Maxya Proof of Useful Work Blockchain platform launches from Qatar

Maxya Proof of Useful Work Blockchain platform launches from Qatar

Two professors at Qatar university came together to build a blockchain network from scratch that would not only be utilized as a ledger but also as a super computer. They named it Maxya given that its consensus mechanism creates added value by solving optimization problems for business.

Lebanese-Canadian national Mazen El Masri, Co-Founder and CEO and  Syrian-French national Karim Yafi, CO-Founder and CTO, of Genesis Technologies, the tech company which developed Maxya, both Associate Professors at Qatar University started their project three years ago with a $2.6 million fund for an applied research program from Qatar National Research Fund, today they have launched MaxYa test net and are testing it with Qatar’s local sectors.

The duo developed their consensus mechanism which they called “Proof of Useful Work”.  The Proof-of-Useful-Work (PoUW)” is an alternative mechanism for transaction validation that repurposes the squandered computing resources to beneficial use. Their main premise was to replace the mathematical puzzle, which constitutes a fundamental part of the (PoW) Proof-of-Work mechanism, with NP-hard optimization problems whose solutions benefit the participants of the blockchain.

The PoUW prototype received interest from investors and customers which led Qatar University to register its Qatar University Holding Company (QU Holding) as a commercial umbrella for supporting the spinoffs of QU faculty. Genesis Technologies is their first spin off.  Qatar University currently owns 10 percent of Genesis Technologies.

Al Yafi explained to Laraontheblock the nature of their PoUW platform, “We wanted to develop a blockchain where the computation power necessary to maintain the validation of Blockchain to solve useful problems would give the blockchain a meaning beyond just hash values. Instead of spending a huge amount of energy and computation power to create a block, which once created is useless, we want to use the computation power for something useful, where miner who finds the solution, i.e. the block, gets rewarded.”

Maxya blockchain platform, which can be a permission or permissionless based blockchain, solves very difficult mathematical optimization problems. Examples can include portfolio optimization, scheduling, supply chain management routing, optimizing port operations, genetic sequencing and precision medicine and many more s. As Al Yafi explains, “The problem is given to the miners that then compete fairly amongst each other to solve it, it includes trial and error, and there is a randomness which keeps the network fair. The First miner to come up with a useful solution is rewarded. The Solution becomes part of the block. It is very secure because in order to hack the blockchain they have to solve all the problems that will happen after the block is hashed.” The first use case for Maxya PoUW was a useful output for a maritime transportation problem.

An interesting feature of Maxya blockchain is that anyone with a regular laptop can participate as a node. So whether you have a supercomputer or a laptop both can equally compete. El Masri states, “For the first time it is not the one with the better hardware that has a better chance of mining a block, but it is more democratic, everyone has a chance. This method reduces energy consumption which is good. But MaxYa becomes carbon negative when its consensus mechanism solves optimization problems in industries like supply chains and logistics. We proved that MaxYa can minimize the movement of cargo ships and at the same time reduce shipping cost and time on shippers. This is when MaxYa can become carbon negative. We are carbon negative because not only do we use minimum energy we also offer a useful solution which offsets the energy we do use. If launched with sufficient optimization problems to solve, MaxYa can use less energy than Polygon.”

Currently, Maxya Blockchain can carry out around 300 transactions within 8 seconds. While the block is heavy because it contains the solution being worked on, the team is compressing the data to make it lighter. Transactions happen on-chain, while data files are embedded in Maxya’s off-chain distributed cloud system.

Maxya’s prototype is in test net phase using a logistics problem. Yafi tells LaraontheBlock, “We are planning to utilize Maxya for logistics optimization with partners in Qatar. We also plan to help optimize stowing on ports. At the same time we are in conversations with entities in the USA to optimize sequencing for precision drugs and in Canada to launch MaxYa globally. Maxya can solve a range of problems. This means the value of Maxya as a blockchain is not just in managing transactions, but providing valuable solutions. It is a ledger and a decentralized computer.”

The founders envision that Maxya will be the blockchain that can fully support Web3 environments, given that miners are incentivized and the more the incentives the more sustainable the blockchain. Eventually both founders believe that at some point Maxya will move to become a public blockchain, with an open source code and Genesis Technologies will continue to build solutions on top of Maxya.

Al Yafi states, “ At the moment Maxya’s source code is closed as we register a couple of IPs and patents, but in the future if we want it to grow, we will have to make it public, Genesis technology will continue to be a part of the community, and we envision both private and public versions of Maxya.”

In terms of the recent Qatar Blockchain Blueprint, Yafi emphasizes, “We are at the center of this initiative and have been for the past five years, we have partners and strong cooperation from Qatar Financial center and various Ministries.”

Henk Jan Hoogendoorn, Chief Financial Sector Officer at Qatar Financial Centre Authority stated on LinkedIn, ” We are very proud of Qatar’s Blockchain development called Maxya, developed by Genesis Technologies and Qatar University and their team. Qatar Financial Centre ( QFC) and Qatar Fintech Hub are supporting them to commercialize Maxya to government and financial institutions.” 

Lawrence Summers, previous US Secretary of Treasury showcases his views on Crypto and Blockchain at UAE AIM summit 2022

Lawrence Summers, previous US Secretary of Treasury showcases his views on Crypto and Blockchain at UAE AIM summit 2022

Lawrence H. Summers, the renowned American economist who served as the 71st United States Secretary of Treasury from 1999-2001 under Bill Clinton, as well as the Director of the National Economic Council from 2009 to 2010 under Barack Obama, will be offering his insights into the global economy and financial markets as well as his views on crypto and Blockchain during the 13th edition of AIM Summit being held on the 21st and 22nd of November 2022 in Dubai UAE.

AIM Summit is the region’s leading forum for providing insights on investment developments and global market conditions. This year, special emphasis is placed on the current global economy, inflation, stagflation and recession. Summers will provide his views on why the U.S. will likely be headed into a recession within the next two years. Summers will discuss how globalization, trade, and technology will play a pivotal role in the future of the global economy.

In 2021, Summers repeatedly called out the potential for inflation in U.S. while the U.S. Federal Reserve and many economists viewed rising prices as transitory.

Commenting on his participation at AIM Summit, Summers states, “Investors in alternative assets must navigate a challenging macroeconomic environment today and anticipate how it will impact their portfolios tomorrow. At the AIM Summit in Dubai, I will address some of the most pressing questions investors should be asking – will the Fed’s newfound hawkishness lead to a painful recession, or will they engineer a soft landing? Will we return to the post-2009 era of secular stagnation, or a new paradigm? Will prognostications of China’s economy overtaking America’s prove similar to those of Russia and Japan, which look ridiculous today?”

Raha Moradi, Chief Executive Officer of AIM Summit stated, “We are honoured as organizers of AIM Summit to be welcoming a well renowned economist and top U.S. ranking official such as Lawrence H. Summers. His views on U.S. and global inflation, recession, and world policies will offer our audience valuable information that will benefit their policies and strategies moving forward. Investors and policy makers alike across the GCC ad MENA region are invited to join us as we hear Summers’ predictive insights.”

The AIM summit gathers and connects investors within hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, digital assets, FinTech with global industry leaders. This year the Summit will cover topics pertaining to portfolio construction, emerging markets, frontier markets, private credit, hedge funds, the future of digital assets, NFTs, metaverse, crypto mining, ESG, impact investing and Web 3.

Audiences will also hear Summers’ views on crypto and Blockchain. Lawrence Summers, is currently an advisor for Digital Currency Group and a board member of Block.Inc, He is also well versed on the topics of cryptocurrencies, stablecoins and CBDCs. In previous events and interviews, he has espoused his belief that cryptocurrencies will do better when regulated in a sound way. He has touted crypto as being one of the most important innovations of this period akin to Digital Gold, and praises stablecoins yet believes global digital currencies are still at a nascent stage. 

UAE Metaverse solutions provider MetaEssence launches its G2B2C solution

UAE Metaverse solutions provider MetaEssence launches its G2B2C solution

UAE based MetaEssence launches the world’s first specialized G2B2C (Government to Business to Consumer) utility-based Web3.0 and Metaverse solutions provider.  

MetaEssence focuses on Web3.0 & Metaverse enablement through three main business domains: digital health, digital economy, and sustainability. Introducing innovative solutions to accelerate the government agencies and organizations’ digital transformation, and contributing to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to cement the UAE’s position as a global capital for the digital economy. 

Fatma ElSafty, Founder and CEO of MetaEssence, states,” Our vision is to enable simplified, secure, and reliable access to a wide range of Web3.0 & Metaverse solutions where our customers find synergies between their services and securely execute transactions with a business value add. At MetaEssence We emphasize our products value and end results. All our products are blockchain agnostic and we are very keen on building long-term partnerships through a well-established transaction-based model.” 

MetaEssence’s solutions for Digital health and specifically medical tourism will introduce a better patient experience using smart contracts, where patients will have secure access to quality healthcare providers anywhere in the world. Via Metaverse and mixed reality; patients can simulate their experience while the advantageous environment for smart contracts between patients, providers, and payers in the overall system will eliminate many touch points through a more simplified, secure, and patient-centric solution. Thanks to blockchain, Web3.0, and Metaverse technologies to make this possible.

 MetaEssence is planning to launch this year “MetaEssence Heroes Program” to leverage MetaEssence Superheroes group of Worldwide experts in Web3, NFTs, Crypto Risks, regulation, Data Security, blockchain, Mixed reality, and Metaverse to train the new heroes on the “why” and “how” to use these technologies in their organizations.

MENA Web 3.0 Blockchain communications platform, Pravica launches the first DcFi

MENA Web 3.0 Blockchain communications platform, Pravica launches the first DcFi

Headquartered in Egypt with a presence in the UAE, Pravica, the everyone-to-everyone communication platform, offering a native Web 3.0 Blockchain-enabled unified, secure and privacy-compliant messaging platform, has launched the first DcFi (Decentralized Communications and Finance) platform under the name Pravica Club.

The platform is an extension of what Pravica has already been working on for the past three years. Pravica applications, built on Stacks Blockchain and secured by Bitcoin, has developed and launched a completely decentralized Web 3.0 communications platform that can be utilized by both enterprise and individuals securely and easily. Pravica is one of the very few in this sector that offers live products, the Pravica Messenger for mobile devices and now Pravica club.

Mohamed Abdou, Founder and CEO of Pravica explains, “Today there is a high demand for decentralized secure and private communications applications. Projects of this kind have already raised millions of dollars, even though they have yet to build something. At Pravica we are aware that building in Web3 is not easy, especially when it comes to communications apps because of the large amount of data coming in and out, that is why we started early on solving all the problems using a different stack of tools to ensure we have a highly scalable and easy to use the product. We have a great advantage and are offering tangible products.”

The Pravica Club is the first DcFi platform offering several interesting features. It is a DcFi platform because other than allowing for Web3 and native crypto conversations it also offers seamless in-chat payments and stacking pools similar to most DeFi applications out there.

The crypto-native decentralized messaging features include:

Users of Pravica Club are on-boarded with their decentralized identity from BTC domains which are registered through a smart contract on Stacks Blockchain, secured by Bitcoin. No email, phone number or any personal information is required.

All messages are encrypted. Messages can be cryptographically linked back to the crypto wallet by signing special messages with currently the Hiro wallet. In the future, Pravica is working to enable full functionalities of wallet-to-wallet conversations, as well as enabling users to invite others using wallet addresses for full interoperability.

Gideon Greaves, Managing Director CV VC Africa, says, “Pravica club is truly disrupting the way we communicate online. It’s only a matter of time before the web3 community moves away from centralised communication platforms. I believe Pravica club is where they will go. The features, secure platform and team within Pravica are world-class.”

Users don’t need to copy and paste NFTs to be used as profile pictures, but instead, extract the NFT from their wallet and showcase it as a verified avatar. The NFT is authenticated by each user’s wallet. In the future, these NFT avatars will be utilized to unlock other offerings in Pravica Club.

Users can send cryptocurrency payments, as likes, and enter stacking pools. Content creators can thus monetize their content through “Write to Earn” or “Create to Earn”, just like predecessors “Play to Earn”.

One of the biggest and unique features of the Pravica Club is the “eternal message”. Users in Pravica Clubs or in Pravica messenger will be able to extract a text of 1024 characters and mint it as an eternal message. The eternal message takes the form of an NFT. The ramifications are huge, Eternal messages can be used to save and engrave personal moments, like the first time someone said “I love you” or even business agreements or historical statements.

Mohamed Abdou, Founder and CEO of Pravica, explains, “We are empowering the Web 3 creator economy. This is especially relevant in the era of the Metaverse where individuals will need decentralized identities, secure communications and P2P financial transactions. DcFi, presented as Pravica Club, is the gateway towards a truly Web 3.0 creators economy.”

Bitcoin Payments in Bahrain being tested by Central Bank of Bahrain

Bitcoin Payments in Bahrain being tested by Central Bank of Bahrain

OpenNode, a “Bitcoin-as-a-payment-network” infrastructure company, has started testing a Bitcoin payment processing and payout solution in Bahrain, with the Central Bank of Bahrain’s regulatory Sandbox.

OpenNode intends to provide the infrastructure to help the country grow its economy and will showcase why Bitcoin is synonymous with better business.

Bahrain was one of the first to grant a crypto exchange license to RAIN crypto exchange and since then has accepted in Binance and others.

The CBB authorized OpenNode to participate in the new Regulatory Sandbox Framework that allows FinTech firms to test their ideas and solutions in the Kingdom.

OpenNode intends to bring payment innovation to Bahrain in using Bitcoin. 

Afnan Rahman, CEO and Co-Founder at OpenNode, stated”This is a watershed moment for the people of Bahrain, the Middle East and the Bitcoin economy as a whole. OpenNode’s leading Bitcoin infrastructure solution continues to pave the way for countries, governments and reputable financial institutions to adopt the Bitcoin standard and transact on the lightning network.”

OpenNode  is currently active in more than 160 countries around the world.

Dalal Buhejji, Executive Director – Investment Development for Financial Services at the Bahrain Economic Development Board said, “We are proud to have worked with the Central Bank towards establishing a strong financial services ecosystem within the Kingdom of Bahrain. As a country, we have always been ahead of the curve in adopting Fintech solutions thanks to our regulator’s flexibility and forward thinking. Financial services is an important sector within our economy, and fintech platforms such as the one soon to be tested by OpenNode are essential to ensure we continue to innovate while simultaneously adhering to best regulatory measures.”

True Global Ventures with a presence in UAE invests $17.2 million in unicorn company Animoca Brands

True Global Ventures with a presence in UAE invests $17.2 million in unicorn company Animoca Brands

True Global Ventures 4 plus, (TGV-4 Plus) Fund with a presence in the UAE and TGV 4 Plus Follow On Fund (TGV 4 Plus FoF) have invested a $17.2m convertible note investment into Animoca Brands out of a total raise of US$110m.  The current investment further supports Animoca Brands’ mission to deliver digital property rights to the world’s gamers and Internet  users,  thereby  creating  a  new  asset  class,  play-to-earn  economies,  and  a  more equitable digital framework contributing to the building of the open metaverse.

Other investors included Boyu Capital, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund Temasek and GGV Capital.

The investment comes after Animoca Brands’ second closing at a valuation of US$5.9 billion (based on Australian dollar exchange rates at the time),  announced on July 12, 2022. The company is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, gamification, and digital property rights in open metaverse.  

TGV is a distributed fund with a presence in over 20 cities, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, New York, San Francisco, Vancouver, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Moscow, Stockholm, Paris, Madrid and Warsaw. TGV4 Follow on Fund includes $5 million investment from Middle East partners  making up 3.4 percent of the fund investment. 

TGV has been an early backer of Animoca Brands since early 2019 and has seen it achieve unicorn status in May 2021. Animoca Brands has derived much of its growth in value from the revenues of its blockchain projects and subsidiaries, as well as the over 340 investments it has made in the open metaverse.

 Valerie Hawley, Affiliate Partner, True Global Ventures 4+ speaking to LaraontheBlock says, “Current market conditions offers many challenges but also opportunities.  It is during these challenging times when the true leaders of the web3 space will emerge.  There is no finer example of this than Yat Siu and the Animoca team.  We at True Global Ventures are delighted to be able to continue to support their growth.”

Besides Animoca Brands, the TGV 4 Plus base fund has also invested in other leading companies such as The Sandbox (a subsidiary of Animoca Brands), Forge, Chromaway, Coinhouse, GCEX, Chronicled, Enjinstarter, Iomob and Dedoco and others. 

This is the first investment made by the new TGV 4 Plus FoF, which focuses on investing a majority of its capital into selected TGV 4 Plus base fund companies. TGV 4 Plus Follow On Fund will consider making additional investments in other late stage web3 deals as the opportunities arise.

The TGV 4 Plus FoF completed its first closing in June 2022 for US$146m. TGV 4 Plus FoF has 15 General Partners (GP) who lead the fund and its Investment Committee, investing more than US$62m of their money into the fund. This represents a total GP commitment of over 40% of the total fund size and over US$4m per GP on average.

Yat Siu, the co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, commented: “We are honoured that the TGV 4 Plus Follow On Fund has chosen Animoca Brands as its first investment and are deeply grateful for TGV’s continued support. Thanks to the shared network effect of the open metaverse, the funding of late stage companies like us also provides a boost to early stage growth, so we believe this is a positive development for the entire ecosystem.”

TGV General Partner Dušan Stojanović adds, “I’m impressed by the number and quality of strategic acquisitions and investments that Animoca Brands has made. It is one of the big winners of the market correction, and is likely to emerge stronger from this down market similarly to how companies like Amazon emerged from the Dotcom crash.”

Ultra Luxury hotel in Dubai UAE now accepting crypto payments

Ultra Luxury hotel in Dubai UAE now accepting crypto payments

Dubai ultra-luxury Hotel Palazzo Versace is now accepting crypto payments through Binance. The hotel will allow guests to pay for dining, stays, and spa experiences using cryptocurrencies.

The hotel located in Jaddaf Waterfront has partnered with Binance, cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, to offer the guests the possibility to settle payments in various cryptocurrencies such as BNB, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. These transactions will take place through Binance payment gateway.

Starting from 7th September, the hotel will accept crypto for room stays, restaurants, meetings, and events, all the guests will have the option to pay at the property using the Binance application. The next phase, online payment integration, will go live soon after. Palazzo Versace Dubai will also accept cryptocurrency payments on their eCommerce platforms, which include Gift Vouchers and Flower Shop.

The Managing Director of Palazzo Versace Dubai and founder of Palazzo Hospitality, Monther Darwish comments: “We continue to be the pioneers of innovation and growth in the hospitality business. Accepting cryptocurrencies as payments is yet another innovative step that we have taken towards making our business future-ready”.

Nadeem Ladki, Head of Business Development for Binance in MENA, stated, “Palazzo Versace’s ability to now accept payments in virtual assets is a reflection of how the hospitality industry in Dubai is at the forefront of innovation as we move into a more digital world. Payments is just the beginning and we look forward to building on this partnership together.”

UAE ADGM grants Klickl a digital asset dealer and custodian preliminary license

UAE ADGM grants Klickl a digital asset dealer and custodian preliminary license

UAE ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) has granted Klickl, a virtual asset service provider with offices in Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi, an in principle Approval license to operate as a digital asset broker and custodian.

Michael Zhao, Co-Founder and CEO at Klickl said “The regulated route is the only route for any crypto company’s growth if it wants to be a serious player for the long run.  Long gone are the days where digital asset players enjoy early-mover advantage benefiting from fast growing bull market. Recent crypto market turbulence and big selloff caused by greed-led FOMO driven sentiment is just another example to show why the market needs proper risk control and compliance.”

Formerly known as IDCM, the digital asset exchange group recently rebranded to Klickl representing the sound coins make when clicking in harmony and prosperity.

Klickl aims to deliver that All-in One crypto super app which serves all crypto needs in the ever-evolving digital era.

ADGM has approved license for more than seven virtual asset exchanges to operate in the UAE. The names include Binance, Kraken, as international players, and BitOasis, Midchains, Matrix and others as local ones.

The UAE has become a blockchain and crypto hub and one of the leading regulated environments across the globe. This has attracted crypto entities that were previously headquartered in Hong Kong and Singapore among others.

Oman Oil service Entity to utilize blockchain for sustainable energy production

Oman Oil service Entity to utilize blockchain for sustainable energy production

Oman Al Shawamikh Oil Services Company will cooperate with Oman Frontech, a government entity established by both Omantel and Ethcha (Oman Investment Authority) to implement Blockchain to ensure sustainable management of its energy solutions. 

Frontech launched the National Blockchain Platform to accelerate the digital innovation efforts in the Sultanate of Oman, in line with the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The platform offers two services: Blockchain Factory as a sandbox environment, Blockchain as a Service (BaaS), and Blockchain as a Service (BaaS).

Oman’s Energy entity, Al Shawamikh Oil Services Company, will work with Frontech to develop a sustainable energy management system built on blockchain technology.

Frontech will utilize blockchain to represent the production units in the sustainable energy network, as well as track and manage these units.

During the signing ceremony, Dr Aflah bin Said Al Hadhrami, CEO of Al Shawamikh Oil services, said, “Blockchain or the digital blockchains are the new digital revolution that may go beyond the Internet revolution and has gained great momentum recently. The agreement between Al Shawamikh and Frontech comes to take advantage of one of the possibilities of the fourth industrial revolution to develop sustainable energy solutions and to meet the aspirations and objectives of Oman’s vision 2040 in its renewable renaissance.”

Dr Ammar Al-Obaidani, CEO of Frontech, said, “Frontech was established to achieve national goals by providing high-level technical solutions to leading technologies. The company works on implementing many projects and initiatives with various sectors, whether from the governmental or private sectors. This partnership with Al Shawamikh Oil Services Company will accomplish one of those goals through the National Blockchain Network, as it provides a points system on blockchain technology for its partners and clients.

UAE telecom regulatory authority says more than 10 percent of UAE residents own crypto

UAE telecom regulatory authority says more than 10 percent of UAE residents own crypto

UAE Telecommunication and Digital Government Regulatory Authority has released is Digital Lifestyle 2022 report where it confirms that more than 10 percent of UAE residents have invested in cryptocurrencies.

As per the report 11.4 percent of UAE residents have had exposure to cryptocurrencies. This means that the UAE comes in at 10th globally in terms of investments in cryptocurrencies.

Around 11.4 per cent of the UAE residents have invested in cryptocurrencies said the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

The UAE is set to become the global hub for cryptocurrencies and experts have lauded the country’s role in promoting and adopting virtual currencies as a number of digital asset exchanges and crypto firms have launched their operations in the country.

This has been spurred by the activities of Dubai Virtual Asset regulatory and ADGM ( Abu Dhabi Global Market). This is set to grow as more crypto and blockchain companies as well as metaverse entities flock to the UAE.

This is spurred by the recent strategy to grow the number of blockchain and metaverse entities in the UAE to 5000, up from 1000 today.