Unlike previous crypto winters, this time we are witnessing two weather fronts hitting crypto at the same time. One is sunny and warm and inviting, the other is cold, dreary and repellent.

If you are in the UAE for example crypto is under a warm summer spell. I mean let us take the first drop of news where MENA based Trust Smart Solutions (TSS), a payment tech service provider just partnered with PayScript global company focusing on digital assets, to enable the Crypto Payment Acceptance on Point of Sales Terminals. This is huge, as Payscript is an all-inclusive Crypto Solutions-as-a-Service platform that aims at bridging the gap between the merchants’ accepting cryptocurrencies and the owners of cryptocurrencies. The platform will allow users to do crypto payment via different channels including sending and receiving payments, accepting payments on E-commerce stores and online websites, as well as physical Point-Of-Sale transactions in Retails Stores and Cafes.

The platform will be delivered in a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) model in TSS’ operating markets, which brings an element of efficiency and scalability to banks that participate in the platform ecosystem. The platform comes with a core focus to accelerate the adoption of Crypto Payments, providing the platform to bank/Financial Institution and Merchants as an alternative payment channel and additional revenue streams.

Mr. Tamim Halawani, Deputy General Manager of Trust Smart Solutions commented “Crypto is at the forefront of payment innovation globally, addressing high-impact use cases across the merchant-consumer ecosystem. We firmly believe that our partnership with Payscript will democratize access to the crypto universe and drive seamless adoption across various payment channels”.

Mr. Nadeem Shaikh, CEO of Payscript commented “Cryptography is going to be the future of money, whether it’s Bitcoin or Stable Coin or Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) still needs to be seen but it’s inevitable. Crypto provides a better, transparent, secure framework for managing money. Our partnership with Trust Smart Solutions will enable merchants across Middle East and North Africa to accept crypto payments on the point-of-sale terminals directly in addition to cards! Isn’t that amazing? I am super excited about the partnership and the opportunities lying ahead”.

But that’s not all that is happening in MENA, an entity called crypto and Properties has launched allowing anyone to purchase properties in the UAE via cryptocurrencies. As per their website their vision is to be recognized as Dubai’s most trusted and established real estate brokerage brand. They are the authorized agents of names such as Emaar, Meraas, Dubai Holding, Omniyat, Damac, Kempinski, Nakheel, and others. If crypto is dead then why so many outlets popping up supporting crypto payments?

Even globally According to a Bank of America Global Research survey of U.S. crypto users and prospective users 91% of respondents said they intend to buy cryptocurrencies in the next six months despite a sharp decline in prices. The same number of respondents also reported purchasing coins and other digital assets over the past six months.

Circle Internet Financial has announced a USD coin custody partnership with the American bank holding company New York Community Bancorp (NYCB). Under the agreement, NYCB’s subsidiary, New York Community Bank, will become a custodian for the company’s stablecoin reserves.

It is also interesting to see that even though China through its state run media has noted that Bitcoin is heading to zero amidst its previous ban on cryptocurrency transactions and mining, China is once again the second biggest crypto mining market in the world, superseded by the USA. China has reemerged as a major Bitcoin mining hub, taking second place after USA with 21 percent of market Share. USA holds 37.8 percent of market share. It seems like an oxymoron of sorts coming from a country that seems to officially despise crypto but inherently embrace it.

So there are a lot of interesting good weather news for crypto around the globe, even Luna2, the child of failed Luna seems to be skyrocketing.  The price of Terra (LUNA2) recovered sharply after falling to its historic lows of $1.62. On June 27, LUNA2’s rate reached $2.77 per token, thus chalking up a 70% recovery when measured from the said low. Still, the token traded 77.35% lower than its record high of $12.24, set on May 30th 2022.

In other areas the crypto winter is upon us. Three Arrows Capital just got struck by an arrow right in its heart. A court in the British Virgin Islands has ordered the liquidation of Singapore-based Three Arrows Capital as per a Sky News report. The order reportedly came on the same date that Voyager Digital issued a notice of default to 3AC for its failure to pay its 15,250 Bitcoin and 350 million USDC loan.

Shares of crypto exchange Coinbase Global have been downgraded by analysts at Goldman Sachs after plunging cryptocurrency prices affected the exchange’s underlying business, underscoring the challenges posed by the bear market.  The reason for the downgrade stems from the “continued downdraft in crypto prices,” Goldman analyst William Nance said in a note that was obtained by Bloomberg. Coinbase is also laying off 18 percent of its staff.

In MENA as well crypto exchange BitOasis announced a layoff of 5 percent of its employees. This comes after RAIN Crypto exchange carried out its own layoffs in May.

In the meantime, crypto mining operations globally are facing liquidity issues pushing them to sell their crypto assets or lose their operations all together such as in the case of Compass Mining.

So there is a lot of news hovering within the storm of the crypto winter, but in the end it all depends on how you want to look at it. So for example when you read a newspiece that says 80,000 Bitcoin millionaires wiped out in the great crypto crash of 2022, in that same article it also reads, the bear market has seen more than 13,000 new “wholecoiners”, a wallet that contains one or more BTC , bringing the total number of wholecoiners to just over 860,000. This significant spike in the number of whole coiners would suggest that retail investors are accumulating large amounts of BTC while prices tank.

It is up to you the reader to assess whether it is truly a crypto winter or the likings of a crypto spring.

This week several entities each one in a different sector announced that they have become the first in their fields to accept crypto payments. Writing this piece I get a feeling that this will soon become common practice. For the past few months all one reads is more and more entities in UAE accepting crypto payments, whether they are schools, restaurants, property developers, Emirates airlines, retail shopping centers such as Majid Al Futtaim and many more. This time it is the turn for art galleries and charities. The majority of crypto enthusiasts and those passionate about Blockchain and crypto have been waiting for this for a long time; it signals the entrance of crypto into mainstream economy and once that happens there is no turning back. Bearish or bullish markets are of little significance because everyone is into crypto.

So Yesterday UAE based Galloire, art gallery announced that it is now accepting crypto payments such a Bitcoin, Ethereum and USDC for artwork sales globally. It is doing so through UAE based digital asset exchange, Midchains. Prior to this DAMAC properties announced it was accepting crypto payments through UAE based digital asset exchange Hayvn

Founder of Galloire Edward Gallagher said; “We have an absolute belief in the use of technology to bring art to as wide an audience as possible, so by using photorealistic VR and AR you’ve already seen us bring exhibitions from world-famous artists to tens of thousands more people than could have ever seen it in the gallery. We want more people to connect with contemporary art and also believe in an egalitarian approach to how people want to pay for that art: Why should we force a crypto-native person to pay in traditional (fiat) currency to acquire a beautiful painting, and vice-versa, why should a traditional collector looking to venture into NFTs have to pay in crypto-currency just to access some digital art they fall in love with?”

MidChains CEO Basil Al Askari said; “We are a company which prides itself on innovation and being able to provide safe and regulated ways to transact and invest with cryptocurrency, so working with Galloire to enable collectors to invest in art using their preferred cryptocurrency made perfect sense to us. Enabling people to pay securely for a physical asset with a digital asset, especially something as impactful as art, is a huge step forward in the UAE and we have been able to power that today, not in months or years’ time.”

Prior to this, UAE government backed nonprofit healthcare organization also became the first healthcare charity to accept cryptocurrency donations.  Al Jalila Foundation announced that it had been granted approval to receive charitable donations in cryptocurrencies. Again Al Jalila did this through a partnership with a leading cryptocurrency platform without naming it.  

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “As a philanthropic organization we rely on charitable donations and we are always seeking innovative ways to expand our donation channels for ease of convenience for donors from all around the world to support our programs. Therefore, as an emerging source of fundraising, providing the opportunity to the growing number of crypto users around the world to donate to Al Jalila Foundation to causes that interest them is a win-win for us as a foundation and the donor community. We are proud to be the first healthcare charity in the UAE to accept donations in cryptocurrencies bridging the gap between physical and digital currency.”

One thing remains to be seen, is when the UAE government announces that it accept crypto payments, then I will just call it a day and name UAE the crypto nation of 2022. 

ChainTech Labs, the first Reward Bearing tokens marketplace, with custom smart contracts and vaulting technologies that will enable startups and SMEs to get funded utilizing a novel token issuing framework, has launched out of UAE specifically out of DIFC (Dubai International Financial Center).

On its twitter page it states that it is the first DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) out DIFC in UAE.

As per their website, ChainTech builds next generation Dapps for government agencies, global conglomerates and companies operating in over 40 different industries. The company also manages NFT communities. They state that the “total token market cap under their command reached 100,000,000 USD in June 2022.

They have developed BAPESCLAN which is a metavestor NFT DAO with a total market cap of 60,000,000. Minting officially started today. They also have developed BLOODLINES™, the first decentralized animated series, created and owned by its holders, that bridges the gap between Hollywood and Web 3.

Their product offering includes ChainLaunch a Launchpad for highly professional NFT projects and companies with a major focus on metaverse play-to-earn gaming, ChainRescue™ an NFT consultancy service that assists and embraces NFT projects and their communities with promising missed potential, ChainVest™, the world’s first marketplace for Reward Bearing Tokens (RBTs) that enables startups and SMEs to raise capital like never before. RBTs provide holders with access points in the metaverse to earn rewards, ChainReality™ a realistic digital twin of our world, also known as a meta-world. It is built entirely on Unreal Engine 5 with realistic avatars created with Metahuman.

In addition they have developed ChainCapital™, the world’s first DAO Metafund powered by fractionalized ownership, facilitating the fundamental concept of distribution of wealth and power and ChainPaid™ a service that enables private and business payments of any bill or invoice using any cryptocurrency. There has never been a smoother way to pay for anything then now.

Above and beyond all this, in a twitter teaser they announced that they will be partnering with Dubai Blockchain Center and will announce this during the Dubai Fintech Week on the 28th and 29th of June. Both Dr. Marwan Alzarouni, CEO at the Dubai Blockchain Center, and Erik Lydecker, MD at Chaintech Labs Limited will be present.

This week Qatar made headlines in the Blockchain, crypto, NFT and metaverse scene on several fronts. While the CEO of Qatar  Sovereign Wealth Fund praised Blockchain but shunned crypto, Qatar’s Central Bank Governor stated that crypto assets are a technology innovation that will take us to a new era of fast accessible payments and financial services. Topping all this was Qatar Airways increased foray into the realm of the metaverse, and NFTs.

It seems that while the government of Qatar has yet to make up its mind on whether it wants to enter the era of cryptocurrencies, or whether they agree that crypto will have to be dealt with at one point or another, they are taking steps towards integrating elements of blockchain and CBDC into their strategies.During the Qatar Economic Forum Qatar Central Bank Governor Bandar Bin Mohammed Bin Saoud Al Thani admitted that Qatar is in the foundation stage of investigating a central bank Digital Currency (CBDC). As he noted, “Many central banks are now considering issuing CBDC, and we are not an exception to that. We are evaluating the pros and cons of issuing the CBDC and to find the proper and the right technology and the platform to issue.”He then noted, “Crypto assets are a technology innovation, and in my view it might take us to a new era of fast accessible payment and financial services.  “Those crypto assets which are not underlying by assets or monetary authority might be less credible.”

On the other hand Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund CEO Mansoor Al Mahmoud revealed that the wealth fund has no interest in investing in Bitcoin, but is still very much interested in exploring blockchain.

He was noted as saying, “Our team in the technology space is exploring opportunities in the blockchain,” Al Mahmoud said in an interview. He adds “This is the space that we’re interested in, not the currency itself.”

In the midst of these discussions Qatar Airways expressed its intention to include the purchase of tickets for physical flights through the QVerse metaverse, and the incorporation of NFTs. 

All this comes while the FIFA World Cup 2022 has partnered with the likes of crypto.com and Algorand Blockchain, and crypto exchange CoinMENA announces it is servicing clients in Qatar through its license in Bahrain. 

Qatar at one point will have to come to grips with the fact that with blockchain the metaverse and digitization comes digital assets, whether they are called cryptocurrencies, crypto assets, virtual assets, tokens or NFTs.

For example if Qatar were to utilize blockchain in the energy sector, and work with companies such as PermianChain which is tokenizing natural resources such as flared gas, and if they wanted to utilize PermianChain’s energy token marketplace, they would at some point need to use the DEC Token to optimize their experience. Tokens and Blockchain go hand in hand despite attempts to de-couple them.

One cannot implement blockchain, invest in blockchain nor create a CBDC to be held in digital wallets, without addressing the elephant in the room which is crypto and or digital asset. So instead of being the black sheep of the GCC Crypto hype, wouldn’t it be better if Qatar was the winning stallion.

The Central Bank of Morocco, Bank Al Maghrib, announced during its second quarterly in June 2022 that it will be introducing a cryptocurrency bill soon. Abdul Latif Al Jawhari, Governor of Central Bank of Morocco noted that the crypto CBDC committee created in February 2022 is putting in place an appropriate regulatory framework to combine innovation, tech and consumer protection.

He also noted that the crypto bill is being benchmarked against global experiences with IMF and World Bank. He also noted that this regulatory framework will also update the legislation on the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

In March 2022, during a session with media He revealed that the Central Bank of Morocco had created a council headed by him to oversee the required regulations for both cryptocurrencies and CBDCs. He stated, “We are in discussions with the Central Banks of friendly nations such as Switzerland, Sweden, and France as well as international financial institutions such as the IMF and World Bank to learn from their expertise and experience.”

Despite the fact that the Moroccan government considers crypto illegal in the country, Morocco has the highest number of crypto owners within the Arab region, followed closely by Egypt. 2.38 percent of Moroccan population own crypto.

Oman Capital Market Authority recently issued its new Securities Law (46/2022) which  stipulates that the authority can “Agree to application of technologies, virtual digital investments or any products or services in the areas related to the provisions of this law, as set out in the Regulation.”

In an article in Oman Observer, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Salim Al Salmi, Executive President of the  Oman Capital Market Authority states, “ The law will contribute to the growth of FinTech based services as the law authorizes the authority to regulate innovative financing, approval of FinTech based apps and virtual investments. The law also allows expanding the financing options by regulating new products and services.”

In March of 2022, Oman Capital Markets Authority (CMA), invited companies interested in helping it set up a regulatory framework for virtual assets to participate in a tender process. According to sources, the regulatory framework should be finalized by Q3 of 2022.

The new Securities Law is only further proof of the commitment Oman government and Capital Market has for developing its virtual assets framework and allowing the trade and investment in virtual assets in the future. This could pave the way for security token issuances in the Oman stock market a bold step into the future of investments and stock trading. 

Even before the UAE and specifically Dubai release their crypto mining regulations, companies have already started operating in the country. Recently 2Bminer, crypto mining hosting center with operations in the UAE, Czech Republic, and USA, signed a partnership agreement with UAE Seed Group, a company of the Private office of Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum.

The announcement and the fact that 2Bminer is present in the UAE is not surprising. Prior to this, UAE-based Phoenix Technology Consultants signed a $650 million order for crypto mining rigs as part of its expansion plans in UAE and MENA region, while a UAE Sovereign wealth Fund is building one of the biggest crypto mining farms in the region under the strategic guidance of Roland Berger.

It would seem that 2BMiner is espousing its ecofriendly nature. As per 2Bminer website, their crypto mining machines mainly use hydro, wind and solar power. Sustainability is something that the UAE government is keen on. The company offers the sale of mining machines and as well as the placement of those machines in their centers and under their management. In short 2Bminer offers mining hosting services.

As per the press release, the agreement with UAE SEED group, SEED will help 2bminer.com expand its operations in the Emirates and the wider Middle East, reach the right audience, access top decision-makers in the government as well as private sectors, and market their crypto mining products and services effectively in the region.  While 2Bminer will focus on transforming the crypto mining market of the UAE by providing the best machines, technical support, and global hosting centers to make the minting of cryptocurrencies easier and more profitable. 

Hisham Al Gurg, CEO of Seed Group and the Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, said: “As cryptocurrencies are becoming increasingly popular, people are eager to invest in them and make profits. The UAE wants to establish a crypto mining ecosystem, offering a growth-oriented environment to FinTech companies and world-class mining services to clients in the region itself. Companies offering mining equipment, hosting services, world-class facilities, and good returns to investors at globally competitive rates hold huge potential in the Emirates’ digital economy.”

Jakub Hlavenka, CEO, 2bminer.com, said: “We are pleased to enter into a mutually beneficial partnership with SEED Group. The collaboration will help propel our business interests and goals in the MENA region through the group’s support and a strong base of regional connections. We are committed to providing the best platform for crypto mining in the region.”

This is not the first agreement SEED group has signed with Blockchain and crypto entities. Over the years, UAE SEED Group has announced many such partnerships examples include Ubirch, a German blockchain cyber security specialist, DiamondBack, creators diamondbacked stablecoin, DeepDive Technology, OwlTing for Blockchain ecommerce solutions for travel services, Aergo Foundation and Blocko, Fantom Foundation and Liquefy a security token solution provider.

Of those companies, Liquefy no longer seems to exist, DiamondBack has no presence in UAE nor does it seem to be active. As for Ubirch, they are in the UAE but no major announcements have been made thus far along the lines of their activities in the UAE.

As for OwlTing, it still seems to be active in China and Asia but no activities in the MENA region. Then there is Fantom Foundation which has seen some controversy over the past year despite its strong presence at Consensys 2022 and announcements that TrustWallet now supports Fantom.  

As for DeepDive, it has built partnerships in the UAE. It is a partner of UAE Bedu which encompasses an NFT factory, and metaverse solution provider. 

So in short, while SEED has partnered over the years with several entities in the Blockchain and crypto sector we have yet to see strong hanging fruits of these partnerships on the ground in the UAE. Even though some have managed to make some inroads. The recent one with 2Bminer might be a game changer for SEED, we will just have to wait and see.

KSA NuqtahNFT marketplace  has partnered with Consensys, an Ethereum blockchain company.

The agreement aims to transfer the knowledge and expertise of Consensys to empower Web 3 startups in Saudi Arabia in line with Nuqtah’s goal of accelerating Web 3 adoption, and in clear alignment with the Kingdom’s vision to become a hub for technology.

According to ConsenSys Partnership Lead Ian Wallis: “With Nuqtah’s existing Infura and Ethereum infrastructure, the potential in the Saudi market is huge and we are very excited to be launching this strategic partnership with NuqtahNFT, Saudi’s leading NFT marketplace to provide even more functionality and empowerment of creatives in the MENA region.”

Salwa Radawi, CEO of Nuqtah, commented: “Our mission is to spearhead the adoption of Web 3 in MENA, by tirelessly developing and enabling a complete and robust infrastructure, tailored specifically to the MENA region originators.”

Salwa also added: “This partnership is only the beginning of our opening. It not only opens a great deal of opportunities for us and fellow Web 3 startups within the industry but also ensures that we are able to transfer this knowledge and localize it for the region.”

Last week Nuqtah NFT Marketplace announced it would be raising 5 million USD in seed capital.

Despite the dire economic situation and maybe because of it, many startups are turning towards solutions built on blockchain and crypto. Lebanon has become one of the leading countries in MENA region for crypto mining, and crypto trading. Recently, the American University of Beirut witnessed a 48 hour Blockchain Crypto Hackathon which culminated in the success of four Lebanese startups offering innovative crypto blockchain solutions.

Organized by the Darwazah Center for Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship (DC) at the Olayan School of Business (OSB) within th American University of Beirut (AUB) in partnership i-Park and Beirut Digital District, four Lebanese crypto blockchain startups were announced as winners. 

First prize went to CrypLock, which is working to bring trustless operations to cover over the counter crypto transactions via a digital escrow. The second Prize went to Cash2Coin, which is working to make crypto transaction as easy as ATM operations via stablecoins. In Third place came Walleti, which seeks to increase mass market adoption of Crypto through pre-paid crypto scratch cards and applications. Finally in Fourth place came D-Bank, which seeks to enhance SME (Small to Medium Size Enterprise) reputation using blockchain.

Prizes ranged from 15,000 USD to 5,000 USD offered by leading Blockchain platforms such as Avalanche, NYM Technologies, and L1 Digital. Speakers at the event included John Nahas, VP Business Development for Ava Labs, Harry Halpin, CEO of blockchain privacy startup Nym, Ray Hindi, CEO/CIO and co-founder of L1 Digital, Cyrus Azad, Vice President of Business Development at Digital Transit, Charbel Ghossan, the founder and CEO of Digital Transit, Abdulwahab Alzuaby, the CTO of Arcadous and Rafic Farra, the founder of Walleti & Coinsultancy.

Amir Taaki, Founder of Agora DeFi movement, a well-known programmer who rewrote a portion of the Bitcoin code made the closing remarks at the event. In his speech he made a call to action for DeFi

 True Global Ventures 4 Plus (TGV4 Plus) Fund has closed its US$146m Follow on Fund. The Follow on Fund will double down on the TGV4 base fund investments, the likes of Animoca, Sandbox, Forge, Chromaway, CoinHouse, GCEX, and others. Interestingly 40 percent of the Follow on Fund was raised from partners in Middle East, India and Asia. Investment from Middle East partners was 3.4 percent of the 40 percent making their total participation 5 million USD. While portfolio companies such as GCEX, Enjinstarter and IoMob have established operations in Dubai UAE. TGV4 Plus has been partnering with MENA based investors including Cypher Capital and Crypto Oasis among others. 

Valerie Hawley, Affiliate Founding Partner, Middle East True Global Ventures 4 Plus , told LaraOntheBlock, “More than 40% of the Follow on Fund has been raised from partners based in the Middle East, India and Asia, of those 3.4 percent were from Middle East Partners in particular. This just goes to show the increasing importance this region has to play in the Venture Capital space.  Numerous portfolio companies from our base fund, GCEX, Enjinstarter and IoMob, have established operations in Dubai, and we expect many more to do so given the crypto friendly environment the UAE has established with the creation of VARA (Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority).”

The TGV4 plus Follow on Fund  whose 15 General Partners (GP), lead the fund and its Investment Committee, put in more than US$62m of their money into the fund. This is a total GP commitment of over 40% of the total fund size and over US$4m per GP on average. The first capital call of the fund has been fully paid in.

The TGV 4 Plus base fund invested in serial entrepreneurs leading globally ambitious Blockchain start-ups. It covers 20 cities in North America, Europe and Asia. The fund is dedicated to Web3 companies, primarily in late-stage Series A, B and C across 3 verticals: Entertainment & gaming, financial services, infrastructure & data analytics / Artificial Intelligence (AI).

It has invested in some of the leading Web3 companies such as Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, Forge, Chromaway, Coinhouse, GCEX, Chronicled and others. 

The new Follow on Fund will focus on investing a majority of its capital into selected TGV 4 Plus base fund companies. It might also invest in other late stage Web3 deals opportunistically.

“The base fund has been a fantastic success, but we are still only in the starting blocks of Web3. We believe that our early winners will grow even stronger and with the Follow on Fund, we give our partners an opportunity to invest more into these companies” says Fredrik Adolfsson, General Partner.

“After some years of growth, our best portfolio companies are looking to expand even further. We want to help and assist them with the Follow On Fund, as we are ready on the starting blocks, when many growth funds focus on regaining investors’ trust during this period”, says Konrad Wawruch, General Partner.

General Partner Dušan Stojanović adds, “We raised the money in record time in 4 months and we believe this is the best time to invest during market corrections. I would say that it is much easier to see more clearly who the winners are now. This has created a high level of confidence amongst our investors who have seen a large GP Commit and the first call being executed very quickly”.