News
Dubai Becomes Home To Cryptocurrency Exchange Bybit
Bybit attracts cryptocurrency users with its intuitive trading platform and 99.9% availability track record.
Bybit has just joined the growing list of cryptocurrency exchanges that have settled in Dubai after the emirate embarked on a path to becoming a crypto-friendly destination with a robust regulatory regime.
Founded in 2018, Bybit currently has over two million registered users, who use the exchange to buy, sell, trade, and earn with cryptocurrencies.
According to the official announcement, Bybit wants to move its headquarters to Dubai and offer a full suite of products and services in the UAE from April 2022 onwards.

“We are pleased to announce that Bybit has received in-principle approval to conduct a full spectrum of virtual assets business in the UAE,” states the exchange in the official announcement.
Bybit attracts cryptocurrency users with its intuitive trading platform and 99.9 percent availability track record. In addition to spot trading, Bybit users can also speculate, hedge, and increase leverage with futures contracts.
Other cryptocurrency exchanges that have a virtual asset to operate in Dubai include Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and Crypto.com, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange powered by the CRO token.
“Virtual assets such as cryptocurrency and blockchain have changed finance forever,” said H.E. Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade and Minister in Charge of Talent Attraction and Retention. “To stay ahead in this fast-changing industry, we are building a business-friendly ecosystem with robust regulations to attract, retain and enable high-growth companies.”
Also Read: A Beginner’s Guide To Getting Started With NFTs
So far, the effort is bearing fruit because the Middle East is one of the fastest-growing cryptocurrency markets in the world, accounting for 6.6 percent of global cryptocurrency activity.
In the UAE alone, the digital economy contributes around 4.3 percent to the gross domestic product, and the number is expected to increase as more and more exchanges like Bybit take advantage of the favorable regulatory environment.
News
NEOPAY Wants To Follow Merchants Across Channels And Borders
A controlling 65% stake in noon payments would give NEOPAY access to marketplace sellers, online merchants and the payment flows they generate.
It’s been a long time since checkouts were single defined places. A merchant might take payments at a physical register, on its own website and through an online marketplace, sometimes in more than one country. NEOPAY wants to follow those transactions wherever they happen.
The UAE payments company has entered into an agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. NEOPAY already runs the acquiring infrastructure that lets merchants accept card payments, along with omnichannel acceptance and a merchant services platform. This new deal would add noon payments’ embedded payments platform, e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That would considerably expand both NEOPAY’s digital commerce capabilities and its regional reach.
For merchants, the attraction is a single provider for online and in-store payments, plus faster settlements, data and analytics, and value-added financial services.
“Payments should be simple, reliable, and built for the markets they serve,” said Faraz Khalid, CEO of noon. His counterpart at NEOPAY, Vibhor Mundhada, added: “We have built a strong payments business in the UAE, and our ambition is now to take that capability across the region”. The acquisition, Mundhada added, would “expand our footprint into Saudi Arabia and Egypt” while reinforcing NEOPAY’s position at home.
Also Read: In Kuwait, Your Surgeon Might Be Operating From Another Country
NEOPAY is also keen to point out potential payment volume increases. The company says noon payments’ integrations with marketplace sellers and online merchants create high transaction density in some of the region’s fastest-growing digital commerce segments. It also believes control of the business would give it access to those merchant relationships and payment flows, and speed up the rollout of alternative payment methods and installment options.
The combined roadmap targets faster merchant onboarding, better payment performance, tighter fraud controls and embedded financial services. The deal could also strengthen cross-border payments and settlement along key regional commerce corridors.
-
News3 weeks agoTrip.com Is Betting An AI Agent Will Book Your Next Vacation
-
News3 weeks agoEgypt’s Mobile Wallets Are Booming, But Cash Still Has Power
-
News3 weeks agoMusk’s Boring Company Wants To Dig 150 KM Of Tunnel Under The UAE
-
News3 weeks agoOKX Bets Streaming Perks Can Take Crypto Mainstream Across MENA
