Hamilton founded by Egyptian entrepreneurs raises $1.7 million for tokenization platform built on Bitcoin

Hamilton founded by Egyptian entrepreneurs raises $1.7 million for tokenization platform built on Bitcoin

Hamilton, a Real-World Assets (RWA) protocol built on Bitcoin, redefining access to traditional financial instruments like U.S. Treasuries, real estate, and funds by turning them into secure, accessible digital assets a protocol has closed a $1.7M pre-seed funding round led by DisrupTech Ventures.

With participation from CMS, DeSpread, Hyperithm, Core Ventures, and other strategic investors, it is bridging traditional finance with Bitcoin by making tokenized real-world assets—such as T-Bills, Sukuk, and real estate—accessible to institutions and individuals worldwide.

Hamilton is co-founded by Egyptian nationals, Mohamed Elkasstawi and Ehab Zaghloul, seasoned blockchain and fintech innovators.

Hamilton, leverages Bitcoin’s unmatched security and decentralization to tokenize real-world assets. With the RWA market projected to reach $30 trillion by 2030, Hamilton is creating a protocol to make financial products globally accessible and inclusive, with a strong focus on emerging markets.

“Bitcoin isn’t just digital gold—it’s the foundational layer of future capital markets,” said Mohamed Elkasstawi, CEO of Hamilton. “With unparalleled security, decentralization, and resilience, Bitcoin provides the ideal infrastructure to democratize access to capital markets for everyone, everywhere.”

Hamilton tackles systemic barriers to financial access by offering low-cost, stable financial products—managed by top asset managers—for emerging markets, where currency devaluation and economic instability restrict growth and financial security.

The company is launching three flagship offerings: HUSD, the first Bitcoin-native stablecoin backed by U.S. Treasury bills; HUST, tokenized U.S. Treasuries; and Publius, a platform enabling financial institutions to securely tokenize any asset on Bitcoin. Together, these offerings provide institutions and individuals with seamless access to capital markets on the world’s most decentralized network.

The protocol’s inaugural transaction, completed on July 4, 2024, marked a significant milestone by tokenizing U.S. Treasury bills on Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions Stacks, Core, and BoB. The timing, coinciding with America’s Independence Day, reflects Hamilton’s vision of advancing financial independence and innovation through decentralized finance (DeFi).

Speaking to Lara on the Block, El Kasstawi stated, ” Tokenization will unlock liquidity which is not only global need but also a bigger one in the MENA region. I would never trust real world assets on a ledger that’s not immutable and never had a down time. That’s why we chose to tokenize on Bitcoin and we are the first to do so.”

“Investments in gold, Treasury bills, and fixed income products have traditionally been exclusive to individuals and institutions with millions in capital. Hamilton is breaking down these barriers through tokenization, enabling anyone, anywhere in the world, to participate in these institutional-grade investments with just one dollar,” said Malek Sultan, Co-Founder and Partner of DisrupTech Ventures.

Tokenization in the region has become a center of investment and deals, with the latest being DAMAC’s $1 billion tokenization of its assets.

In July 2024 Hamilton launched tokenized United States Treasury bonds on Bitcoin layer-2 blockchains. The company claimed the launch is the first of its kind. Hamilton U.S. T-Bills (HUST) were said to be available on the Stacks, Core and BoB (Build on Bitcoin) Bitcoin layer-2 solutions. The first transaction with HUST occurred on July 4th 2024.

Komainu licensed in the UAE, raises $75 million in Bitcoin from Blockstream

Komainu licensed in the UAE, raises $75 million in Bitcoin from Blockstream

UAE regulated digital asset service provider and custodian, Komainu, licensed by VARA Dubai, and backed by Laser Digital, a Nomura company, has raised $75 million in strategic investment from Blockstream Capital Partners (“Blockstream”) in Bitcoin. The raise is subject to relevant regulatory approvals.

As per the press release, the funding enables the company to accelerate its international strategic growth plans whilst adopting and integrating class-leading technologies developed by Blockstream Corporation Inc (“Blockstream Corp”), to maximize efficiencies and enhance client services in collateral management and tokenization.

The funding transaction itself is funded in Bitcoin with appropriate hedging and risk management and Komainu establishing its own Bitcoin Treasury to manage the Bitcoin provided by Blockstream.

Blockstream Corp’s Liquid Network will enable Komainu to dramatically cut the time for its off-exchange margining & settlement solution, Komainu Connect, from hours to minutes, becoming class-leading in the process. Blockstream Corp’s AMP technology will enable Komainu to automate its regulated asset support for tokenization and develop trustless trading solutions. The company will also integrate other technologies and services developed by Blockstream Corp, including its enterprise HSM wallet, in order to provide institutional clients with a broader range of bank-grade digital asset services.

To solidify the strategic partnership between the two entities, Adam Back, PeterPaul Pardi and Nicolas Brand will join Komainu’s board of directors.

Adam Back, CEO Blockstream Corp, commented “We are delighted that Komainu is adopting Blockstream’s various technology streams to enhance its institutional service offering. This is testament to the fundamental veracity of Bitcoin-related technologies and applications and marks the first time that these have entered the institutional arena. I am confident this will be the first of many such use cases as the institutional community wakes up to the power of the Lightning and Liquid Networks.”

Paul Frost-Smith, Co-CEO at Komainu, and who also joins Komainu’s board of directors, said, “At Komainu, our mission is to empower the digital asset ecosystem by offering secure, compliant, and innovative digital asset services. This partnership with Blockstream will transform the services we are able to offer and enhance our customer experience on many levels. Having a closely-aligned technology partner like Blockstream, one of the original visionaries in the digital assets ecosystem, is testament to our determination to become the go-to provider of digital asset services for Bitcoin and the institutional market, as well as increasing institutional adoption.”

PeterPaul Pardi, Director, Blockstream Corp, commented “This partnership with Komainu, backed by Nomura’s Laser Digital, is a landmark moment for the adoption of Bitcoin-related technology by a bank-built, regulated financial services business. It showcases the institutional use-cases for Bitcoin as demand reaches new highs. We are delighted that Komainu has chosen to implement Blockstream’s technology and we anticipate even wider uses for it in the institutional investor community over coming months”

Robert Johnson, Co-CEO & CTO at Komainu, said, “Integrating Blockstream’s technologies will significantly enhance and diversify our underlying core technology stacks. At Komainu we believe in offering our clients a wide choice of technology options and this partnership with Blockstream will maximize efficiencies and lower latencies across the various services that we offer. “

Syrian government is not exploring a bitcoin proposal

Syrian government is not exploring a bitcoin proposal

While some news outlet announced that the Syrian government was considering a bitcoin legislation, the Founder of Bitcoin21 Arabic noted that it was not the Syrian government but a group of crypto enthusiasts who were discussing this.

Bassem, the Founder of Bitcoin21Ar noted on twitter, “To clarify Syria’s Bitcoin policy proposal: Who wrote it, and is it legitimate? First, let’s address the misinformation circulating in crypto media: NO, the transitional government has neither approved nor considered this proposal, and we do not expect them to do so anytime soon. They likely have more pressing issues to address at this time.

He further explains that the proposal is not meant to circumvent international sanctions. He stated, “We believe that sanctions should be lifted URGENTLY through legal and political processes in accordance with international law.”

In a telegram group Bassem carried out a discussion on how one could introduce a constructive Bitcoin legislation to the Syrian people after a decade of severe humanitarian and financial distress. He adds, “The idea for the proposal was my own, and it was collaboratively drafted in Arabic by everyone. . We also had a small number of Bitcoiners who provided This is a grassroots movement driven by very bright and enthusiastic Bitcoin plebs.”

As part of this evolution, we renamed the group the “Syrian Center for Economic Research” or SCER and the initiative gained unexpected momentum when Dr. Saifedean Ammous who joined the discussions.

It’s important to clarify again that this is not a government-affiliated organization or funded by any entity.

To the people who are accusing us of being terrorists, CIA, or fill in the blank, can you please be less racist? Thanks!

The SCER is a volunteer-driven initiative that hopes to bring together Syrian engineers, academics, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to learn, disseminate knowledge, and foster communication and open dialogue on economics, technology, and money.

There is no physical headquarters. They communicate through social media channels like Telegram, X, and Nostr and encourage video and audio calls.

Joins us here: https://t.me/SyrianCER

Non Syrians are welcome too 🧡

HTX crypto exchange receives provisional approval for a license in UAE

HTX crypto exchange receives provisional approval for a license in UAE

HTX, a crypto exchange, during the Bitcoin MENA 2024 event in Abu Dhabi announced that it has received a provisional approval from Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulator (VARA) as it seeks to expand to the MENA region. Charmain Lim, Head of VIP Clients Services at HTX made these statements during one of the panels.

During the session, “The Great Debate: Bitcoin vs. Crypto” session, Justin Sun, Global Advisor of HTX and Founder of TRON, attributed Bitcoin’s breakthrough of the $100,000 mark to advancements in cryptocurrency technology. He explained, “Tether once issued stablecoins on the Bitcoin Omni Layer, but the platform’s slow transaction speeds hindered its growth. However, USDT on TRON enables instant transactions, meeting the needs of users. Technological advancements have also benefited Bitcoin. The growing popularity of stablecoins has led to increased capital flowing into Bitcoin, further solidifying its role as a store of value.”

While Charmaine Lim, during a roundtable discussion titled “Improving Access to Bitcoin in the UAE” stated that despite advancements in UAE when it comes to cryptocurrencies, challenges persist, such as the cautious approach of certain banks toward cryptocurrency transactions, insufficient public education about cryptocurrencies, and regulatory uncertainties. These factors hinder the growth of the crypto sector in the UAE.

Charmaine noted that HTX secured the Provisional Approval for the Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai’s VARA and is currently applying to upgrade it to a full VASP license.

He emphasized HTX’s strong focus on the UAE market, noting the platform’s ongoing efforts to connect with regulatory bodies and its proactive steps to collaborate with local banks in establishing a streamlined fiat-to-cryptocurrency transaction channel. Charmaine added that HTX will provide global users with learning opportunities on subjects such as crypto trading, storage, and security through HTX Live and online workshops. The platform will also continue to expand language options, including offering Arabic support, to enhance the user experience.”

The National Bank of Bahrain launches first Bitcoin Linked structured investment in GCC

The National Bank of Bahrain launches first Bitcoin Linked structured investment in GCC

The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has launched the GCC’s first Bitcoin-linked Structured Investment, in partnership with ARP Digital which provides crypto investment products and services such as Wealth management, coverage & OTC. The unveiling took place during a special ceremony at Fintech Forward 2024.

The investment product is designed exclusively for accredited investors to provide them the opportunity to gain exposure to Bitcoin’s (BTC) long-term growth while ensuring capital preservation. Through this structured product, accredited investors can benefit from Bitcoin’s upward performance, capped at a predefined threshold, while enjoying 100% capital protection on the downside. This offers a powerful hedge against the volatility traditionally associated with digital currencies.

Hisham AlKurdi, Group Chief Executive – Markets & Client Solutions at National Bank of Bahrain said, “We are proud to introduce this bespoke structured investment, which blends the appeal of digital asset exposure with the security of capital protection. This product underscores our focus on offering our wealth management clients innovative and secure avenues to diversify their portfolios in an evolving investment landscape. It is a testament to NBB’s continued leadership in financial innovation within the region.”

The launch of the Bitcoin-linked Structured Investment is aligned with the Bank’s strategy to enhance its product suite, particularly for wealth management clients, by providing tailored solutions that balance growth potential with risk mitigation. The product meets the demand for risk-averse investors seeking exposure to Bitcoin, while fully insulating their principal investment from market fluctuations.

Abdulla Kanoo, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer at ARP Digital added, “Our collaboration with NBB is poised to be a game-changer in the regional market. By leveraging our expertise in digital assets and NBB’s extensive reach in the financial sector, we have created a product that introduces Bitcoin exposure within a highly secure framework. This structured investment opens new doors for investors seeking a calculated approach to digital assets.”

Dalal Buhejji, Executive Director of Business Development for Financial Services at Bahrain Economic Development Board stated, “The launch of this Bitcoin-linked Structured Investment is a prime example of the true potential of Bahrain’s robust financial services ecosystem, which provides an attractive and streamlined environment that gives rise to innovative solutions, which is key to maintaining Bahrain’s position as a leading regional fintech hub and trusted investment destination for local and global investors alike. This initiative embodies a seamless fusion of traditional financial practices and inventive blockchain-based solutions, and we are proud to witness local institutions like NBB driving cutting edge advancements and diversification to the sector.”

ARP Digital received its license from Bahrain earlier this year.

UAE Hodler Investments and EHC Investment to develop digital energy market for AI, Blockchain digital asset datacenters

UAE Hodler Investments and EHC Investment to develop digital energy market for AI, Blockchain digital asset datacenters

HODLER INVESTMENTS, a UAE based investment company, headquartered in the Dubai, which includes in its portfolio energy, AI, and digital asset mining startups such as PermianChain, Brox Equity and others; and Abu Dhabi’s EHC Investment which leads multiple businesses with operations and investments across the energy, infrastructure, firefighting technology and system integration services have signed a strategic partnership to launch NEXGEN.

NEXGEN will support the creation of a compliant digital energy market to supply critical energy infrastructure that will monetize wasted energy such as flared gas in the UAE, KSA, and Egypt with the aim of hosting global data center operators, reducing carbon emissions and contributing the Digital Energy Infrastructure (DEI) Fund, a local decarbonization innovation fund.

The UAE is a strong supporter of the decarbonization initiative. Over the past 15 years, the UAE has invested more than US$40 billion in clean energy projects. Globally, the UAE supports green infrastructure, investing approximately $16.8 billion in renewable energy projects across 70 countries, primarily in developing nations. It has also provided over $400 million in aid and soft loans for clean energy initiatives.

Moustafa Rashad, Chief Executive Officer of EHC Investment added, “Our partnership with HOLDER INVESTMENTS will solve various challenges facing the energy sector in MENA. We believe that modern technology coupled with smart capital can accelerate decarbonization and address the renewable funding gap. This partnership will address market challenges of commercializing wasted and underutilized energy, while streamlining regulatory compliance for this newfound digital energy market, ensuring compliance with key systems and controls.”

Mohamed El Masri, Managing Director of HOLDER INVESTMENTS, stated, “Our strategic alliance with EHC Investment will accelerate our mission to build distributed energy infrastructure to power compute clusters that optimize wasted energy resources and build equitable energy infrastructure that strengthens the regional position for integrating data mining systems that support a sovereign digital economy.”

The strategic partnership with EHC Investment comes after HODLER announced its ongoing plans for a $500 million Digital Energy Infrastructure (DEI) Fund with the participation of UAE based GEWAN holding. The DEI will be established as a closed-ended Fund, subject to compliance and regulatory approvals. The DEI Fund has already secured soft commitments from lead investors and in-kind contributions in addition to offtake partners seeking energy and connectivity for A.I. and digital asset mining operations.

Ahmed Ebrahim, Managing Director of Hodler Investments, explained, “Through this strategic partnership with EHC Investment, we are ensuring that the evolving regional market for modern data center applications will be built on equitable energy systems that will power on site, and remote data mining farms, including edge computing, bitcoin mining, AI and other critical compute applications.”

Ali Al Gebely, Managing Director of EHC Holding, stated, “We are very pleased to have signed this strategic partnership with HODLER Investments, given the growth that we are witnessing in the MENA region when it comes to the digital economy incorporating AI applications, Blockchain, IoT and others. The partnership is aligned with our goal of shaping a clean energy transition for a sustainable future. We believe public and private investments play a critical role in driving innovation.”

Alaa Al Ali, Founder & Group CEO, Gewan Holding comments, “We are proud of our direct affiliation with Hodler Investments which resulted in the ongoing establishment of the Digital Energy Infrastructure Fund to support such innovative initiatives as we look to streamline sustainable capital to accelerate decarbonization projects in the region, enabling carbon offset opportunities and optimized cash flow from energy assets.”

UAE QCP capital: investors sideline ETH and Bitcoin makes incredible recovery

UAE QCP capital: investors sideline ETH and Bitcoin makes incredible recovery

UAEbased QCP Capital recently analyzed the price of Bitcoin stating that it has witnessed an unbelievable and swift recovery, comparing it with the increasing sideline of ETH ( Ethereum).

QCP, an institutional digital assets company received In-Principle Approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) to conduct regulated activities in May 2024. According to QCP, the decision to make a move into this strategic market for the company’s footprint was in anticipation that the Middle East is going to become a dominant global hub for capital flowing into traditional and digital assets.

According to their market insights report published on August 10th , BTC ( Bitcoin) price is almost exactly where we started a week ago, hovering above 60k. It noted, “Truly an unbelievable and swift recovery, after getting hammered to 49k lows on Monday which was the worst single-day drawdown we’ve seen in years.”

The added that there were two major observations, the first is that there has been a fundamental shift in the liquidity profile of ETH relative to BTC. As per their analysis, while BTC is becoming increasingly integrated into the mainstream macro capital markets, ETH is becoming increasingly sidelined. This development likely stems from the distinct lack of interest in the ETH spot ETFs relative to the BTC spot ETF.

They believe that BTC as digital gold is a compelling narrative to investors while ETH is lacking one. This liquidity shift was made painfully obvious on Monday when ETH plummeted 22% compared to BTC’s 16%.

Yet they state that this is not necessarily negative for ETH price, because while Bitcoin has a propensity for exponential price gains, it also has a potential for larger drawdowns. They note in the report, “Before the ETH spot ETF, the difference in implied volatility between BTC and ETH was closer to 5%. Right now, it has expanded towards 20% and could be even higher. Perhaps the strategy here is to sell BTC volatility and buy ETH volatility.”

In terms of the second observation, they believe the Bitcoin is bullish. They attribute this analysis to the fact that despite what they call the crazy volatility, there was consistent demand for BTC calls expiring in 2025 with strikes close to 100K.

According to their analysis, the crypto market, is back on track towards a bullish year end.

UAE Cypher Capital invests in Bitcoin backed stablecoin protocol

UAE Cypher Capital invests in Bitcoin backed stablecoin protocol

UAE Cypher Capital, a multi strategy crypto investment firm, has invested along side lead investor CMS Holdings and Rocktree Capital in Satoshi Protocol, the first stablecoin protocol backed by Bitcoin. Satoshi Protocol has raised $2 million in its seed round.

As per the press release, Satoshi Protocol will utilize the seed funding to strengthen its security measures, expand integrations across multiple Layer 2 solutions, and increase its global presence. The protocol has integrated across platforms within the Bitcoin ecosystem, including BOB, Bitlayer, BEVM, Core Chain, Botanix, B^2, Alys/Anduro (Marathon Holding), and Omni Network. It recently collaborated with Binance Web3 Wallet Campaign, engaging over 172,000 users.

“The support from our investors is crucial as we work towards creating a universal stablecoin that meets the needs of Bitcoin users,” said Naka, Founder & CEO of Satoshi Protocol. “This funding allows us to achieve these critical development and market goals.”
Satoshi Protocol enables users to collateralize BTC/LST to mint the stablecoin $SAT on both Bitcoin mainnet and multiple Layer 2, pioneering a utility and stable asset on the Bitcoin ecosystem.

“Satoshi Protocol’s approach to integrating stablecoins is a real leap forward within the Bitcoin ecosystem,” commented Vineet Budki, Managing Partner at Cypher Capita. “This investment reflects our confidence in its ability to enhance liquidity options for Bitcoin users and Bitcoin’s overall utility.”

This is the second Bitcoin startup investor for Cypher Capital this year. It invested in February in Velar DeFi startup. It also co-led a $2.4 million investment round in German blockchain data analytics firm BitsCrunch.

The Blockchain scene is witnessing increased investments in stablecoin solutions and payment platforms. PEXX a fintech startup specializing in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, today announced the successful closure of a $4.5 million seed funding. The investment will propel the development of the company’s innovative stablecoin to fiat payment platform.

Genesis Digital assets opens bitcoin mining datacenter in Argentina

Genesis Digital assets opens bitcoin mining datacenter in Argentina

Genesis Digital Assets Limited (GDA),a Bitcoin mining company with a presence in the UAE, is opening a new data center in Argentina powered by YPF Luz, a leading company in electric power generation.

The announcement comes during a period of expansion by GDA, which now operates 20 industrial-scale data centers across North America, South America, Europe, and Central Asia. The company’s first facility in South America is located in Rincón de Los Sauces, in the Neuquén Province and has a total capacity of 7 MW and 1 MW of backup.

The Bajo del Toro Thermal Power Plant, composed of YPF, Equinor and YPF Luz, will power 1,200 bitcoin mining machines, and efficiently monetize stranded gas, which would otherwise be flared into the atmosphere.

Speaking from the company’s Dubai office today, Abdumalik Mirakhmedov, Executive President of GDA, said: “We believe that Argentina is an important country for Bitcoin mining, given its abundance of energy sources and business-friendly environment.

“The opening of our first data center in South America is an important step in our geographic diversification efforts. And this will be yet another opportunity to show the world that Bitcoin mining can have a positive effect on the environment and can be fully integrated into local communities.”    

With an abundance of energy, a favorable political climate, and a strong crypto ethos, Argentina is becoming increasingly important for Bitcoin mining and the broader industry.

For the new data center, GDA will use the electricity generated from stranded gas provided YPF Luz, an electric power generation company that has been leading the energy transition since 2013.

As stated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, methane gas adversely impacts the environment as it is responsible for approximately a third of the warming the world is experiencing. Methane mitigation techniques, such as the utilization of stranded gas, are important to reduce emissions and combat global warming.

“In 2022, we were the first Argentine company to generate electrical energy for cryptocurrency mining from flare gas, an innovative solution in line with YPF’s energy transition needs,” said Martín Mandarano, CEO of YPF Luz. “This project with GDA allows us to bring YPF and Equinor, two companies committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their exploration activities, an adaptable and sustainable flare gas use solution.”

UAE Match Systems retrieves $68 million worth of stolen bitcoin

UAE Match Systems retrieves $68 million worth of stolen bitcoin

UAE based Match Systems, a cyber security company specializing in AML (Anti Money Laundering) services, blockchain investigations, implementation of compliance procedures for cryptocurrency projects around the world has recovered $68 million of stolen Bitcoin crypto assets from Cryptex.

The incident occurred on May 3rd 2024, when a “dust” attack on cryptex exchange targeted a crypo whales resulting in the theft of 1,155.28 Bitcoins worth $68 million.

The stolen tokens were received by an unknown scammer to the address  0xd9A1C3788D81257612E2581A6ea0aDa244853a91, from which the funds were moved to the address 0xfB5bcA56A3824E58A2c77217fb667AE67000b7A6. After which the stolen funds began to be distributed in parts to several scammer’s addresses.

The victim immediately sought assistance from Match Systems. As a result of promptly conducted work, the assets were found and returned to the crypto whale in full in just a week.

As per the press release, this incident perfectly demonstrates that promptly contacting specialists in case of theft of crypto assets significantly increases the chances of the crypto fraud victim to get them back. Moreover, the earlier the victim seeks help, the higher the probability of getting the stolen funds back in full.

According to Match Systems the company provides unique information about cryptocurrency addresses involved in illegal activities, enabling them to protect participants of crypto market from blockages and losses.

In addition the company offers Compliance  & AML, Blockchain investigations (digital assets recovery), due Diligence, forensics/assets tracing (crypto and fiat), multi-account abuse detection and education.

In the past Match Systems had completed 23 cases retrieving $15 million. Examples of some of these cases, include Revil where damages amounted to $100 million and retrieved asset were $0.7 million, Hydra where damages amounted to $1.3 billion and retrieved assets found $3.2 million.

In the UAE, Match Systems works with UAE government including criminal investigation department, and digital forensics department.