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OOKC explores how AI, Web3 and tokenized assets become sustainable businesses. Our work connects research, capital strategy, liquidity design and ecosystem development across the Middle East and Asia. We share the questions and evidence that inform that work, from customer demand and market access to the mechanics of issuance and trading.
Founders and institutions are welcome to share a specific challenge, their project stage and the market they are building for through our website ookc.com
ADGM’s growth is extending beyond assets under management. In H1 2026, fund and asset managers increased to 190, while the number of funds managed from the centre reached 276. AUM grew 54% year-on-year.
For founders exploring the UAE, this means a broader network of potential investors and financial partners to understand. The practical question is which institutions match a project’s sector, stage and capital needs. A larger ecosystem creates more possibilities, but finding the right fit remains essential.
For teams preparing to enter Dubai’s virtual asset market, governance needs to work beyond the application documents. Who approves a new activity, who independently reviews the risks, and who handles escalation when something goes wrong?
Clear responsibilities and separation of duties help turn a business plan into an operating model that partners can assess and trust.
Strong governance starts with clear accountability.
From defined reporting lines and appropriately qualified individuals to separation of duties and effective oversight, governance arrangements should demonstrate how responsibility and decision-making work in practice.
This edition of VARA Licensing 101 looks at the foundations of a robust, Dubai-ready governance and control framework.
#VARA
As AI agents take on financial tasks, identity and authorisation need to be considered together. Proof of a human behind an agent is a useful layer; institutions also need clear permissions, transaction limits and revocation controls.
This is where AI adoption becomes an operational question.
In 2024, an employee at engineering firm Arup transferred $25.6 million after joining a video call where every other participant was a deepfake. Since then, AI has advanced significantly and is making impersonation increasingly convincing, causing challenges for financial institutions in particular. As autonomous agents begin handling more financial activity on behalf of people, establishing an added layer of trust and security behind a transaction or sensitive conversation is becoming an urgent need.
Introducing @world_id for banking and finance, a suite of technologies that helps institutions establish trust through privacy-preserving cryptographic Proofs. World ID for Zoom lets meeting participants confirm they are the same Orb-verified human connected to their account, while World ID for agents allows AI agents to carry Proofs delegated by people. Bain Capital, OpenExchange, Outtake, Pantera Capital, and VanEck Funds are initial design partners, bringing World ID into some of finance's most consequential interactions.
fortune.com/2026/10/18/zoom-…
The UAE attracted 93% of MENA’s funding for AI and AI-enabled companies in H1 2026, across 28 of the region’s 53 deals, according to MAGNiTT. Its share of capital was substantially larger than its share of transactions, highlighting its position as a regional centre for AI investment.
For OOKC, this makes the UAE a market worth examining closely, not a guarantee that funding is easy to secure. For founders, the practical question is how to connect that capital with customers, distribution and the right partners to build a sustainable business.
OOKC retweeted
Our Managing Director and Vice Chairperson, Deepa Raja Carbon, recently joined @TOKEN2049 Singapore for a panel discussion on regulatory clarity across increasingly interconnected virtual asset markets, alongside a fireside chat exploring “Why Dubai Wins.”
Across both sessions, Deepa reflected on a central challenge for regulators: how to provide enough clarity to build market confidence, while retaining the agility to respond as technologies, business models and risks continue to evolve.
She also shared VARA’s perspective on the next phase of market development - from greater convergence between traditional and decentralised finance to cross-border interoperability, real-time risk management and the institutional infrastructure needed to support responsible scale.
Many thanks to Henri Arslanian for moderating the session, and to fellow panellists Brian Quintenz, Jake Chervinsky and Arjun Sethi for the insightful discussion.
#VARA #TOKEN2049
For AI founders, testing a product also means testing its operating assumptions: what data it can use, which decisions it can make, and where human oversight is needed.
These are useful questions to bring into conversations with regulators before scaling.
That’s a wrap on AI Everything Abu Dhabi. 🎬
Over three days at our booth, the Sandbox Dubai team connected with founders, builders, and regulators to discuss which AI use cases they want to test and the regulatory uncertainties they’re facing.
Jan Neutze, Director of Sandbox Dubai, took the stage to share how we’re approaching AI: testing real solutions against existing frameworks rather than adding new layers of regulation, while working with regulators and industry to develop clearer guidance.
Sultan Al Raeesi, Head of Operations, also joined the judging panel for the Supernova Challenge, where early-stage AI startups pitched live to leading AI executives and investors for an equity-free prize.
More updates on Sandbox Dubai’s AI work soon. 👀
#SandboxDubai #DubaiFuture #AIEverything #SupernovaChallenge #AI #RegulatoryInnovation
Standard Chartered’s new crypto offering for eligible wealth clients in the UAE puts access inside an existing banking relationship.
For OOKC, the interesting question is how this changes distribution. A client who can buy digital assets through their bank may have less reason to open a separate exchange account. Crypto-native platforms will need to give that client a clear reason to choose them: deeper liquidity, broader functionality or a better experience.
Banking access and onchain access are not the same. The opportunity lies in understanding which customers need each, and building accordingly.
We’ve launched a cryptocurrency trading solution for affluent clients in the UAE, marking a global first for Standard Chartered and the first offering of its kind by an international bank in the UAE.
Regulated by VARA, eligible clients can now buy and sell Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) directly through their existing Standard Chartered bank accounts, with institutional-grade custody and settlement managed within our ecosystem.
Read the full announcement: sc.com/en/press-release/stan…
Coinbase’s fraud-detection case highlights a question worth asking when evaluating AI companies: what can the team improve that is not available through the same model API everyone else uses?
For OOKC, proprietary data becomes more valuable when it feeds a repeatable process: measuring errors, learning from verified outcomes and improving performance on a specific task. This case illustrates that approach, though its results remain specific to Coinbase’s fraud-detection setting.
coinbase.com/blog/part-three…
For AI founders, access to a real service problem can be as valuable as access to capital.
Dubai’s agentic AI initiative offers a practical direction: building around government workflows, where integration, security and clear accountability matter alongside model capability.
مرحلة جديدة في تطوير الخدمات الحكومية تبدأ اليوم.
يُطلق مختبر دبي لنماذج الخدمات الحكومية المستقلة، التابع لمركز دبي لاستخدامات الذكاء الاصطناعي، برنامجاً جديداً يمكّن الجهات الحكومية في دبي من تحويل تحديات الخدمات إلى نماذج خدمات مستقلة، قابلة للتطبيق خلال أسابيع.
باب التقديم مفتوح الآن أمام الجهات الحكومية في دبي.
قدموا الآن: dubaifuture.ae/dcai-accelera…
زوروا موقعنا الإلكتروني للمزيد:
dubaifuture.ae/dcai-accelera…
#مركز_دبي_لاستخدامات_الذكاء_الاصطناعي #دبي_للمستقبل
An AI pilot can demonstrate capability. A renewal tests whether that capability is worth paying for.
For OOKC, the useful question is what happens after the demo: once human review, exception handling and integration costs are included, does the product still improve the customer’s workflow? Faster output alone is not enough if employees spend the time saved checking results or correcting errors.
The stronger case for renewal is measurable: less time to complete a task, consistent quality and a total cost the customer can justify. For founders, building the product and building the evidence for that decision should happen together.
For OOKC, meaningful AI progress should be visible in everyday outcomes: less time spent on paperwork, faster access to services and fewer errors in routine work.
Building around these needs gives founders a clearer basis for product decisions and customers a concrete reason to adopt.
The UAE’s second-place ranking in Henley’s 2026 Crypto Adoption Index is a useful signal for founders evaluating where to build.
OOKC’s focus is on what follows: access to banking, suitable licensing pathways and commercial partners. These are the practical conditions that help turn a regional presence into a functioning business.
The UAE has risen to second place globally in the Henley Crypto Adoption Index 2026, highlighting its growing position within the global virtual asset landscape.
As the global virtual asset market matures, competitiveness increasingly depends on more than adoption alone. Clear regulation, strong infrastructure and an environment that enables responsible innovation are becoming important foundations for sustainable growth.
Dubai continues to contribute to this progress through a dedicated regulatory framework designed to support a trusted, resilient and globally competitive virtual asset ecosystem.
#VARA
For investment advisers and funds, custody is part of the investment decision, not an administrative afterthought. The SEC’s proposal could broaden how crypto assets are held.
OOKC will be watching the conditions attached to those options, particularly around asset control, verification and accountability. This remains a proposal, not a final rule.
Together AI’s planned Abu Dhabi presence gives this partnership a practical focus: bringing inference and research capabilities closer to regional developers.
For OOKC, the next test is whether that proximity translates into faster deployment, reliable technical support and a clearer path from AI prototypes to paying customers.
We have announced a strategic partnership with Together AI to explore artificial intelligence infrastructure and ecosystem opportunities in the UAE, following our $100 million investment in Together AI’s Series C financing round.
A growing product does not automatically create a valuable token. Bitwise’s recent institutional interviews highlight this distinction: some allocators want evidence that adoption translates into token value.
OOKC’s view is that token analysis should follow the economics: who pays, who receives the fees, and whether demand can absorb ongoing issuance. User growth alone cannot answer those questions.bitwiseinvestments.com/newsr…
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival from all of us at OOKC. To our partners, builders and community around the world, we wish you and your loved ones a season of warmth and togetherness.
Wherever you are, may this full moon bring you a little closer to home.
Ondo’s new portfolios, based on strategies developed by BlackRock, extend tokenization from individual assets to portfolio allocation.
For OOKC, the important detail is how allocation rules translate into execution: rebalancing costs, tracking accuracy and redemption liquidity will determine the investor experience.
⚡️JUST IN: BlackRock is bringing investment portfolios ONCHAIN, per WSJ.
Three BlackRock strategies holding stock, bond and Bitcoin ETFs will be tokenized by Ondo Finance.
The tokenization will give non-U.S. investors 24/7 trading, transfers and the ability to borrow against their holdings.
Ondo now has about $3.9 BILLION in tokenized assets.
NYSE and Blockchain.com’s proposed tie-up addresses a practical challenge for tokenized equities: reaching investors through platforms they already use. Regulatory approval remains pending.
For OOKC, the next test is whether broader access translates into sustained liquidity, particularly outside U.S. market hours.
🚨HUGE: NYSE officially signs a deal to bring tokenized US stocks to 44 MILLION crypto accounts.
The agreement with Blockchain dot com would give its users access to tokenized US stocks and ETFs on NYSE's planned digital trading venue, with 24/7 trading and fractional ownership, subject to regulatory approval.
The deal comes a day after CFTC Chairman Selig said markets must prepare for "mass tokenization."
A genuinely original builder, @Blonskr. TapeOut brings a fresh perspective to on-chain computation by making digital circuits something developers can build, execute and reuse. This industry needs more people with the imagination to explore unconventional ideas and the technical ability to bring them to life.
Sharing OOKC’s research on TapeOut here, and we’d welcome your perspective.
