Japanese Nomura Bank’s, Komainu, a regulated digital asset custody provider, has received an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) operational license from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA). This is one step from receiving the full operational license. This also follows HexTrust another digital asset custodian who received the license prior. Under the license Komainu will be able to offer both custodial and staking services. Komainu had received provisional regulatory approval from VARA in July 2022 allowing it to commence operational readiness even as the application goes through the warranted due diligence. Komainu acts as key gatekeeper to institutions gaining exposure to the digital asset industry with the provision of secure and regulated digital asset custody services for blockchain and beyond. Over the years, Komainu has established itself as one of the leading digital asset custody providers for institutional clients, providing the same safeguards and protec...

  The U.S. the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 22 individuals and 104 entities operating in 20 countries for their role in facilitating Russian sanctions evasion, including John Desmond Hanafin, Founder of Dubai based Huriya Private, a fintech firm, who has an active Ethereum address included as an identifier on his SDN List entry. Hanafin is the founder and CEO of Huriya Private FZE LLE, a Dubai-based financial services company also sanctioned today for its role in funneling Russian funds into the UAE.  According to OFAC’s press release, Hanafin in his role at Huriya has been working since the outset of the Russia-Ukraine War to help Russian nationals protect their assets from sanctions. Much of this activity has involved helping Russian nationals move their money into UAE bank accounts and obtain fraudulent passports.  As per Chainalysis blog , John Hanafin’s on-chain transactions may shed light on Huriya’s Russian sanctions eva...

  The UAE Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation, approved 6 transformational projects to enhance the UAE Government's digital transformation, one of them being the Digital Assets Registry. The Digital Assets Registry focuses on inventorying the digital assets of the UAE government, their validity, and the entities that own them, and measuring the extent of their use. This is the first registry launched by the federal government for tangible and intangible digital assets. The meeting which was chaired by Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, also announced other projects such as Government Technology Package, Government Software Platform, and Digital Project Standards Guide. Her Excellency indicated that the new projects enhance the UAE's readiness to play a pivotal role in promising future sectors, ensuring a safe digital transformation in line with future aspirations and directions. ...

  Universal Digital AEDU and Canadian Aquanow have received MVP ( Minimum Viable Product) provisional license approvals for several virtual asset licenses from Dubai’s Virtual asset regulatory authority ( VARA ). Universal Digital (AEDU) has applied for advisory license, broker dealer services, virtual asset custodial license, crypto exchange license, crypto lending and borrowing license, as well as management and investment service license. In addition Canadian headquartered, digital asset platform has also received MVP provisional approval for advisory license, broker dealer license, and management investment service license. Aquanow is a privately funded, infrastructure and liquidity provider that enables institutional and enterprise use-cases for digital assets. The company currently has 200 institutional clients, serving customers in 30 plus countries with 70 asset pairings. This is another representation of increased interest in the UAE as a center for virtual assets, blo...

  While Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse was telling CNBC that the confusing regulation in the U.S. is pushing more crypto companies to the leave the country, Circle appointed its Vice President for Middle East and Africa, Miriam Kiwan. Kiwan on LinkedIn stated, “I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Vice President, MEA at Circle!” Earlier this month, the Circle team was present in Dubai UAE at a dinner hosted by Miriam Kiwan, the partner of Raiven Capital, now she is the VP for Middle East. Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle Internet Financial, during an interview with Bloomberg, blamed the shrunken value of the company’s stablecoin, USD Coin, on regulatory challenges in the United States and concerns about its banking system. Garlinghouse from Ripple, in his interview talked about the leadership qualities of Europe and UAE when it comes to the regulation of digital assets. But this is not the only company that is eyeing the UAE, in a tweet  , Blockchain IO...

  The Bahrain Economic Development Board announced that it has welcomed Singapore Based digital asset bank Whampoa Group to Bahrain. Whampoa will be setting up its new digital bank headquarters in Bahrain. The digital bank, which offers integrated financial solutions to serve institutions, innovators, and sophisticated investors globally, including digital banking services and the trading, custody, and asset management of digital assets, will open its operations in Bahrain by the end of year. In 2022, Whampoa Group had announced plans to raise $50 million for a crypto hedge fund and had announced plans to set up a venture capital fund to invest in digital assets. "We are delighted that Whampoa Group intends to set up the headquarters of their new digital bank in Bahrain as they would benefit from Bahrain's pro-innovation environment and forward-looking regulatory framework. The establishment of these types of institutions is vital to further strengthen the existing digital...

  UAE Blockchain authentication platform Stitchain, has been chosen by Dubai online luxury commerce platform, THE LIST, to authenticate ownership for luxury fashion sector. Headquartered in New York, and with a presence in Dubai and Lisbon, THE LIST identified the Dubai-based ID authentication platform due to its proprietary protocols to connect physical products and assets to the digital world. As a social commerce platform for luxury fashion, THE LIST enables immediate access for consumers to a network of leading global brands and retailers, where they can discover and shop personalized content and access "hard-to-find" items. The partnership supports THE LIST's mission to ensure the authenticity of every product listed on the platform. By embedding NFC (Near Field Communication) tags linked to Stitchain's blockchain-based authentication system, customers can also use the platform to verify the provenance and ownership of their purchases, fostering trust and c...

    In a recent flurry of signing agreements between Dubai Civil Aviation Authority with Dubai Aviation City and Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZA), an agreement to link data of both DIEZA and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority was signed. According to the press release, these agreements aim to foster enhanced cooperation and integrated link using ‘Web Service’ technology for issuing commercial activity permits in the aviation sector, thereby enabling immediate approvals from DCAA for commercial licensing transactions in the Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai Airport Freezone. It also strengthens institutional information and data management cooperation, facilitating systematic integration. On this remarkable milestone, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum said: “This MoU is a strategic milestone in reshaping Dubai’s aviation industry and consolidates the emirate’s position as a global leader in digital transformation in the aviation industry...

  Oman based Mamun to develop secondary token crowd funding market after receiving license from Oman Capital Market Authority Oman based Mamun, has been awarded a full crowd funding license by Oman’s Capital Market Authority, with plans to offer a crowd funding token based secondary market utilizing its recent partnership with Fasset token exchange platform. The recent license is also a pre-approval for a PSP (Payment Service Provider) license by the Central Bank of Oman. As a fintech infrastructure-as-a-service provider, Mamun offers a proprietary technology platform that empowers telecommunication companies, banks, and large startups with the tools and capabilities necessary to roll out fintech services and products, including popular solutions like Foodics. Excitingly, Mamun has recently announced a strategic partnership with Fasset, a renowned innovator in the field. This collaboration aims to co-create advanced products that further enhance Mamun's holistic approach to ...

    According to a recent news piece in Khaleej Times, Liminal, a crypto custodial wallet platform has applied for a license at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in an effort to offer regulated service in the region. Liminal which claims to have processed crypto transactions worth $5.6 billion on its platform, with over $550 million worth of assets under protection, believes that people will use digital assets either as part of investment or a part of underlying fundamental technology. Mahin Gupta, Founder, Liminal stated to Khaleej Times, “Regulation will become uniform across the globe. UAE has taken a first mover advantage in the field of digital asset regulation, with much clarity. They have a clear idea about how they want to look at Metaverse, how they want to look at trading, how they want to look at custody and how they want to look at blockchain as a service and blockchain as a platform for other applications.” Liminal in the past month has advertised for the po...

  UAE Trade Connect Blockchain enabled trade finance platform looks to offer its solution to Saudi banking sector. Zul Javaid, CEO of UAE Trade Connect expressed his interest in expanding the Blockchain enabled KYC Trade Connect platform to KSA. This came as UAE Trade Connect participated at the Global Trade Review conference in Riyadh KSA in May of this year. 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 engine into the country to help banks de risk their trade finance lending.” Javaid met with several leading Saudi banks at the event. Also present at the event in KSA was First Abu Dhabi Bank and Emirates Bank who are members of Blockchain enable UAE Trade Connect platform. In February 2023, UAE Trade Connect added its 11 th bank to the platform, the United Arab Bank. Prior to that Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) became the 10th bank to join Blockchain trade finance platform. UTC...

  The engine that will ignite a sustainable future starts with Web3, its associated technologies, and UAE based Enjinstarter. Enjinstarter, launched in 2021 is a Launchpad, incubator, crowd funding, and advisory platform for Web3 metaverse, gaming, entertainment and impact and sustainable projects. At the beginning of 2023, Enjinstarter appointed Vasseh Ahmed as the new Managing Director to lead the Web3 efforts in the MENA region. Vasseh spoke with LaraontheBlock to discuss Enjinstarter’s plans to help companies reach their Web3 ambitions while positioning Enjinstarter as the go to provider for impact and sustainability projects. Ahmed, speaking with Lara on the Block, stated, “Before I joined Enjinstarter I was working in the UAE for four years on a digital bank project. I had been in the blockchain and crypto space for over 6 years, so when I met Prakash Somosundram, [Enjinstarter’s] CEO and Co-Founder, and we discussed the launch of an impact and sustainability track, I was...

  Reef Labs has announced the launch of a $10 million accelerator program for Web3 projects building on the Reef Chain in the Middle East region. The program, managed by Reef Labs, aims to support, incubate, and invest in promising Middle East-based Web3 developers, teams, and projects building on the Reef Chain. The Accelerator Program seeks to drive Reef’s vision for growth, making it the de-facto blockchain in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Ideas selected as part of this initiative will benefit from the financial support provided by Reef’s venture partners, along with mentorship, marketing, and business development assistance from Reef Labs. Additionally, these ecosystem projects can leverage Reef’s global community to promote their ideas and achievements to other Web3 developers and blockchain enthusiasts. Denko Mancheski, CEO of Reef, said about this new initiative, “We’re launching the Reef Accelerator Program with the aim of welcoming the brightest min...

    In a recent LinkedIn post for Vineet Budki, Managing Partner and CEO for Cypher Capital he announced that in one year since the launch of Cypher Capital the $100 million fund has invested $60 million in 40 + blockchain startups. According to Vineet the first fund had invested in over 100+ blockchain startups that included KILT Protocol, Casper Labs, Cross the ages and others. As for the $60 million, part of the $100 million fund, it was invested in blockchain startups that included Mysten Labs, zkLink, Karate Combat Revolving games, bitsCrunch Cymbal and many others. As per Budki, Cypher Capital invests in 4-5 startups each month as they continue to support the Web3 ecosystem with capital, knowledge and the CyberHub in Dubai UAE. This comes as Cypher Capital announced that it was part of the strategic funding round for zkLink, a pioneering multi-chain ZK-Rollup trading infrastructure. The startup raised $10 million   from a group of high-profile investors, in...

    According to a recent Baker McKenzie client alert , the UAE Security and Commodities Authority has issued two new regulations pertaining to virtual assets. UAE SCA will be creating a list of accepted virtual assets as well as regulations allowing already regulated financial institutions to offer virtual asset services while amending capitalization requirements for virtual asset exchanges, custodians, and brokers. These regulations while published in Arabic were translated by Baker Mckenzie in their client  report. As per the report, the SCA has issued two new decisions,   (26/RM) of 2023 in relation to Virtual Assets Platform Operators (the “SCA VA Exchange Regulations“); and   Decision No. (27/RM) of 2023 amending SCA Chairman of the Board of Director’s Decision No. (13/RM) of 2021 in relation to the SCA Rulebook (the “SCA Rulebook Amendments Regulations“). The SCA VA Exchange Regulations define VAs as a “digital representation of a value that can...

    UAE Dubai Customs have secured a second intellectual property certificate from the UAE’s Ministry of Economy for their groundbreaking "Blockchain System for Managing Intellectual Property and Knowledge Assets".   Engineer Saeed bin Faris, Manager of the Awareness and Education Section in Dubai Customs, has developed a smart system based on blockchain technology for managing intellectual property and knowledge assets. The system provides strong and transparent protection for intellectual property rights, ensuring the protection of the creations of inventors, authors, and rights holders. The system will also enhance cooperation between government agencies and international organizations, contributing to the unification of efforts to protect intellectual property worldwide. Government departments will be able to register IP (Intellectual Property) assets which comes after four innovations and inventions developed by Dubai Customs employees in 2022. First of i...

    In a recent announcement, UAE’s DMCC (Dubai Multi Commodities Center), partnered with USA based ANKR, an enterprise blockchain infrastructure and services provider. As per the partnership, they will provide support for over 550 Web3 member businesses in DMCC crypto center through development of innovative products, infrastructure and advisory incubation.   Ankr's solutions will be made available to businesses within the DMCC Crypto Center, empowering them with access to a wide variety of products and services, such as application-specific blockchain engineering, node infrastructure, Web3 gaming solutions, NFT marketplace solutions, staking, and decentralized finance products. These offerings will enable businesses to fast-track their development and go to market with every resource they need to thrive in emerging Web3 ecosystems.   "The partnership with the Dubai Multi Commodities Center is a testament to our commitment to drive the global proliferation...

  Oman’s telecom operator Omantel, and Indonesian Telkomsel has signed up to GSMA’s ebusiness network accelerator program to trial next gen telco blockchain network for roaming. The new network will speed up roaming processes, support roaming agreement negotiations and expedite billing and settlement. The trials will go live in June 2023.   The GSMA eBusiness Network is a private-permissioned industry-wide blockchain solution, launched in 2021 to support a wide range of operator business requirements and transform the wholesale roaming clearing and settlement process. It was formed following collaborative research between the GSMA and CK Hutchison Group Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, Orange, Telefonica, Verizon and Vodafone who were the founding members of the Blockchain for Wholesale Roaming (BWR) initiative, convened by the GSMA. Blockchain technology securely automates the complex business processes for wholesale roaming, ensuring that the interoperation between MNOs is a...

    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...

      During DACOM (The Digital Asset Compliance and Market Integrity Summit ) hosted by Solidus Labs, a crypto-native market surveillance and risk monitoring hub tailored for digital assets, in Abu Dhabi on May 4 th 2023, Dubai’s virtual asset regulator CEO stated that only 50 percent of Dubai’s legacy VASPs (those who were operating before VARA was set up) applying for license at VARA will need to be regulated. He also talked about the opportunity to launch regulation and compliance as a service for small business and entrepreneurs. Henson Orser , CEO of Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, VARA, discussing VARA’s licensing journey with strong legal risk compliance, stated, “Currently we have three cohorts that are passing through several processes and routes to being fully licensed, the Minimum Viable product cohort that includes global operators who were with us from day one.   There are also legacy VASPs (Virtual Asset Service Providers), several...