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.

Lebanese media figure embraces crypto, blockchain and the metaverse

Lebanese media figure embraces crypto, blockchain and the metaverse

Well know Lebanese media figure Wissam Breidy embraces crypto and partners with UAE’s Crypto Oasis ecosystem to help educate the region on Blockchain and Web3 which will increase adoption and engagement.

Breidy will use his credibility as a popular and accomplished celebrity to help publicize the inherent potential of these disruptive products. As an Arab cultural icon, Breidy is the new ambassador for blockchain and Web3 for Crypto Oasis, the fastest-growing blockchain ecosystem in the world. As one of the most entertaining Arab TV show hosts in the recent era, Wissam Breidy will bring relevance and relatability as Crypto Oasis looks to scale blockchain and Web3 adoption in the region.

Wissam is very passionate about decentralized technology and is committed to creating awareness within the Arab World. “The Future of the Internet has arrived. Web3, NFTs, and Metaverse are our tools for Universal State Layers with Open Gates. Embrace it –don’t be late!,” Breidy says.

“We are delighted to welcome Wissam Breidy on board as our new strategic partner,” commented Ralf Glabischnig, founder of Crypto Oasis. “With Wissam’s strong industry knowledge and outreach, we expect this partnership to help educate the wider Arab Community on Web3 and blockchain technology and tap into something that hasn’t been explored before. We are also looking forward to working with him as an initiator for arte, and to build meaningful connections, educate and inform the market about the ever-growing and evolving ecosystem.”

As a strategic advisor to Crypto Oasis, Wissam will promote the adoption of blockchain and ease out the complexities of the metaverse to make people more familiar with these seemingly tangled digital landscapes for the Arabic speaking population.

For arte, the Web3 Meta-Community by Crypto Oasis, Wissam will help bring together Web3 communities and individuals worldwide to create an environment that enables individuals in the art, NFT and Metaverse area to engage and interact continuously and effortlessly. arte is a global platform focused on creativity, community-building and entrepreneurship in the Web3 space. It aims to bring changemakers in art and technology to discuss the future of digital assets and the metaverse. arte intends to work on educating the wider public on blockchain technologies and Wissam will be a major contributor in the success of the initiative.

UAE based Encryptus OTC crypto trading platform partners with Azadi record label

UAE based Encryptus OTC crypto trading platform partners with Azadi record label

UAE based Encryptus, a platform for the trading of institutional crypto assets as an OTC (Over the Counter) service provider, with license for “Proprietary Trading in Crypto Commodities  from DMCC ( Dubai Multi Commodities Centre)  has partnered with record label Azadi records.

The partnership will work on developing an NFT ecosystem and innovative use cases, which will give holders exclusive access to premium content, limited edition merchandise, VIP tour tickets and more.

Moreso, Shantnoo Saxsena, Encryptus Founder and CEO states; “During the current bearish market, institutional support behind crypto remains strong, and Encryptus is glad to be playing an important role in institutional crypto adoption. It certainly doesn’t hurt that this institutional interest in the crypto market is also working to excite existing investors who were contemplating hastily pulling out of the market.”

Considering how valuable NFTs have become, it is no surprise that Encryptus partnered with Azadi Records, an independent record label keen on providing South Asian artists with a platform to freely express themselves for this extraordinary quest into the world of non-fungible tokens.

Shantnoo further adds, “Our recent partnership with Azadi Records aims to create a use case for the NFT ecosystem in India in a more compliant manner. Our primary focus is compliance and respect for the law of the land.”

“Nayaab.World NFTs and their utilities will unlock new avenues for artist-fans engagement, building a deeper relationship between them,” stated Mo Joshi and Uday Kapur, founders of Azadi Records.

Stratez Capital and Newtek to develop tokenized commodity trading on the Blockchain

Stratez Capital and Newtek to develop tokenized commodity trading on the Blockchain

Singaporean, Stratez Capital with offices in UAE, a boutique firm that focuses on assisting enterprises who are planning to elevate to the next phase of growth, has partnered with NewTek Holdings to develop tokenized commodity trading and real-estate projects on the Blockchain.

As per the press release, the Middle East has been identified by NewTek as a priority market, and the company is initially looking to focus on major real estate projects in Dubai.  “This is an exciting partnership, and in line with the investment and strategy objectives of the company, and we feel we can add huge value with our expertise and investments. NewTek brings real asset value and a clear vision in one of the fastest growing areas where real world assets combine with future Web3 and blockchain technology,” said Vik Pillai, Managing Partner at Singapore-based Stratez, announcing the agreement today.

Qurashi, CEO of London-based NewTek, said: “I’ve been very impressed by the depth and variety that Stratez brings to this new partnership, and am thrilled to be working with them. NewTek sets out to integrate the technology behind blockchain, NFTs and Web3 into the world of real estate and commodity trading. We have clear objectives, and I’m confident that Stratez can play a key role in turning our vision into reality.”

NewTek is a newly-formed company set up by Safi Qurashi, a serial entrepreneur and property developer. Over the last 25 years, Qurashi has founded several successful startups, including one of the first internet cafes in London in 1996 and a successful real estate company in Dubai. Other ventures included an armoured vehicle manufacturing company and a facility management firm in the UAE. Qurashi is the co-owner of Great Britain Island in Dubai’s World Islands project.

Qurashi added, “This partnership connects us with some very impressive Stratez partners, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with world-renowned luxury brands. We’ll be announcing more details about the new venture in the coming weeks. But basically we’re working to allow the fractionalization of exclusivity within the two safest real life asset classes, real estate and commodities.”

As per his linkedIn, Newtek is working on tokenizing commodities making them accessing to all. Nire is on of the first ventures of Newtek and now live and trading.

Saudi Nuqtah NFT Marketplace partners with Ethereum Consensys

Saudi Nuqtah NFT Marketplace partners with Ethereum Consensys

KSA NuqtahNFT marketplace  has partnered with Consensys, an Ethereum blockchain company.

The agreement aims to transfer the knowledge and expertise of Consensys to empower Web 3 startups in Saudi Arabia in line with Nuqtah’s goal of accelerating Web 3 adoption, and in clear alignment with the Kingdom’s vision to become a hub for technology.

According to ConsenSys Partnership Lead Ian Wallis: “With Nuqtah’s existing Infura and Ethereum infrastructure, the potential in the Saudi market is huge and we are very excited to be launching this strategic partnership with NuqtahNFT, Saudi’s leading NFT marketplace to provide even more functionality and empowerment of creatives in the MENA region.”

Salwa Radawi, CEO of Nuqtah, commented: “Our mission is to spearhead the adoption of Web 3 in MENA, by tirelessly developing and enabling a complete and robust infrastructure, tailored specifically to the MENA region originators.”

Salwa also added: “This partnership is only the beginning of our opening. It not only opens a great deal of opportunities for us and fellow Web 3 startups within the industry but also ensures that we are able to transfer this knowledge and localize it for the region.”

Last week Nuqtah NFT Marketplace announced it would be raising 5 million USD in seed capital.

UAE ZelaaPayAE to introduce crypto payment credential with VisaNet

UAE ZelaaPayAE to introduce crypto payment credential with VisaNet

UAE based ZelaaPayAE, with headquarters in Sharjah Tech Park and offices in Dubai, which works to integrate fiat and crypto payments utilizing Polygon Blockchain infrastructure, has now joined Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program for a period of five years, to speed up the process of integrating with visa while introducing crypto backed payment credential in the UAE and wider CEMEA region.

As per ZelaaPayAE twitter post, “In this 5-year long partnership with Visa, we are focused on growing across United Arab Emirates and KSA region. ZelaaPayAE shall continue to identify and develop payment products such as collateralized spending and more throughout the span of this collaboration.”

They add, “This accolade now enables us as a fintech provider to enable crypto-transactions using physical debit cards easier and accessible with over 70 million merchants that comprise Visa’s vast ecosystem. It will also allow us to innovate further and surf beyond just debit cards.”

“I have dreamt of making ZelaaPayAE a pioneering fintech startup in the UAE and one of the first movers towards providing alternative financial solutions to the end consumer in this region. By joining Visa’s Fast Track program, this will now be possible and our demographic reach will be limitless as we strive to push for adoption and further utility of payments through cryptocurrencies,” said Sahil Arora, CEO & Founder of ZelaaPayAE.

Alex McCrea, VP, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Ventures for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Visa, said: ““We’re delighted to welcome ZelaaPayAE to Visa’s Fintech Fast Track program and excited to work with them on the enablement of secure and seamless crypto payments in the UAE. We have no doubt the team at ZelaaPayAE will leverage access to the experts, technology and resources that the program allows to scale with efficiency and expand access to crypto payments.”

Recently ZelaaPay announced that that Cagau store in Dubai are now accepting cryptocurrencies at their store using Bitcoin, USDT, BNB, TRX through ZelaaPay’s XPOS powered by PundixLabs.  

ZelaaPay partnered with Lead Ventures in the UAE.

UAE Midchains has also partnered recently with Visa Fast track to offer the same services as ZelaayPay’s partnership with Visa.