As many know the R3 team developed Corda the first native private, permissioned DLT platform that is not only secure and regulatory-compliant by design, but has facilitated hundreds of networks across financial services.
As per R3 applications developed on their tokenization platform Corda, harness the power of R3’s distributed ledger technology (DLT), connected networks and regulated markets expertise all aimed at driving transformation in digital finance.
R3 has been a strong proponent in the Middle East and GCC region working with governments and enterprise on several projects, most prominently the CBDC projects in Saudi Arabia and UAE.
In addition the Qatar Financial Centre Authority and R3 signed an MOU to develop and grow Qatar’s fintech industry using technologies such as DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) back in April 2023.
So it was not surprising to read on LinkedIn that Bryan D’Souza, Strategic Alliances & Partner Ecosystem Lead for EMEA at R3 stated, “I am thrilled to have experienced my first trip to Kuwait over the last couple of days as part of a mini GCC tour. I am grateful for the warm welcome from our great partners and potential clients. The hospitality of the Kuwaiti people left a lasting impression; warm, friendly, and eager to collaborate.”
He added, “Exciting opportunities ahead and looking forward to returning back to Kuwait soon!”
It sounds like the beginning of a project or several in Kuwait, which has been slow when it comes to blockchain adoption and implementation.
It seems Kuwait’s stance on Blockchain is changing as recently Salman Salah Bader Ali Naqi, who began his PhD study in the Department of Economics in January 2023, has been awarded the 2022 Kuwaiti Economic Student Award for his research titled “Digitalizing the Trade Finance Industry in Kuwait: A Transaction Cost Perspective of Blockchain-based Letters of Credit”.
The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) held a ceremony to honor the top three winners of the Kuwaiti Economic Student Award on November 9th 2023. The CBK Governor and Chairman of the Institute of Banking Studies (IBS), Basel Ahmed Al-Haroon, attended alongside a number of key figures from the banking and finance sector.
The winners were presented with certificates of merit and commemorative gifts, and Salman’s paper, as first-prize winning research paper, will be printed, published and distributed “to serve as a reference for those wishing to benefit from sound research”.
The Kuwaiti Economic Student Award is part of the Kafa’a initiative, set up to encourage scientific research in the economic and banking fields through motivating young people to enhance their research competence in the banking and finance areas.
