UAE blockchain firm links with powerhouse Roland Berger

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Crypto Oasis, a Dubai-based organisation claiming to represent more than 1,000 startups and stakeholders in the blockchain industry, has formed an alliance with management consultancy Roland Berger to help grow the Middle East’s crypto economy.

The strategic tie-up will combine Roland Berger’s industry-leading management consulting expertise with Crypto Oasis’s talent, innovation and infrastructure, the two parties said today.  

“Our ecosystem members will have access to [Roland Berger’s] world-class management consultancy that will support them as they embrace the opportunities to transform their business and use blockchain solutions,” said Crypto Oasis’s founder Ralf Glabischnig.

“With Roland Berger’s strong presence among governments and corporations, we expect this partnership to help us develop meaningful connections with them.”

“Crypto Oasis has a strong ecosystem network of organisations that are breakthrough innovators and are leapfrogging ahead,” added Pierre Samaties, a partner at Roland Berger who leads the firm’s global crypto economy team.

“As we assist companies in their journey towards the crypto economy, it is vital to have access to the latest innovation and talent in this fast-moving space.”

Under the agreement, the two companies will work to release thought leadership reports to further education and inform the market of the evolving world of blockchain, among its other work, he added.

Blockchain is an electronic transaction-processing and archiving system that its proponents say allows parties to track information in a highly secure digital system.

It is the underlying software enabling transactions of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin but it can also be used to facilitate more conventional transactions such as property sales and other contracts.

The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) is looking to blockchain and other types of fintech to help diversify their economies and keep pace with global digital trends.

Crypto Oasis is a venture building company which aims to build the blockchain ecosystem in the UAE and across the rest of MENA by working with startups, governments, funders, researchers, service providers, corporates, and other stakeholders.

It has identified more than 1,000 organisations involved in the blockchain industry in the UAE alone and aims to grow that figure to 1,500 across MENA by the end of this year, according to its website.

Roland Berger is an international management consultancy and strategic advisory firm headquartered in Munich and with offices in 52 countries.

It has identified an opportunity to align itself with the fast-growing crypto segment in the MENA region and is working with investment funds, companies and governments to connect them to blockchain-based firms. 

Its recent work includes acting as the strategic advisor for a regional bitcoin mining facility and the set-up of a tokenised green asset exchange.  

The collaboration with Crypto Oasis will be “mutually beneficial” and aim to help clients develop specific cryto economy strategies, and identify use cases and investment opportunities to grow the Middle East’s blockchain space.