BSV Stories – Episode 4: Middle East joins the global blockchain race

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Humans are competitive. Throughout the ages, global superpowers have competed for resources, for influence and for prosperity. Today, this fundamental human conflict is between the technologies of tomorrow and the outdated systems of the past, as the world moves increasingly towards the inevitability of a digital future.

At the forefront of the tech frontier is blockchain, a revolutionary technology capable of storing and processing the most fundamentally important asset of our times—data. And with Bitcoin SV as a new protocol for building and developing the next generation of utility apps and business systems, the possibilities are endless.

CoinGeek’s Claire Celdran visited Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates, to learn more about what the government there is doing to support blockchain and, in particular, BSV enterprise blockchain.

As she noted, people from around the world flock to Dubai to explore business opportunities, an important regional and indeed global hub for financial and tech innovation. It is also particularly supportive of new technologies, and has a track record of being quick to adopt emerging technologies, in a bid to gain first mover advantages.

Celdran caught up with Marwan Alzarouini, the CEO of Dubai Blockchain Center to ask about the role of the technology in the city. He said that Dubai is bold enough to try new technologies, and to take the plunge with emerging tech such as Bitcoin. Already, Alzarouini considers Dubai to be the global leader in public sector implementations of blockchain, ahead of the international field by any measure when it comes to implementing blockchain tech.

With Dubai a key center of commerce for the Middle East and the wider world, and a natural inclination toward supporting and encouraging the development of new technologies, it is a natural choice as a regional hub for Bitcoin.

With the support of Bitcoin Association, Dubai is set to host a new Bitcoin SV Hub, creating a focal point for development and innovation in the sector within the Middle East region. Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen said it was important for BSV to have a presence there, especially given how active the government of Dubai has been in driving implementations of technology in the city.

With the government showing such robust support for the technology and the innovators pushing its boundaries, Nguyen said Dubai was the natural choice for Bitcoin Association in establishing the new hub.

The hub will aim to expand the reach of BSV enterprise blockchain across the Middle East, promoting growth and understanding of the technology throughout the region, as well as nurturing a new generation of BSV developers and innovators.

Already, the team has helped send a delegation from Dubai to Sudan to host a Bitcoin conference there, promoting a technology that is set to help the Sudanese economy pivot from manual to digital, as it continues its economic development journey. This is seen as one early result of Bitcoin Association’s efforts in the region, which can only grow with time.

Thanks to Dubai’s commitment to innovation in tech and finance, the BSV Hub has found a suitable home to launch these regional initiatives. The presence of Bitcoin Association and BSV in the region is a crucial step towards the global adoption of Bitcoin in the original vision as seen by Satoshi Nakamoto in the original Bitcoin whitepaper. With a track record of raising the profile of BSV blockchain all over the world, the launch in Dubai is expected to help further the mission within the region and beyond.

With more countries actively exploring the possibilities with Bitcoin, this is only the start of a new era of transformation.