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Cryptocurrency

Consolidation coming to Gulf fintech, warns $40bn unicorn VP

Consolidation is coming to the Gulf’s fintech sector, according to Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, senior vice president for MENA at global payments processor Checkout.com. The London-headquartered fintech, which offers a full-stack platform that simplifies payments processes for large global enterprise merchants, closed a $1 billion Series D funding round in January. “In my opinion, if you’re […]

  • Analysis

Dubai crypto chief predicts a $200k Bitcoin by 2024

“It might get worse,” Vineet Budki, managing partner and CEO at Cypher Capital, told AGBI when asked: Just how bad is the crypto market crash? Yet, the UAE-based venture capital (VC) firm has been deploying millions in Bitcoin, even as cryptocurrencies suffered their most brutal collapse this year. A major sell-off in cryptocurrencies in May […]

dubai business

Dubai welcomes 45,000 new businesses in 2022 … so far

Dubai has seen a 25 percent rise in the number of new company licences issued in the first six months of 2022, highlighting the impact of the government’s new business incentive initiatives. “As a corporate services provider, I have seen first-hand a significant rise in foreign direct investment into the UAE from several geographies directly […]

Rami Darwish, CEO Arrow Labs
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UAE tech firm Arrow Labs plans major European expansion

Arrow Labs is planning a major expansion into Europe as more companies seek to improve remote working practices. The UAE-based technology company which offers digital workflow solutions, has announced its entry into the Greek market after securing a “significant” new contract with one of the world’s largest industrial gas manufacturing companies. Having attracted renowned Silicon […]

Sanctions won’t dampen Dubai property allure for Russians

The popularity of Dubai among Russian property buyers is unlikely to be dented by a US threat to impose sanctions on UAE banks who process their financial transactions, as most payments are made using cash or cryptocurrency. Dubai-based Mira Estate said its property sales to customers from Russia and the 11 other Commonwealth of Independent […]

Tech workers reap big salaries amid urgent skill shortage

Dubai-based software engineers can earn up to 30 percent more than similar workers in rival tech hubs in Europe, due to an ongoing skills shortage within the sector across the Middle East. Amanda Line, a partner at global consultancy firm PwC, said that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region needs to create 300 […]

UAE seeks 27 trade deals as global growth slows

Global trade growth is forecast to remain resilient this year, expanding at a rate of three percent, despite a fierce onslaught of headwinds, according to the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre.  But that represents a significant slowdown from nearly 10 percent in 2021 when global trade hit a record-high of $28.5 trillion. DMCC’s Future of Trade […]

Dubai International Financial Centre hosted this year's Fintech Week

Crypto is ‘more like a Rolex than currency’

Crypto assets will not become currencies and global regulators should be concerned about the trillions of dollars lost in the cryptocurrency market, a senior investment executive at one of the UAE’s top financial institutions said yesterday. A major sell-off in cryptocurrencies last month wiped over $200 billion of investor wealth from the market in a […]

Changpeng Zhao

Binance CEO warns Gulf banks they must adapt

Banks that fail to catch up with blockchain and decentralised finance technologies will have a “hard time in the future”, the chief executive of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has warned. Changpeng Zhao, CEO and co-founder of Binance, told a conference in Dubai today that embracing these tech advances allowed entrepreneurs to raise tens of […]

Many amateur investors took a hit when cryptocurrencies crashed but there is now a gap to exploit by those with a solid business plan

Crypto crisis will weed out the Gulf’s weak players, say analysts

The region’s cryptocurrency industry has grown rapidly – and is now being hit hard by the worldwide plunge in prices, but experts and businesses are welcoming the shake-up The value of the cryptocurrency market has slumped by more than $2 trillion since November, with bitcoin’s price dropping 70 percent and some in the sector laying […]

  • Analysis

Mena region has record year for startup investment

The geographic location of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) provides access to large markets in Europe, Africa and Asia, and is home to a large, young population.  In a context of geopolitical instability and high unemployment, many of these young people are increasingly seeking new opportunities and looking to improve the world via […]

Arbitrageurs: the funds making tons from messy markets

‘Arb trading’ is not for everyone but can be profitable The crypto market’s a hot mess, leaving many investors struggling to turn a buck. Enter the arbitrageurs. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have either been shackled to ranges or in decline since January, leaving your regular buy-and-hold investor with little option but to sell or to […]

The partnership aims to find - and nurture - skills in areas such as AI and machine learning
  • Analysis

New deal allows Abu Dhabi to tap into global tech talent pool

Abu Dhabi’s latest partnership agreement, part of its $545 million Innovation Programme, will help address urgent skill shortages in the technology sector and widen access to the global talent pool. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) yesterday announced a partnership with global in-house centre consulting firm ANSR and artificial intelligence-powered talent sourcing platform Talent500. ADIO […]

Face, Person, Human

Crypto crash was ‘a blessing’, admits Sarwa founder

Should everyone own cryptocurrencies? “No, definitely not,” Mark Chahwan, co-founder of Sarwa, told AGBI exactly a week after the investing and personal finance platform introduced the option to trade cryptocurrencies. The firm said in a statement that Sarwa Crypto will offer commission-free trading of the world’s four most recognised cryptocurrencies – Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Bitcoin […]

  • Analysis

Crypto users turn to chatbots in crisis

UAE-based crypto exchange BitOasis has seen the number of interactions with its chatbot surge from about 300 late last year, to nearly 3,000 this year after Bitcoin’s violent crash – a total rise of 1,400 percent. Bitcoin, the world’s most valuable cryptocurrency, has more than halved since hitting its all-time high of $69,000 in November […]

Blockchain allows secure transactions of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin

UAE blockchain firm links with powerhouse Roland Berger

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 […]