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
Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by users and trading volume, sponsored the Economy Stage at this year’s 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai. Taken place from January 9 to 11, 2026, the three-day summit is the world’s largest gathering of content creators, digital platforms, brands, and media leaders. The event, which hosted over 15,000 content creators and over 420 speakers, serves as a global platform for dialogue, collaboration, and…
Read More »Fuze has appointed Serena Sebastiani, formerly PwC Middle East’s virtual assets consulting lead, as its new Group Chief Strategy and Venture Officer, strengthening the company’s leadership team as it scales its financial infrastructure across the Middle East, Turkey, and beyond. Sebastiani joins Fuze at a time when the region’s digital assets sector is moving from early experimentation toward institutional-scale deployment. Her appointment is intended to reinforce the company’s strategic direction…
Read More »The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has implemented a revised regulatory framework for Crypto Tokens in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a major update to its digital assets regime as the market continues to mature. The new rules, which came into force on January 12, 2026, are designed to strengthen market integrity, improve regulatory clarity, and support the responsible development of digital assets within the DIFC. They follow a…
Read More »A high-level business delegation of Dubai’s real estate company DAMAC Properties, including Damac Group Co-Managing Director Amira Hussain Sajwani, met senior Pakistani officials this week to discuss collaboration on emerging technologies, including blockchain, tokenization, PropTech and artificial intelligence, as part of Islamabad’s drive toward a digital economy and financial sector reform. The visiting delegation also included Chief of Staff Alp Ozenalp, One Homes Chief Commercial Officer Aqib Hassan and Prypco General Manager Tokenisation…
Read More »RAKBANK has informed the market that it has received in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to issue an AED-backed stablecoin, subject to the completion of regulatory and operational requirements. The update was shared as part of a statement outlining the bank’s latest progress in digital assets, and comes as UAE regulators continue to formalize the role of bank-issued payment tokens within the country’s financial system. A Direction…
Read More »The Middle East is emerging as a major force in the global digital asset economy, with annual virtual asset transactions in the region surpassing $500 billion and a rapidly expanding opportunity in the tokenization of real-world assets, according to new research released by financial infrastructure firm Fuze. In its 2026 spotlight report on virtual assets in the Middle East, Fuze estimates that tokenizing assets such as real estate and commodities…
Read More »The Dubai Digital Asset Association (D2A2) has entered a new phase of growth and strategic focus in 2025, unveiling leadership changes, a board overhaul, and an expanded role in regulatory and industry engagement as Dubai continues to position itself as a global hub for digital assets. Since the start of the year, the association has undertaken a broad internal restructuring aimed at sharpening its mission and increasing its influence across…
Read More »The UAE digital assets market entered 2025 with confidence—but exited the year with clarity. What defined the past twelve months was not a single breakthrough, but a series of structural signals that now shape the 2026 outlook for crypto, blockchain, and digital finance in the country. Consolidation replaced expansion. Enforcement followed licensing. Infrastructure moved from promise to delivery. Banks stepped into custody and issuance. And speculation, while still present, lost…
Read More »As we turn the page to 2026, the global crypto and blockchain industry stands at a pivotal inflection point. Following years of rapid expansion, innovation cycles, and regulatory trial balloons, the narrative for the year ahead is no longer about who can build the next protocol, but who can integrate, scale, and consolidate sustainably. This shift is already underway, and nowhere is that more evident than in the Middle East…
Read More »AIxCrypto Inc. (NASDAQ: AIXC) announced the establishment of a regulated Web3-focused subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates, after receiving approval for a Web3 operations license from local authorities, subject to final administrative processing. The subsidiary is based in Ras Al Khaimah Innovation City, one of the UAE’s most Web3-friendly jurisdictions. The license marks a foundational step for AIxCrypto, strengthening regulatory certainty, capital access, operational flexibility, and long-term scalability, while positioning…
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