem. Paul Maley, the global head of securities services at Deutsche B...

    In a recent LinkedIn post , Zul Javaid, CEO of UAE Trade Connect, the UAE’s first trade finance platform to combat fraud, announced that they had hired Wissam Massud to lead their international expansion. As per the post, Massud will define market-entry strategies as UAE Trade Connect widens its horizons to GCC, other Middle East, Africa countries. In the post, Javaid states, “We know that UTC's unique #blockchain technology addresses a real-life pain for banks and tradefinance lending everywhere, so we fully expect to be knocking on lots of countries' doors in the coming year.” Prior to this announcement, In May 2023 Zul Javaid coming back fro a recent participation at Global Trade Review conference in KSA had noted that UAE Trade   Connect was interested in offering its solutions to the Saudi Arabian banking sector. As per Javaid, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a robust banking market, and we are very keen to bring our unique blockchain and AI based engi...

    The UAE Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, recently announced its migration of high percentage of its application and workloads to the Azure Cloud utilising various cloud computing services such as Blockchain, AI, and Data warehouse. ADIB has selected Cloud4C to work with them on this transformation project. Cloud4C is an Azure expert specialised in advanced cloud-managed services. They were chosen because of their broad and deep portfolio of cloud services, overall commitment to security excellence, and strong financial services experience. Commenting on the migration to the Cloud, Ashley Veasey, Group Chief Information Officer at ADIB, said: “ADIB has been at the forefront of digital transformation and continues to invest in re-architecting its technology to be more innovative and responsive to customer needs. We migrated to the cloud in recognition of the need to create an environment that is optimised for rapid changes and that will help in rolling out our digitisation stra...

  Bahrain's KFH ( Kuwait Finance House) Information security Manager, Mr. Hasan Muhi emphasized the significance of utilizing blockchain technology applications to enhance cybersecurity in the financial technology sector. He highlighted the potential of blockchain for improved security in financial transactions and protection against fraud and cybercrimes. During a seminar entitled “ Cybersecrity in Fintech in Bahrain” organized by NGN International Muhi stated that blockchain technology offers significant security advantages by storing financial data in an encrypted manner across a network of devices, making it highly resistant to cyber-attacks. The seminar was part of the activities of NGN Majlis, which aims to raise awareness about cybersecurity in Bahrain and promote a better understanding of the subject. As per Muhi’s statements, “Blockchain technology represents one of the latest and most effective methods for safeguarding companies and institutions against the growing...

    UAE based Blockchain enterprise solution provider, Avanza Innovations, has announced the Orion metaverse platform and will unveil metaverse solutions for banks and governmental entities during Gitex 2023. Avanza has been offering blockchain solutions built on its Cipher blockchain platform to governmental banking, and enterprise clients across the UAE and GCC region, adding to this offering Avanza Innovations has now introduced its metaverse platform, Orion. Orion is specifically tailored for businesses and enterprises that want to go beyond existing metaverse platforms to offered a comprehensive digital channels for interaction and transactions. Speaking to LaraontheBlock, Waqas Mirza, CEO of Avanza Innovations explained, “ We will be offering Orion in the UAE in two verticals, banks and government tier one entities. Both industry sectors will be launching something, they all want to go beyond just 3D immersive   content to offering actual services on the me...

  MENA based Bank ABC has won two distinguished awards at Global Finance's much-coveted The Innovators Awards -2023. The Bank's innovation and digitization Centre, ABC Labs, has been named as one of "the World's Best Financial Innovation Labs. ABC bank is implementing the GCC region’s first blockchain based cross border instant payment solutions as well as CBDC project with the Central Bank of Bahrain. In 2020 The Central Bank of Bahrain collaborated  with J P Morgan and Bank ABC in a pilot scheme to introduce instantaneous cross border payment solution leveraging state of the art technology and digital currency. The pilot was successfully completed in 2022.  Bank ABC along with J.P. Morgan will pilot the transferring of funds from and to the Kingdom of Bahrain in US-Dollars for payments from buyers to suppliers. This will lead to suppliers being paid faster and buyers originating payments in shorter time periods without the need for holding funds in advance. The Cen...

  As the National Bank of Fujairah received two awards for Best Innovation in Trade Finance" and "Most Innovative Trading Platform" for the second consecutive year at the MEA Finance Banking Technology Awards 2023, it announced that its integration of Finverity, a   blockchain-based supply chain financing platform   has resulted in reduced operational costs and the generation of new revenue streams. In October 2022, Finverity, and the National Bank of Fujairah launch of a partnership to grow supply chain finance (SCF) and account receivables (AR) finance volumes in the MENA region. The partnership has started with Redington Gulf, which will enable the service to reach the maximum number of IT resellers in the UAE. Under the partnership, Finverity provides a curated origination pipeline, deal structuring and an end-to-end technology platform for ongoing operations and reporting, with NBF underwriting and funding SCF and AR assets on Finverity’s marketplace. The partne...

    Anthony Butler, the Chief Technology Officer for IBM MENA region who was based out of KSA, and is a blockchain, AI, metaverse expert has joined Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) as a senior advisor. He announced the new position on LinkedIn saying, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Senior Advisor at Saudi Central Bank – SAMA! As a senior advisor to SAMA I will be focused on   first of a kind applications of emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence, distributed ledger technologies, quantum, and advanced cryptography in support of payments innovations (such as CBDC, stable coins, and tokenization), transformation of Suptech/Regtech, green finance,   open finance, decentralized finance (DeFi), and cybersecurity. Anthony Butler had spent 15 years as chief technology officer for IBM in the Middle East and Africa working in emerging technologies, with a specific focus on the application of artificial intelligence, blockchain and metaver...

    During Corda Day Middle East held on May 11 th 2023 in Dubai UAE, speakers from the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia (SAMA) as well as the Central Bank of UAE discussed their CBDC strategies and pilots. Both Central Banks are working with R3 Corda on their CBDC pilot programs, SAMA in its sandbox and UAE Central Bank in their research and development center. The event as per R3, brought together financial service leaders, technologists and Corda enthusiasts from around the region and the globe. Of the prominent speakers included H.E. Saif Humaid Hamad Al Dhaheri, Assistant Governor - Strategy, Financial Infrastructure and Digital Transformation, Central Bank of UAE and Mr. Mohsen AlZahrani, Virtual Assets (VA) and CBDC program Lead, Saudi Central Bank – SAMA as well as Richard G Brown, Chief Technology Officer, R3. Al Dhaheri made a keynote address on “Future of Money, CBDC and the Digital Dirham” while AlZahrani carried out the closing Keynote, on the topic of “Wholesa...

    UAE Emirates NBD Bank announced on LinkedIn that it has partnered with PWC and digital asset custodian and settlement provider FireBlocks to launch its Digital Asset Lab. PWC Middle East and Fireblocks will be founding council members. According to Emirates NBD, “This marks a new milestone in our innovation journey, and together, we look forward to shaping the Digital Asset space in the region.” Fireblocks is an enterprise-grade platform delivering secure infrastructure for moving, storing, and issuing digital assets. The company enables businesses to easily and securely support digital assets and cryptocurrencies. In February of 2023, Fireblocks acquired First Digital, a stablecoin and digital asset payments technology platform for $100 million. UAE based Emirates NBD has been a strong proponent for Blockchain and digitization. Emirates NBD was one of the first banks to join the UAE blockchain enabled KYC platform. In 2022 UAE Emirates NBD Group Chief Operat...

  MENA based Tarabut open banking platform, which recently signed its first partnership with a crypto brokerage exchange RAIN in Bahrain, has raised $32 million in its series A, led by Pinnacle Capital. The funds will be used to bolster Tarabut’s footprint in Saudi Arabia. Pinnacle Capital is a leading alternative investment firm that focuses on KSA investments to provide unique alternative investment opportunities. Pinnacle Capital partners have extensive transactional experience in the venture capital industry with a proven track record, including leading the first Saudi unicorn tech startup, Jahez, to a public listing. The raise also saw participation from Aljazira Capital, Visa, Tiger Global, and other leading existing investors. Abdulla Almoayed, Founder and CEO of Tarabut Gateway, stated, “Open banking is reshaping the financial landscape in KSA and the wider Middle East, and we, at Tarabut Gateway, are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation. This fundraise refle...

    Blockchain compatible EVM ( Ethereum Virtual Machine) platform built on NEAR protocol, Aurora Labs, with offices in Business Bay in Duba, has launched its Aurora Cloud in the MENA region. The platform is designed to integrate blockchain technology to their business without friction or the need for expert teams, significant resources, or large investments in time. With Aurora Cloud, businesses can connect their existing products to their own blockchain, allowing for a seamless end user experience that still looks familiar to what their customers use every day. The platform enables businesses to choose to operate on their own private blockchain, known as an Aurora Silo, implementing KYC/KYB access restrictions and dictating which apps and tokens are available to trade and use, allowing for a bespoke and tailored experience. The ability to control whether they or their customers are responsible for gas fees is another game-changing feature that provides total commercial...

  R3 was chosen by UAE Central Bank as its technology partner to design and build a CBDC for the first phase of the central bank’s CBDC project because it is a permissioned based DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) that decentralize assets privately and works well in regulated industries, but more importantly is its interoperability and asset fluidity. R3 will not only assist UAE’s Central Bank in developing a CBDC but also in tokenizing financial and non-financial activities, in addition to the digitalization of other financial services.   R3 offers interoperable CBDC solution LaraontheBlock interviewed R3 to learn more about their role in UAE’s CBDC project.   Alisa DiCaprio, Chief Economist at R3 when asked why R3 was chosen and not another Blockchain technology provider replied, “R3’s Corda is the world’s leading permissioned distributed application platform and is specifically designed to work in highly regulated environments with today’s financial services industr...

  Governor of Central Bank of Kuwait Basel Al Haroon in an  interview  with John Everington from the Banker, discussed the implementation of Blockchain EKYC solution as well as the ongoing research for CBDCs. According to the governor of Kuwait’s Central Bank, the bank is closely following the experiences of other countries that are issuing CBDCs, as well as the debates taking place among stakeholders in various countries regarding the various pros and cons.   He tells the Banker that they have formed a team of experts from various fields within the CBK to study the topic. According to Al Haroon, any such issuance would need to be accomplished in a way that preserves monetary and financial stability, while maintaining confidence in Kuwait’s payment system. In addition when it comes to blockchain, two local Kuwait banks have obtained the Central Bank’s approval to launch their blockchain based KYC verification and API interfaces. In June 2021, Akcess which utili...

  Sygnum, a global digital asset bank, has opened its Middle East hub in the Abu Dhabi Global Market international financial center to provide a portfolio of Swiss-regulated crypto banking services after receiving its license from UAE ADGM.  Sygnum Bank Middle East has received a Financial Services Permission (FSP) from the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), following its in-principle approval in October 2022. Seasoned Middle East Executive, Giulia Finkbeiner-Bertoni, leads Sygnum’s operations across the region and opens the office in the ADGM International Financial Centre. Sygnum Bank Middle East will offer personal, concierge-style client service, enabling convenient local client access to a portfolio of Swiss-regulated digital asset banking, asset management, tokenization and B2B banking services. With regional demand for regulated crypto services on the rise, clients will be drawn from a diverse range of sectors, ranging fro...

  UAE based WadzPay , an interoperable blockchain-based technology provider, has launched the WadzPay 2.0 which it believes will redefine the landscape of virtual asset-based transactions. WadzPay 2.0 provides a unique new architecture primarily based on the Algorand blockchain with inbuilt support for several others such as Ethereum, Tron, Avalanche and several others to be added. WadzPay 2.0 construct is designed in line with evolving regulations and needs of banks, financial institutions, telcos and central banks.   Anish Jain, founder and group CEO of WadzPay, stated, “Blockchain is already disrupting global finance, and with WadzPay 2.0, we are bringing a slew of capabilities that will transform digital currency payments. This enhanced product line encompasses issuance, acquiring, remittance, central bank digital currency (CBDC) and tokenization, providing a true one-stop solution for the industry. This is a leap forward in the blockchain payments ecosystem. WadzPay c...

  MENA Tarabut Gateway, an open banking platform has partnered with Bahrain’s crypto trading platform RAIN to bring faster, cost effective fiat to crypto transactions to Bahrain users, allowing crypto payments directly from user bank accounts all on RAIN platform. The new feature will utilize Tarabut Gateway’s open banking payment solutions to facilitate on and off-ramp (fiat-crypto-fiat) transfers for users, dramatically increasing speed and reducing errors associated with traditional bank wire transfers. The introduction of this new feature is in line with Rain’s strategy to provide the most premium and seamless crypto wallet experience for its MENA users.  Abdulla Almoayed, Founder and CEO of Tarabut Gateway, said, “We’re delighted to unveil a solution that aims to make fiat-to-crypto transfers quicker, more secure, and cost-effective – as well as enable such funding methods directly from bank accounts. Our partnership with Rain is a perfect cross-sector synergy, made p...

    Blockchain UAE Trade Connect platform, the UAE’s first trade finance platform to combat fraud has added United Arab Bank (UAB) as its 11 th bank on its platform. UTC, the fintech blockchain platform of e& enterprise, is the UAE's first commercialized solution to combat fraud in the trade finance space built on advanced technologies, namely blockchain and Artificial Intelligence (AI). UTC is a collaborative project of the banking industry and co-created with e& enterprise. UAE Trade Connect is a cloud-native solution that detects suspicious transactions, prevents fraud and duplication, and supports a wide range of trade-related documents that is validated and inspected in real time. Shirish Bhide, Chief Executive Officer at United Arab Bank, stated, “We wholeheartedly support UTC's mission of driving digital transformation and reducing fraud risks. This strategic partnership aligns with UAB's mission to accelerate growth through digitization and to build...