WEF to support UAE’s Blockchain and AI enabled Trade Tech Initiative

WEF to support UAE’s Blockchain and AI enabled Trade Tech Initiative

At Davos, the UAE government signed an MOU with WEF (World Economic Forum) to support UAE’s new Blockchain and AI enabled Trade Tech initiative. The initiative is designed to accelerate the digitization of international supply chains, enhance customs procedures, and improve developing countries’ access to the global trading system and, as a result, spur a new era of trade growth.

From the UAE’s side, the MoU was jointly signed by Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), and Prof. Klaus Schwab, WEF Founder and President.

The agreement will support the UAE’s efforts to deliver the initiative’s four key components: a global forum to gather trade, industry and technology leaders to share best-practice; an annual research report into the trade tech landscape, real-life applications and emerging trends; a regulatory sandbox to enable companies and startups to experiment with trade-tech innovations; and an incubator for promising startups in the trade tech space.

Dr. Al Zeyoudi said, “The Trade Tech Initiative is a crucial step in modernizing global trade, using the tools of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR 4.0) to reduce the cumbersome and inefficient paper-based processes that continue to dominate supply chains. We believe it is essential to harness the benefits of advanced technology to catalyze global trade  using artificial intelligence to automate customs processes and warehouse management to deploying blockchain to revolutionize trade finance, cross-border payments, and know-your-customer procedures, the potential for enhancement is limitless.”

He added, “International buy-in and regulatory frameworks are essential for these ideas to take root and our partnership with the World Economic Forum is a vital first step in realizing the goals of the Trade Tech Initiative. In 2024, the UAE will host MC13, the leading decision-making body of the World Trade Organization, and we are determined to build consensus over the next 12 months to begin pioneering a new era of fully digitized, operationally efficient global trade.”

Al Shorafa stated, “The UAE has a strong track record in developing and deploying innovative technologies to enhance efficiencies in the trade process. A typical example is our Advanced Trade & Logistics Platform (ATLP), the one-stop-shop for all trade operations. The emirate utilizes advanced technology such as AI-powered systems to enable traders facilitate their import and export transactions. We believe The UAE’s new Trade Tech Initiative further strengthens our efforts to enable traders to export and import seamlessly by accelerating the digitization of supply chains, and enhancing customs procedures.”

Concurrently UAE’s Minister for Foreign trade H.E. Thani Al Zeyoudi stated in an interview with Bloomberg, “Crypto will play a major role in the United Arab Emirates’ global trade moving forward.

Minister Thani Al-Zeyoudi, commenting on the crypto sector, said, “Crypto will play a major role for UAE trade going forward. The most important thing is that we ensure global governance when it comes to cryptocurrencies and crypto companies.”

 Al-Zeyoudi went on to suggest that as the UAE works on its crypto regulatory regime, the focus will be on making the Gulf country a hub with crypto-friendly policies that also have sufficient protections in place. He explains, “We started attracting some of the companies to the country with the aim that we will build together the right governance and legal system needed.”

UAE has not granted a single operational virtual asset license VARA and UAE Minister announce

UAE has not granted a single operational virtual asset license VARA and UAE Minister announce

As HE Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications participated in the WEF session ‘Finding the right balance for crypto’  announcing that the UAE has not licensed a single crypto exchange, concurrently the Dubai based Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA)  affirmed this on its website in its latest announcement.

Al Olama told audiences at WEF, that the regulations in UAE are not light. There are extensive regulations at VARA. He affirmed, “ UAE has not issued a single licensed crypto exchange in UAE neither Binance nor FTX.” He explained that there is a four step process  and to date, “no one was able to onboard any customers even last week.”

Concurrently VARA stated on its website, “VARA has not granted any operating permits to date this is a four stage licensing process” VARA’s website explained, that the VARA regime is founded on the principles on enforcing responsible market participation backed by a future-proofed and responsive regulatory framework that remains technology agnostic; that collectively deliver socio-economic stability; robust consumer protection; and jurisdictional resilience.”

As such there are four stages to regulation at VARA, the first is Provisional permit; graduating to a 2-step [(2) Preparatory + (3) Operating] Minimum Viable Product (MVP) license; and culminating at the (4) Full Market Product (FMP) license.

The fourth stage takes into effect after regulations have been tested within the regime. As such according to VARA every Virtual Asset Service Provider [VASP] must go through all 4 stages in this current environment, wherein VARA expects to evaluate, observe, and only then authorize suitably qualified entities to undertake any market servicing activities under its licensing regime.

VARA then clarifies that at this stage the only licenses that have been issued are Stage Gate (1) Provisional or (2) MVP-Preparatory to enable VASPs to fulfill all pre-conditions, and undertake readiness steps establish offices, onboard employees with work visas, secure domestic bank account etc. prior to being in a position to undertake any market operations.

So VARA affirmed that no VARA licensee has, to date, been awarded an MVP-Operating permit.

Each VASP that is awarded an MVP license must comply with the [MVP License Conditions Document] issued by VARA, and strictly adhere to the licensing conditions outlined in the appended letter. One of the MVP conditions is that VA activities during this phase may only be provided to qualified and/or institutional investor segments.

Mass retail consumers are strictly prohibited until the Stage Gate (4) FMP license approval has been secured. [Virtual Assets and Related Activities Regulations 2023] will stipulate relevant licensing conditions and requirements.

VARA adds that when it publishes its full market regulation, it will enable borderless economic opportunity across the global VA industry, protecting investors and market participants, backed by active enforcement of all regulatory requirements beyond security and cross-border compliance including those pertaining to custody and segregation of client money; prudential requirements (viz. insurance and liquidity cover); FATF compliance, market manipulation and/or abuse prevention.

In terms of Virtual Assets Exchanges, VARA has awarded Binance (MVP Preparatory License Issued) while Bybit, Crypto.com, Equiti, GCEX, Huobi, and OKX have provisionary approval and started the process.

In terms of Virtual Assets Payment Services, Zamp has applied and have provisional approval. 

In terms of Virtual Assets Broker – Dealer services those who have applied and been granted provisional approval include BitOasis, CoinMENA, MidChains and Scallop

Virtual Assets Issuance Services include Calvin Cheng Web3.0 Holdings, Hike, Monstera, Prypto, Woonkly Labs, and Xfinite

While under Virtual Asset Custodians only Hex Trust (MVP Preparatory License Issued) and Komainu (MVP Preparatory License Issued)

Virtual Assets Management/ Investment Services: Amber Group, BRE Holdings, Brevan Howard, Fintonia Group, NineBlocks, NOIA Capital, TPS Capital and Q9 Capital have all been granted provisional approvals, first stage. 

Al Olama also noted at the WEF session that the job of a regulator is to try and be proactive and to protect people as much as possible whenever people adopt a technology. He states, “In UAE we have a young population so we need to ensure that we regulate fast because youth are early adopters. He added, “The UAE wants to protect talent since we aim to be the country with the highest per capital talent on earth.”

According to him there are other sides of crypto such as Web3 and UAE wants to attract Web3 and Blockchain talent. Blockchain is a technology of the future given that traceability cannot be removed. This according to H.E. Al Olama is a positive thing for the world as it is easier to trace someone who transacts through Bitcoin than through hard cash.”

He ascertained that regulators across the board need to work together. First bad actors should not be able to move from one place to another, and the same incidents should not be repeated tomorrow.

In terms of DeFi Al Olama believes it is is evolving and is least regulated. He states, “ We want to jump into each vertical on its own, the only issue we have is that while the UAE government can move fast  if we work with other governments as teams and we all scrutinize  every single vertical it is better as we cannot wait for next catastrophe.”

ChainUp Blockchain solutions provider sets up in UAE offering digital asset solutions

ChainUp Blockchain solutions provider sets up in UAE offering digital asset solutions

Singaporean ChainUp Group, a global blockchain technology solutions provider, has expanded its operations into the UAE and MENA region with a sales office in Dubai. The company aims to provide blockchain solutions to businesses across the Middle East region.

The new sales office in Dubai has since begun operations and seeks to form new partnerships with enterprises in the region. The team will work to curate blockchain solutions to fulfill the needs of prospective clients for them to operate more efficiently and securely.

ChainUp Group has a foothold across multiple locations around the world including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and the United States.

The company  offers a suite of blockchain solutions covering infrastructure development and ecosystem support including digital asset trading systems, NFT trading systems, wallet solutions, liquidity solutions, Web3 infrastructure, digital assets custody, and more.

Ms. Tan Bin Ru, Deputy CEO & COO of ChainUp Group commented, “The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has one of the fastest growing cryptocurrency ecosystems in the world and is a key strategic region of our global expansion plan. We are excited as ChainUp has a complete suite of Digital Assets Exchange Solutions to support the needs of these business requirements.”

The company has served more than 1,000 clients in 30 countries, reaching over 60 million end-users.

1,650 Blockchain crypto entities in the UAE a 13.8 percent growth YOY

1,650 Blockchain crypto entities in the UAE a 13.8 percent growth YOY

According to a Crypto Oasis at the end of 2022 there were 1,650 blockchain and crypto entities in the UAE. Crypto Oasis notes that the ecosystem has been growing faster than previously anticipated.

As per the release, the Ecosystem has witnessed a sturdy 13.8% growth that proves that the Crypto Oasis is expected to continue its robust growth in the coming months as regulators in the region welcome innovation and disruption, making it easier for blockchain-related companies to secure licenses and operate.

At the forefront of this is Dubai Multi Commodities Centre(DMCC) which is home to over 500 of these native Blockchain organizations, representing the largest concentration of crypto and blockchain companies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Crypto Oasis has added 200+ new organizations in Q4 2022 that have brought in 1,300+ new professionals to the burgeoning Ecosystem, bringing the total number of individuals working in this industry to 8,300+. This 19% growth in employment numbers can be attributed to the UAE being a force to reckon with in the global Blockchain landscape. 78.2 percent (approx. 6,500) of these individuals work in native blockchain organizations, i.e. those which are focused on blockchain and related decentralized technologies. 21.8 (approx. 1,800) percent work for non-native companies, i.e. those that offer blockchain related services or products but do not have blockchain as their primary focus.

Ralf Glabischnig, Founder of Crypto Oasis, stated, “We’re thrilled to have identified these new organizations in our ecosystem that are contributing to a diverse community of stakeholders. The possibilities for Web3 technology are vast, from finance and supply chain management to gaming and social media. However, as it’s a relatively new and emerging technology, its full potential hasn’t been reached yet and the industry is facing challenges such as scalability, security, and user adoption. It’s an exciting and rapidly evolving field to watch and we’re eager to collaborate and learn from each other as we work to improve Web3 and decentralized technologies.”

“The UAE is the perfect amalgamation of Talent and Capital built on a world class Infrastructure,” said Saqr Ereiqat, Co-Founder of Crypto Oasis. “The Ministry of Economy (MoE) has become one of the first Government entities in the world to be active in the metaverse. In 2022 the MoE published its Digital Economy Strategy which aims to double the contribution of digital economy from 9.7% to 19.4% in the next decade. The inception of regulators like VARA and various industry events like the Abu Dhabi Finance Week and Dubai Fintech Week, as well as the launch of the Dubai Economic Agenda “D33″, demonstrate UAE’s commitment in taking an active step to becoming the center of digital economy globally.”

KSA Minister of Finance: CBDCs are a fantastic tool for developing countries

KSA Minister of Finance: CBDCs are a fantastic tool for developing countries

During the World Economic Forum’s session’ Financial Institutions innovating under pressure’ The Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan stated that while CBDCs have privacy issues they are a fantastic tool in developing countries.

While the panel discussed the risks that crypto and new technologies were posing especially given that crypto losses were over $1 trillion in 2022, most agreed that the regulation was a key element in mitigating these risks.

Saudi Finance Minister Al Jadaan also believes that the real risks of these innovations haven’t even been seen yet, and the one incident with the loss of 12 zeros has triggered a lot of thinking of what needs to be done.

He believes that Central Banks, traditional financial institutions and even innovators in Fintech need to discuss how to deal with Anti Money laundering issues, terrorism financing and entities that use these technologies to circumvent the regulatory framework.

When discussing CBDC (Central Bank Digital Currencies) Al Jadaan noted “Whether CBDCs and similar government sponsored currencies one will need to think about privacy.” He believes that the minute a government issues a CBDC or government sponsored cryptocurrency there is a compromise on privacy.

He states, “There is a lot of data to whoever is holding that currency.”

Yet he believes that CBDC is a fantastic tool in developing countries. He explains, “It can be used as a social safety net. CBDC can be used by people to exclusively buy milk, rice, oil but may not be allowed for other items.” He notes that while on one hand it is beneficial the other side of it is the risk of privacy invasion. ‘Bottom line no perfect solution.

Saudi Arabia piloted a CBDC with the UAE under the name ABER. The report on the final project was positive from a technical standpoint and the report highlighted the need for further use case trials.

In addition in July 2022, the Central Bank of KSA hired former Accenture Director Mr. Mohsen Alzahrani to lead the virtual asset and Central Bank Digital currency project at the bank.

It seems KSA is still studying the impact of CBDC implementation and is worried about the issue of privacy infringement.

Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund at DAVOS reasserts investment interest in Blockchain technology

Qatar Sovereign Wealth Fund at DAVOS reasserts investment interest in Blockchain technology

During a Bloomberg TV interview at WEF Davos event, Mansoor Al Mahmoud, CEO, of Qatar Investment Authority, reaffirmed the fund’s interest in investing in Blockchain technology, more precisely any application using Blockchain.

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund will use the current economic turmoil as an opportunity to rebalance its $450 billion portfolio. The Qatar Investment Authority is looking for opportunities in Europe, Asia and the US in sectors such as venture capital, fintech and sports except for crypto.

As Al Mahmoud stated, “We are still not interested in crypto, yet we are interested in investing in Blockchain technology. Any application using Blockchain would be of our interest. This is a technology that came to remain.

The QIA in October agreed to invest $2.5 billion in RWE AG to back the German utility’s purchase of US renewable assets. It was also a cornerstone investor in sports car brand Porsche AG’s IPO and has invested in a string of tech start-ups.

Qatar also launched its Blockchain blueprint in 2022 and Qatar University invested in Maxya Blockchain a project developed by 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.

Egyptian Blockchain Pravica messaging startup receives investment from Cardano’s Blockchain accelerator

Egyptian Blockchain Pravica messaging startup receives investment from Cardano’s Blockchain accelerator

Egyptian founded and UAE based Pravica, a blockchain company offering decentralized private messaging and community group solutions, has secured a funding investment from Adaverse Cardano Ecosystem Accelerator and venture capitalist. Adaverse aggregates entrepreneurs, strategists and mentors building its most robust foundation in Africa and Asia.

The investment will be used to support the company’s growth and development, including its efforts to expand its chain-agnostic web3 messaging platform that enables users from different blockchains to communicate in a truly end-to-end encrypted (E2EE), open source and decentralized environment.

“Pravica empowers users to take control of their own encryption keys and protect their privacy on the new user-owned Internet” said Mohamed Abdou, CEO of Pravica. “This investment from Adaverse will help us bring our unique approach to secure communication to a wider audience.”

In September 2022, Pravica launched the first DcFi ( Decentralized Communications and Finance platform) under the name Pravica Club. 

Adaverse, a leading investor in blockchain technology, sees the potential for Pravica’s chain-agnostic platform in the market. 

Adaverse is a collaborative initiative between EMURGO and Everest Ventures Group to support blockchain founders with funds, mentorship, and tech infrastructure to scale Web3 Solutions. 

Shogo Ishida, Co-CEO for the Middle East & Africa at EMURGO Africa, commented “Adaverse and EMURGO are excited to support Pravica’s vision of a decentralized, secure communications system built on the blockchain. Both in Africa and across the world, recent market events have highlighted the importance of security and confidentiality in the Web3 space. Pravica provides one of the first tangible solutions to this issue, and Adaverse is glad to be joining their journey with strategic mentorship and tools for growth on the Cardano blockchain.”

The funding from Adaverse will enable Pravica to continue to develop and expand its chain-agnostic messaging platform, enabling secure communication for users across different blockchains.

Prior to the investment from both EMURGO Africa and Adaverse Pravica had received investment from 500 Startups fund. 

In addition Pravica had made some impressive new hiring announcements. Bedie Moran has joined as the Chief Operating Officer of Pravica. Bedie brings a wealth of experience in Fintech working as a management consultant for KPMG Consulting and as head of the strategy team for E-trade Financial. More recently Bedie has focused his attention on supporting digital startups in Africa and the Middle East.

Pravica also announced the appointment of Alejandro Criado-Pérez as their new Chief Technology Officer. Alejandro Criado-Pérez brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the field of blockchain, having previously worked as Tech lead at Stacks Foundation.

One of the key projects that Alejandro will be working on is Pravica Club. 

The UAE enacts new commercial law allowing virtual asset businesses to set up onshore

The UAE enacts new commercial law allowing virtual asset businesses to set up onshore

The UAE Cabinet recently updated some of its legislation which  included those pertaining to virtual businesses and virtual assets. The UAE is considering the provision of services and the conduct of business and activities related to virtual assets and virtual businesses based on its new commercial law.  As such businesses dealing either virtually or with virtual assets are considered commercial businesses within the UAE as on shore businesses. This comes after the UAE Cabinet of Ministers issued its decision on virtual assets regulation in December 2022 and which will come into effect in January.

As per UAE’s Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy, Abdullah Al Saleh, developing the business sector is a strategic goal for the state, and providing a legislative environment that stimulates its growth is a top priority.

His comments were made during a media briefing, organized by the Ministry of Economy, to introduce Federal Decree Law No. 50 of 2022 regarding commercial transactions in the country, with the participation of Ibrahim Al Zaabi, Assistant Governor of the Central Bank for Monetary Policy and Financial Stability, and Dr. Maryam Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Securities and Commodities Authority.

As such the UAE Ministry of Economy has issued a new commercial transactions where the most prominent features include reduction of the age of legal capacity to practice business to 18 years, establishment of a legal  reference for commercial transactions for banking institutions to stimulate investment,  support to Islamic banking, amends the provisions related to establishment, regulation of financial markets, and finally support to businesses in tech sector especially digital field.

Al Saleh stated, “ The new law aims to support the commercial interests of the state and comply more with international trade,  strengthen the position of the UAE on the global trade map, keep abreast of international best practices in commercial transactions, and ensure the principles of transparency and clarity in them, as well as raise the country’s classification on relevant economic competitiveness indicators, including the Global Competitiveness Report, and the Ease of Doing Business Report. In addition the new law aims at accelerating the transformation of digital applications further in the business sector in the country, and strengthening the position of the UAE as a center for business activities in the areas of technology, innovation and sectors of the new economy, and reviewed the most prominent provisions and outputs of the new law, which confirms State’s proactive approach.”

The UAE will be creating a virtual business system, the commercial store and commercial transactions, through the means of modern technology, and those that take place in virtual environments, in addition to those provided in realistic standard ways, as well as considering the provision of services and the conduct of business and activities related to virtual assets as virtual businesses in accordance to UAE’s Council of Ministers Legislation regulating virtual assets and their service providers.

This includes

• Giving authenticity to the virtual business so that the same provisions applied to it with respect to similar ones presented realistically.

• Giving legitimacy and authenticity to real and virtual commercial books.

• Selling by public auction of movables instead of used movables and making bids available through a licensed electronic platform or hall or through various modern technology means.

 Dr. Mariam Al-Suwaidi, CEO of the Securities and Commodities Authority, added, “The most noteworthy provisions presented by the new law deal with the securities sector in addition to the fact that the Authority is to consider the business of virtual assets as a commercial business, and this provision gives a privilege to the virtual assets sector. With the issuance of the new law it has been confirmed that businesses related to virtual assets are considered commercial businesses. Therefore, the provisions of this law and other related laws will apply to those who will deal in the activities of this sector, and benefit from the privileges included in the new law, such as the provisions regulating the trader and allowing new age groups to practice business, noting that the Cabinet of Ministers already issued its regulating decision last December for virtual assets, and will enter into force mid-January.” ( Note no public information is available on the Cabinet of Ministers decision for virtual assets.)

The announcement comes in parallel with the recent announcement by the Abu Dhabi based crypto and Blockchain associate to set up a Regulators Committee to help drive change and learn lessons in the wake of last year’s FTX exchange collapse. Jehanzeb Awan of the Middle East, Africa and Asia CBA (MEAACBA) states, “It is pivotal for the industry to help the investing public understand the opportunity and corresponding risks that come with investing in cryptocurrencies. The importance of holistic regulation to minimize regulatory arbitrage is key to reducing the impact of the recent events as well as bringing confidence back to the industry.”

The MEAACBS said its board is setting up a Regulators Committee which aims to bring together the key regulators in the regions covered by the association, to work together in building regulatory regimes that allow for effective oversight of the crypto industry.

62 percent of Oman crypto owners plan to increase crypto holding in 2023

62 percent of Oman crypto owners plan to increase crypto holding in 2023

About 65,000 Oman residents own cryptocurrencies, equivalent to 1.9 percent of the population. In a recent survey carried out by Oman based Souq Analyst, the largest investment community in Oman, it was found that 90% of crypto owners’ are between the ages of 18 and 44. Only 8% are over the age of 45.

The survey results also noted that the majority owners are highly educated, with 66% of them holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Souq Analyst offers stock market news and analysis, investing ideas, earnings calls, charts and portfolio analysis to its community members. In addition the community offers country specific insights on finance, cryptocurrencies, crowd funding & investing as well as access community events, workshop and webinars.

According to the survey an impressive 97.9% of Omani adults have heard about cryptocurrency, indicating an increasing level of awareness. 55% of respondents report owning cryptocurrency and Bitcoin is the most popular followed by Ethereum, Ripple, Tether and other alternative coins.

Mohammed Al-Tamami Co-founder & Chief Commercial officer of Mamun and Founder of Souq Analyst, told LaraontheBlock, “Firstly and foremost data like this is generally useful to everyone. It also offers insights into some unique trends that you didn’t consider say adoption of a certain token or cryptocurrency take XRP ownership in Oman is noticeable according to results in our survey mentioned in the report.”

Over 12% of respondents reported owning more than 10,000 OMR worth of crypto assets equivalent to $26,000. In addition, 62 percent of the respondents plan to increase their cryptocurrency holding in 2023. 

According to the survey, 62% of cryptocurrency owners invest long-term, while 25% use digital assets for learning and education, and 23% trade daily.

Al Tamami founded Souq analyst to be a provider of quality reports on the industry because it’s useful for their own activities in the space including their fund.

The survey is interesting in that it shows that cryptocurrency holders are still bullish on crypto in Oman.

UAE DMCC’s crypto center home to over 500 Blockchain crypto entities an increase of 231 percent

UAE DMCC’s crypto center home to over 500 Blockchain crypto entities an increase of 231 percent

UAE Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) announced that it had added 3,049 new businesses in DMCC in 2022, and the crypto center is now home to 500 crypto and blockchain entities an increase of 231 percent compared to 2021 when there were 151 crypto blockchain entities by end of year. The growth increase is 23% year-on-year, breaking previous record set in 2021 when DMCC registered 2,485 new members.

As per the press release, the record growth was driven by growing demand from blockchain and Web3 businesses for space at DMCC crypto center representing the largest concentration of crypto and blockchain companies in the region. 

In 2021, UAE DMCC Free Zone and Government of Dubai had added 151 crypto and Blockchain entities out of the 2,485 companies who registered in 2021. With 500 entities now in DMCC crypto center, this is an increase of 231 percent YOY making DMCC have the biggest concentration of blockchain and crypto entities in the region.

DMCC attributed the growth to the expansion of its commodities centers and the launch of the DMCC Crypto Centre. In September 2021 DMCC had licensed 50 Crypto blockchain entities just a few months after the launch of its crypto Centre. By the end of November early December, Ahmed Bin Sulayem had mentioned that DMCC had licensed 130 companies, by the end of 2021 it had reached 151 companies.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, stated, “Backed by a strong regional macroeconomic landscape, DMCC has been efficiently accelerating its growth strategy throughout 2022, focusing on supporting its member companies in high-impact sectors such as web3 and blockchain technologies, commodities and global trade. The unprecedented performance this year reflects this growth acceleration and highlights the significant value that DMCC adds to each of its members.”

DMCC Crypto Centre partnered with global VC firm Brinc to provide its members with access to their USD 150 million accelerator fund. Brinc is a portfolio company of Animoca Brands, a global leader in web3 and blockchain investment. This major partnership supports the long-term and rapid growth of the companies that develop web3 and blockchain technologies and associated value-added services at the DMCC Crypto Centre.

Reflecting DMCC’s drive to add value at the intersection of technology and commodities, DMCC partnered with SafeGold and Comtech Gold to tokenize gold bars based in UAE facilities. Each gold bar will be backed by a DMCC Tradeflow warrant, meaning that the increased ease of trading a tokenized asset is combined with the additional security, transparency and real-asset allocation provided by the Tradeflow warrant.