News
Dubai Is Set To Host The 10th Global Blockchain Congress
Agora’s 10th Global Blockchain Congress is happening in Dubai on November 23rd and 24th, and promises to be a must-attend event.
Crypto fans from the Middle East and further afield are gearing up for the 10th Global Blockchain Congress, taking place in Dubai on November 23rd and 24th.
The Global Blockchain Congress is a world-renowned flagship event that focuses on the massively scaling public blockchain ecosystem and its capabilities. The event organizers, Agora Group, will showcase how the Blockchain can change the world, bringing insightful dialogue, announcements and product launches to this big UAE event.
This year, the event’s main themes are Digital Asset Regulations in the GCC, Web3 Platforms, Metaverse, Gaming, and NFTs. The expo is an exclusive closed-door congress that can only be accessed through an invite-only scheme, and will feature over 60 speakers, 150 investors, 30 sponsors, 20 media partners and well over 300 delegates.
Some of the event’s key partners and sponsors include:
- Strategic Partners: Bluemoon
- Gold Sponsors: Animal Concerts, Bitsliced, CryptoPerformance, Ghost Ivy, GoArt Metaverse, Securrency Capital, & Wild vEarth
- Silver Sponsors: Boba Network, Caesium Lab & EverdreamSoft
- Bronze Sponsors: Funganomics, Kinetix & MOI
- Partners: Crypto Oasis, DEX Ventures, Galaxy, Kommunitas, Listing.Help, NewTribe Capital, SwissBorg Ventures & V2B Labs
The event promises educational talks from several distinguished speakers, including Amit Mehra, Asim Ahmad, Christian Borel, Dr. Simon Hassannia, Feras Al Sadek, Gaurang Desai, H.E. Gabriel Abed, Omar Rahim, Ralf Glabischnig, Saqr Ereiqat, Tim Grant and Valerie Hawley.
Also Read: Everdome Announces First-Ever Metaverse Soundtrack
Previous Global Blockchain Congress events have been a runaway success, and have hosted over 1,000 investors and 250 blockchain startups, raising millions in funding for partner projects worldwide.
As the world becomes increasingly connected, and technologies such as NFTs, AI and the Metaverse become more commonplace, the event will provide a forum to discuss how legal frameworks for digital assets can be built, as well as how these new technologies will fit into the world of gaming.
Further announcements are expected as we get closer to the event, but for now, you’ll need to register your interest here, as spots are strictly limited.
News
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
Google brings its latest image model to Gemini and Search, adding 4K output and tighter text control for regional users.
Google has opened access to Nano Banana 2 across the Middle East and North Africa, pushing its newest image model into everyday tools rather than keeping it inside the exclusive (and expensive) Pro tier.
The rollout spans the Google Gemini desktop and mobile apps, and extends to Google Search through Lens and AI Mode. Developers can also test it in preview via AI Studio and the Gemini API.
Nano Banana 2 runs on Gemini Flash, Google’s fast inference layer. The focus is speed, but also control. Users can export visuals from 512px up to 4K, adjusting aspect ratios for everything from vertical social posts to widescreen displays.
The model maintains character likeness across up to five figures and preserves fidelity for as many as 14 objects within a single workflow. This enables visual continuity across scenes, iterations, or edits — supporting projects like short films, storyboards, and multi-scene narratives. Text rendering has also been improved, delivering legible typography in mockups and greeting cards, with built-in translation and localization directly within images.
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Under the hood, the system taps Gemini’s broader knowledge base and pulls in real-time information and imagery from web search to render specific subjects more accurately. Lighting and fine detail have been upgraded, without slowing output.
By embedding the model inside Gemini and Search, Google is normalizing advanced image generation for a mass audience. In MENA, where startups and marketing teams are leaning heavily on AI to scale content across languages and borders, that shift lands at a practical moment.
The move also folds creative tooling deeper into search itself, so that image generation is no longer a separate workflow. It now sits right next to the query box.
