MAF and Binance Announce Partnership to Unlock Web3 Capabilities for Customers

Majid Al Futtaim, the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, and Binance, the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, announced the signing of a strategic partnership that will enable Majid Al Futtaim to harness Web3 technologies to future-proof the business and benefit millions of customers in the MENA region.

The agreement will see Binance and Majid Al Futtaim cooperate on a number of blockchain projects, including listings of NFTs on Binance’s marketplace, the creation of a digital wallet infrastructure to hold virtual assets from multiple platforms, and the integration of Binance Pay - allowing customers to purchase with virtual assets at Majid Al Futtaim’s various destinations in line with appropriate laws and regulations.

Alain Bejjani, CEO at Majid Al Futtaim, said: “The exponential rate of technology development today is matched only by consumers voracious appetite for exceptional customer experiences in both the physical and digital world. We are delighted to be partnering with global Web3 leader, Binance on the new frontiers of customer engagement and experience and look forward to working in tandem to evolve the third generation of web technology, develop strong capabilities and deliver innovation and world-class omnichannel experiences to our customers.”

Changpeng Zhao ‘CZ’, CEO and co-founder of Binance, said: “Majid Al Futtaim is one of the most prestigious businesses in the Middle East and has millions of customers every year. Integrating Web3 technologies will give its customers access to innovative new ways to engage with its brands and provide new ways to pay. Through partnerships like these, we will see the innovative use-cases that come to define the next digital era emerge, and Majid Al Futtaim is positioned to become a trailblazer in bridging the gap between physical and Web3 experiences.”

Binance Pay is a contactless, borderless, and secure user-to-user gateway on the Binance App that allows users and merchants around the world to use crypto without incurring special handling fees for using crypto. Binance NFT is a multichain platform that uses the PoSA (Proof of Staked Authority) network, a consensus agreement protocol that is more eco-friendly and energy-efficient than Bitcoin.

Alain Bejjani, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Holding also mentioned in a Linked in post this partnership when said: " This strategic partnership is transformative on multiple levels: At a macro level, we believe it helps cement the UAE as what our partner Changpeng Zhao has described as the ‘Wall Street of crypto.’ Our comprehensive move into this area reflects our trust in the nation’s world-class infrastructure and regulatory prowess in this emerging sector. With our presence in 18 markets, we’re also confident that this move will resound across the region to the advancement of all."