Ruya, UAE’s first digital Islamic Bank offers crypto trading services

Ruya, UAE’s first digital Islamic Bank offers crypto trading services

UAE based ruya (رويا), the country’s first digital-first Islamic bank has partnered with UAE Fuze a digital asset infrastructure provider to offer its customers crypto services including crypto buying and selling. Users will be able to purchase cryptos such as Bitcoin on Ruya’s mobile application.

As per the announcement this service is part of ruya’s broader investment offering, designed to promote ethical Islamic wealth building and long-term financial growth. Both Fuze and Ruya note that the service is secure, user friendly and aligned with ethical Islamic financial principles.

“At ruya, we are committed to transforming the financial landscape in the UAE by offering forward-thinking services while staying true to our mission of ethical Islamic banking. By integrating virtual assets into our investment platform, we aim to empower our customers to participate in the digital economy in a sustainable and responsible way. We can also assure our customers that the virtual assets we are offering on our ruya investment platform are Shari’ah-compliant, providing much-needed certainty,” said Christoph Koster, CEO of ruya.

Mohammed Ali Yusuf (Mo Ali Yusuf), Co-Founder and CEO of Fuze, shared: “Partnering with ruya is a big step towards making virtual assets a seamless part of everyday banking. Together, we’re combining Fuze’s cutting-edge infrastructure with ruya’s commitment to ethical Islamic banking. We are excited to be at the forefront of providing simple, secure, and ethical digital asset solutions for the future.”

Unlike platforms that encourage speculative trading, ruya’s virtual assets service is part of a carefully curated investment framework, fostering long-term wealth building.

Christoph Koster added, “By partnering with Fuze, we’ve ensured that our customers will benefit from a robust and trusted platform to access the opportunities in the virtual asset space. This service reflects our promise to innovate while maintaining the highest standards of ethical Islamic banking.”

Ruya is not the first bank to offer crypto buy and sell services. A month ago Liv Digital Bank part of Emirates NBD also opened up crypto trading, buying and custody service for clients.

Kuwait Ministry of Interior to target illegal crypto mining

Kuwait Ministry of Interior to target illegal crypto mining

The Kuwait Ministry of Interior (MoI) has issued a statement saying that crypto mining in the country is illegal and unlicensed. Officials from Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy noted that there are over 1,000 crypto mining sites in the country.

In a press statement published on X, the General Department of Security Relations and Media, at the ministry clarified that cryptocurrency mining violates several key laws, including Law No. (56) of 1996 related to the Industry Law, Law No. (31) of 1970 amending certain provisions of the Penal Code No. (16) of 1960, Law No. (37) of 2014 establishing the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), and Law No. (33) of 2016 concerning the Kuwait Municipality.

The Ministry noted that crypto mining depletes electricity power and increases the load on the power networks which can result in power outages a threat to public safety.

This warning follows joint efforts between the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, the Communications and Information Technology Authority, the Public Authority for Industry, and Kuwait Municipality. These efforts are part of a coordinated national initiative to address these illegal practices and reduce their adverse effects on the country’s electrical infrastructure.

The Ministry of Interior urged violators to promptly rectify their activities, emphasizing that failure to comply will result in necessary legal actions. Violators will be referred to the appropriate investigative authorities for further action in accordance with applicable laws.

Kuwait also considers crypto trading as illegal.

However Kuwait as a country is considered as one of the cheapest countries to carry out crypto mining because of its subsidized electricity cost. estimates have previously dubbed Kuwait the most affordable location to mine bitcoin (BTC) worldwide. One roundup suggested the cost of mining in Kuwait was just $1,400 per BTC in 2022 compared to more than $18,000 in Texas (bitcoin was worth more than $40,000 at the time).

MantraChain OM Token is burning

MantraChain OM Token is burning

MANTRA Chain has announced through its CEO and Founder , John Patrick Mullin that they are currently burning 150 million allocation of team tokens. He had made this promise last week in an effort to rebuild trust and demonstrate an a focus on building trust, accessible and inclusive financial ecosystem through tokenization.

As per the announcement the Team and Core Contributor tokens were staked at mainnet genesis, in October 2024, to bootstrap network security. The process of unstaking 150 million tokens from the Team and Core Contributor bucket has now begun. It can be verified through the following transaction hash;

CE0E166DED4F267B22F16D011A7F511FFDDB4AADB31A2FE6A0E6E81690E339AA

DFB6C3DDFFDC09B9B2A16175401D8B7DB81C79C774203E17859694FA9D8C79C5

7D056D17F2A57A27E807FB9F12E739B24306FC7B8B651B27622A022EC18EFD5D

The unstaking period will be completed on 29 April 2025. Once this process is finalized, all tokens will be sent directly to the burn address: mantra1qqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqcg2my8.

These tokens will be permanently removed, reducing the total supply by the same amount, 150 million OM.

The announcements also added that MANTRA is in ongoing conversations with key ecosystem partners to implement an additional 150 million OM token burn, which will bring the total burn amount to 300 million OM.


After unbonding, MANTRA Chain will burn 150 million OM, reducing the total supply from 1.82 billion OM to 1.67 billion OM while decreasing staked tokens from 571.8 million OM to 421.8 million OM.

This strategic burn will lower the bonded ratio from 31.47% to 25.30%, resulting in an increase in staking APR. Once the burn transaction has been executed and confirmed on the blockchain, complete verification will be provided.

This comes a week after Mantra Chain, the Layer one tokenization platform, regulated in the UAE by Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, has shed almost $10 billion dollars in less than 24 hours on April 13th 2025. The OM token price dropped from around $6 dollars to 0.37 in a matter of hours.

At the time both investors, Shorooq and Laser Digital denied that they had sold their OM Tokens, while Mantra Chain CEO seems to be pointing hands towards the crypto exchanges, when he shared his preliminary report.

Fuze subsidiary Niobe licensed for digital asset payments in UAE

Fuze subsidiary Niobe licensed for digital asset payments in UAE

Fuze, a digital asset Blockchain enabled financial infrastructure providers, subsidiary Niobe Payment Services has been licensed to offer digital assets payments by the Central Bank of the UAE. The company now holds a Retail Payment Services and Card Schemes (RPSCS) license.

Fuze Group, through its subsidiary Niobe Payment Services LLC SPC, is now both a fully licensed operator for digital assets infrastructure and, through its payments infrastructure division, a regulated payment services provider for the region.

As per the press release, the new license will enable businesses to benefit from faster, more secure payment options, reduced transaction times and end-to-end compliance.

Mohammed Ali Yusuf (Mo Ali Yusuf), CEO and Co-Founder of Fuze said, “This license is the launchpad for the next generation of payments. It marks a key step in our mission to provide digital and AI-enabled infrastructure that will drive the future of finance and transform payments. We are privileged to be granted this license from the Central Bank and look forward to providing cutting-edge, compliant payment infrastructure and novel solutions – like virtual IBANs – for a range of businesses.”

Fuze’s technology will enhance digital payments, supporting the UAE Digital Economy Strategy, which aims to double the contribution of the digital economy to the UAE’s GDP to 19.4 per cent by 2032.

Through its strong regulatory foundation, Fuze is now launching a new payment platform that combines AI-driven technology, user-friendly design, and integrated compliance features, to simplify and support modern business needs.

With the license in place, Fuze will soon roll out a comprehensive, compliant suite of payment products with features that include digital payments and settlements through real-time infrastructure, AI-enhanced compliance and fraud detection engine, virtual IBANs to make it easier to collect payments and manage funds, and merchant tools to help UAE-based businesses to manage payments and grow

Mantra Blockchain shares preliminary report awaiting crypto exchanges collaboration

Mantra Blockchain shares preliminary report awaiting crypto exchanges collaboration

UAE regulated Mantra Blockchain platform for the tokenization of real world assets has published a preliminary report on the OM Token price fall.

As per the post On 13 April at approximately 18:28 UTC, the OM token experienced significant and unexpected downward price action, resulting in a 92% decline over a period of approximately one hour. This unusual market activity has raised questions within our community, and we acknowledge the concerns expressed by our token holders during this period of market volatility.

The post notes that the Mantra team have been conducting a thorough investigation to find our the key factors contributing to the rapid price movement and present verifiable data confirming the current OM Token circulating supply.

Mantra states, ” Our objective is to deliver a fact-based assessment that addresses community questions and outlines measures to strengthen market resilience. While our investigation remains ongoing, we are committed to sharing verified information in a timely and transparent manner. We appreciate the community’s patience as we compile a comprehensive understanding of this market event.”

No sales of OM token were made by the MANTRA team or advisors as those remain locked, however ERC-20 OM tokens are in public circulation and outside of Mantra’s control.

  1. Legacy ERC-20 OM Tokens (Fully Circulating)
    The original OM token (ERC-20) was launched in August 2020 with a fixed total supply of 888.88 million OM. As of 15 April, 2025, 99.995% of these tokens are in public circulation, held by more than 123,000 wallets, meaning they are fully liquid and tradable on the open market. Key allocations from the original OM ERC-20 tokens — including public/private sales, team/advisors, grants, reserves, referrals, and staking rewards—have all been fully distributed. This means market activity for these tokens is driven by holders and external trading dynamics. Further details on the ERC-20 OM buckets and balances can be found in Appendix A.
  2. MANTRA Chain Mainnet OM Tokens (Limited Circulation)
    In October 2024, the launch of MANTRA Chain introduced an additional 888.88 million OM coins minted natively on the new blockchain, alongside an onchain inflation mechanism. Currently, 77.5 million OM of these MANTRA Chain coins are in circulation. There are currently over 200,000 mainnet OM wallets. Further details on the Mainnet OM buckets and balances can be found in Appendix B.

  5. The total OM supply stands at 1.81 billion tokens, split evenly between legacy ERC-20 and new Mainnet OM. Of this:
  • 53% (969.61 million OM) is currently circulating. Nearly all circulating supply (92%) comes from the fully liquid ERC-20 tokens, with just 8% originating from Mainnet OM. As per Mantra the incident almost exclusively involved ERC-20 OM, as ERC-20 OM represents virtually the entire liquid market.

    MANTRA acknowledges that significant amounts of OM tokens were moved onto exchanges for use as collateral. Based on MANTRA’s review of independent observations (here and here) of the incident, it is evident that there were forced OM position closures during a period characterized by reduced market activity (around 02:00 am Monday HKT). These liquidations created excessive selling pressure on the OM token market.

    As per the analysis of Mantra, the forces liquidations according to Mantra initiated a sequential market reaction which pushed the price downward which triggered automated liquidation events across exchanges for leverage positions using OM as collateral. A divergence on OM Token spot price between OKX and Binance was noted in hours commending around 18:00 UTC. As such Mantra noted that significant OM Traders were liquidated by centralized exchanges, and that they are awaiting further information from crypto exchange partners for clarification.

    As for the future Mantra plans to release details of its OM Token support plan with OM Token buyback and supply burn program. The CEO and Founder John Patrick Mullin, has committed to burn his team allocation. Mantra calls on centralized exchanges to collaborate and provide clarity on trading activities while Mantra releases a dashboard with live balances of tokenomics buckets for additional market transparency.

    Mantra Chain CEO to give full story on OM Token loss

    Mantra Chain CEO to give full story on OM Token loss

    The CEO and Founder of UAE regulated Mantra Chain John Patrick Mullin announced on LinkedIn ( 23 hours ago) that the event regarding the $OM Token severe losses at the beginning of this week, were a result of a massive forced liquidation of a very large OM holder’s position on a crypto exchange.

    Since the incident the OM token has lost $5 billion in value, and stands at a market cap of $741 million.

    He noted however that regardless of your scale of loss, all investors and community members are in his and his teams thoughts. He as such along with the leadership team are exploring buy back programs and a supply burn to restore investor confidence.

    He added that within the next 24 hours, he will be making a public factual post mortem that will share all the details of what transpired in the early hours of Monday morning (APAC). He states, ” This analysis will be as accurate and factual as we can possibly make it. It will not contain opinions or spin. We believe the truth is on our side, and it is in everyone’s interest to make it known and shared as widely as possible. It’ll be shared on my account, along with our official channels.”

    Later on in an X post he explained further with regards to burning of tokens. He stated, “To be 100% clear, I am stating that I am burning MY team tokens, and we will create a comprehensive burn program for other parts of the OM supply.”

    Investors in Mantra, such as Shorooq and Laser Digital denied claims of token sale.

    Egypt makes up 30 percent of Weex crypto exchange MENA customers

    Egypt makes up 30 percent of Weex crypto exchange MENA customers

    WEEX crypto exchange, which has over 6 million customers globally, has announced that since it started serving the MENA region in January 2025, it has witnessed expansive growth especially in countries such as Egypt, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

    Egypt has the highest number of users on WEEX crypto exchange making up 30 percent of their total MENA customer base, while Algeria follows at 17.3 percent, Iraq and Morocco making up 7-8 percent respectively.

    Surprisingly Saudi Arabia customers are just 6.2 percent of their total MENA customer base. All numbers are founded on data up to March 31st, 2025.

    While the number of customers still make up less than 1 percent of their total customer base, WEEX has showcased their commitment to the MENA region, launching their headquarters in the UAE as part of MENA expansion plans.

    The Dubai headquarter currently houses 600 employees and is expected to add 50 more hires over the next two years. 

    Andrew Weiner, Vice President of WEEX, stated, “We have witnessed impressive growth in our MENA customer base since we began offering our services in January 2025, this showcases the attraction that crypto has in the region especially in countries in North Africa, and the GCC. We will continue to expand our offering to support the MENA region while we seek to acquire regulatory licenses.”

    He adds, “We believe that everyone should be able to access the crypto market, and that crypto will play a strong role in the economies of the future especially in the Middle East. We hope to serve our clients with the utmost security, transparency, and offering.”

    WEEX already serves 6.2 million customers across 130+ countries. The crypto exchange has a daily trading volume of over $5 billion and supports more than 1,700 trading pairs. WEEX also boasts of a 1,000 BTC Protection Fund to protect users’ assets. In MENA the crypto exchange is offering Arabic language support through chatbot on their website, submitting a ticket on the website as well as through their telegram community.

    Fred, MENA Regional Manager, WEEX, noted, “As traditional markets wrestle with inflation and uncertainty, crypto stands as a beacon of innovation, offering a glimpse into a more resilient, decentralized financial future.”

    WEEX is currently participating and sponsoring TOKEN2049 Dubai event being held in Dubai UAE between April 30th and May 1st, 2025.

    The Chainalysis 2024 crypto geography report noted that the MENA region has become the seventh largest crypto market globally. The biggest two countries being Turkey and Morocco, while the fastest growing countries were Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Saudi Arabia remained the fastest-growing crypto economy in the MENA region in 2024, growing by 154% year-over-year.

    According to Statista, in Egypt, the number of users in the cryptocurrencies market is expected to reach 11.30m users by 2025. The user penetration rate is expected to be 9.72% in 2025.

    Australian NotCentralised to develop Blockchain certification attestation process for Qatar Government

    Australian NotCentralised to develop Blockchain certification attestation process for Qatar Government

    NotCentralised, an Australian based tech company that utilizes blockchain technology to offer solutions, has been selected by the Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation Council (QRDI), acting through Qatar Foundation, to lead and deliver a blockchain Optimization of Certification Attestation Process project.

    As per the announcement, this initiative aims to design a state-of-the-art attestation flow leveraging emerging technologies for the benefit of Qatar in partnership with RedBelly Network a premier blockchain team and Microsoft. The team will use blockchain technology in certification attestation for Qatar.

    As a specialist in emerging technologies, NotCentralised has deep expertise in Blockchain, Tokenization, and Generative AI. Our team has contributed to high-profile projects, including CBDC pilots for the Reserve Bank of Australia and Generative AI implementations for Sydney’s largest Primary Healthcare Network.

    NotCentralised won the the first challenge, titled “Certification Attestation Process – Optimization through Blockchain Technology,” which aimed to address various issues associated with the current manual certification verification process, such as workforce requirements, extended processing times, semi-automated university and government systems, high costs, intricate procedures, susceptibility to errors, degree forgery, and unauthorized verification.

    The initiative is supported by The Qatar Research, Development, and Innovation (QRDI) Council’s flagship program, Qatar Open Innovation (QOI), launched the Open Innovation Opportunities in partnership with the Ministry of Labour (MoL) in Qatar.

    This collaboration represents a significant milestone to enrich the technology sector and promote innovation. QRDI’s QOI program, known for its dedication to fostering innovation, introduces an Innovation Opportunity geared towards transforming the certification attestation process and document analysis for Qatar’s Ministry of Labour.

    There was also a second challenge, titled “Artificial Intelligence Driven Document Analysis for Qatar’s Ministry of Labour,” focuses on improving the efficiency of the Ministry of Labour’s operations. Manual document analysis has been time-consuming, labour-intensive, and error prone. By adopting AI-driven solutions, MoL aims to modernize its processes, reduce manual labour, and enhance efficiency, with a primary focus on contract analysis in the Arabic language.

    UAE Cequire Capital invests half a million in crypto trading platform TX24

    UAE Cequire Capital invests half a million in crypto trading platform TX24

    Cequire Capital, a UAE-based investment firm specializing in blockchain and digital asset ventures, has announced a capital injection of $500,000 into digital asset platform TX24.

    As per the press release, this capital injection is part of Cequire’s mission to empower cutting edge crypto ventures. The investment will support TX24’s global expansion to offer secure and accessible digital asset services.

    TX24 is a secure and scalable cryptocurrency platform offering fast, low-fee digital asset transactions for users around the globe. Designed for both beginners and advanced traders. It provides tools for buying, selling, storing, and managing cryptocurrencies delivered through a simple and powerful interface.

    “We invest in platforms that are building tomorrow’s crypto experience–not just riding hype cycles,” said the CEO of Cequire Capital. “TX24 demonstrates a rare mix of usability, innovation, and readiness to scale. Our investment reflects our belief in their long-term potential and our shared commitment to a decentralized financial future.”

    TX24 isn’t just a trading venue, it’s a flexible digital finance ecosystem. Funding options include credit cards, bank transfers, and instant deposit methods, making it easy for first-timers to get started. Once funded, users can buy, sell, and manage assets like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a wide range of altcoins. For advanced users and institutional traders, TX24 Pro unlocks a host of additional features: customizable dashboards, API access, low latency for high-volume execution, and transparent, flat-fee pricing structures.

    Using the investment TX24 will make major platform enhancements, such as additional trading pairs streamlined performance, and improved mobile capabilities. It will also expand its liquidity to enable more stable trading markets as well as focus on growing its footprint in emerging markets.


    Alps Blockchain expands Oman mining operation to 150 Megawatt

    Alps Blockchain expands Oman mining operation to 150 Megawatt

    Alps Blockchain, an Italian company that builds and operates mining farms to contribute to the development of new technologies and support the evolution of the energy sector, combining innovation and efficiency, has announced that it has expanded its mining operation from 10 Megawatt to 150 Megawatt in Oman.

    As per the post, this scale up follows their successful completion of the first phase. The company notes that this growth represents a key strategic milestone in the company’s path toward international expansion, reaffirming its commitment to investing in high-efficiency infrastructure and in markets with strong growth potential.

    Launched in 2024, the project initially involved a 10-Megawatt phase, successfully completed in the first half of last year. The second phase is now taking shape: with the arrival of new containerized units, the site has been significantly upgraded to support a much broader operational capacity of 150 Megawatts, making it the largest in the country.

    In July 2024, Azimut, an independent, global group in asset management, wealth management, investment banking and fintech, completed a new club deal to invest in Alps Blockchain totaling $156 million to be used for Alp Blockchain growth initiatives of which Oman was one.

    The 150 MGW phase has been under construction since January 2025 in Salalah through the subsidiary Alps Middle East SPC in partnership with Green Data City.