Decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) protocol peaq has signed a memorandum of understanding with Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) to develop a regulatory framework for onchain robotics and tokenized machines. According to a Thursday press release, the memorandum centers on layer-1 blockchain peaq’s Machine Economy Free Zone, with additional areas of collaboration including guidance for projects…
Cryptocurrency exchange Bybit has secured a Virtual Asset Platform Operator License from the Securities and Commodities Authority of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), eight months after the regulator granted the company in-principle approval. In a Thursday notice, Bybit said approval from the UAE financial regulator would allow the exchange to offer its global products and services to…
MANTRA, a layer-1 network designed for compliant real-world assets (RWAs), has announced that its flagship event, Agentic., will take place on Oct. 21-22 in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi has become the Gulf’s proving ground for compliant digital-asset innovation. The emirate is drawing asset managers, market-infrastructure firms and builders seeking a jurisdiction that blends prudential oversight…
Opinion by: Joshua Chu, co-chair of the Hong Kong Web3 Association It is no secret that Dubai has been aggressively challenging its Asian counterparts for the crown of becoming the world’s next crypto capital. Beneath the gleaming air-conditioned skyscrapers, where supermodels are everywhere at crypto events and pilot blockchain programs, a complex grand strategy is…
Dubai’s crypto regulator fined 19 companies for operating without licenses, signaling a continued push to strengthen oversight and protect investors. On Tuesday, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) announced that it had issued financial penalties and cease-and-desist orders against 19 companies found to be operating outside its regulatory perimeter. VARA said the sanctions were part of its…
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), the agricultural regulator for the emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced a ban on using agricultural land for crypto mining. Violators will face a 100,000 AED fine ($27,229), and the ADAFSA will suspend municipal services, confiscate mining hardware, and disconnect the farmland from…