UAE Sectors left right and center accepting crypto payments

UAE Sectors left right and center accepting crypto payments

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. 

UAE ChainTech Labs launches first reward bearing tokens marketplace from DIFC

UAE ChainTech Labs launches first reward bearing tokens marketplace from DIFC

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.

Qatar to crypto or not to crypto that is the question

Qatar to crypto or not to crypto that is the question

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.

Oman New Securities Law provisions for regulation of virtual assets

Oman New Securities Law provisions for regulation of virtual assets

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. 

Four Lebanese Crypto Blockchain startups Win University Hackathon

Four Lebanese Crypto Blockchain startups Win University Hackathon

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

MENA Investors invest 5 million USD in TGV4 Plus 146 million Follow on Fund

MENA Investors invest 5 million USD in TGV4 Plus 146 million Follow on Fund

 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”.

KSA Blockchain enabled NFT Marketplace to raise 5 million USD in new funding round

KSA Blockchain enabled NFT Marketplace to raise 5 million USD in new funding round

After KSA based Nuqtah, Blockchain enabled NFT Marketplace raised its pre-Seed round led by UAE Shorooq Partners in November 2021; the company is now looking to raise an additional 5 million USD in a new funding round. Founder and CEO Salwa Radwi spoke to AlSharq on this.

Salwa Radwi plans to make Nuqtah become the de-facto platform for the Saudi and MENA digital creative economy. In the first round of financing, Shorooq Partners, along with KSA Sanabil a subsidiary of KSA Public Investment Fund participated in the pre Seed round. Nuqtah participated in the second cohort round with 500 MENA seed accelerator.

Nuqtah recently hired Dr. Majid Al Mansouri as Head of strategy. Al Mansouri has more than 8 years experience in Blockchain, AI, and VR space. He has advised, led and invested in more than 40 blockchain companies globally. He also founded the Blockchain Research Institute in various Saudi Universities in collaboration with Oxford University.

In the new funding round Nuqtah looks to use the funds for attracting human resources, developing technologies and products, and enhancing the marketing process of the company’s activity locally and regionally.

Nuqtah enables MENA users to publish and sell their work seamlessly and will serve as a global platform for buyers keen on acquiring the latest NFTs by renowned and emerging MENA artists. Nuqtah plans to build on the thriving NFTs space, and utilize the underlying blockchain technology to spearhead innovation in other verticals such as media and entertainment.

In the previous round, Shane Shin, Founding Partner at Shorooq Partners, said, “Ever since moving to Saudi, I have witnessed first-hand the tremendous evolution of the creative and cultural landscape, led by passionate young Saudis. The Kingdom is on an ambitious digital transformation journey, and the creative economy is one of the core pillars of the nation’s long term vision. As we continue to back daring founders and support them in building enduring and sector-leading companies, we are privileged to join Nuqtah as the Kingdoms first NFT platform. We believe in the Nuqtah team’s vision, and are humbled to work with them to take Nuqtah to the global NFT arena, representing the region’s vibrant and rich creative depth.”

Amal Dokhan, Partner at 500 Global said, “We are ecstatic to have Nuqtah be a part of our second cohort at Sanabil 500 MENA seed accelerator. Seeing more female founders take lead in Saudi is truly refreshing and more so in such an exciting intersection between the arts & blockchain in an Arabic enabled NFT platform, we believe in Nuqtah’s founding team and are surely privileged to support their journey towards Growth.”

 “Our goal is to create the ultimate environment for creators in the Kingdom, where they can sell their masterpieces at the value they deserve safely and securely. The Nuqtah founding team is from the core of the creative community in the region, hence, they truly understand what it means to be creative in the kingdom. We are here to transform the industry,” says Salwa Radwi the CEO at Nuqtah.

The Saudi Ministry of Tourism and Saudi Toursim Authority has announced the creation of  NFT (non-fungible token) souvenirs, in a move that reflects the Kingdom’s advancement in digital tourism. His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minster of Tourism of Saudi Arabia BoD Chairman of the Saudi Tourism Authority presented the personalized digital mementos in a first of its kind initiative to the heads of delegations participating in the 116th session of the Executive Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Jeddah, as a token of appreciation for their visit to the Kingdom.​

Recently the Saudi Ministry of Tourism  and Saudi Tourism authority created NFT souvenirs gifted to heads of delegations participating in the 16th session of the Executive Counsil of the United Nations World Tourism Organization. As per the press release, stunning VR 3D Saudi landscapes and landmarks were converted into NFTs 

His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, said the NFT souvenirs embody the leadership’s vision for the future of the Kingdom. “As technology advances, it is important that we remain at the forefront of innovation. Our tourism infrastructure is designed to embrace new trends, and digital transformation is one of our top priorities. The NFTs serve as a bold statement to the world that Saudi Arabia is developing an unparalleled tourism sector where travelers can expect to see and experience unique and futuristic offerings.”

UAE Private Fintech firm invests in UAE Decentralized Digital asset exchange

UAE Private Fintech firm invests in UAE Decentralized Digital asset exchange

UAE Blockchain enabled LedgerFi, valuated at 6.3 million USD has just completed its seed round investment from a UAE private Fintech firm. As per their website LedgerFi which utilizes XDC blockchain network, wants to become the world’s first Decentralized Digital Asset Exchange ( DDAX) where users can transfer all types of digital assets.

LedgerFi IT Solutions is disrupting the traditional ways of exchanging digital assets, digital energy & digital property by enabling the users of Web 3.0 to adopt & adapt a peer-to-peer, censorship resistant and decentralized ecosystem. It is also extending the use case of transfer of digital assets beyond crypto currencies and enabling users with a seamless platform for exchange of emails, messages, data, files, information, digital currencies and even NFTs.

LedgerFi recently launched its flagship product called as LedgerMail which is the world’s first blockchain email service operating on a hybrid blockchain platform of XDC network. So far LedgerMail has onboarded more than 750,000 users and also partnered with big tech enterprises for secure, private & encrypted email communication.

Founder and CEO at LedgerFi, Mr. Vinay Krishna quoted, “We are thrilled to complete our Pre-Seed Investment round. Now we are working on benchmarking the Web 3.0 communication ecosystem and build a futuristic, simplistic and transformative ecosystem for the individuals and businesses.”

As per the pressrelease, LedgerFi will utilize this investment for catalyzing the technological development of new solutions which will complement the existing products, and LedgerFi will also operationalize its entity with business expansion in the UAE.

Blockchain enabled School Passport for students now a reality in UAE

Blockchain enabled School Passport for students now a reality in UAE

UAE Based Repton Family of Schools has partnered with Blockchain entity EduChain to create the region’s first K-12 blockchain-secured multimedia digital portfolio, Repton Passport. Students and alumni from the three Repton schools in the UAE – Repton Dubai, Repton Al Barsha and Repton Abu Dhabi will be able to safely receive, manage and share their academic and extra-curricular accomplishments via unique links, multiple platforms and social media.

The Repton Passport aims to archive every Reptonian’s school journey with a centralized collection of academic records, including transcripts, certifications, class pictures, awards and extra-curricular portfolios. In addition to the academic documents, Repton Passport creates a digital memory of student journeys and life lessons learnt. Students and alumni will be able to look back at their learning journey with pictures of proud moments, memorable experiences, meaningful friendships and personal videos from their teachers who nurtured and inspired them over the years.

The 2022 graduating IB2, IGCSE, and Year 6 cohorts from the Repton Family of Schools in the UAE, will receive their personalized Repton Passports at the end of the academic year, with their learning journeys at Repton carefully catalogued.

David Cook, Chief Education Officer for the Repton Family of Schools in the UAE and Headmaster of Repton School Dubai comments, “We are excited to gift Reptonians a permanent digital record of their unique life story while with Repton Family of Schools, providing them with the opportunity to revisit their very own digital time-capsule as young adults at Repton. The Repton Passport is a collection of meaningful journeys, encounters and experiences that shaped Reptonians’ characters and will provide them the tools to access their future success.  As we celebrate our 15th year anniversary at Repton Dubai, we are proud to have several graduating students who have stayed with us since they joined at 3 years old.   We are very pleased to work with EduChain Inc. to provide our students with a seamless digital solution that they can use Post-16 when applying to universities and prospective career opportunities.”

EduChain Inc. applications operate on top of an institutional blockchain network to ensure the security and verifiability of all issued records. EduChain Inc. is the trusted blockchain provider for top universities in the country such as Zayed University, Khalifa University and University of Sharjah, and has received various awards and recognition from Mubadala, CNN, Dubai Future Foundation and more. 

Gary Liang, Director of Educhain Inc. says: “We are proud to work with the Repton Family of Schools in the UAE to offer students a secure one-stop solution for their academic certifications. Our blockchain network is built on Hyperledger Fabric as a tamper-proof verification layer to independently store and verify the origin and legitimacy of data and records. With the Repton Passport, students can look back on their academic journey at Repton and trust that their documents will be safely secured.”

Niftify™, an easy-to-use and compliance-first NFT platform, is partnering with the Repton Family of Schools in the UAE to mint the animated Non-Fungible Token (NFT). Students receiving their Repton Passports by Term 3 this year will also receive their unique NFTs.

IBM’s TradeLens transacts first electronic bill of Ladings in UAE

IBM’s TradeLens transacts first electronic bill of Ladings in UAE

TradeLens, a Blockchain enable supply chain platform has just issued the first bills of lading in UAE for both Safelin Freight and Fortuna in DMCC ( Dubai Multi Commodities Center)

Safeline Freight and Fortuna DMCC  through TradeLens have accessed  digital issuance, transfer, and surrender of original bills of lading using blockchain technology. Combined, the two companies move more than 7,500 containers annually in and out of the UAE.

TradeLens was jointly developed by Maersk and IBM. TradeLens allows an original bill of lading to be digitally issued directly from a carrier and moved electronically through its journey with all the stakeholders. This reduces the hassles of sending physical papers from one stakeholder to the other through a courier process, eliminates the costly possibility of documents getting lost or forged, and removes inefficiencies from manual processes.

Mr. Ahmed Beyi, CEO Safeline Freight, stated, “I was amazed at how easy and fast I can control all my bill of ladings through the TradeLens eBL. Since this is a cloud-based solution, all my consignments and documents are available to my team and me on any device anywhere in the world.” He added, “With the eBL now being accepted by major ocean carriers, ports, customs and a list that keeps growing, life has become easier for freight forwarders and our customers.”

The eBL technology developed by TradeLens provides a solution available to all shippers regardless of size or use case. The elimination of physical hand-off of documentation accelerated during the pandemic, and the modernization of supply chain infrastructure with the use of technology became even more critical. 

The TradeLens ecosystem consists of more than 1000 organizations, including major ocean carriers representing over two-thirds of the global market, and integrated with leading trade finance banks operating in multiple countries with a shared vision to help modernize the trade finance industry. The platform has already tracked more than 55 million container shipments, 4.7 billion events, and more than 25 million published documents.

Varun Kulshreshtha, Regional Head of TradeLens, Maersk West & Central Asia, said, “TradeLens eBL is our latest addition to our portfolio of products in the UAE which also include visibility and document collaboration making the TradeLens platform a very compelling proposition for any company’s journey to digitize the supply chain. The eBL has proven to be very popular with customers and in a few short years should become the default way of managing shipments in our region.”