MENA News
Discover the latest blockchain and crypto news from the MENA region, including updates from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman, covering trends, regulations, and developments shaping the industry
Mastercard and Circle are expanding their partnership to introduce USDC and EURC settlement across Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EEMEA). This marks the first time acquirers in the region will be able to settle transactions directly in stablecoins, bridging the gap between blockchain-native digital assets and traditional commerce infrastructure. The initiative will debut with Arab Financial Services (AFS) and Eazy Financial Services, enabling them to settle payments in…
Read More »The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has amassed approximately $700 million in Bitcoin, primarily through government-backed mining operations, blockchain analytics platform Arkham Intelligence revealed. In a recent post on X, Arkham identified what it says are the UAE government’s Bitcoin wallets, estimating holdings of roughly 6,300 BTC. The digital assets were mined via Citadel Mining, a firm majority-owned by the UAE government’s International Holding Company (IHC). “Unlike the US and UK,…
Read More »MovaChain, the next-generation modular blockchain built for global payments, today announced it has secured a strategic investment at a $100 million valuation, led by Aqua1 Foundation and GeoNova Capital (UAE), with participation from other leading Abu Dhabi institutions. This funding will accelerate Mova’s mission to deliver institutional-grade blockchain infrastructure engineered for high performance, compliance, and modular flexibility, setting a new global benchmark for scalable Web3 adoption in payments and finance.…
Read More »The Global Blockchain Congress (GBC), hosted by Agora Group, returns for its 15th edition in Dubai, the global capital of Web3 and digital innovation. The Global Blockchain Congress continues its mission of bringing together the most promising Web3 projects with the world’s leading investors for two days of exclusive, high-impact networking and deal-making. The success and reputation of the GBC is reflected in the caliber of its past partners and…
Read More »Easy Coins, Oman’s first cryptocurrency exchange and the only non-custodial platform of its kind in the MENA region, has been acquired by foreign investors who have established a company in Oman. The acquisition cost has not been made public. Launched at a time when Oman was still debating whether to ban or regulate digital assets, Easy Coins played a pivotal role in guiding the country toward regulation. By providing a…
Read More »The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is positioning itself as a leading hub for digital finance and blockchain innovation by hosting two major events this year: the 27th Jordan Financial Expo & Awards (JFEX 2025) and the inaugural Token Congress Jordan. Both events will take place at the Mövenpick Hotel Amman on September 23–24, 2025. Organized by AFAQ Group, JFEX & Token Congress Jordan 2025 is expected to attract over 2,000…
Read More »BurjX, the UAE-born digital asset trading platform licensed for both brokerage and custody services by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), has announced that it is leveraging Fireblocks, a leading enterprise platform providing digital asset infrastructure solutions, to secure its trading and custody operations. With over $2.17 billion lost to crypto theft globally in the first half of 2025 and only 22% of exchanges…
Read More »Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has delivered a clear message: regulatory frameworks are accompanied by actual enforcement. It has issued a fine against Morpheus Software Technology FZE, the UAE entity of Fuze, and appointed a Skilled Person to supervise its remediation plan. This marks a turning point for the region’s digital asset regulation. VARA with Teeth: Enforcement Over Frameworks A supervisory investigation begun in April 2025 revealed weaknesses in Fuze’s anti-money laundering…
Read More »A new development in institutional blockchain adoption is unfolding as KAIO announced it has expanded its suite of tokenized fund offerings on the Hedera network. Positioned as the first fully onchain infrastructure for regulated real-world assets (RWAs), KAIO is bridging the gap between traditional finance and decentralized markets. By leveraging Hedera’s high-performance, sustainable distributed ledger, the platform is bringing institutional-grade money markets and alternative investment strategies directly onchain. “This launch…
Read More »Just shy of a full year after announcing its strategic partnership with Bitpanda Technology Solutions on August 19, 2024, RAKBANK has delivered on its promise — officially rolling out retail crypto trading directly within its mobile banking app. The launch makes RAKBANK the first conventional bank in the UAE to offer retail customers the ability to buy, sell, and swap cryptocurrencies directly from their RAKBANK current or savings accounts, fully…
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