The Middle East & North Africa region ranks as the seventh-largest crypto market globally in 2024, accounting for 7.5% of the world’s total transaction volume, according to Chainalysis. And as always, $BTC remains the leading asset, driving both institutional and retail interest across the region.
What really caught my attention is how quickly MENA is shaping its own approach to crypto. If you’re curious to dive deeper, I came across an insightful article and pulled out a few highlights that stood out to me 👇
🔹 Tokenization in Bahrain
The Central Bank of Bahrain updated its framework to include Digital Token Offerings. This both strengthens investor protection and expands opportunities for licensed firms. For me, it’s a great example of regulation keeping pace with innovation.
🔹 Saudi Arabia and UAE Crypto Developments
I found it especially interesting that Volodymyr Nosov, Founder and President of WhiteBIT Group, met with Prince Naif bin Abdullah in Saudi Arabia to explore collaboration in blockchain infrastructure and digital banking. Meanwhile, Ripple secured DFSA approval to offer regulated crypto payment services in Dubai. These moves show the region is open to global partnerships.
🔹 SCA & VARA Partnership in the UAE
The collaboration between regulators streamlines licensing processes for virtual asset service providers (VASPs), making market entry faster and clearer while maintaining strong compliance. This step builds transparency and trust - both essential for a thriving digital asset ecosystem.
📌 So, MENA isn’t just following global $BTC trends - it’s actively shaping them. To me, this looks like a deliberate push to balance innovation with regulation, which could turn the region into a global benchmark for crypto adoption.
Top comments (0)