The Blockchain related job market in the GCC MENA region is growing, and salaries differ between varying GCC countries depending on need, and availability. According to Salary Explorer 2023 reports, the average blockchain developer salary in the UAE per month is $3348 ( 12,300 AED), in Oman $3922 ( 1,510 OMR ), in KSA $3945 (14,800 SAR), in Qatar $3597 (13,100 QAR), in Bahrain $3630   ( 1,370 BHD), while in Egypt and Morocco the average salary is $266 ( 8,230 EGP), and $1810 ( 17,500 MAD). Interestingly others have noted that the average crypto salary per month in Dubai is $6582. As per their report salary estimates are based on anonymous submissions by cryptos, website users collected in Dubai from past and present job posts. Concurringly a number of entities in the UAE are requesting job positions. One example is Crypto.com that is hiring a Web3 senior regulatory reporting analyst, in Dubai. Recently as wel the Commercial Bank of Dubai was searching for Head of CBDC digita

  Liminal, a provider of wallet infrastructure and custody solutions, with a presence in the UAE has launched its compliance solutions suite, with Notabene’s Travel Rule solution. According to recent news pieces, Liminal’s compliance suite presents features to aid clients with their regulatory obligations, including integration to enable communication between virtual asset service providers, providing an interface to fulfil regulatory obligations, supplying compliance solutions to prioritise data protection, allowing customisation to cater to compliance, and real-time monitoring and alerts to address compliance issues. Rahil Shaikh, AVP of product and blockchain, Liminal, stated, “We are looking forward to introducing our compliance solutions suite, strengthened through our collaboration with Notabene. At Liminal, our objective is to drive innovation within the digital asset industry, and this partnership aims to reinforce our commitment to providing regulatory-compliant solutions

    Saudi Arabia is moving forward with Blockchain and Web3 with partnerships such as the one between Indian Beyond Imagination technologies, a blockchain Web3 tech company and Saudi Aba’ad Alkhayal software company Co-founded by Princess Hesah Al Saud. With this partnership Beyond Imagination technologies will expand into the Middle East. Aba'ad Alkhayal is a Saudi-based software company that leverages the latest technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence to help businesses thrive in the digital age. The partnership aims   to ideate, develop, and deploy solutions that will help Middle East clients with blockchain. The move comes as part of the company's commitment to fostering blockchain adoption and innovation across various industries in the region. "We are thrilled to embark on this exciting journey, committed to reshaping the future of technology," said Princess Hesah Al Saud, Co-Founder, Aba’ad Alkhayal. "With this partnership, we en

  Blockchain trade finance platform for banks in the UAE, UAE Trade Connect, an e&enterprise company has announced that it has surpassed $27 million in transactions identifying interbank duplicate financing and preventing fraud attempts. According to their LinkedIn post , “ This accomplishment serves as a testament to the unwavering dedication and commitment of the 12 leading banks in our consortium to combat fraud in real-time. As we move forward, we remain committed to continuously improving our platform's capabilities and staying ahead of evolving #fraud tactics.” UAE Trade Connect includes the following UAE banks, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, ADIB - Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Al Masraf, Commercial Bank of Dubai, Commercial Bank International, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), Mashreq Corporate & Investment Banking Group, National Bank of Fujairah, RAKBANK and United Arab Bank . UAE Trade Connect   is seeking   to offer its solution to Saud

  Dubai’s virtual asset regulatory authority, VARA has granted Laser Digital Middle East FZE, the crypto arm of Japanese Nomura Holdings, a full crypto license that will allow it to offer virtual asset broker dealer and investment management services in the UAE. Laser Digital announced that   Laser plans to launch over-the-counter trading services and digital-asset investment products for institutional investors in coming months. According to VARA website, Laser Digital has been awarded This is the full VARA licence, issued to VASPs which satisfies all of the requirements as specified under the Virtual Assets and Related Activities Regulations 2023. It allows a VASP to offer approved Virtual Asset services to retail customers as well as institutional customers and Qualified Investors. Laser Digital, which is headquartered in Switzerland with officers in Dubai and London, said in a statement it had received the licence from Dubai's Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, allowi

  As per a recent announcement , WorldCoin, blockchain and AI based digital identity protocol World ID has launched one of its orbs in Dubai UAE, at Crypto Oasis Centre. World ID according to WorldCoin ia a more human internet with global proof ‑ of ‑ personhood. Privacy ‑ First. Self ‑ custodial. Decentralized. Worldcoin is dramatically increasing access to World ID—the digital identity protocol powered by the Worldcoin ecosystem. The project will increase the number of available Orbs to 1.5K throughout the summer and fall in more than 35 cities around the world. One of those cities listed is Dubai UAE. The World ID Orb will be located at Crypto Oasis Innovation Hub, Gate C, Floor 1, Office 176, DIFC Over the last six months of its beta phase, the Worldcoin project has verified the uniqueness and humanness of more than 40,000 individuals per week. The availability of 1.5K Orbs will more than 5x sign up capacity globally and enable millions of additional people to join the 2 mi

  UAE licensed and regulated Venom Foundation has announced that it has registered one million Venom Wallets as of July 25 th 2023. Since April 2023, Venom was able to onboard 1 million registered wallets, reflecting the popularity of its blockchain network. Venome had launched its testnet in April 2023.  According to the annouceent, “Venom’s success is driven by its groundbreaking technology, strict regulatory compliance, and secure, user-friendly platform that serves a wide range of users. Smooth operations and frequent updates on the Venom testnet also enhance its attractiveness, helping to draw and keep users.” In June 2023   Venom processed a staggering 277 million transactions, a significant rise of 46% from the previous month.   The platform also witnessed a 65% increase in the number of accounts with smart contracts, which now amount to 28 million, and finally the platform also encompasses a remarkable 93% jump in minted NFTs as part of on-chain/social tasks, reaching 5

  According to a recent report by Fintech Global, while the UAE Fintech deal activity dropped 54 percent year on year, with deal activities reaching 24 deals in the first hald of 2023, 42% of those deals were in blockchain and crypto companies, totalling 10 deals. The report noted that   UAE FinTech companies raised a combined $101m in investment during H1 2023, a 72% reduction from H1 2022. In the first half of 2023, the number of FinTech deals in the UAE declined 54% compared to the previous year, totalling 24 deals. During the first half of 2023, FinTech companies in the UAE raised a combined investment of $101m, reflecting a substantial decrease of 72% compared to the same period in 2022. As per Fintech Global, Tabby, a buy now pay later provider, had the largest FinTech deal in the UAE during H1 2023, raising $58m in their latest Series C funding round, led by Peak XV Partners and STV. The company intends to use the funds to expand its product line into next-gen consumer fi

  Saudi based SABIC, one of the world’s largest petrochemicals manufacturers has launched a blockchain pilot project to trace the carbon footprint of specific material streams from end to end. SABIC will work with Circularise, a blockchain software provider. According to SABIC release, blockchain technology has emerged as a potentially efficient solution to improve the process that can bolster transparency and accountability while minimizing risk across supply chains. SABIC’s project will employ Circularise’s technology to capture emissions across the value chain by deploying a consistent methodological and reporting framework accepted by the industry. Scope 1 and Scope 2 data captured at the material level can be used to generate Scope 3 CO2 emissions for the full value chain of targeted industries. In addition to increased transparency, the use of Circularise’s Smart Questioning technology will benefit SABIC’s entire value chain by reducing the administrative efforts associate

  Bitget, crypto derivatives exchange has expanded into the Middle East with plans to hire 60 new staff for its regional headquarters. Bitget is currently serving over 8 million users in more than 100 countries and regions, the exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter by providing a secure, one-stop trading solution Bitget is preparing to launch either in  Bahrain and or the UAE, including such as the crypto-friendly emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Ras Al Khaimah. The expansion foresees the setting up regional headquarter, as well as the recruitment of new team members who will be assigned various mid-office and back-office functions. Recent statistical data on MENA region crypto adoption indicates that it is home to the fastest-growing cryptocurrency industry, taking up a 9.2% share of global transactions in the period from 2021 to 2022. The UAE alone experienced 400% growth in the number of registered crypto businesses between 2020 and 2022, leading to a surge in gl

    DEX ( decentralized exchange) layer for retail Web3 applications has partnered and received funding from UAE based Cypher Capital VC fund to grow Native’s financial Web3 offering in the MENA region. Native offers a game-changing solution that transforms exchanges into an integrated feature. With Native, any application can swiftly transform itself into a fully functioning exchange, seamlessly integrating top-tier liquidity providers and generating substantial trading fees. This strategic partnership will provide Native with the necessary resources to advance its product development efforts, placing a strong emphasis on flexibility, modularity, and interoperability. Bill Qian, Chairman of Cypher Capital, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “We are delighted to invest in Native, an innovative financial infrastructure layer. Native’s exceptional capability to empower applications to establish their own exchanges in minutes, seamlessly integrate top-tier liqu

US blockchain deposit token infrastructure provider which ues Corda by R3 to bring CBC deposit token infrastructure , Fluent Finance has expanded into the MENA region with the opening of its operations in Abu Dhabi, UAE under the new name, Fluent Economic Bridge. Fluent Finance will offer trade finance and cross border payments with the support of UAE Ministry of Economy. Fluent Finance's new UAE entity, named Fluent Economic Bridge, will be focused on deposit token infrastructure, promoting cost-effective and borderless trade finance between Abu Dhabi banks and global markets. The company is currently procuring a trade license from Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), an integral part of Fluent's mission to offer dependable digital asset services to its UAE partners and the global trade community. On twitter, Fluent Finance stated, “ We’ve expanded into the MEA region, setting the stage for the next chapter in UAE's FinTech innovation, delivering our leading-edge deposit to

  UAE based Crypto Oasis Ventures has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC),   to support the DIFC Innovation Hub with subject matter expertise for their ongoing and upcoming start-up accelerator programmes. This coincides with Crypto Oasis Ventures official opening of its second office in the DIFC Innovation Hub for its Venture Studio. "We are thrilled to partner with Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a renowned financial hub known for its regulatory excellence and commitment to fostering innovation," said Faisal Zaidi, Co-Founder and CMO of Crypto Oasis Ventures. "By establishing our office within the DIFC Innovation Hub, we aim to leverage The Centre's vibrant ecosystem, collaborate with like-minded organisations, and explore new opportunities for growth." DIFC is a leading global international financial centre that plays a pivotal role in driving economic diversification and innovation in

  Brinc, a leading global venture accelerator, with operations in the UAE has selected 25 promising global startups, launched by a total of 66 founders, for its Summer 2023 cohort under its host of Web3 accelerator programs. Two startups from the GCC region have been selected. The first is UAE AI NFT BentleyRecords.io , an AI-powered music development program dedicated to helping artists grow their career online, offering 35+ tools for music production and distribution was chosen among startups and the second one is Bahrain based Eye Labs, a pioneering platform dedicated to guiding brands into the Web3 realm, simplifying blockchain infrastructure while emphasizing storytelling and user journeying to make the transition more accessible to a wider audience. Brinc's Summer 2023 cohort represents a diverse range of innovative ventures at the forefront of cutting-edge technologies in blockchain, decentralized applications, and peer-to-peer networks. This round is Brinc's third coh

  In a recent news piece, UAE based 10 Leaves consultancy firms has announced that it is accepting crypto payments. According to the announcement, 10 Leaves, through it’s technology arm Tenl Technologies, has built up excellent capabilities in the blockchain, DeFi and crypto sectors. From fintech advisory, regulatory sandbox consulting to tokenization and legalities of smart contracts, the 10 Leaves Group is poised to advise   clients on blockchain-related implementations and regulatory licensing across DIFC, ADGM, DWTC, DMCC, Bahrain and Europe (Luxembourg and Lithuania). “Dubai has demonstrated it’s vision by focusing on new technologies, and as a consultancy with over 17 years in the business, we aim to complement the leadership’s efforts in supporting entrepreneurs and visionaries who will shape our lives in the years and decades to come”, said Rohit Ghai, Founder of 10 Leaves. “Our crypto-related solutions will help startups and established players in this niche space to nav

  Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce ( ABCC) in a recent visit presented Morocco's customs entity with the features and benefits of Ellos Blockchain and aligned the next steps to use the platform. ABCC developed Ellos Platform as a distributed digital ledger to enhance its supply chain documentation, effectively tracking all information regarding any product being sold across the Brazilian and Arab markets, including all commercial, banking, trade, and export transactions from end to end. Buyers will be able to access relevant product information upon scanning a QR code on its packaging, ensuring customer satisfaction and quality of goods. Within the blockchain, stakeholders will be able to review the involvement of manufacturers, transporters, point of sale (POS), and others through immutable data. Using the highest technology, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce developed Easy Trade, the Ellos Blockchain system responsible for sending the documents required by the Arab cu

    The UAE AI camp a five day camp organized by both the   National Programme for Artificial Intelligence, in collaboration with the National Programme for Coders which targets school and university students, includes six cutting edge including web development and robotics, digital entrepreneurship and career planning, generative artificial intelligence, online safety and cybersecurity, blockchain and cryptocurrency, and virtual and augmented reality through interactive workshops, webinars, and deep dialogues in the field of artificial intelligence.   Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications and Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office, stated that the UAE government, led by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, is keen to on fostering a generation empowered with cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence, enabling th

   Deep Knowledge Group, pioneers of big data analytics system and dashboard solutions have published a report on the top 100 tech investors in the UAE of which 4.6% of their investments are in blockchain technology while 2.9% are in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. The report makes several findings which include that 50% of the top 100 tech investors are venture capital entities with some of the well known blockchain investors including Crypto Oasis, Shurooq Partners, Seed Group, DisruptAD, Ghad Capital Parners, Mubadala and Ceras Ventures. More than 50% of the top Tech investors are based out of Dubai UAE with 29% of their investments going to the Middle East startups, 17% going to GCC based entities and 18% in Africa. 74% of the top 100 tech investors have invested less than $10 million per deal, while only 11% have invested over $50 million. In the last 12 months, Kube VC was the most active in terms of investments which totaled 48, followed closely by Maven

  A Blockchain EVM layer 1 startup, Shardeum, whose very first investors in its $18.2 million seed round included UAE Ghaf Capital, has closed a new roud of $5.4 million from investors that include Amber Group, Galxe, J17 Capital, Jsquare, and TRGC, as well as Bware Labs, Tané Labs, Hyperithm Group, Luganodes, Blockchain Ventures Hub, CryptoViet Ventures, Blue7, and more.   Shardeum aims to leverage the additional funding to further support the growth of the ecosystem in the lead-up to the mainnet launch later this year. Founded in 2022, Shardeum is a highly-scalable EVM-based layer-1 blockchain deploying dynamic state sharding to keep gas fees low and transactions per second high as participation grows. As of today (July 7, 2023), more than 7.4 million transactions have taken place on the testnet, with 820K+ accounts and over 230K contracts deployed. Kelsey McGuire, chief growth officer at Shardeum states,“The completion of this strategic raise from key participants puts Shardeu

  South Korean blockchain companies are establishing their headquarters in the UAE, Neoply a blockchain DeFi solutions provider announced that it will be opening its global headquarters, under the name H Lab in Abu Dhabi UAE with the support of Abu Dhabi Investment Office. NEOPLY is joining ADIO's Innovation Programme, which supports the growth of tech-focused industries in the UAE capital. NEOPLY provides a decentralised finance (De-Fi) platform and various services based on blockchain technology. Its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) will be called H-Lab and benefit from the international financial centre's advanced regulatory framework and thought leadership in the virtual assets space. The opening of H-Lab follows discussions between ADIO and Neowiz Holdings, the parent company of NEOPLY, about establishing its blockchain activities wholly from Abu Dhabi and benefiting from ADGM's robust regulatory framework that enables effective blockchain and