Dubai Completes Crypto Payment Pilot for Government Services

Dubai’s Department of Finance has successfully completed a pilot test enabling the settlement of digital assets in UAE dirhams for instant government service payments. Pilot Transaction Details The Dubai Department of Finance (DoF) has successfully completed a preliminary technical test enabling the settlement of digital assets in UAE dirhams for instant payment of government service … Read more

OKX and Standard Chartered Bring Crypto Custody to the European Market

OKX has expanded its partnership with Standard Chartered into the European Economic Area (EEA), offering institutional clients its collateral mirroring program. The move strengthens regulatory trust and cements OKX’s long-term commitment to Europe’s growing digital asset market. Standard Chartered and OKX Extend Collateral Mirroring to EEA OKX announced the expansion of its partnership with Standard … Read more

Dubai’s Ruler Praises Digital-Assets Economy, Boasts $680M Trading Milestone

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, said that with the establishment of VARA “a completely new economic sector has been added to our national economy in just three years.” Dubai Rises as World’s Largest Virtual Assets Markets Registering Billions in Trading Volumes … Read more

São Tomé and Príncipe Unveils Blockchain-Powered Citizenship-by-Investment Program

São Tomé and Príncipe and the UAE-based tech firm IOPn have partnered to launch a blockchain powered citizenship-by-investment (CBI). Anchoring Digital Sovereignty in the UAE The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe has partnered with United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based sovereign technology ecosystem IOPn to launch a citizenship-by-investment (CBI) program powered by blockchain. The pioneering … Read more

Bitgo Secures VARA Broker‑Dealer License to Launch Regulated Institutional Trading in Dubai

Bitgo MENA FZE announced that it has obtained a Broker‑Dealer license from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), allowing the firm to offer regulated digital asset trading and intermediation services to institutional clients across the region. The approval enables Bitgo to operate an integrated OTC trading desk and electronic trading platform for spot trading … Read more

Mavryk Secures $10M From Multibank to Power $10B UAE Real Estate Tokenization

Mavryk Network closed a $10 million strategic investment led by Multibank Group, the companies announced, marking an institutional endorsement of the Layer‑1 blockchain built for regulated real‑world asset (RWA) markets. Multibank — a derivatives institution with $35 billion in daily trading volume and operations across 100 countries — will expand an existing partnership to tokenize … Read more

Abu Dhabi Grants GFO‑X Approval to Launch Digital Asset Exchange and Clearing House

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has granted GFO‑X Group in‑principle approval to establish a digital asset exchange and clearing house, the two parties announced. The approval positions GFO‑X to offer regulated venues for trading, clearing and settlement of tokenized securities and digital assets under ADGM’s financial services framework. GFO‑X said the platform will support institutional … Read more

RAK Properties Lets Buyers Use Crypto for UAE Beachfront Homes

RAK Properties, Ras Al Khaimah’s leading publicly listed real estate developer in the United Arab Emirates, announced a partnership with Hubpay to let international buyers purchase units in its Mina beachfront community using major digital assets such as USDT, BTC and ETH, with payments instantly converted to UAE dirhams and settled into RAK Properties’ account. … Read more

Project ATLAS Unveiled: UAE’s Bold Leap into Decentralized AI and Blockchain

Gewan Holding, part of Abu Dhabi’s NG9 Holding, has partnered with decentralized infrastructure pioneer Iopn to accelerate the development of sovereign AI, blockchain and digital identity solutions in the United Arab Emirates. Introducing Project ATLAS The United Arab Emirates (UAE) conglomerate Gewan Holding has partnered with Iopn, a pioneer in decentralized infrastructure, in a collaboration … Read more

UAE Mines Its Way to $712M Bitcoin Hoard—Now the No. 4 Government Holder on Arkham

Arkham Intelligence says it has pinpointed bitcoin ( BTC) wallets tied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and according to the blockchain analytics firm, the UAE now ranks as the fourth-largest government holder of bitcoin flagged on Arkham’s platform. Citadel Mining’s BTC Trove Tied to Abu Dhabi Royalty—Arkham Lifts the Veil As of Aug. 25, … Read more