The first blockchain school in the Middle East will open in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, according to an announcement by the BSV Blockchain Association. The new institution will reportedly provide training and development tools for government organizations and enterprises interested in adopting or experimenting with blockchain technology. Per the announcement, the Saudi Blockchain Academy (SDA) will work with the Swiss-based Bitcoin SV (BSV) Blockchain industry association to educate experts about new technologies, assisting in implementing Saudi Vision 2030. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia established the SDA as a major national project to …

Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) has revealed that it is researching issuing a digital currency. The central bank digital currency (CBDC) would be linked to the Jordanian dinar and have legal standing. Adel Al Sharkas, the governor of CBJ, has reportedly stated that his institution is researching the option of creating a legal digital currency. He also predicted that cryptocurrency trading might eventually be permitted in Jordan once the appropriate legislation is in place. He said: “With regards to the plans to issue a Jordanian digital currency, a study is underway to develop a legal digital currency linked to Jordanian …

The United Arab Emirates’ postal operator is issuing nonfungible token (NFT) stamps to commemorate the federation’s 50th National Day, offering further evidence that digital collectibles are gaining mainstream appeal globally. Emirates Post Group, or EPG for short, announced this week that it has become the first postal organization in the Middle East and North Africa to issue digital-collectible stamps. The new stamps, which will be unveiled on the Dec. 2 National Holiday, consist of blockchain-based digital twins that will be sold as digital collectibles linked to their physical counterparts. A total of four stamps, each with a distinct design consisting …

Dubai-based cryptocurrency trading platform BitOasis is expanding in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with another major funding round. BitOasis closed a $30-million Series B funding round led by Chicago-based venture capital firm Jump Capital and Dubai-based VC company Wamda Capital, according to a Tuesday announcement. Wamda previously invested in BitOasis back in 2016, leading a seed funding round of an undisclosed sum. The latest round included new investors, such as Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto trading firm Alameda Research, and Global Founders Capital, as well as existing investors, including Pantera Capital, Digital Currency Group and Belgium-based investment firm NXMH. The …

A Redditor living in Yemen’s capital city of Sana'a claims to be using cryptocurrencies to buy food packages for families unable to access supplies during an ongoing civil war. According to a Thursday Reddit post from user yemenvoice, the Yemen national has raised thousands of dollars in crypto donations to be used towards fighting starvation in the Middle Eastern nation. They claim to have provided 22 families with flour, rice, oil and beans and hope to reach 30 more in the near future. “I have tried very hard to help my people by finding any possible way,” said yemenvoice. “I …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Dubai are among the friendliest jurisdictions for the cryptocurrency industry, according to Stephen Stonberg, CEO of Bittrex Global crypto exchange. Dubai is likely to benefit from the expanding crypto market in the Middle East as local regulators increasingly accept blockchain-related technologies, Stonberg said in a Sunday Bloomberg interview. The UAE and Dubai are “doing all the right things and they’re going to attract a lot of regional projects” in the cryptocurrency industry, Stonberg said. He stated that these jurisdictions provide a “great place” to set up a token project or run a cryptocurrency exchange, …

“One of the greatest tragedies in life,” according to author K. L. Toth, “is to lose your own sense of self and accept the version of you that is expected by everyone else.” For the people of Afghanistan — almost 40 million of them — the loss of self, as well as the loss of life, has become a brutal reality. With the Taliban in control, chaos now reigns supreme. As businesses shut down, tens of thousands of people are desperately trying to flee the country. Moreover, as the political system collapses, so too does the financial one. As CNBC’s …

Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Iran under Hassan Rouhani, has called on all legally operating crypto miners in the country to stop producing coins. According to a Wednesday report from the Tasnim News Agency, Jahangiri said at a meeting with officials of the Ministry of Energy that the electricity restrictions for Iranians were likely to continue until early August, purportedly in line with Rouhani’s previously announced prohibition on crypto mining. The president said in May that crypto mining would be banned in the country until September in an attempt to conserve power during the summer months. “We will …

A new bill drafted by the Iranian Parliament Commission on Economy aims to restrict the use of cryptocurrencies within the country while providing a clearer legal framework for miners. According to a Friday report from the Tasnim News Agency, lawmakers drafted a bill titled “Support for cryptocurrency mining and organizing the domestic market for exchanges,” which the country’s parliament first announced on June 23. If passed, the legislation would make Iran’s central bank the regulatory authority for the exchange of cryptocurrencies in the country. Under the bill, all cryptocurrencies could be prohibited within Iran for payments except for a "national" …

Last week’s market-wide price crash caused central banks around the world to issue warnings about the risks of investing in cryptocurrencies. The Central Bank of Kuwait was no exception, and on Saturday, it issued a statement to warn the public about volatility in cryptocurrency markets. The Central Bank of Kuwait stated that crypto assets are not real currencies even though they are commonly called cryptocurrencies. According to the statement, only a lawful state can issue real currency as a symbol of sovereignty: “The real currency is regulated by state authorities such as central banks or monetary institutions. It is considered …

The Blockchain Research Institute (BRI) has revealed plans to expand into several continents mid-year through partnerships with several banks, foundations, and organizations. The independent global think-tank for distributed ledger research already operates in Europe and Brazil, and will establish hubs of innovation and research in new regional centers. The goal is to educate and strategize how blockchain and other emerging technologies can be implemented across business, government, and society. The Blockchain Research Institute is opening up an African branch in collaboration with Standard Bank Group, a financial institution that offers banking and financial services to individuals, institutions, and corporations in …

Bull market cycles in the cryptocurrency market can be exhilarating for day traders and long-term investors alike, but the speed at which the prices move can make it a challenge for promising new projects that are looking to catch the momentum before the cycle plays itself out. This reality has led to some projects listed on exchanges in the form of token IOUs so that interested parties can get in on the trading action before the token is officially released. Polkadot (DOT) is one of the most well-known examples of a token that went through this process. Casper (CSPR), a …