The Hashgraph Association a Swiss non-profit organization driving global adoption of Hedera-powered solutions by funding innovation, training, certification, and venture building programs, in collaboration with Exponential Science Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation accelerating responsible tech adoption, via research, education, and innovation activities, has launched the Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 to enable the next generation of Web developers and empower economic inclusion in Africa with a digital future for all.

As per the press release, the Hackathon will be the biggest Web3 Hackathon initiative combines online participation with onsite events in over 20 African cities, with a goal of attracting over 10,000 participants across more than 15 countries on the African continent. Developers, students, and entrepreneurs are invited to collaborate to build decentralized solutions on Hedera across industries such as Finance, Healthcare, Telecoms, Sustainability, Agriculture, and Manufacturing, while leveraging the convergence of other deep technologies such as AI, IoT, Robotics, and Quantum Computing, with a prize pool of more than $1 million on offer for the winning teams and projects.

With global participation officially open from August 1 to September 30, 2025, the hackathon tasks applicants to develop blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT)-based, scalable solutions tailored to the continent’s most urgent challenges and needs. All solutions will be built on the Hedera network an energy-efficient and cost-effective DLT, which offers cost predictability, the highest levels of security, and the ability to support reliable, scalable, and enterprise-grade applications.

Already having secured the backing and participation of more than 50 global and regional partners to be announced over the next few weeks, as well as over 100 universities and tech hubs, the hackathon is designed to be the largest of its kind on the African continent. The event will offer extensive technical education, certification, and hands-on support from Hedera-Certified engineers, with hacking stations to be established in cities such as Lagos, Cairo, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Cape Town, Casablanca, and Tunis for in-person collaboration, alongside a fully virtual Hackathon track accessible worldwide.

“Africa is home to one of the youngest, most enthusiastic and dynamic tech communities in the world; its future will depend on digitization,” said Kamal Youssefi, President of The Hashgraph Association. “By equipping developers and entrepreneurs with Web3 skills and next generation toolkits, we’re not just solving today’s problems, we’re shaping the future of decentralized innovation in one of the world’s most significant growth markets, fostering a digital future for all through financial, identity, and communication inclusion.”

The hackathon aims to catalyze continuous innovation across four key tracks: On-Chain Finance and Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenisation; ESG Sustainability and Traceability; Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) and AI; and Gaming, Metaverse, & NFTs.

Developers of all skill levels and backgrounds are encouraged to participate — no prior blockchain experience is required. Extensive training resources will be provided through the Hedera Academy, with access to a thriving developer community.

The Hashgraph Association and the Exponential Science Foundation will be carrying out awareness and training campaigns to prepare participants for the hackathon before the official start date on August 1st 2025.

 Initiatives such as the Hedera Africa Hackathon encourage the next generation of tech builders, researchers, and entrepreneurs. As well as driving blockchain education and innovation within a continent that is showing incredible growth potential. We encourage anyone with an interest in blockchain technology to sign up and start developing the next wave of practical solutions across multiple industries to gain valuable experience and a chance to claim the prize pool. Our hope is that participants will go on to launch their own ventures and share their learnings,” said Paolo Tasca, Co-Founder & Executive Chairman of Exponential Science Foundation.

The Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 is operated and supported by a strong network of partners, under the experienced leadership of DAR Blockchain, a Tunisian-based Web3 Hub that has been operating in the Web3 industry since 2017. DAR Blockchain plays a significant role in magnifying the impact of this hackathon initiative across the continent and builds on THA’s previous efforts to support blockchain innovation in Africa.

UK, Ireland, and UAE based Ctrl Alt is the tokenization partner for Dubai Land Department aimed to tokenize real estate using XRP Ledger Blockchain. The initiative which is being carried out alongside VARA ( Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority), the Dubai Future Foundation, and PRYPCO seeks to tokenize real estate to develop the future of property investment in Dubai through fractional ownership.The initiative is projected to contribute to the growth of an AED 60 billion ($16 billion) tokenized real estate market by 2033, equivalent to 7% of Dubai’s total property transactions.

Ctrl Alt, is a B2B is a B2B infrastructure provider that makes structuring and investing in alternative asset classes efficient, cost-effective, and accessible. Launched in 2022 by Matt Ong (formerly of Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse) to open up access to the growing world of alternative assets, Ctrl Alt has since become the leading expert in the sector. Through Ctrl Alt, businesses can structure and distribute private equity, infrastructure, private credit, films and more. This is achieved via their sophisticated technology stack which includes tokenization, that streamlines existing investment structures.

The Ctrl Alt team is composed of financial and product experts including alumni from Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, UBS and Revolut.

As the designated tokenization provider for the project, The DLD and Ctrl Alt have worked closely together on the development of a secure and compliant tokenization framework, focusing on structuring, minting and placing real estate title deed tokens on-chain. The XRP Ledger (XRPL), a decentralized layer 1 blockchain renowned for its decade-long reliability and stability in tokenizing and exchanging digital and real-world assets, has been selected as the blockchain of choice for the project.

Additionally, Ctrl Alt has integrated directly with the DLD to synchronize both digital and traditional real estate ledgers, ensuring coordination between the on-chain and the conventional property registration system. This enables a fully integrated and transparent tokenization process that aligns with local regulations and enhances investor confidence.

The project has been developed under the Real Estate Evolution Space Initiative (REES) and marks the first time in the Middle East that a government real estate registration authority has implemented a public blockchain-based tokenization of property title deeds. With this move, the DLD is leading the charge toward a more accessible, transparent and efficient real estate market, enabling fractional ownership, broadening investor participation and enhancing operational efficiency.

By leveraging native tokenization, ownership of real estate has been fractionalized, allowing multiple investors to co-own a single property. This is achieved through the PRYPCO Mint real estate platform, which is now live and allows investors to participate with a starting minimum investment of AED 2,000. EID holders are able to participate at mint.prypco.com.

Matt Ong, CEO and Founder, Ctrl Alt said, “We’ve been working closely with the DLD on this project for some time, and we’re delighted to be taking this major step together to bring real estate investment to a wider audience. As experts in the space, we are proud to create the tokenization infrastructure that enables DLD’s partners to offer fractional real estate to investors. Dubai’s leadership in embracing next-generation financial technologies is truly world-class and this project is a powerful signal of what’s to come. We’re thrilled to launch this pilot and continue building with DLD in the months ahead.”

UAE regulated tokenization platform MANTRA, the Layer 1 blockchain purpose-built for real-world assets (RWAs), has partnered with WIN Investments, a fintech platform pioneering regulated sports digital assets to tokenize sports assets starting with soccer.

WIN has built an ecosystem that opens the door for fans and investors to participate in the global football transfer market.

Through a regulated framework, WIN issues utility tokens and digital securities linked to real-world assets, including professional players and club rights. The flagship product leverages the FIFA Solidarity Mechanism, a system that rewards youth clubs when players they’ve trained are transferred internationally. This recurring income allows soccer clubs to further develop new talent, and enables investors to participate in future player transfer revenues. WIN is backed by Ripio Ventures and the Werthein Group, the principal stakeholder of DirecTV, Latin America’s largest sports broadcasting company.

“Partnering with MANTRA, a global leader in real-world asset tokenization, regulated by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), is a key milestone in our mission to turn the passion of sports into a new compliant class of Real World Sports Assets,” said Gonzalo Busnadiego, Co-CEO of WIN Investments. “This collaboration brings us closer to a future where fans and investors can connect with clubs and athletes in a more direct, transparent, and meaningful way.”

“FIFA’s 2024 Global Transfer Report details the football transfer market represents $66 billion in locked value, with $8.59 billion spent on transfers in 2024 alone. WIN’s Solidarity Mechanism unlocks 5% of this market—$3.3 billion—by offering access to player transfer revenues. WIN has $7.4 million in assets under management (AUM) from 130 player transfers across 16 partnered clubs, including stars like Alexis Mac Allister and Emiliano Martínez, and expects to exceed $20 million in tokenized assets by year-end.”

MANTRA and WIN Investments will establish a framework for the tokenization of WIN’s existing and future sports-related assets. The two companies will develop and launch fan and investor-facing products within the MANTRA ecosystem.

Future initiatives scheduled for Q4 2025 include; WIN leveraging MANTRA as an infrastructure partner to expand the availability of its compliant sports products onchain with a focus upon transfer tokens. Transfer tokens represent a fraction of the future revenue derived from a player’s next transfer and are tied specifically to the FIFA Solidarity Mechanism.

“This partnership with WIN is a natural extension of MANTRA’s RWA vision of bringing the world’s financial ecosystem on-chain by being the preferred ledger of record for real world assets,” said John Patrick Mullin, CEO of MANTRA. “We see huge potential in combining the passion of sports with regulated, tokenized assets, and we believe Latin America is the perfect place to lead that charge.”

Ant Digital Technologies, a blockchain, privacy computing, security technologies, and distributed database company has established its global headquarters in Hong Kong and is expanding its footprint into the UAE. Ant Digital Technologies has selected Dubai as a strategic gateway to unlock opportunities in the Middle East market.

As per the announcement, the strategic move underscores the company’s commitment to global Web3 and Artificial intelligence (AI) development, while recognising the UAE’s rapid embrace of emerging technologies.

Ant Digital seeks not only to tokenize Financial Real World Assets but also energy ones. The company seeks to offer access to green financing. Diverse investors can participate in the transition towards a greener future, fostering a more inclusive and liquid market for sustainable assets. Ant Digital Technologies, has facilitated transactions for 14 million new energy devices on-chain through the tokenization of green energy assets, setting a global standard and exemplifying how green assets can unlock significant investment opportunities.

At a recent event in UAE, Ant Digital Technologies announced the release of Jovay, a Layer 2 blockchain solution tailored for RWA fund transactions, showcasing trusted execution and exceptional performance capabilities with a throughput of 100,000 transactions per second and 100-millisecond on-chain response time. This cutting-edge platform can seamlessly integrate with Layer 1 blockchains, enhancing their performance and scalability. Jovay is set to play a pivotal role in transforming trillions of RWAs into tradable digital assets globally, thereby enhancing global liquidity and streamlining the trading of physical assets on the blockchain.

Zhuoqun Bian, President of Blockchain Business at Ant Digital Technologies, said, “We have been enthusiastic about the transformative power of blockchain technology across the finance industry and beyond. Leveraging years of expertise in blockchain, IoT, and AI research and development, we look forward to collaborating with global partners to unleash the full potential of real-world assets and propel innovation on a global scale.”

Dr. Zhao Wenbiao, CEO of Ant Digital Technologies, shared, “By integrating top-tier blockchain solutions into the energy RWA ecosystems of these regions, we aim to cultivate a ‘dual-hub synergy’ between Hong Kong and Dubai, propelling the global shift towards a digital economy.”

 96 firms have shown interest in participating in UAE’s Dubai Financial Services Authority ( DFSA) tokenization regulatory sandbox. As per the DFSA announcement, the launch of the sandbox is part of DFSA’s strategy to support responsible financial innovation within the Dubai International Free Center.

The Tokenization Regulatory Sandbox forms part of the DFSA’s Innovation Testing License program and supports the regulator’s broader commitment to fostering innovation while maintaining market integrity and protecting investors. Expressions of interest came from a diverse range of sectors that are exploring the tokenization of financial assets and instruments, including those associated with the tokenization of shares, bonds (including Islamic bonds (sukuk)), units in a fund, and the trading and safe custody of those assets – reflecting the broad potential of tokenization across the financial ecosystem.

Interest came from both financial institutions and startups.

Justin Baldacchino, Managing Director, Supervision, DFSA, said, “We are excited to see such strong interest in the DFSA’s Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox and to talk about it at the Dubai FinTech Summit. This momentum supports the DFSA’s strategic commitment – and aligns with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 goal – to position Dubai among the world’s top four global financial hubs by 2033. The sandbox marks a new chapter in our engagement with innovative financial technologies, enabling firms to safely test tokenized solutions in a transparent, measured, and responsible manner, within a well-regulated environment, without being subject to the full suite of regulatory requirements that would otherwise apply.”

The DFSA’s themed sandbox approach enables targeted supervision, constructive regulatory dialogue, and the development of tailored policy responses to emerging financial technologies while fostering responsible innovation in the market.

Following the Expressions of Interest stage, selected firms will be invited to apply for an Innovation Testing License and enter a live testing phase under DFSA oversight, where they can refine their offerings while addressing critical areas such as investor protection, transparency, and financial stability. Upon successful completion of the program, firms may apply to transition to a full, unrestricted license, or withdraw their Innovation Testing License.

Prior to the launch of the tokenization regulatory sandbox, the DFSA has launched an explainer guide for its Innovation Testing License. The Innovation Testing License – the DFSA’s regulatory sandbox – is a restricted financial services license that allows eligible firms to test innovative financial products, services, and business models within a controlled environment with temporary modifications to existing regulatory requirements whilst being subject to close supervisory oversight. Launched in 2017, the Innovation Testing License remains a cornerstone of the DFSA’s approach to support the responsible development of financial technology solutions in the DIFC.

Designed as a practical tool for firms interested in applying for the license, the DFSA’s Innovation Testing License explainer guide offers clear and accessible information on how to engage with the DFSA’s regulatory sandbox, test innovative solutions, and navigate the path to full authorization. It outlines the purpose of the license, eligibility criteria, application process, and obligations firms must meet during the testing phase.

rootVX, a tokenization studio with advanced ledger, money, and data storage capabilities, whose solutions operate within regulatory frameworks and feature a programmable payment rail tailored to modern use cases, has been accepted into Qatar’s Digital Assets Lab launched by Qatar Financial Center.

According to RootVX this is a powerful step forward in their mission to reshape financial markets through tokenization. rootVX seeks to unlock global investment opportunities in a secure, compliant and user centric way.

In January 2025, Qatar Financial Center Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) published their growth in 2024, noting that they welcomed 836 new firms to its platform, a 156 percent growth compared to 2023 as well as 29 firms into its Qatar Digital Assets Lab. Since January QFC has also welcomed five other digital assets companies including Stobox, Alloxyz and others.

QFC also signed 24 memoranda of understanding in 2024, including agreements with prestigious financial institutions such as Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), Masraf Al Rayan, Dukhan Bank, The Hashgraph Association, and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment. QFC established other significant partnerships during the year, including a memorandum of understanding with Qatar Media City and a collaboration agreement with Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), aimed at facilitating business setup in the State of Qatar

This week, Qatar Development Bank released the fifth edition of its annual Venture Investment Report 2024, in collaboration with MAGNiTT Research. The publication is part of QDB’s ongoing commitment to supporting Qatar’s investment sector and strengthening its foundations.

The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Qatar’s investment landscape, enhances transparency, and offers access to data on the venture capital industry including the activities of investment funds that foster entrepreneurship and bolster the contribution of the private sector to Qatar’s economic growth.

The report also underscored fintech as the leading sector in Qatar, accounting for 29% of deals in 2024, an increase of 12% from 2023, highlighting the success of initiatives driven by QDB’s Qatar FinTech Hub.

AltNovel, an Abu Dhabi-based private markets platform regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) at ADGM, has partnered with 3iQ, a global digital asset investment manager recently acquired by Japanese Monex Gorup, to launch the AltNovel Digital Access Portfolio (ADAP), digital asset Multi-Strategy Fund in the Middle East.

As per the press release, ADAP is a multi-strategy portfolio of alpha-oriented digital asset hedge funds that seek to deliver high absolute returns with a reduced correlation to traditional assets and hedge funds. The fund seeks improved risk-adjusted returns versus other assets such as Bitcoin, stocks and other digital assets.


It aims to deliver lower volatility and drawdowns relative to long-only digital assets targeting annualized returns of over 20% and mitigating drawdowns to as low as 2.4%.


Designed for professional qualified investors, the fund will combine 3iQ’s expertise in digital asset management with AltNovel’s innovative portfolio structuring, to offer a diversified and balanced exposure to this rapidly growing asset class.

“This partnership is a milestone for AltNovel as we continue to focus on bringing high quality investment solutions to private investors in the GCC from our home in the ADGM,” said Stergios Voskopoulos, CEO of AltNovel. “Digital assets represent the next frontier in portfolio diversification, and this collaboration with a sector leader like 3iQ aligns with our commitment to offering forward institutional-grade, highly customizable digital asset investment opportunities tailored to their evolving needs.”

“The United Arab Emirates is at the forefront of financial innovation and robust digital assets regulation. As part of our global expansion plan, we are excited to partner with AltNovel to bring our expertise in risk management and digital asset strategies to the region. We are seeing an increasing demand for institutional risk-managed solutions,” said Pascal St-Jean, President and CEO of 3iQ.

The fund will provide diversified exposure to digital asset investment strategies with the objective of reducing volatility while delivering superior returns. This partnership underscores the firms’ shared belief in the potential of digital assets to transform the global financial landscape.

In an update posted on Mantra Chain website, based on JP Mullin, CEO of Mantra Chain discussion with Henri Arslanian during Token 2049 on stage, offered an update on the OM Token debacle.

The blog post authored by Mullin notes that the focus is on decentralization. The team is accelerating their validator diversification efforts by winding down internal validators while adding more support partners. Mullin states, “By the end of Q2 2025, we’ll have reduced internal validators by half and onboarded 50 total external partner validators.”

The Tokenomics dashboard created after the price drop will continue to be live. Already Mullin had burned his 150 million staked OM Tokens to show his commitment to the projects and to the recovery while trying to rebuild trust.

MANTRA Chain continued to operate without interruption during the price drop, even with transaction volumes at all-time highs. Additionally, Mantra Chain has launched OMSTEAD, our MANTRA Chain EVM testnet currently in Alpha. ‍

Mullin also carried out a call to action when it comes to crypto exchanges. He states, ‍”This is bigger than MANTRA. Liquidation cascades could happen to any project in the crypto industry. Policies that allow aggressive leverage positions create substantial systemic risk. We’re cooperating with major exchanges to improve market stability, and we’re calling on the rest of our industry to provide input on how exchange policies can minimize (or continue to permit) policies that create risk to investors.”

He added that the path ahead requires methodical, transparent rebuilding. He states, “We’re designing systems that both significantly reduce the risk of similar incidents and also create a fundamentally more decentralized protocol and token.”

Mantra Chain had signed a $1 billion tokenization deal with DAMAC as well as a $500 million deal with MAG Group. Yet recently MAG Group announced a new tokenization of assets worth $3 billion with MultiBank mentioning the same properties that had been mentioned in their initial agreement with Mantra Chain.

It is obvious that UAE MAG real estate developer who just announced a $3 billion tokenization deal with MultiBank Group, a financial derivatives institution in UAE, has dropped its previous agreement with Mantra Chain valued at $500 million.

The property assets MAG mention in their current announcement with MultiBank, and Mavryk, a Layer 1 blockchain tokenization infrastructure provider are the same as those they had previously mentioned with Mantra Chain.

In July 2024, MAG Group had announced that it would tokenize $500 million of RWA with Mantra Chain, the Layer 1 Blockchain tokenization platform, whose OM Token recently lost 90% of its value. At the time the press release noted that MAG would tokenize assets in tranches and would include residential projects such as Keturah Reserve, which is being built by MAG as well as the $75 million mega-mansion at ‘The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Dubai, Creekside’ development, where investors would earn yield through stablecoins and Mantra’s OM token.

Woo and Behold today MAG in its announcement with Multibank and Mavryk are tokenizing the same exact property assets. As noted in the press release, ” The partnership will bring MAG’s high-value real estate developments, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Dubai, Creekside, part of the Keturah Resort, and Keturah Reserve, onto the blockchain, making them available to global investors via MultiBank.io’s fully regulated RWA marketplace. Once launched, holders of the RWA assets will be able to earn yield distributed daily on the MultiBank.io platform.”

There still might be remnants of the deal with Mantra Chain given that the current press release says that part of the Keturah Resort will be tokenized in the deal with MultiBank, which might leave some assets for the initial deal with MantraChain. Interestingly the new press release does not build on or mention the previous agreement with Mantra Chain.

The release goes on to note that the $MBG token will power access, staking, fee payments, and platform engagement, positioning it as the infrastructure layer behind institutional-grade digital asset offerings.

Each entity will play their role. MAG will provide its premium real estate inventory for tokenization, while Mavryk will deliver the blockchain infrastructure to support on-chain asset issuance and DeFi integrations,while MultiBank Group will oversee regulatory compliance, secondary market liquidity, and platform governance.

Talal Moafaq Al Gaddah, Senior Executive Vice Chairman of MAG, said, “At MAG, we have always been driven by excellence and a passion for shaping the property landscape of tomorrow. Partnering with MultiBank Group marks a milestone in broadening access to high-value developments and unlocking liquidity via blockchain.”

“This isn’t just a real estate deal, it is a flagship use case for the $MBG token. By enabling seamless access to $3B in tokenized property, MultiBank becomes the bridge between regulated finance and next-generation investment infrastructure.” said Zak Taher, Founder and CEO of MultiBank.io.

The platform is built to scale up to $10 billion in assets, setting the stage for a new era of programmable ownership and compliant digital investing, with $MBG at its foundation.

At the end of 2024, MAG Group Holding’s portfolio of current and under development projects across its different real estate subsidiaries has reached AED 43.7 billion ($11.9 billion).

COTI an EVM-compatible L2 Blockchain focused on privacy technology with its COTI V2 that provides a developer-friendly ecosystem that has fast and scalable access to Ethereum, has joined Saudi Arabia’s AI and Blockchain Center (SAAIBC), which brings together Saudi Arabian leaders, policymakers, and practitioners through a shared mission to accelerate AI and blockchain adoption across MENA and broader Africa.

As per the post, COTI’s involvement reflects a continued interest in the region and in the application of real-world assets (RWAs) to bridge traditional finance with blockchain economies. COTI will bring deep insight into compliant confidentiality, auditability, and ways to bridge the gap between traditional finance and Web3 technologies.

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 aims to transform the Kingdom into a global AI powerhouse with unparalleled levels of investment. This includes the Public Investment Fund (PIF), a $40 billion AI fund, and Project Transcendence, a $100 billion initiative to build investment into data centers, startups, and AI infrastructure. Strategic partnerships — such as a $1.5 billion commitment from AI chip startup Groq — further reinforce the Kingdom’s ambitions to leverage technologies on a global scale. The result is that Saudi’s AI market alone is forecast to grow to approximately $61.85 billion by 2033, expanding at an impressive CAGR of 46.6%.

“This is a rare opportunity to shape blockchain policy and infrastructure at an early stage throughout the Africa and MENA region. By bringing together infrastructure providers, including COTI, with investors, government officials, and businesses, we will be able to trial meaningful projects with input from all relevant stakeholders — giving the greatest possible chance of success.” — Shahaf Bar-Geffen, CEO, COTI


SAABIC announced its formation today during the Real-World-Asset Summit in Dubai. SAABIC members joined the RWA Summit roundtable alongside top leaders from government, investment, and technology to address the major challenges to tokenization across MENA and broader Africa. Held at the iconic Burj Al Arab, and coinciding with the TOKEN2049 conference, the event brought together a cohort of 40 distinguished guests — including notable government leaders and royal family members from the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Republic of Nigeria, Republic of Sierra Leone, France, and the United Kingdom — as well as investors representing nearly half a trillion USD in AUM.

Discussions centered around issues such as regulatory clarity, trust-building between TradFi and DeFi, and the future of asset tokenization.