Chainalysis joins Emirates NBD’s digital asset lab

Chainalysis joins Emirates NBD’s digital asset lab

Chainalysis the blockchain data platform, has joined Emirates NBD, digital asset Lab. Chainalysis, the blockchain data platform, will join professional services firm PwC, digital asset transfer and direct custody technology platform Fireblocks, and R3, an enterprise Distributed ledger technology platform, as founding council members of the Lab.

According to the press release, Chainalysis’ expertise in blockchain analysis and compliance will strengthen the Digital Asset Lab by contributing to the development of innovative financial products and services that are compliant and secure.

As a national bank known for innovation, Emirates NBD plans to leverage Chainalysis’ analytics and investigative capabilities to further discern market trends and customer needs, while enhancing the integrity of the bank’s digital asset initiatives.

The strategic alliance demonstrates Emirates NBD’s commitment to upholding the highest standards of regulatory compliance in the rapidly evolving digital finance landscape.

Miguel Rio Tinto, Group Chief Digital and Information Officer at Emirates NBD, said, “As a leading local bank that has always been committed to innovation, Emirates NBD is proud to partner with Chainalysis and welcomes the company to the Digital Asset Lab to pave the way for pioneering solutions in the financial sector. By partnering with Chainalysis, the bank aims to provide a more transparent and reliable digital finance environment for customers, thereby fostering greater trust and confidence in the bank’s digital offerings.”

Nicola Buonanno, VP Southern EMEA at Chainalysis, added, “Financial institutions play a pivotal role in sculpting the future of digital assets, offering secure avenues for investor engagement with the right risk mitigation measures. Chainalysis is excited to collaborate with Emirates NBD through its Digital Asset Lab, leveraging its data and solutions to facilitate safe and transparent digital asset services. Together with the Emirates NBD, we aim to forge a resilient financial sector, fostering confidence and further advancing the UAE’s leadership in digital assets innovation.”

The Digital Asset Lab was announced in May 2023 at the Dubai FinTech Summit, with the goal of enabling and accelerating digital asset and financial services innovation in the UAE. As a bank committed to providing customers greater access to a wide range of financial products, Emirates NBD is establishing a robust platform with industry experts for the development of innovative ideas in financial services using digital assets and its underlying technologies.

The Lab focuses purely on digital assets and how underlying technologies can be leveraged to enable customers to effectively manage their financial services requirements in the evolving and dynamic environment of digital assets.

Turkey saw highest crypto gains in MENA for 2023

Turkey saw highest crypto gains in MENA for 2023

Built on investor interactions with centralized exchanges, Chainalysis has come out with their crypto gains by country research. Interestingly Turkey took top place in the MENA region with gains reach close to $1billion followed by Saudi Arabia at $350 million.

As per Chainalysis, overall crypto investors achieved total gains of $37.6 billion in 2023 much lower than gains made in 2021 which reached $159.7 billion but better than 2022 which witnessed losses of $127.1 billion.

The United States led the way in cryptocurrency gains by a wide margin in 2023 at an estimated $9.36 billion. The UK placed second with an estimated $1.39 billion in crypto gains.

Then in Asia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia and India all hit over $1 billion in estimated gains placing top six for all countries.

Interestingly in MENA, Turkey saw gains of $950 million, while Saudi Arabia saw gains of $350 million. The only other MENA and GCC country on the list for top gains was UAE, which witnessed $204 million.

The findings from Turkey come at a time when more investments in the crypto space are being carried out in the country. Aquanow Türkiye, a subsidiary of Aquanow, received a strategic investment from two of Turkey’s leading portfolio management companies, Oyak Portföy and Finberg. As per the news, the investment was considered the beginning of a strategic partnership focused on developing innovative digital asset solutions for the Turkish market. Reports have indicated that Turkey is moving towards clarity around crypto regulation, with new rules expected in 2024. In December, the Turkish regulatory authority made technical appointments with experience in crypto assets and blockchain technology to the central bank’s rate-setting committee, according to a Bloomberg report.

On the contrary while Saudi Arabia saw the second biggest crypto gains in MENA region, it has yet to regulate crypto, while rumors are around that it and Qatar might be investing in Bitcoin soon.

So far, the positive trends of 2023 have carried over into 2024, with notable crypto assets like Bitcoin achieving all-time highs in the wake of Bitcoin ETF approvals and increased institutional adoption. If these trends continue, we may see gains more in line with those we saw in 2021. As of March 13, Bitcoin is up 65.4% and Ether is up 70.2% in 2024.

In the fourth annual Chainalysis Global crypto adoption index, identifying countries where the most people are putting the greatest share of their wealth into cryptocurrency, once again Morocco took lead and is listed as one of the top 20 countries placing an Arab country on the map, while Turkey placed first in the MENA region.

It seems with the bull market in full blast, the 2024 report will look even more promising.