News
Hub71 To Invest $2 Billion In New Web3 Startup Ecosystem
Hub71+ Digital Assets will give startups access to venture capital companies and technology providers in Abu Dhabi and beyond.
Abu Dhabi global technology accelerator Hub71 is seeking to disrupt the Web3 space with the announcement of a new ecosystem focused on startup funding and blockchain technologies.
Over $2 billion has already been committed in capital, enabling the new Hub71+ Digital Assets ecosystem to offer Web3 startups access to venture capital companies, customers, tech providers, blockchain platforms, and much more.
Hub71’s anchor partner is First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), and its research and innovation center, known as FABRIC, will, in turn, help FAB to leverage its financial services in the metaverse. Further corporate, government, and investment partners will support the project’s growth across the UAE and beyond.
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“Hub71+ Digital Assets signifies that Abu Dhabi is open to disruptive businesses driving forward change and transformation on a global level. Teaming up with ADGM, FAB and its research and innovation center, FABRIC, alongside the world’s leading Web3 companies and enablers under one roof, will provide founders with an opportunity to fundraise, develop and commercialize innovations safely while operating within the largest regulated jurisdiction of virtual assets in the MENA region,” says Ahmad Ali Alwan, Deputy CEO of Hub71.
The new Hub71 alliance will help startups benefit from ADGM’s diverse ecosystem and efficient regulatory environment, which will help develop the UAE economy to keep pace with global trends.
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.
Nano Banana 2 Arrives In MENA For Google Gemini Users
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