The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) central bank (UAECB) and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) have announced that the interbank digital currency they are co-developing will be called “Aber.” The news was reported by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority on Jan. 29. A joint statement from the banks has reportedly outlined that the use of Aber will be limited to financial settlements using distributed ledger technologies (DLT) “on a probational basis and [for] exclusive use by a limited number of banks in the two countries.” While news of the two countries’ plans for a digital currency for cross-border interbank settlement …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia have announced an agreement to cooperate on the creation of a cryptocurrency, UAE official news agency Emirate News Agency reports on Jan. 19. According to the report, the Executive Committee of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council has held a meeting in UAE capital Abu Dhabi, with 16 members in total from both countries, in order to discuss the join initiatives in the Strategy of Resolve. The Strategy of Resolve is comprised of seven initiatives, including civil aviation, financial awareness youth training, and the development of a cross-border digital currency. According to the article, …

Indian police have arrested an associate of a group accused of conducting a crypto scam involving 5 billion rupees (about $71.6 million), English-language local media The Indian Express reports Jan. 7. This is the fourth arrest of the ongoing case and reportedly occurred a year after Thane police uncovered the alleged scam in Mumbai. The man, Rohit Kumar, has reportedly been arrested by Delhi police acting on a complaint from a Kanpur resident. According to the police, Amit Lakhanpal — the man who launched the allegedly scam cryptocurrency — is the CEO of a real estate firm. The police also …

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking to join the list of leading destinations for blockchain-related businesses in 2019 due to promising new crypto legislation. Experts commented on the situation to the UAE’s daily newspaper The National on Monday, Dec. 24. As the UAE has announced a new legal framework for initial coin offerings (ICO) and hinted about possible regulation for crypto exchanges, experts see a possibility for the country to join Malta and Gibraltar as a popular crypto destination. Hans Fraikin, CEO of Libra Project — a blockchain-driven impact investing program — told The National that the UAE is …

A financial regulator of United Arab Emirates (UAE) will introduce initial coin offering (ICO) regulations in the country by the end of the first half of next year. This development was reported by English-language local news outlet The National on Dec. 21. The Securities and Commodities Authority of UAE (SCA), which regulates and monitors the markets, will reportedly work with the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Dubai Financial Market to develop a platform for ICO token trading. The SCA chief executive, Obad Al Zaabi, declared that the regulator has “signed agreements with law firms to come up with the sandbox …

The Advisory Council of the United Arab Emirates Banks Federation (UBF) discussed applying blockchain in its member banks, according to the Dubai-based English language newspaper Gulf News on Dec. 17. The Advisory Council of UBF, a non-profit organization representing 50 member banks in the country, considered using blockchain to improve Know Your Customer (KYC) processes at entrant banks. UBF’s chairman, Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, claimed that the discussed initiative represents an effort to create and maintain a “thriving banking ecosystem.” Participants also discussed issues pertaining to the country’s national digital transformation program and Emiratization — a government employment initiative to …

United Arab Emirates-based UAE Exchange has partnered with Ripple to launch blockchain-based cross-border remittances to Asia by Q1 2019, Reuters reports Dec. 13. According to the report, UAE Exchange, a part of payments and foreign exchange company Finablr, is among the key players in the Middle East region, which sees high levels of remittance inflows from expatriate workers. As Reuters notes, Asia was one of the largest recipients of the $613 billion in remittances estimated to have been sent globally in 2017. While remittances are at present largely sent via foreign exchange branches, CEO of Finablr Promoth Manghat has said …

The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) central bank is collaborating with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) to issue a cryptocurrency accepted in cross-border transactions between the two countries. English-language Dubai-based media outlet GulfNews reported on this collaboration on Dec. 12. Mubarak Rashed Al Mansouri, the governor of the UAE’s central bank, said during a meeting on the global banking standards and regulation for the Arab region that: “This is probably the first time ever that witnesses the cooperation of monetary authorities from different countries on this topic and we hope that this achievement will foster similar collaboration in our region.” …

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has successfully collaborated with IBM to pilot a blockchain supply chain system, according to an ADNOC press release published on Dec. 9. The release notes that ADNOC — a state-owned oil company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) — is reportedly among the world’s leading energy and petrochemical groups, with a daily output of about 3 million barrels of oil and 10.5 cubic feet of natural gas. The pilot project has “provided a single platform that tracks the quantities and financial values of each bilateral transaction” between the involved companies automating the accounting, …

An international financial free zone within the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has concluded the first phase of its blockchain-based Know Your Customer (KYC) utility project, according to an ADGM press release, Dec. 4. The Abu Dhabi Global Market’s (ADGM) regulatory body, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) along with Big Four audit firm KPMG have published a review of the project’s “successful” first phase in order to provide key takeaways for members of the financial industry. The review outlines the project’s development over a period of four months, together with a consortium of major UAE-based financial institutions …

The Second United Arab Emirates (UAE) Government Annual Meetings concluded with the introduction of two initiatives pertaining to blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI), the Emirates News Agency reported Nov. 28. At the meeting hosted by the governmental AI and Blockchain Joint Working Group, participants addressed strategies to attract foreign investment and create necessary technological infrastructure, as well as potential challenges related to blockchain and AI adoption. The meeting announced the launch of the AI and Blockchain Guide Initiative, which aims to develop a standardized definition of the technologies on the federal level, as well as introduce the concepts of AI …

Al Hilal Bank, based in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced it has completed “the world’s first sukuk transaction” with the use of blockchain technology, Reuters reports Nov. 26. Sukuk, a legal instrument also known as “sharia compliant” bonds, allows investors to generate returns without infringing on Islamic law. Reuters notes that Abu Dhabi’s Al Hilal Bank has used the distributed ledger technology (DLT) to “to sell and settle in the secondary market a small portion of its $500 million five-year sukuk,” adding: “Al Hilal Bank is aiming to transform the sukuk market through embracing blockchain and …