Egyptian clothing brand Concrete partners with NFT marketplace Plastiks for plastic recycling project

Egyptian clothing brand Concrete partners with NFT marketplace Plastiks for plastic recycling project

Barcelona-based Blockchain enabled NFT marketplace, Plastiks, has partnered with Egyptian clothing brand Concrete, as part of plastic removal initiatives in the country. Plastiks specializes in connecting plastic recovery projects with companies and individuals across the globe who sponsor such projects. 

With its new partnership, Plastiks will facilitate the tokenization of plastic recovery projects sponsored by Concrete in Egypt. This facility, powered by blockchain technology, ensures complete transparency, monitoring, and traceability of such recovery operations.

Concrete is committed to contributing to societal and environmental sustainability. As part of this commitment the company sponsors a number of plastic removal projects in order to advance the fight against plastic pollution. 

By partnering with Plastiks, Concrete seeks to improve the lives of waste pickers by providing them with additional income and incentivizing them to recover more plastic from the environment. The first recovery project sponsored by Concrete is the Guardians of The Sea initiative, which focuses on two important regions in Egypt, the Red Sea and the Dahab region. Concrete assists in collecting and recycling plastic wastes from this vital area and helps to turn them into different products.

This partnership also enables the company to promote the purpose of sustainability projects to its consumers in a better way. Labels will be attached to Concrete’s clothing where the message of the collaboration will be placed, along with a QR code. By scanning the QR code, the consumer can visit the “Concrete Sustainability Dashboard” where they can access details of the recovery projects. The details include: where this plastic has been recovered from, the type of plastic recovered, and the invoice number can be viewed with absolute transparency.

“Our aim is not simply to compensate for plastic waste, rather we are committed to fixing the fundamental problem of lack of incentives for the waste pickers in developing countries. By connecting them with global companies, we ensure investment and expertise, thereby improving their overall operation and value perception. This enables them to work in a professional and convenient way. Our business model powered by web3 technology provides plastic collectors with additional income in exchange for the valuable project data they share. This data can be utilized by corporations to choose suitable projects for funding as part of their sustainability commitments,” says Andre Vanyi-Robin, CEO of Plastiks.

Egyptian Singularity Innovations and Red Date Technology bring BSN Blockchain network to MENA region

Egyptian Singularity Innovations and Red Date Technology bring BSN Blockchain network to MENA region

UAE Egyptian based Singularity Innovations Limited a Fintech Blockchain infrastructure provider, with a license out of DIFC ( Dubai International Financial Centre), has partnered with Red Date Technology, a Hong Kong based enterprise blockchain infrastructure company, to promote and build a global public IT system infrastructure based on non-cryptocurrency public chain technologies.

Singularity will act as an infrastructure provider for the BSN Spartan Network in the Middle East and Africa; offering blockchain infrastructure to corporate and governmental entities.

The BSN Spartan Network is a public infrastructure network based on the lightweight BSN Spartan data center software, which is open source, free, and anonymous for anyone to install. Within the data center, the nodes of several Non-Cryptocurrency Public Chains can be installed and accessed. By removing the cryptocurrencies from public chains‘ layer one, the BSN Spartan Network‘s mission is to provide Non-Cryptocurrency public chain services to all IT systems around the world to enjoy this kind of public IT system infrastructure.

The validator nodes of the public permissioned network are run by large corporates such as HSBC, Emperor Group, and Lan Kwai Fong Group, although many of the current companies have Hong Kong or Chinese connections. 

Mo Taysir, CEO & Co-Founder of Singularity Innovations Limited & Singularity Finance expressed his excitement about the partnership: “This partnership lays down the infrastructure required to power and empower international interoperable enterprise blockchain solutions; be it in global trade & supply chain, identity, carbon credits, personal data management, and more.”

“We have received strong positive feedback about the huge potential for public IT systems and non-cryptocurrency public blockchain technology from both enterprises and governments in the MEA region.  Red Date is excited to be partnering with Singularity to bring the BSN Spartan Network to the MEA region,” said Tim Bailey, VP of Global Sales for Red Date Technology.

“We aim to work with government bodies and regulators to always be complaint with all requirements and licensing in the aim of providing a ‘fully compliant Smart-Contracts infrastructure layer’ for enterprise & governmental use,” commented Mo Taysir. 

UAE MEmob Blockchain entity partners with Artifact Labs to develop metaverse fashion house

UAE MEmob Blockchain entity partners with Artifact Labs to develop metaverse fashion house

UAE based MEmob+, a  Blockchain data intelligence and mining platform has partnered with Artifact Labs, a premier provider of 360-degree support for brands and creators in the Metaverse, creating a metaverse fashion house, and digital art platform. 

Together, the two companies will leverage the expertise of leading projects under the Artifact Labs umbrella, such as the Metaverse fashion house Ninzoou and the digital fine art platform Materia, delivering cutting-edge projects and services to brands and organizations in the MENA region. 

MEmob+, along with Artifact labs, will be offering brands and companies strategic advisory for the Metaverse, utilizing Artifact’s NFT & Metaverse focused products in addition to MEmob+’s blockchain consulting for clients. 

Artifact Lab’s  advanced NFT platform has all the essential components; user-friendly processes without the need for external wallets, trading tools, royalties for content creators, integration with play-to-earn games, and fiat and crypto payment processing. Having their own PoS blockchain (FBA, BFT) that complies with Eco-NFT and Clean-NFT trends to provide extra control over the system, the Artifact NFT platform allows creators the benefit of zero fees while enabling them to mint NFTs on any public blockchain such as Ethereum, Flow, and Solana.

Falling under the umbrella of Artifact, Materia, one of the company’s contemporary art NFT platforms created by art collectors, art professionals, and blockchain experts, will also be collaborating with MEmob+ to provide opportunities for brands to develop art projects in the Metaverse in conjunction with leading artists, curators, and institutions. 

Materia also drives Campus Art Dubai (CAD) 9.0 Blockchain 2022 Edition, which is part of Art Dubai’s fair program catering to changing needs of the UAE’s creative community and is aimed at providing artists with an in-depth overview of the NFT world, and blockchain applications pertaining to art and cryptocurrencies.

“There should be no doubt in today’s times that the Metaverse is here to stay. Brand marketing has become more consumer-led and thus it is essential to understand and utilize the growing adoption of blockchain and Web3 technologies. Consumer behaviors are changing, and brands now need to create robust Metaverse strategies to reach their audiences. We have witnessed demands for more engaging and innovative experiences and we feel technology can be used for enriching virtual capabilities. We are very excited about our collaboration with Artifact which will enable us to help companies develop their digitized products, assisting them from start to finish in building and marketing their assets,” commented Ihab El Yaman, CEO, and Founder of MEmob+.

“We want to ensure that we help our clients easily navigate the virtual world to future-proof their assets. Artifact was founded to provide advanced NFT and Metaverse content Launchpad and ensure 360-degree support for companies. We look forward to working with MEmob+ and mutually helping brands with their Web3 content development, as well as easing the creation and execution of digital assets for clients. MEmob+ as a pioneering data intelligence and marketing platform will further help us reach potential clients,” said CMO of Artifact Labs Bobo Delice.

UAE Crypto Oasis Ventures invests in MO: ME: NT to turn moments of public interest into NFTs in MENA

UAE Crypto Oasis Ventures invests in MO: ME: NT to turn moments of public interest into NFTs in MENA

Swiss MO:ME:NT a solution provider that instantly turns moments of public interest into Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) through a fully automated API trigger has announced that UAE based Crypto Oasis Ventures has both invested and partnered with the project.

This strategic partnership will combine the Crypto Oasis Venture’s talent and capital with MO:ME:NT’s innovative ecosystem approach to the Sports and Marketing industry.

As per the release, Crypto Oasis Ventures has partnered and invested in MO:ME:NT and will be introducing it to the local Web3 ecosystem. MO:ME:NT will expand its horizons in the UAE with its NFTs of exciting moments that the world celebrates.

Ralf Glabischnig, Founder of the Crypto Oasis will join MO:ME:NT as an advisory board member.  He states, “We are delighted to have MO:ME:NT onboard to help them embrace opportunities that can transform the local Web3 space. We have always been early movers and believe Web 3.0 models like NFT, and Metaverse are going to be the key players in the next iteration of online business. MO:ME:NTs will be revolutionary as brands can harness their power to create meaningful connections with their audiences and drive value. As access keys to relevant real-life experiences, they offer an easy connection to the Metaverse using the limitless possibilities of virtual reality while complimenting the offering of our own venture Tokengate. These are exciting times and we are humbled and privileged to be a market driver in the region’s accelerating startup ecosystem.”

Precious moments from as an example sporting events are endorsed by the heroes behind the MO:ME:NTs, creating a one-of-a-kind collectible item. With MO:ME:NTs, users have the opportunity to buy, own, collect, and trade these special NFTs. This enables a new level of interactivity, ownership, collectability and utility. MO:ME:NTs not only serve as unique collectibles but they can also be easily enriched by the brands or individuals who were involved in creating the moment. 

By using MO:ME:NTs, these brands can build engaging communities and provide various relevant utilities to their followers, ultimately increasing the value of the MO:ME:NT to its holder. Brands can open up a world of new opportunities for their followers and create meaningful, immersive experiences in the real and virtual world driving engagement and value.

“We are excited to welcome Ralf to our advisory board,” said Rudy Banholzer, Co-Founder and COO of MO:ME:NT. “We are looking forward to working with the Crypto Oasis Ventures team as we continue to grow and innovate. This partnership represents a new chapter for both of us, and we are excited to see what the future holds. We are committed to helping brands provide their audiences with better, more relevant, and exciting experiences by seamlessly bridging the real and virtual worlds. By joining the Crypto Oasis Ecosystem, we hope to leapfrog ahead by expanding our prospects, creating value, and connecting with the broader Web3 community.”

MENA based Arts DAO NFT community partners with Crypto wallet provider Ledger

MENA based Arts DAO NFT community partners with Crypto wallet provider Ledger

MENA based Arts DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) and NFT and Web3 community with presence in UAE, has partnered with Ledger, a digital asset storage provider, to offer hardware crypto wallet solutions to its members. 

Arts DAO is currently investing in blue-chip NFTs, supporting major corporations with their Web3 strategy, and backing great founders building in Web3.

France-based Ledger, which employs more than 800 people has sold more than five million devices to customers in 200 different countries and is responsible for securing 20 percent of all crypto assets stored globally as of today.

‘100 Ledger NFTs,’ the first Ledger NFTs ever released, were part of a limited-edition collection created by Arts DAO to honor this groundbreaking partnership. Additionally, Arts DAO provided community members with branded ledgers, allowing NFT owners to claim a physical Ledger hard wallet.

“Ledgers are a so-called ‘cold storage’ solution,” explains Danosch Zahedi, Co-Founder of Arts DAO. “People are always looking for safer places to store their cryptocurrency, and thanks to decentralized finance, anyone with a cold storage wallet may basically act as their own bank. This is crucial in light of recent market volatility in the cryptocurrency space as well as future-defining events like the FTX collapse.”

According to Anas Bhurtun, Co-Founder of Arts DAO, “Dubai has constantly shown its dedication to the virtual economy, with historic regulatory developments providing a framework for companies dealing with digital assets like cryptocurrencies and NFTs.”

As explained by Ledger, what you actually own when you purchase a cryptocurrency is a “private key,” a vital piece of data required to approve outgoing transactions on the blockchain network. Anyone who is aware of this key may use the related funds. There is no bank or other organization to back you up or provide you with a replacement if your private keys are lost, stolen, or if you keep them on a device that malfunctions. As a result, you lose access to your cryptocurrency.

Arts DAO advises clients to use a hardware wallet solution, where your private keys are kept offline in a hardware wallet so only you have access to them. As a result, your wallet is no longer at risk of being compromised by hackers who can’t get to the device or the private keys inside. Even if a hacker manages to take over your computer, they won’t be able to access your crypto assets by stealing your private keys if you have a hardware wallet. The risk of hacking is reduced because your private key is stored offline.

Arts DAO is looking to expand into many more avenues with their clients, including blockchain gaming, blockchain streaming and music, and digital fashion. The two main pillars of Arts DAO are community and consulting. With hundreds of members as of today and rapidly growing, the community is bringing together the Middle East’s largest Web 3.0 community.

Dubai VC Helion Ventures partners with metaverse VMeta3

Dubai VC Helion Ventures partners with metaverse VMeta3

Dubai VC Helion Ventures has partnered and invested in VMeta3, the First High-Poly Modeling Technique Metaverse to provide a life-like experience with “Any-Fi” economic incentive into the new mindset of Behavior to Earn. 

VMeta3 is the first metaverse related project to be part of Helion Ventures. VMeta3 envisions a world where users can freely create and explore digital worlds, own virtual property, conduct business, buy and sell goods, interact with the AI of their digital avatars, and much more.

The Co-Founder and CEO of Helion Ventures Oliver von Wolff stated,  “The metaverse is the next big thing in web3 and it is exciting to get on board its growth by investing in an interesting and creative project such as VMeta3”.

Jobs Chang, Founder and CEO of VMeta3  adds,  “The Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to turn Dubai into one of the world’s top 10 metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community, and we are pleased to receive investment and partner with Helion Ventures to take this vision forward and be present in Dubai. I always say: Never predict the future, instead create the future! Through our cooperation, this is exactly what we aim to do”.

Muhammad Hamza, MENA CEO, explained, “VMeta3 aims to provide the First High-Poly Modelling Technique Metaverse to provide a lifelike experience for its users and provide standards such as protection of IP for artists that is challenging the industry today. VMeta3 will be launching its Alpha by Q1 2023. The token sale is now open for potential partners and pioneers who want to be a part of our eco-system via Helion Ventures, Dubai”.

Helion Ventures is a venture capital based in Dubai, to be regulated by DIFC. They focus on investing in early-stage tokens/coins, Fintech/Blockchain projects, Metaverse, and DeFi in the MENA region and Africa.  They have been a part of the region’s Ecosystem with strong connections and roots in the Middle East ever since 1999.

VMeta3 provides unique NFT standards that ensure the IP of the actual artist is protected by the encrypted file in the blockchain whereas each NFT that is minted from VMeta3 will be initiated from VMeta3 timestamp. The project envisions a world where users can freely create and explore digital worlds, own virtual property, conduct business, buy and sell goods, interact with the AI of their digital avatars, and much more. By building and providing a life-like experience in the digital world, VMeta3 allows their users to strive and live in a digital ecosystem in the comforts of their computer and mobile devices.

UAE $2 billion crypto mining farm will be finalized in Q2 of 2023

UAE $2 billion crypto mining farm will be finalized in Q2 of 2023

As Phoenix Technology announced its entrance into a strategic exclusive regional partnership with Blockchain crypto mining product entity, they also noted that Phoenix Technology which embarked on establishing a $2 billion crypto-mining farm in the UAE, the biggest crypto mining project in the region will be completed in the next six months, or Q2 of 2023.  The press release notes, “The project will be finalized within six months, giving the region a taste of technological advancement and development.”

In February 2022 Phoenix had announced it was part of the group of entities developing the UAE crypto mining farm and had also stated in a interview with Irena Heaver that the project would be finalized in the next six months. Almost a year later, and their latest press release states the UAE crypto mining farm will be launched in the next six months. 

The partnership with MicroBT, a technology company based on blockchain, will allow Phoenix Technology to sell WhatsMiner brand in the GCC countries (UAE, Bahrain, KSA, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait), Egypt and Turkey market.

Carl Agren, CEO of Phoenix Technology, commented, “I’m very excited about this strategic partnership. WhatsMiner by MicroBT is one of the leading brands for manufacturing mining equipment. They are already very successful in the rest of the world and would like to strengthen their presence in the MENA market with the support of Phoenix Technology.”

MicroBT, which was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Shenzhen with R&D centers in Beijing and Shanghai, provides customers with high-quality products and services, and has become an industry leader in the field of blockchain servers.

Dr. Yang, Founder of MicroBT, said, “With our technical background, we noticed that blockchain technology is truly the key to a decentralized and advanced world. As the technology grows by the day, we are happy to partner with Phoenix Technology to spread these solutions worldwide, especially in the MENA region.”

According to the latest market forecast report by Technavio, the Cryptocurrency Mining Hardware Market share is set to increase by $12 billion from 2022 to 2027. The momentum of growth in the market is going to accelerate at a CAGR of 11.35%. The market will also experience a 10.71% Y-O-Y growth rate during this period.

The press release notes that given that the UAE is a crypto-friendly country, it is important to note that the mining business has dramatically grown in the territory. In fact, although Bitcoin mining started with solo miners quietly building up currency reserves on their home computers, those days are long gone.

UAE Midchain’s crypto exchange partners with UAE Bank to offer secure channel for crypto trading and investing

UAE Midchain’s crypto exchange partners with UAE Bank to offer secure channel for crypto trading and investing

UAE Midchain’s, crypto exchange for trading digital assets has partnered with UAE Al  Maryah Community Bank, the leading digital bank to provide a secure channel for investing and trading cryptocurrencies and digital assets through the bank’s establishment of escrow accounts in UAE dirhams to protect investors’ funds on cryptocurrency trading platforms and boost their trust.

Within the framework of this cooperation, Al Maryah Community Bank seeks to support cryptocurrency trading platforms by using artificial intelligence technologies to automate transfers of Escrow accounts while purchasing and trading transactions according to the highest standards of safety, reliability, and transparency, and to accommodate the needs of investors and enhance the trust in the cryptocurrency market. This will be monitored by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates and will be facilitated according to its regulations and laws to protect investors and to ensure the protection of investors’ accounts by separating them from the accounts of trading companies in order to avoid any potential risks.

This step contributes to achieving the strategy of the Al Maryah Community Bank to develop innovative and safe solutions for digital investment in line with the vision of the Abu Dhabi Global Market to strengthen the UAE’s economy and Abu Dhabi’s leading status as a global financial center, which was symbolized by the concept of the “Falcon Economy” that was announced during the activities of the “Abu Dhabi Financial Week”.

On this occasion, Mohammed Wassim Khayatah CEO of Al Maryah Bank stated, “We seek to protect users of local trading platforms from any potential risks, in accordance with the regulations of the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, and as part of such efforts, we are pleased to cooperate with “MidChains”, one of the first local trading platforms for cryptocurrencies and digital assets that is fully licensed by the Abu Dhabi Global Market, in order to provide safe Escrow accounts that protect investors’ funds and separate them from trading companies’ accounts, thus protecting transfers, transactions, and balances of funds in cryptocurrency trading.

In return, Basil Al-Askari added, “If cryptocurrency is to become mainstream, it is clear that mainstream players will need to be involved. Our partnership with Al Maryah Community bank comes in line with similar partnerships being forged across the virtual asset industry. Traditional institutions are working alongside exchanges to expand access to this exciting and innovative new asset class. As one of the only fully licensed exchanges in the world we can offer banks a trusted platform partner with regulatory oversight to provide a feasible way into the virtual asset space for their existing customers and also help the bank attract a whole new type of crypto savvy consumer.”

Blockchain enabled payment solutions provider partners in KSA to offer ewallet payments to Hajj Pilgrims

Blockchain enabled payment solutions provider partners in KSA to offer ewallet payments to Hajj Pilgrims

KSA based Geidea, a leading fintech company in Saudi Arabia and Blockchain based payments solutions, WadzPay Middle East Technology (affiliate of WadzPay Worldwide) have forged a new strategic partnership to power the transformation of pilgrimage payments.

Geidea is utilizing the issuance of an e-money wallet, specifically for Hajj and Umrah, to be used in over one million point-of-sale (POS) terminals deployed across multiple merchants throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

WadzPay blockchain-based payment solutions allow Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to set up their own e-Money wallets on their mobile devices to be used for their expenses. Once the wallet is loaded, the pilgrim is ready to spend in Saudi Arabia with lower transaction fees and a user-friendly refund process.


According to Mastercard’s latest Global Destination Cities Index, Mecca attracted $20 billion in tourist dollars in 2018, second only to Dubai. The number of pilgrims is expected to increase significantly in the coming years, with the Kingdom has set a goal to host 30 million pilgrims by 2030,  in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

This year, the hajj rituals were performed by at least one million pilgrims worldwide after two years of restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WadzPay partnered with Algorand, a high-performance, next-generation ISO 20022 and Sharia-compliant blockchain with a roadmap to 46,000 transactions per second to deliver industry-leading stability and near-instant finality to its clients.

WadzPay Founder and Group CEO Anish Jain said, “I am delighted to team up with Geidea to deliver the absolute best in payments experience for pilgrims. Saudi Arabia is home to the annual Hajj and Umrah, about one million people from nearly two hundred countries perform these pilgrimages; with Geidea merchant and POS networks, WadzPay is also enabling merchants to benefit from faster, secure and seamless payments”.

Renier Lemmens, CEO at Geidea said, “The pilgrim market is an incredibly important part of the Saudi economy, which is why we are thrilled to partner with WadzPay in a move that will unlock vast SME business success for merchants across the Kingdom. The integration of an e-wallet into over a million merchant POS systems will also make transactions faster and safer for the millions of pilgrims that visit Hajj and Umrah every year – and we’re delighted to be able to help them on their way.”

Sailesh Malhotra, GM, GCC at Geidea, said: “This partnership enables us to offer our merchants and pilgrims a best-in-class experience whenever they make payments. The delivery of a swift transaction process for merchants – and a seamless payment experience for pilgrims – are critical drivers for this partnership goal.”

WadzPay, which was awarded Top 10 Most Promising Payment and Merchant Service Providers by SiliconIndia Magazine 2021, is a leading blockchain payment technology, solution and service provider. It operates in and serves partners and clients across APAC, MENA, Africa and the United States.

Geidea is a leading fintech and fully licensed payment service provider offering digital banking technologies, smart payment terminals and business management solutions for both financial institutions and small businesses in retail and digital commerce across the region.

EazyPay and Binance to offer crypto payments in Bahrain

EazyPay and Binance to offer crypto payments in Bahrain

Bahrain EazyPay, a payments solution provider,  has partnered with Binance’s Binance Pay to launch a regulated and approved crypto payments service offering in the Kingdom.

Nayef Tawfiq Al Alawi, Founder, MD & CEO of Eazy in Bahrain stated on LinkedIn,  “Now you can pay in stores with any preferred Cryptocurrency using Binance App.  A special thanks goes to Central Bank of Bahrain, Binance and Eazy Financial Services B.S.C (Closed) teams.” 

‎‏Eazy Financial Services “EazyPay”, a  Bahraini financial institute specialized in Point-of-Sale (POS) & Online Payment Gateway Acquiring services licensed & regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain, has partnered with Binance, to offer crypto  payments using “Binance Pay” over “EazyPay”  across 5000+ Point-of- Sale (POS) Terminals & Online Payment gateways in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Merchants such as ‎‏ Lulu Hypermarket, Sharaf DG and Al Zain Jewellery as well as local favorites such as Jasmi’s will now be able to accept 70+ cryptocurrencies from “Binance Pay” customers in a very fast & extremely secure way.

Customers can pay at Merchants Stores in “Real-Time” with cryptocurrency by simply scanning the generated QR from Eazy’s POS using their Binance App and pay with preferred cryptocurrency.