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Coinfest Asia Returns For 2023 With A Web2.5 Theme
The immersive festival will be held in Bali on 24-25 August 2023 to the delight of crypto enthusiasts, developers, and creators.
Coinfest Asia, the immersive Web3 festival, will return on 24-25 August 2023 in Bali. The previous event hosted over 2,000 participants from 50+ countries, with attendees coming from institutional, retail, and regulatory backgrounds.
For this year’s event, Coinfest Asia will be held under a new theme known as Converge. As the name suggests, Converge will bring together Web2 and Web3 industries into the transitional Web2.5 implementation.
The internet has existed for over 50 years, with most experts agreeing that its development happened in two distinct cycles. Web1 was the basic internet that most users are familiar with, and existed primarily to share information. Web2, on the other hand, allowed users to create more interactive web pages. The next internet iteration, Web3, takes things to another level with blockchain, crypto, decentralized technologies, NFTs, AI, and the Metaverse.
To many people, however, Web3 is still quite an abstract concept. Coinfest Asia hopes to bridge the gap by focusing on the halfway house of Web 2.5.
“This year, Coinfest Asia will be back with insights and various interactive and interesting activities about the Web 2.5 industry, which is a period of industry transition from Web2 to Web3. This event is also our platform to contribute so that the industry on Web3 continues to grow, especially in Asia,” says Felita Setiawan, Director of ICN and organizer of Coinfest Asia.
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Coinfest Asia will showcase Web2.5 case studies and real-life solutions, while companies can show off their products and network with one another. Outside corporate-based activities, the event will also see crypto enthusiasts, developers, creators, and fund managers coming together to explore the latest technologies.
Through Coinfest Asia, attendees will be invited to experience the shift from Web2 to Web3 themselves, and with tickets available today at special prices, there’s never been a better time to experience what the future holds for your favorite technologies!
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Checkout.com Set To Launch Card Issuing In The UAE
The payment service provider’s expansion is a first-of-its-kind investment and could reshape digital transactions across the region.
Checkout.com is laying the groundwork to become the first global payments platform to introduce card issuing in the United Arab Emirates — a move that could reshape how businesses in the region manage financial transactions.
The company plans to roll out its domestic card issuance offering in the UAE by 2026, subject to regulatory approval. The launch would give businesses the tools to issue both physical and virtual branded cards. This, in turn, opens up new ways to reward customers, streamline expense processes, and handle B2B payouts efficiently.
Checkout.com’s CEO and Founder, Guillaume Pousaz, revealed the plans during Thrive Abu Dhabi, the firm’s debut conference in the Emirates. Joined on stage by Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, General Manager for MENA, Pousaz presented to an audience of over 150 partners and merchants at Saadiyat Island. Also in attendance was H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, the UAE’s Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications.
Abbondandolo highlighted the strategic importance of the announcement: “As a global business, we focus on bringing products to markets that our customers want and need. Today’s announcement is proof of our commitment to the MENA region and its rising influence in the digital economy. The appetite for innovation here is real, and we’re proud to be building the infrastructure that powers it”.
One early adopter of Checkout.com’s UAE acquiring services is Headout, a travel experiences marketplace, which recently named the payment provider as its main partner in Europe. The company has already begun card issuing there and is keen to expand that offering into MENA once approval is granted.
The expansion of services in the UAE and beyond builds on Checkout.com’s track record in the region. It was the first global payments firm to secure a Retail Payment Services license from the UAE’s Central Bank and was instrumental in rolling out Mada and Apple Pay in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
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The firm has also been rolling out new products: One of the latest is Flow Remember Me, currently in beta testing. It allows shoppers to store their card information once and access it across Checkout.com’s entire network, potentially cutting checkout times by up to 70%.
Earlier this year, Checkout.com also introduced Visa Direct’s Push-to-Card solution in the UAE, enabling both domestic and international payouts. Its collaboration with Mastercard has grown as well, making it easier for businesses to send funds directly to third-party cards securely and quickly.
With regional tech ambitions on the rise — spurred by initiatives like Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the UAE’s 2031 Agenda — Checkout.com sees its role as one of a key enabler. “Our mission is to help ambitious businesses navigate the complexity of payments, so they can move faster, go further, and make the most of every opportunity,” said Abbondandolo. “In MENA, performance is personal. It’s local. It’s built on trust. And when payments perform, businesses thrive”.
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