Top

Bitget Targets MENA Business Expansion

Web3 & Enterprise·July 21, 2023, 1:13 AM

Bitget, the Seychelles-based cryptocurrency derivatives exchange, is setting its sights on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) as the region emerges as a fast-growing crypto hub.

The firm announced its expansion plans via a press release which was published on Thursday. With countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain embracing crypto, more exchanges are taking notice and entering the market. Bitget has now joined the ranks of a series of crypto companies seeking to establish a foothold in the region.

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

 

Increasing crypto adoption and interest

Citing the region’s impressive crypto adoption rate, which accounted for 9.2% of global transactions between 2021 and 2022, Bitget is capitalizing on the growing interest in digital assets. The UAE alone experienced a remarkable 400% increase in registered crypto businesses over two years, driving a surge in global digital asset trading by 10%. Moreover, blockchain-related educational programs have tripled in the region, which contributes to 8% of the overall mining hash rate. All of these are creating a favorable environment for Bitget’s expansion.

 

Dubai office

To support its entry into the Middle East, Bitget has opened an office in the heart of Dubai and has already hired 60 new employees for various mid and back-office positions. The company aims to scale its Middle East team further, with plans to hire 30 to 60 more professionals over the next two years.

Bitget is not alone in recognizing the potential of the Middle Eastern market. Bybit, another major cryptocurrency exchange, recently obtained local licenses to operate in the digital assets space in the UAE, having moved its global headquarters to Dubai in April.

OKX, one of the largest exchanges by volume, also received a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) Preparatory License from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). Binance is also eyeing the Middle East, with Binance Dubai poised to become the primary focus for the company’s development efforts, given regulatory challenges in Europe and the US.

 

Global expansion strategy

Bitget’s expansion into the Middle East is part of its broader global scaling strategy. The company has already registered as a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) in Poland and Lithuania, and it launched a localized Turkish website earlier this year.

Founded in 2018, Bitget boasts a user base of over 8 million users across more than 100 countries, offering copy trading services. The company’s move to the Middle East showcases its determination to tap into new markets and solidify its position as a global player in the cryptocurrency exchange landscape.

There’s been a lot going on at Bitget in recent months, in addition to these regional expansion plans. In May the company announced a corporate social responsibility project named “Blockchain4Youth,” cleverly identifying the importance of connecting with the younger demographic which is far more likely to drive crypto and blockchain adoption.

Earlier this month it launched a crypto loans product offering while last week it provided transparency via its proof of reserves initiative, demonstrating a 223% level of reserves and outlining that the company is debt free.

More to Read
View All
Web3 & Enterprise·

May 03, 2023

Temasek Refutes Claims of Investment in Array

Despite reports emerging on Monday that it had invested in Array, an algorithmic currency system, Singaporean state-owned conglomerate and global investment firm Temasek has denied any such investment.In a very brief statement published to its website on Tuesday, Temasek stated:“We have seen news articles and a tweet from Array about Temasek’s investment in it. This news is incorrect. Temasek has not invested in Array and we have no relationship with them.”CoinTelegraph had taken to reporting the claim on Monday. The article had outlined a $10 million investment by the Singaporean state investor into Array, the developer of an algorithmic currency system that relies upon smart contracts and artificial intelligence. Reputational lossIf it had been true, such an investment would have been seen as a positive for the crypto space as it would be indicative of a renewed appetite for crypto-based projects from the giant Southeast Asian investor.Temasek was a key investor in failed cryptocurrency exchange, FTX. In November 2022, the company had to write down its entire investment of $275 million into the fraudulently managed exchange business. To an onlooker, a $275 million write-down may seem like an extraordinary loss.However, given that the Singaporean investing behemoth has a $403 billion dollar portfolio, the loss represents just 0.09% of that portfolio, hardly making a dent in the health of the company.The greater loss for Temasek relative to the FTX collapse has been reputational. Top tier venture capital investors like Temasek, who had otherwise been assumed to be the most diligent of actors in the professional investing world, were all sharply criticized for failing to identify the extent of the mismanagement and fraud that had occurred at the now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. Bogus ClaimsIn fairness to those who had reported the fake news, they were acting on information that Array had put out into the ether and as of yet, has not corrected. At the time of publication, the project’s website features a list of renowned investors including Temasek. Alongside Temasek, Array claims to have obtained investment from Standard Chartered, Coinbase Ventures, Spark Capital, Khosla Ventures, The Blackstone Group, Binance Labs, Sequoia Capital and a16z.In the case of Binance Labs, a spokesperson for the venture arm of the global exchange told The Block that it is not an investor in the project. To further dispel the claim, Temasek took to Twitter, stating:”Fake news about Temasek’s investment in @Array_Protocol. We have seen news articles and a tweet from Array about Temasek’s investment in it. This news is incorrect. Temasek has not invested in Array and we have no relationship with them.” Further instances of misinformationThe misinformation follows a similar scenario that played out with OPNX, a newly launched platform that offers spot and futures trading, alongside the ability for investors to trade bankruptcy claims.A couple of weeks ago, the platform, which had been founded by Kyle Davies and Su Zhu, the key executives behind failed crypto hedge fund, Three Arrows Capital, asserted that it had the backing of some notable investors. Almost immediately, venture capital and market maker DRW and venture capital firm Nascent denied that they were investors in OPNX.

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Jun 30, 2025

Litigation set to fuel Bitcoin accumulation at Genius Group

Artificial intelligence-driven education technology firm, Genius Group, has announced a plan to buy Bitcoin from the proceeds of damages that the company is pursuing through the courts. In a press release published to the Singapore-headquartered company’s website on June 26, it outlined that the firm’s Board of Directors has approved a distribution plan that would see any potential damages received from litigation that Genius Group is currently embroiled in, divided equally for distribution to shareholders and for the purchase of Bitcoin for the company’s Bitcoin treasury.Photo by Kanchanara on UnsplashUp to $1 billion in potential damagesGenius Group CEO, Roger Hamilton, commented on the matter, stating:“We are seeking combined damages of over $1 billion. As both lawsuits are being pursued by the Company to recover damages caused by third parties directly to our shareholders, the Board believes that 100% of any proceeds from the successful outcome of these cases should be directly distributed or reinvested for the benefit of shareholders.” On X, Hamilton outlined that there’s no guarantee with regard to how much the company recovers through litigation. However, he added that if justice prevails and the company is awarded $1 billion in damages, that would equal a $7 dividend per share for shareholders and the addition of 5,000 BTC to the firm’s Bitcoin treasury. Last month, the company provided an update on a lawsuit it has taken under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Initially, $450 million in damages had been pursued but Genius Group amended the lawsuit, raising its claim to $750 million.  The lawsuit is being taken against Peter Ritz and Michael Moe as the controlling officers and directors of LZGI International, and against Michael Carter and John Clayton, in the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida. The company alleges that the defendants attempted to defraud Genius Group.  ‘Bitcoin First’Genius Group announced its “Bitcoin First” approach, and the launch of a Bitcoin treasury in November 2024, getting started with an initial purchase of 110 BTC valued at $10 million at that time. In April 2025, a New York court prohibited the company from selling stocks in order to fund the purchase of Bitcoin. Those court-imposed funding restrictions led to the firm selling off a small proportion of the overall Bitcoin that it was holding.  Prior to that prohibition on the purchase of Bitcoin being imposed, Genius Group had expressed the aspiration to build up its Bitcoin reserve to a value equivalent to $100 million. Wading further into the Bitcoin space, the firm acquired blockchain learning platform, XD Academy, in December 2024. On May 22, Genius Group announced that the U.S. Court of Appeals had overturned the ban imposed on the company. With that, it increased its Bitcoin holdings by 40%. As of June 17, the company held 100 BTC, valued at around $10 million. The firm plans to bring forward another lawsuit “alleging naked short selling and evidence of spoofing against certain parties,” with damages being pursued in the region of $250 million. Commenting on the coming of age of Bitcoin and the pursuit of a Bitcoin treasury strategy back in November 2024, Hamilton stated that “we're living in a unique moment in history - one most public companies will miss.” 

news
Web3 & Enterprise·

Oct 30, 2023

BPMG to Showcase Blockchain Gaming Platform ‘GemHUB’ at G-STAR 2023

BPMG to Showcase Blockchain Gaming Platform ‘GemHUB’ at G-STAR 2023South Korean blockchain tech company BPMG is set to visit the southern port city of Busan next month to participate in global game exhibition G-STAR 2023. BPMG will install a booth in the Business-to-Business (B2B) section in Exhibition Center 2. At the event, the company intends to highlight its Web3 gaming platform, GemHUB, and establish connections with potential partners. These collaborations will pave the way for BPMG to enter the global blockchain gaming market.Photo by Ahmed Atef on UnsplashGaming platform for competitionBPMG will also promote GemPION, a new game service that it will launch on November 16 in collaboration with global blockchain firm Everscale. GemPION stands out as a dedicated platform for competitive gaming, offering users of games hosted on the platform the opportunity to participate in tournaments and various missions. This blend of gaming and mission-based challenges is expected to deliver a more immersive and engaging experience for users.New, additional gamesIn anticipation of the G-STAR exhibition, BPMG is working to onboard four new games onto its platform. One of them is strategy battle RPG Heroes9 with NFT, and the other three are puzzle games: Jewel Dungeon Quest, Mayan Cryptex, and Farm Raid Mission.Furthermore, GemHUB has plans to introduce 10 additional games, including MMORPGs like Rappelz Universe, Flyff Universe, and Dark Eden M, along with social game Every Farm. This expansion aims to enrich the gaming offerings on the GemHUB platform, catering to a wider audience of players.

news
Loading