Latest News on Middle East

Paribu has bought a majority stake in Dubai- and Bahrain-licensed CoinMENA in a deal valuing the exchange at up to $240 million.

Ripple’s dollar-backed stablecoin secures a major regulatory win as Abu Dhabi allows licensed firms to use RLUSD inside its international financial center.

Federal Decree Law No. 6 expands the UAE central bank’s authority over DeFi, ending the “just code” defense and imposing penalties of up to $272 million.

After accumulating around $8 billion worth of losses and debt, Iran’s Ayandeh Bank has been dissolved, with customer assets absorbed by the state-owned Bank Melli.

Turkey’s $200 billion crypto market leads the MENA region, but has been fueled more by speculative activity than by sustainable adoption, according to Chainalysis.

The license came eight months after the regulator gave the company in-principle approval, and a few weeks after Bybit secured a non-operational license for Dubai.

As part of its cooperation with Bahrain Fintech Bay, Ripple aims to bring its custody solution and RLUSD stablecoin to Bahrain’s financial institutions.

“It’s a treasurer’s dream,” said QNB’s Kamel Moris, highlighting how the bank’s shift to JPMorgan’s Kinexys blockchain enables near-instant, 24/7 payments.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Finance said the government will roll out the framework in 2027 and begin sharing information in 2028.

P2P.org executive outlines what it takes to make restaking institution-ready: risk clarity, operational tooling and plug-and-play access.

SC Ventures plans to launch a digital asset fund in 2026, with a focus on global digital asset investment opportunities.

UAE’s holdings were previously speculated to be as much as 420,000 Bitcoin from sources such as criminal seizures. The new figures are far less impressive.

As Asia and the Middle East lead crypto adoption, success no longer comes from avoiding regulation, but mastering compliance to unlock true scale.

A VARA spokesperson told Cointelegraph that while mutual license recognition is a feature, it does not mean automatic passporting to different emirates.

Gaming, daily purchases and travel bookings emerge as categories where Gen Z users strongly prefer cryptocurrency.