UAE

Egypt’s Largest Bank Joins Ripple Network for Cross-Border Payments

Egypt is in the top five nations globally in terms of remittance flows from ex-pat communities.

Business  ·  19 May 2021

Central Banks of China, UAE Join Hong Kong-Thailand CBDC Payments Project

The project will explore the capabilities of a DLT-based central bank digital currency in regional payments.

Tech  ·  23 February 2021
Payments

Dubai Free Zone Becomes First UAE Government Entity to Accept Bitcoin

The free zone accepts payments in bitcoin, ether and the tether stablecoin.

Business  ·  17 February 2021
CBDCs

Bilateral Saudi, UAE Digital Currency Experiment Shows Benefits of Distributed Ledgers, Central Banks Say

A joint Saudi and UAE CBDC pilot found that a distributed payment system offers “significant improvement over centralized payment systems.”

News  ·  29 November 2020
Regulation

BitOasis Clears Hurdle in Bid to Launch Regulated Crypto Asset Exchange

BitOasis has secured an in-principle approval, taking it one step closer to offering a regulated crypto exchange to the Middle East.

Policy & regulation  ·  13 May 2019
Exchanges

Bithumb Kicks Off Middle East Expansion With UAE Crypto Exchange

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb plans to expand in the Middle East, starting with a licensed exchange in the UAE.

Policy & regulation  ·  12 February 2019
Thailand

Two Remittance Firms Go Live With Ripple-Based Payments to Thailand

Remittance firms UAE Exchange and Unimoni now offer blockchain-based payments to Thailand using RippleNet.

Markets  ·  11 February 2019
Banking

Saudi Arabia, UAE Aim to Cut Payments Costs With Common Digital Currency

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are hoping a shared digital currency can cut remittance costs between the two countries.

Policy & regulation  ·  29 January 2019
Payments

UAE Remittance Firm Launching Ripple-Based Payments in Q1 2019

Abu Dhabi-based money transmitter UAE Exchange is working with Ripple to launch blockchain remittances to Asia early next year.

Business  ·  13 December 2018
Banking

Blockchain ‘Radically Simplifies’ KYC, Say UAE Trial Participants

An Abu Dhabi financial center and KPMG say they have successfully completed a trial of a blockchain-based know-your-customer application.

Policy & regulation  ·  5 December 2018
Regulation

United Arab Emirates to Allow ICOs as Corporate Funding Option

The U.A.E. plans to introduce regulations that would permit initial coin offerings to be used as a means of fundraising for domestic companies.

Policy & regulation  ·  8 October 2018
News

Oil Data Firm Platts Rolls Out Commercial Blockchain Platform

Energy markets data provider S&P Global Platts has announced the commercial deployment of a blockchain network for sharing oil inventories.

Markets  ·  22 February 2018
Regulation

UAE Financial Watchdog Warns Investors Over ICO Risks

A financial regulator in the UAE has issued a warning to investors on the risks of participating in token sale activities.

Policy & regulation  ·  5 February 2018
Regulation

The Transformed Role of Government in the Blockchain Era

Embracing change might not be easy for governments, but it can be done, according to the head of Dubai's ambitious blockchain agenda.

Policy & regulation  ·  18 December 2017
Payments

Saudi, UAE Central Banks Team Up to Test Cryptocurrency

The central banks of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are reportedly testing a new cryptocurrency for cross-border payments.

Policy & regulation  ·  13 December 2017