The Egyptian Food Bank uses blockchain tech for food traceability

The Egyptian Food Bank uses blockchain tech for food traceability

The Egyptian Food Bank, and Mahaseel Technologies, a leader in agri-tech innovation, have partnered to launched a blockchain enabled digital traceability platform, to revolutionize food security and supply chain transparency in Egypt.

The new traceability solution enables the Egyptian Food Bank (EFB) to monitor its food sources comprehensively, whether fresh produce from farms or goods from manufacturers and suppliers. Each food carton distributed by EFB will now be identified with a unique QR code that traces every product in the box back to its original source. This system ensures unprecedented transparency, accountability, and quality control in EFB’s operations, safeguarding the organization’s mission of feeding those in need with integrity and efficiency.

The blockchain-enabled platform provides a secure, immutable digital record of the journey each product takes from its source to the hands of beneficiaries. By scanning the QR code, EFB and its stakeholders can access real-time information on the origin, production, and distribution of food items. This enhanced visibility supports operational excellence while reinforcing donor confidence in the organization’s processes.

“Partnering with the Egyptian Food Bank for this traceability platform strategically aligns with our mission to leverage technology to create meaningful, scalable impact in the agricultural and food sectors,” said Eng. Mohamed Abdel Rahman, CEO of Mahaseel. “By integrating blockchain technology, we aim to set new benchmarks in transparency and traceability for the food sector worldwide. Our product line – Trace by Mahaseel – is designed to empower governmental and non-governmental entities to harness the benefits of digital transformation in food security, providing them with the tools to make informed decisions backed by real-time data and unparalleled transparency throughout the supply chain.”

The new platform ensures that food donations are optimally managed, with end-to-end traceability helping to prevent waste, ensure quality, and improve resource allocation.

Mr. Mohsen Sarhan, CEO of the Egyptian Food Bank, stated “We are pleased to collaborate with Mahaseel, a leader in the field of digital transformation in the agricultural sector, to improve the efficiency of our food supply chain by implementing advanced digital technologies in a tracking platform powered by Block-Chain technology. These innovative solution will assist in correctly tracking every food product from the next stage of agriculture and delivering items to beneficiaries across the country, guaranteeing effective and tight control over operations inside the Egyptian Food Bank Foundation.”

The traceability system’s efficiency and scalability, with plans for full implementation across all Egyptian Food Bank operations upon completion.

Stablecoin studio on sui blockchain launched by Pravica

Stablecoin studio on sui blockchain launched by Pravica

Pravica, Egyptian based blockchain solutions provider has launched S3 (Stablecoin Studio on Sui) on the Sui Blockchain. The S3 platform will allow the seamless launch of native stablecoins without the complexity of smart contract development and currency management.

S3. MONEY (S3) is set to revolutionize the global payment processing landscape by introducing a versatile and user-friendly solution for building and utilizing stablecoins on the Sui blockchain.

As per the announcement, S3 offers a key utility designed for building customizable stablecoins directly on the Sui blockchain, which in its initial phase, enables issuers to create fiat-backed stablecoins without building the bespoke technological infrastructure typically required for smart contract development and currency management.

S3 not only simplifies the process for existing stablecoin issuers, such as USDC and USDT, to integrate with Sui, but also facilitates the creation of bespoke stablecoin solutions tailored to meet specific regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions.

S3 also establishes an entirely new process for stablecoin management, offering a streamlined one-stop-shop experience through a straightforward interface. Stablecoin Studio on Sui provides intuitive, capable administration with role-based controls, enabling effortless configuration and management of stablecoins.

The platform enhances treasury command with built-in proof-of-reserve functionality and seamless integration with on-chain oracles. Integrated KYC/AML features prioritize compliance, strengthening due diligence with qualified identity verification services.

Mohamed Abdou, Founder & CEO of Pravica, expressed his enthusiasm for S3 and Sui as a foundation for Pravica’s stablecoin creator. “Based on the adoption we are already seeing and our deep experience with international payment systems, we are convinced that stablecoins will revolutionize the global payments industry. We also believe that Sui offers the most capable platform for building robust and scalable decentralized utilities. Built on top of Sui, S3 poised to become a global utility for creating customized payment solutions utilized by millions,” he said.

Beyond empowering builders to craft their own stablecoins, S3 also comes with a cutting-edge payment’s app, Walletify, which serves as a closed-loop payment solution. Walletify allows users to seamlessly transact using the stablecoins created through the S3 utility. Walletify’s closed-loop architecture, building on Sui’s unique Move-based design pattern, ensures a secure and efficient payment experience for both merchants and users.

“The team at Pravica has done incredible work and built much needed financial tooling. Stablecoin Studio on Sui removes an immense hurdle for stablecoin issuers and is set to transform the world’s payment processing industry,” said Greg Siourounis, Managing Director of the Sui Foundation. “We are extremely gratified that they have chosen to build this revolutionary solution on Sui.”

28% of Egyptian businesses surveyed in DP World study want to use blockchain

28% of Egyptian businesses surveyed in DP World study want to use blockchain

New research backed by DP World, showed that Egyptian businesses plan to leverage technology to enhance supply chain efficiency and agility with 28 percent of them exploring the use of Blockchain. As per the research 28% of Egyptian executives surveyed want to leverage technology. In addition, 33 percent are exploring advanced automation, and 28% want to use Blockchain to improve traceability, security, and data protection.

As Egypt’s economy expands into new sectors and positions itself as a manufacturing hub in Africa, 28% of executives view market expansion as the key driver for export growth. Europe (37%) and North America (34%) are expected to significantly boost export revenue in 2024. Technological advancements (35%) are anticipated to increase output levels and import values.

Rizwan Soomar, CEO & Managing Director of DP World for North Africa & the Indian Subcontinent, commented, “Aware of current economic and geopolitical hurdles, we echo the optimism of the surveyed Egyptian executives. They aim to fortify their supply chains with technology and explore new growth markets. These findings align with DP World’s initiatives in Egypt, where technology implementation addresses business challenges and bolsters resilient supply chains. For instance, at the Port of Ain Sokhna, our technology has improved truck turnaround times by 35% and vessel productivity by 16%. We’ve also introduced multi-channel payment solutions and customer self-service applications for real-time data access, enhancing cargo control and visibility. Together with our development of end-to-end logistics solutions in Egypt, underpinned by DP World’s CARGOES suite of technology platforms, we aim to build resilient supply chain solutions that enable businesses to navigate the challenges of trade seamlessly and efficiently.”

DP World itself has been strongly utilizing technology. For example DP World, Fintech owned platform, DP World Trade Finance partnered with Blockchain enabled UAE Trade Connect to transform trade finance and combat fraud across the UAE.

Egypt to recycle waste using blockchain application

Egypt to recycle waste using blockchain application

Egyptian based GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GIZ which works in Egypt on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). to support the Egyptian Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS) has partnered with SIG, a leading packaging solutions provider and Egyptian based Plastic Bank on a blockchain enabled project for recycling waste.

Egypt generates more than 95 million tons of waste annually and currently only 60% of this waste is collected, with less than 20% of that being properly disposed of or recycled.

The partnership between SIG, GIZ Egypt, and the social enterprise Egyptian Plastic Bank aims to address this pressing issue and achieve positive change.

In a three-year initiative, the partners are on a mission to collect 700 metric tons of beverage cartons, while also aiming to improve the livelihood for around 1,000 local waste collection members via blockchain.

The PlasticBank app, backed by the social enterprise’s proprietary blockchain-secured platform, provides traceability and transparency in waste collection, empowering waste collectors to convert every piece of discarded material into a source of revenue.

Waste collection members will be able to log each collected product via the app to earn incentives deposited directly into their digital wallets and gain access to social benefits, including health, work and life insurance, digital connectivity, grocery vouchers, school supplies, and more. Furthermore, the waste collection members will undergo training and receive personal safety equipment for their well-being at work.

By streamlining and tracking the collection and recycling of waste, including used beverage cartons, this project also takes a broader role for laying the groundwork for an extended producer responsibility (EPR) model in Egypt. It aligns closely with the Egypt Waste Management Regulatory Authority to weave recycling into the legislative framework and underscores the important role of packaging manufacturers in environmental stewardship.

Abdelghany Eladib, President & General Manager India, Middle East and Africa at SIG stated, “Our new partnership goes one step further in accelerating our progress towards a circular economy. Extending social waste collection and recycling programs like this one in Egypt will help to achieve our goals and is a blueprint for future programs. By establishing a recycling system for beverage cartons in the Greater Cairo area and beyond, SIG is focused on reducing the environmental impact und creating a market for recycled paper.”

This project is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) funding program “develoPPP” and its special initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition”.

The AI strategy of Egypt includes blockchain and Big data

The AI strategy of Egypt includes blockchain and Big data

According to Egypt’s communications and Information technology Minister Amr Talaat, Egypt has started with phase two of its AI strategy which will focus on increasing the scope of AI investments and conducting public awareness campaigns while pursuing integration with Big Data and blockchain technology.

Talaat confirmed that the second phase will commence in Q2 of 2024 and will cover several key economic sectors. He explained that Egypt’s AI plans will see the government introduce initiatives across governance, human resources, technology, information infrastructure, data, and environment. A significant portion of the second stage of the national strategy builds upon the accomplishments of the first round of AI initiatives introduced by the government.

He added that the second phase will roll until the middle of 2027 and will consolidate the impressive gains made by Egypt over the last two years.

The NAIS is part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Digital Egypt initiative announced in 2017. The strategy comprises three phases until 2030. The published document only focuses on phase one, with hints about the following two. That phase “deepens the use of AI technologies to transform the economy, going beyond just adopting technology.” The ultimate goal is that companies and the government would have to “fundamentally [rethink] business models, and [make] big changes to reap productivity gains and create new areas of growth.”

Its primary focus is to introduce AI solutions in government services, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, finance and economic predictions, and natural language processing (NLP). Another emphasis is training schoolchildren, postgraduate students, and professionals in the latest AI technologies, regulations, ethics, and use cases. The strategy also aims to cooperate with international partners to ensure technology transfer.

Set for completion in May 2024, phase one explored the deployment of AI in a valiant attempt to achieve Egypt’s sustainable development goals (SDGs). A series of government-backed initiatives were introduced to explore a myriad of AI use cases and deepen the existing talent pool for local and global AI developers seeking to set up operations in Egypt.

Data from Tortoise Media shows Egypt has gone up seven places in the Global AI Index in under 12 months, buoyed by increasing adoption of the technology.

More than 50% of GCC and MENA employee cryptocurrency withdrawal from salaries in Ethereum

More than 50% of GCC and MENA employee cryptocurrency withdrawal from salaries in Ethereum

In a recent survey carried out by Deel, a global HR platform within the GCC and MENA region, the findings found that 51% of employees being paid in crypto prefer Ethereum

Employee cryptocurrency withdrawals within the GCC highlighted a growing level of adoption among individuals, who are now using cryptocurrencies as a viable medium for receiving employer payments. Conducting an extensive survey, Deel engaged with over 1600 employees and over 700 organizations in the UAE to gather valuable insights.

Of the 700 organizations surveyed in the UAE, 87% of employees were using crypto for salary payments. Of the 1600 employees surveyed only 8% were being paid in crypto in KSA while in Qatar it was 4.8%.

Exploring the Deel data beyond the UAE, Egypt places itself in the spotlight by a substantial margin, witnessing over 25,000 employee withdrawals using crypto in the last 12 months. Tracking Egypt’s trajectory, the roster of pioneering nations also includes Morocco, and Lebanon, each carving its path towards cryptocurrency adoption.

Notably, Ethereum (ETH) claims the top spot as the preferred cryptocurrency for withdrawals, commanding 51.2%. The US Dollar backed stablecoin USDC follows suit at 24.5%, while Bitcoin (BTC) controls 20.2% of the landscape. Solana (SOL) and Dash wrap up the top five most used cryptocurrencies with 2.5% and 1.6%, respectively, contributing to the crypto withdrawals landscape.

Tarek Salam, Head of Expansion from Deel, stated, “The Deel research provides an interesting window on the latest trends within the employment sector. It is truly great to witness the rapid surge in cryptocurrency adoption within the UAE and the wider region. The regulators have played a commendable role in encouraging greater participation in the cryptocurrency ecosystem and it’s a trend that we will be watching with interest as adoption continues to grow.”

Deel is a leading global compliance and payroll solution that helps businesses hire anyone, anywhere. Deel’s technology offers unmatched payroll, HR, compliance, perks, benefits, and other capabilities needed to hire and manage a global team.

Abu Dhabi Customs launches Blockchain Trade Chain and signs agreement with CargoX

Abu Dhabi Customs launches Blockchain Trade Chain and signs agreement with CargoX

As promised the Abu Dhabi Customs, during Gitex 2023 launched its expanded version of Invisible Customs System blockchain enabled Trade Chain as well as a cooperation agreement with Blockchain entity CargoX a blockchain platform in the logistics industry.  This advanced platform integrates with global blockchain platforms specialized in trade, providing benefits like improving customs operations performance, enhancing the reliability of information sources, and processing information proactively and quickly through a safe and secure platform.

The platform enhances the capability to monitor shipments, as well as the shipping and clearance procedures. It can also predict delivery times, contributing to reduced effort and costs associated with customs clearance. Furthermore, it facilitates seamless communication with trade partners and enhances supply chain security.

The platform also enhances the speed of data exchange with connected entities and guarantees the confidentiality of data shared with customs authorities and other entities using the platform. This results in a reduction of up to 80 percent in the time and effort required for goods clearance.

Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General of Abu Dhabi Customs, said that the launch of the advanced customs platform “Trade Chain” comes within the framework of Abu Dhabi Customs’ ongoing efforts to facilitate trade, bolster security and safeguard society, by adopting advanced technologies to enhance its customs system and consolidate its pioneering position, in line with the directives of the wise leadership, and the economic visions for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, through continuous foresight for the future and keeping pace with innovation in trade facilitation and the opportunities that the Fourth Industrial Revolution technology brings to increase efficiency and effectiveness and save time, effort and cost within all customs transactions, especially through establishing coordinated, effective, integrated and digital border management systems, ensuring invisible customs and governed borders that are both open and secure.

Abu Dhabi Customs, represented by Fahad Ghareeb Al Shamsi, Executive Director of Support Services Sector, also signed an agreement with CargoX on the sidelines of the Trade Chain platform launch at GITEX, represented by Vjeran Ortynski, VP of Business Development.” regarding data transfer via the blockchain platform.

The cooperation agreement aims to establish a framework for implementing blockchain projects and enhancing relations between the two parties to provide better services to Abu Dhabi Customs clients and clear shipments before arrival, as well as exchange expertise and information and meet business requirements and optimal use of the capabilities and expertise of both parties in areas of mutual interest.

Areas of cooperation include benefiting from the use of the Advance Cargo Information System, providing a blockchain data transfer solution to be presented to importers and exporters of goods through maritime ports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to facilitate the flow of maritime imports and exports.

According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum, the global market value of blockchain technology in the customs field is expected to grow to $20 billion by 2025, saving up to $200 billion annually in global customs costs.

This is not the first agreement for CargoX in the region. In 2021, The Egyptian government through its Egyptian Customs Authorities, made mandatory Advance Cargo Information (ACI) declarations under its new Egyptian Customs law #207 for all cargo inbound to Egypt. The process is currently managed through the Blockchain enabled National Single Window for Foreign Trade platform (NAFEZA), built by Misr Technology Systems (MTS), where Blockchain enabled platform CargoX was authorized as the blockchain e-documents transfer gateway services provider.

The CargoX Blockchain platform helped the Egyptian government shorten cargo release times from 29 days to under 9 days, reduce import compliance cost from more than 600 USD to under 165 USD, and improve efficiency in cargo import risk assessment, tax revenue collection, and overall cargo flow transparency.

In August 2023, Uganda’s Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Technology Associates & CargoX consortium (TA-CargoX). The MoU aims to establish TradeXchange, a national trade facilitation platform. PACEID’s objective with this strategic technology partnership is to support exporters, resolve trade bottlenecks, easily comply with global trade standards and buttress Uganda’s ambitious goal of doubling its exports by 2026.

The CargoX Platform for Blockchain Document Transfer (BDT) is used by more than 115,000 companies worldwide, and has processed more than 5,3+ million electronic trade documents to date, without noticeable downtimes or operation failures.

AI and Blockchain Egyptian founded Tribal Credit to enter into KSA

AI and Blockchain Egyptian founded Tribal Credit to enter into KSA

AI and Blockchain enabled Tribal Credit, based in USA and founded by Egyptian entrepeneurs, which empowers SMEs in emerging markets through a comprehensive suite of financial products,payment tools will be expanding into Saudi Arabia, using a renewed and increased debt facility of $150 million with Partners for Growth.

Renewed through 2025, this upsized facility is not only a testament to Tribal’s remarkable credit performance but also an accelerator for the company’s ambitious growth plans in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and beyond.

As per the press release, this significant expansion will notably enhance Tribal’s presence in Saudi Arabia in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, serving as the core of its global expansion strategy. Further, it will fuel the company’s continued growth across Mexico and Latin America, enabling Tribal to bring more SMEs into the fold of its innovative financial services.

With over $200 million in funding from industry-leading investors like SoftBank, QED Investors, BECO Capital, Stellar Development Foundation, and Coinbase Ventures, Tribal is making strides in bridging the financial inclusion gap. Led by a team of accomplished entrepreneurs, data scientists, and banking executives, and recognized as a top fintech by leading industry bodies.

Over the past few years, Tribal’s diligent investment in credit processes, tools, products, and team has culminated in exceptional credit performance, even amid challenging market conditions. This achievement has facilitated a healthy revenue mix from both financing and payment products, reinforcing the company’s robust financial health and laying the foundation for sustainable growth.

Partners for Growth (PFG), a global specialty lending firm focused on emerging growth companies, highlights Tribal’s exceptional credit performance and sophisticated financial products. “Tribal Credit has consistently demonstrated strong credit performance even in challenging market conditions.

Their continued investment in the credit process, tools, and the team has paid dividends,” says Armineh Baghoomian, Managing Director, Head of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Co-Head of Global Fintech at PFG. “In addition, they have innovated and launched financial products that truly meet the needs of SMEs in emerging markets. We’re thrilled to extend our partnership with Tribal and excited to support Amr, Duane and the team as they continue shaping the landscape of financial services.”

Tribal has reshaped the financial landscape for SMEs in emerging markets by prioritising accessibility to credit and digital payments. In doing so, it has empowered a remarkable number of SMEs to fuel their growth, making a lasting impact in these markets. Throughout its journey, Tribal has facilitated a substantial volume of transactions via its corporate credit cards and B2B cross-border products, demonstrating its crucial role in empowering emerging markets.

“We’re delighted to fortify our partnership with Partners for Growth,” says Duane Good, Tribal COO and Co-Founder. “We emphasize building enduring relationships with our clients, and nurturing our ties with capital partners is equally essential.” Good, alongside Amr Shady, Tribal CEO and Founder, sees the enhanced debt facility as a testament to Tribal’s mission and potential. “This funding will equip us with the necessary resources to seize exciting market opportunities ahead,” Shady adds. “We’re eager to continue our journey of developing innovative tech solutions to help SMEs thrive in emerging markets, especially in Mexico and Saudi Arabia.”

In 2021, Tribal Capital received an initial $3 million from Stellar Development Foundation to advance blockchain products built on stellar. Tribal Credit first raised 5.5 million USD through an investment round led by UAE  BECO Capital and Global Ventures.

At the time Amr Shady, Tribal Credit CEO stated, “Our entire mission is about empowering startups and SMEs in emerging markets with access to financial services. Our focus starts in Mexico, a country that will benefit from global accessibility to banking services previously only available to large corporations. By tapping into Stellar’s existing and growing network of anchors, we will be able to leverage existing digital assets to bring our customers with fast, affordable cross-border payments, credit card balance settlement, and other innovative features of the Stellar blockchain that will benefit our global users.”

In addition Mohamed Elkasstawi, Tribal Credit Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer who leads the blockchain vision, strategy, and execution also noted “We see blockchain, and our integration with Stellar specifically, as a strategic next step for our business, offering us the ability to provide cheaper, faster payments for our customers,” said. “Working with the Stellar ecosystem, we’ll be able to leverage the network to deliver on some of our most important use cases — like facilitating  cross-border payments between businesses in previously underserved markets. This is only one of many exciting blockchain projects we’re working on in partnership with SDF.”

Chainalysis report finds that Arab African country Morocco still in top 20 global list for crypto adoption

Chainalysis report finds that Arab African country Morocco still in top 20 global list for crypto adoption

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 takes lead and is listed as one of the top 20 countries placing an Arab country on the map, while Turkey places the MENA region. The 2023 report states that global adoption is down, but not in one crucial subset of the world.

More specifically, there’s one crucial segment of countries where grassroots adoption has seen a much stronger recovery than anywhere else: Lower middle income (LMI) countries.

The full report will be out in October, but compared to 2022, the countries on the top 20 list are still almost the same.  In 2022 Turkey, Egypt and Morocco led not only in MENA  region but globally. All three countries were in the top thirty list of countries with most crypto savings, usage of crypto for remittance payments and permissive crypto regulations.

As for Sub Saharan Africa, the adoption of Bitcoin is the highest in the world with 9% growth rate. Nigeria was one of only six countries in the world whose transaction volume grew year-over-year. The use of homegrown Sub-Saharan Africa-based exchanges continues to outpace global exchanges.

BingX to offer Fiat to crypto Peer to Peer trading services in MENA and Turkey

BingX to offer Fiat to crypto Peer to Peer trading services in MENA and Turkey

BingX, a cryptocurrency exchange, has introduced  Peer-to-Peer (P2P) trading services for multiple countries in the MENA region including UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Kuwat, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. This means that trading includes fiat currencies such as  AED, DZD, EGP, JOD, KWD, QAR, SAR, MAD, TRY, and more. By opening up this feature, BingX aims to foster greater accessibility and convenience for users seeking to purchase cryptocurrencies with their local fiat currencies.

According to BingX press release, this strategic move empowers merchants and users in the MENA region and Turkey to engage in direct cryptocurrency transactions with zero transaction fees. Building on its successful P2P trading services available in over 40 countries and regions with support for 300+ payment methods, BingX now extends its user-friendly and cost-effective trading experience to the MENA and Turkey market.

BingX is seeking merchants in the Middle East and Turkey.

“We are delighted to introduce our P2P trading services with more accessibility for all users,” said Elvisco Carrington, PR and Communications Director of BingX. “As we continue to enhance our platform’s offerings, we are committed to providing our users with professional, secure, and cost-effective trading solutions. By expanding into the MENA and Turkey market and offering zero-fee P2P trading, we aim to create a dynamic trading environment that caters to the unique needs of local users and merchants.”