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
Bitcoin MENA, the region’s premier Bitcoin and digital-asset event, is set to attract over 12,000 attendees this December, positioning the UAE as a global leader in Bitcoin development, mining, and regulatory innovation. The conference will feature influential voices from across the MENA region, reflecting the UAE’s rapid rise as a hub for financial innovation and sovereign Bitcoin adoption. Brandon Green, CEO of BTC Inc., emphasized the UAE’s role in the…
Read More »QNB Group has completed Qatar’s first-ever digitally native bond issuance, launching a USD 500 million, three-year floating-rate digital bond through HSBC Orion, the bank’s flagship blockchain-based assets platform. The transaction marks a major milestone in the Middle East’s shift toward digital capital markets and stands as the largest digital-native bond issued by a financial institution in the Middle East and Africa to date. The deal forms part of QNB’s strategy…
Read More »Animoca Brands has received in-principle approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), in hopes of becoming a regulated fund manager within one of the region’s most prominent financial hubs. The approval, announced on November 24, allows the digital assets powerhouse to move closer to securing full authorization to manage a collective investment fund within ADGM. Final permission remains subject to meeting remaining regulatory…
Read More »When the Chair of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) tells the Financial Times that the world’s most influential banking rulebook for crypto needs to be rewritten, it’s not a footnote—it’s a turning point. Erik Thedéen’s admission that the Basel crypto capital framework is no longer “realistic” marks the first major crack in a regulatory architecture that the industry has long argued was detached from market reality. The most…
Read More »The Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) sharply increased its exposure to Bitcoin in Q3 2025, tripling its holdings in BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) ETF. Regulatory filings show that ADIC boosted its position from 2.4 million shares to 8 million shares as of September 30, raising the value of its stake to nearly $518 million by the end of the quarter. According to Bloomberg, the buying spree occurred just before…
Read More »HSBC is preparing to significantly broaden its tokenized deposit services, with plans to roll out the solution to corporate clients in the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year, according to a Bloomberg News report published Tuesday. The global banking giant already offers tokenized deposits in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and Luxembourg. The upcoming expansion marks another major step in its adoption of digital money infrastructure…
Read More »The UAE’s digital asset ecosystem continues to evolve as Zand, the country’s AI-powered digital bank, secures approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to launch Zand AED, a regulated AED-backed stablecoin deployed on public blockchains. This development places Zand at the center of the UAE’s regulated digital finance environment, while adding a new tool for institutions, fintechs, and developers building on blockchain. Zand AED enters the market at a…
Read More »For years, crypto was shaped by a culture of self-trading — a world where investors managed their own custody, execution, and risk. That era introduced millions to digital assets, but it also cemented a perception of the industry as speculative and chaotic. Today, that perception is changing. A new phase of sophisticated crypto finance is emerging, one built on structured products, institutional frameworks, and regulated access. This shift is especially…
Read More »Binance, the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and operator of the largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and users, is set to host a highly anticipated debate between CZ, Founder of Giggle Academy and Co-Founder of Binance, and renowned economist and gold advocate Peter Schiff. The debate will take place on December 4th during Binance Blockchain Week 2025, running from December 3–4 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Bitcoin vs Tokenized…
Read More »VAF Compliance, a leading Dubai-based RegTech and compliance advisory firm, has officially launched AI Policy360, an intelligent compliance policy generator designed to strengthen the UAE’s anti-money laundering (AML) preparedness ahead of the upcoming Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mutual evaluation. AI Policy360 exemplifies VAF Compliance’s commitment to financial integrity and innovation under the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) — a strategic initiative aiming to double Dubai’s economy and position it among…
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