VARA Raises AML Expectations for Dubai Crypto Firms After 2026 Review unlock-bc.com/en/vara-raises… @varadubai #Dubai #UAE #AML_CFT

Binance bStocks Launch Puts ADGM in Tokenized Securities Spotlight unlock-bc.com/en/binance-bst… @BinanceArabic @binance #Tokenized_securities @ADGlobalMarket #UAE

BitGo MENA Electronic Trading Launch Expands Dubai’s Institutional Crypto Infrastructure unlock-bc.com/en/bitgo-mena-… @BitGo #BitGo_MENA #UAE #Dubai #VARA

Dubai’s digital asset market is entering a new phase. With the launch of regulated electronic trading, @BitGo MENA is expanding beyond custody into execution, settlement, liquidity, and risk infrastructure under @varadubai oversight. The development reflects a broader shift in the UAE: from licensing digital asset firms to building operational institutional market infrastructure. For institutions, the real differentiator may not be trading access alone, but custody-based settlement models designed to reduce counterparty and operational risk. As digital asset adoption matures, execution quality, settlement efficiency, and liquidity access are becoming just as important as regulatory approvals. Read more: unlock-bc.com/en/bitgo-mena-… #Dubai #MENA #UAE #Bitgo #VARA #cryptoCustody #DigitalAssets #ElectronicTrading

MGX and Phoenix Place UAE Capital Behind France’s AI Rise unlock-bc.com/en/mgx-and-pho… #AI #France @EmmanuelMacron @phoenixgroupuae @mgx_ai #UAE #choose_france_summit

Paxos SEC Approval Pushes Blockchain Settlement Into Market Infrastructure unlock-bc.com/en/paxos-sec-a… @Paxos #Blockchain #SEC

@okx is pushing X Layer beyond DeFi access and into market infrastructure ⤵️ With Exchange OS, builders can now launch spot, perpetuals, and outcomes markets directly on X Layer using shared exchange-grade infrastructure, including matching, margining, liquidation, settlement, and risk systems. This is bigger than just a product launch. It reflects a broader shift happening across crypto: exchanges are no longer only competing as trading platforms. They are becoming infrastructure providers. The exchange may not just be an app where users trade. It actually may become the architecture beneath wallets, AI agents, liquidity networks, and entire on-chain market ecosystems. Details below 👇 unlock-bc.com/en/okx-exchang… #OKX #Blockchain #Crypto #Web3 #DeFi #XLayer #Trading #DigitalAssets #Infrastructure #AI

🏆 Top 20 Performing CEOs of 2025 We are glad to recognize Richard Teng, Co-CEO of Binance, as one of this year’s Top 20 Performing CEOs of 2025. With decades of leadership across financial services, regulation, and digital assets, Richard has played a defining role in driving Binance’s global growth through compliance, innovation, and institutional trust. Under his leadership, Binance surpassed 300 million users worldwide, strengthened its regulatory framework, secured major approvals including ADGM authorization, and expanded initiatives that support education, payments innovation, and the future of digital assets. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. #Unlock_Top20_CEOs #Leadership #Binance #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #Web3 #MENA #CEOAwards #BusinessLeadership @binance @_RichardTeng

🏆 Top 20 Performing CEOs 2025 We are proud to recognize Dr. Marwan Alzarouni, CEO of AI at Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism and CEO of Dubai Blockchain Center, as a Top 20 Performing CEO in 2025. A globally recognized leader in blockchain, artificial intelligence, and digital security, Dr. Alzarouni has played a defining role in advancing Dubai’s position as a global hub for emerging technologies. Through his leadership, he continues to shape the future of technology and responsible innovation across the region and beyond. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition. #Unlock_Top20_CEOs #Leadership #Binance #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #Web3 #MENA #CEOAwards #BusinessLeadership @drmarwan

UNLOCK TOP 20 CEO 2025 WINNERS HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN ANNOUNCED! 🎊 This year’s list reflects something bigger than individual recognition. It captures a #UAE digital assets market that is becoming more institutional, more regulated, and more connected to the future of financial infrastructure. One of the strongest signals this year? #Banks and financial institutions are now part of the conversation. #Digitalassets are no longer operating at the edge of finance. #Stablecoins, #custody, #tokenization, and digital payments are pushing the industry deeper into mainstream financial systems. Congratulations to all #winners and #nominees who continue building through a more demanding and more mature market cycle. You make all the difference. Check out the list below 👇 unlock-bc.com/en/unlock-top-… #Unlock_TOP_20 #Unlock_TOP_20_2025 #award #recongnition #Digital_assets #UAE #MENA #Dubai #UnlockBlockchain

Voting for the TOP 20 Performing CEOs of 2025 is officially closed. A sincere thank you to everyone who nominated, voted, and helped recognize the leaders shaping the future of digital assets and Web3 across MENA. This year’s response has been exceptional, reflecting the strength of the ecosystem and the importance of leadership during defining times. The community has spoken. Now, the official Top 20 winners will be announced soon. Stay tuned. #Unlock_Top20_CEOs #Leadership #Rankings #DigitalAssets #Blockchain #Web3 #MENA #CEOAwards #BusinessLeadership

@phoenixgroupuae is entering Europe’s AI infrastructure race through a strategic partnership with #DCMax to develop its first AI-ready data center in #Lyon, #France. The project marks the launch of Phoenix’s European Data Center Platform targeting 1GW of AI and HPC capacity across Europe and the GCC. More than a data center expansion, the move positions the Abu Dhabi-headquartered company at the intersection of AI compute demand, sovereign infrastructure, and energy strategy. Read more: unlock-bc.com/en/phoenix-gro… #phoenixgroup #Datacenters #AI #UAE #Europe #GCC #AIInfrastructure #partnership

Morocco is moving from crypto ambiguity to enforcement. The Office des Changes has begun targeting residents holding crypto assets abroad—signaling stricter oversight ahead of a new regulatory framework inspired by MiCA. Morocco is not simply introducing crypto regulation—it is resetting market conditions before doing so. By enforcing exchange control rules ahead of legalization, Moroccan authorities are following a model already visible in the UAE: define the rules, enforce boundaries, then scale the market within a licensed framework. Together, both approaches reflect a broader regional convergence: crypto markets are moving from informal participation toward structured, regulated financial systems where access is permissioned, not open. Read more: unlock-bc.com/en/moroccos-ex… #Morocco #UAE #CryptoRegulation #DigitalAssets #MiCA #MENA #Fintech

⏳ Only 9 days left to close voting for the Top 20 Performing CEOs 2025! Behind every breakthrough in Web3, digital assets, and payments across MENA, there are visionary leaders driving real impact. Whether you’re supporting your industry peers, your own CEO, or a leader you believe deserves the spotlight, make your vote count. Vote now: unlock-bc.com/en/rankings/to… Let’s celebrate the leaders building the future of blockchain and digital finance across the region. #Unlock_Top20_CEOs #Web3 #Crypto #DigitalAssets #MENA #Leadership #Fintech #Web3Leaders #FutureOfFinance

Everyone talks about #crypto growth, but #Dubai is doing something else entirely. It’s filtering the market. #VARA’s latest licenses and #approvals show a system where not everyone gets in, and not every #license is equal. As some might think, that’s a slowdown, but no, not really. That’s structure, and structure is what wins long-term. New opinion piece out now 👇 Read on to know more and share your thoughts below. unlock-bc.com/en/dubai-is-bu…

A major step for institutional digital assets from @okx, @BlackRock and @StanChart 👇 The newly announced framework allows BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized Treasury fund to be used as yield-bearing collateral for institutional trading on OKX, while being held in regulated custody with Standard Chartered. What makes this important is not only the partnership itself, but the market structure behind it. Tokenized real-world assets are no longer only about issuance or exposure. They are beginning to enter the core workflows of institutional finance: collateral, margin, custody, liquidity, and capital efficiency. Haider Rafique, Global Managing Partner at OKX, captured the significance clearly: this collaboration shows how tokenized real-world assets can operate at scale, while allowing traditional financial instruments to function seamlessly inside digital markets. For the UAE and the wider region, this is also a strong signal. Institutional digital asset infrastructure is no longer theoretical. It is being built through regulated frameworks, global asset managers, international banks, and platforms that understand both crypto-native markets and institutional requirements. The next phase of tokenization will not be defined only by what can be represented on-chain. It will be defined by what can actually be used. And collateral may become one of the most important use cases. Read the full article on Unlock Blockchain. unlock-bc.com/en/okx-blackro… #OKX #BlackRock #StandardChartered #HaiderRafique #BUIDL #Tokenization #RWA #DigitalAssets #InstitutionalCrypto #CryptoInfrastructure #UAE #Dubai #UnlockBlockchain

OKX, BlackRock and Standard Chartered Turn BUIDL Into Institutional Collateral unlock-bc.com/en/okx-blackro… @okx @BlackRock @StanChart #BUIDL #UAE

More leaders shaping the future of Web3 in MENA ⚡ Today’s nominees: Raheel Ahmed Group CEO RAKBANK, Abdulla A. CEO at The Blockchain Center Abu Dhabi, Rifad Mahasneh CEO MENA at OKX, & Scott Thiel Co-founder & CEO at Tokinvest. Different journeys. Different visions. One thing in common, building the future of this space. Be part of recognizing their impact 👇 🗳️ Vote here: lnkd.in/d_r4tDuV @RAKBANKlive @OKXmena @Tokinvest_Cap @adbc_ae #Web3 #Blockchain #MENA #Leadership #Unlock_TOP20_CEO #Crypto_Leaders_MENA

Today, we opened voting for the Unlock TOP 20 CEO 2025. We are now looking back at 2025 performance from a very different moment in 2026. The region went through a lot. Business went through a lot. And in times like these, it becomes easier to see the difference between noise and real execution. That is why this year’s edition feels more important than ever. This is now the 4th cycle of the ranking. We started in 2023 by recognizing the top performers of 2022, and every year since, the process has become more serious, more selective, and more meaningful. This year, 31 names made it to the final stage. We received more nominations, of course, but not every name could move forward. Some were still in a building phase in 2025. Some were not yet operating at the same level as the shortlisted names. And in a few cases, despite agreeing editorially with the nomination, we did not receive any response from the nominee. Usually, that would mean dropping the nomination. This year, we chose differently in a few cases, because we genuinely believed performance should matter more than responsiveness alone. Some names may look familiar from previous years, and that is completely fair. If someone was recognized once and continued to perform again, they deserve to be recognized again. Consistency matters. And to the new names who made it to this stage for the first time: welcome. Reaching the voting round already says a lot. Congratulations to everyone who made the final list, and best of luck as voting begins. @unlockbc unlock-bc.com/en/unlock-top-… #UnlockBlockchain #TOP20CEO #MENA #Leadership #DigitalAssets #Web3

Dubai’s @varadubai has granted Amber Premium FZE a full #VASPlicense. The #approval allows #AmberPremium, the institutional arm of Amber Group, to offer regulated digital asset services to institutional and high-net-worth clients under #Dubai's virtual asset framework. The move reflects Dubai’s continued positioning as a regulated hub for #institutionalcrypto and #digitalwealth services. Read more: unlock-bc.com/en/vara-grants… #VARA #UAE #licensinggranted #licensing #AmberGroup #wealthmanagement