Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2026

Saudis, UAE roll out red carpet for crypto as US gives a cold shoulder

Saudis, UAE roll out red carpet for crypto as US gives a cold shoulder

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are rolling out a red carpet of light-touch digital currency regulation, according to US market players — setting up a contrast to the US, where officials are falling…

The US Treasury Dept., headed by Sec. Janet Yellen, has pushed for Congress to crack down on the issuers of "stablecoins."

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are rolling out a red carpet of light-touch digital currency regulation, according to US market players — setting up a contrast to the US, where officials are falling all over themselves to set crypto rules.

Financial titans like Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman made the pilgrimage to the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh last week — where they joined some of the biggest names in digital assets, including Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple Labs and Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital.

In the last few years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up its efforts to attract crypto companies: The Saudi Central Bank and Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates have been working together to learn how the two banks can adopt blockchain and digital payments.

The official stamp of approval is starting to show results, Novogratz said. “I’ve been coming to the region for years and this is the first time I felt like the big pools of capital were interested in crypto,” he told The Post. “The meetings I had with investors, people were asking very advanced questions about adoption and regulation.”

“Saudi Arabia wants to be an international financial center — and they know crypto will be part of that,” Mike Novogratz told The Post.


Crypto insiders told The Post they expect some of the Middle East’s major sovereign wealth funds to invest directly in crypto sometime in the next 12 months.

In Saudi Arabia, the emphasis on crypto is part of the country’s Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy and make the country a hub of innovation.

In the UAE, Garlinghouse said, the country has created so-called “financial free zones,” or areas largely free of taxes and strict regulation.

Meanwhile, as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are positioning themselves as a safe harbors for cryptocurrency companies, the US is making it increasingly difficult for those same companies to operate domestically, the crypto bigs contend.

Take currency exchange Ripple. Just last week, Saudi Arabia announced the country will launch Ripple’s “On-Demand Liquidity platform” in an effort to make international payments easier.

“I think it’s clear that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wants to be technology and blockchain forward-leaning,” Brad Garlinghouse told The Post. “This was obvious at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference.”


In the US, Ripple isn’t working on partnerships — instead it’s beefing up its outside counsel to fight a lawsuit from the the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly violating the Securities Act of 1933. The SEC claims Ripple should have registered its XRP digital coin as a security, but failed to do so. Ripple contends it’s been using XRP like a currency for years and wasn’t told to register it as a security.

Meanwhile, the Treasury Department on Monday doubled down on its aggressive crypto stance in a report advocating Congress crack down on issuers of “stablecoins” — a ballooning cryptocurrency pegged to fiat currencies like the dollar — and regulate the technology as a traditional bank.

The SEC, with Chair Gary Gensler at the top, contend Ripple should register its XRP digital coin as a security.

Even as crypto evangelists face a possibly difficult road ahead with US regulators, they say they’re hopeful about their prospects in the Middle East — as evidenced by the big trek to the region for this year’s conference, attendees said.

“Crypto played a bigger role at FII than in previous years,” Bob Diamond, former Barclays CEO who is helping take crypto company Circle public via SPAC told The Post. “In the last year crypto has gotten so big people can’t ignore it.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Saudi Arabia Targets South African Professionals in New Recruitment Drive Amid Regional Uncertainty
Formula One Faces Major Financial Hit as Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Cancelled Amid Middle East Conflict
U.S. and Saudi Firms Launch Local Production of Attritable Drone Systems in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia and UAE Warn Rising Gulf Tensions Could Endanger Regional Security
Saudi Arabia Rejects Claims It Encouraged Prolonged War With Iran
Saudi Arabia to Host World’s Largest Single-Cell Protein Plant as Food Security Push Accelerates
Saudi Crown Prince Urges Trump to Continue Military Pressure on Iran
Iran Intensifies Drone Campaign Against Saudi Arabia as Gulf Conflict Escalates
When Is Eid al-Fitr 2026? Saudi Arabia Awaits Moon Sighting to Confirm End of Ramadan
When Is Eid al-Fitr 2026? Saudi Arabia Awaits Moon Sighting to Confirm End of Ramadan
Iranian Missile Strike Damages Five U.S. Refueling Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Iranian Missile Strike Damages Five U.S. Refueling Aircraft at Saudi Air Base
Washington State Pilot Among Six U.S. Airmen Killed in Military Aircraft Crash Over Iraq
Severe Storm Threat Looms Over Washington as Tornado Risk and Damaging Winds Target Mid-Atlantic
Trump Supports FCC Warning to Broadcasters Over Iran War Reporting
Trump Supports FCC Warning to Broadcasters Over Iran War Reporting
Saudi Stocks Edge Lower as Tadawul All Share Index Slips Slightly at Market Close
Iranian Missile and Drone Strike Targets Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan Air Base Hosting US Aircraft
Saudi Air Defenses Intercept Drone Over Eastern Province as Iranian Strike Campaign Intensifies
Middle East War Reshapes Gulf Economies as Saudi Arabia and Oman Gain Strategic Leverage While UAE Faces Economic Shock
Iranian Ambassador in Riyadh Blames ‘Enemies’ for Attacks Across the Gulf
Israeli Envoy Ron Dermer Reportedly Visits Saudi Arabia for Discussions on Potential Lebanon Talks
Formula One Cancels Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Scheduled for April
Iran’s Ambassador in Riyadh Rejects Claims Tehran Targeted Saudi Oil Facilities
Saudi Arabia Declares 2026 ‘Year of Artificial Intelligence’ in Major Push for Data-Driven Economy
Saudi Arabia’s 2018 Budget Signals Strong Push for Non-Oil Economic Growth
Pakistan Envoy in Riyadh Says Regional Diplomacy Intensifying to Prevent Wider Middle East War
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Dozens of Drones as Regional Strikes Kill Two in Oman
Saudi Arabia Redirects Oil Exports to Red Sea Ports as Strait of Hormuz Tensions Escalate
Saudi Arabia Intercepts Missile and Drone Barrage as Regional Conflict Intensifies
Iran Expands Drone and Missile Campaign Across Gulf as Conflict With US and Israel Intensifies
Muslims Worldwide Await Saudi Moon Sighting to Confirm Eid al-Fitr 2026 Date
F1 Calendar Faces Major Disruption as Middle East Conflict Threatens Bahrain and Saudi Races
Trump Says Most US Aircraft Hit in Saudi Base Attack Suffered Minimal Damage
Trump Says Most US Aircraft Hit in Saudi Base Attack Suffered Minimal Damage
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Forces Saudi Arabia Into Major Oil Production Shut-In
Strait of Hormuz Crisis Forces Saudi Arabia Into Major Oil Production Shut-In
Saudi Arabia Slashes Oil Output as Strait of Hormuz Crisis Cuts Deep Into Gulf Revenues
Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Scene Presses Ahead as Nation Navigates Regional War
Saudi-Pakistan Defence Pact Faces Real-World Constraints as Iran War Escalates
Saudi Arabia Offers Two Million Barrels of Crude From Red Sea as War Disrupts Gulf Exports
Formula One Faces Tens of Millions in Lost Revenue if Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Races Are Cancelled
Formula One Set to Cancel Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Amid Escalating Middle East War
Saudi Arabia Downs Dozens of Iranian Drones in Major Defensive Operation
Saudi Arabia Cuts Oil Output by About Twenty Percent as Iran War Disrupts Gulf Energy Flows
Formula One Set to Cancel Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix Amid Escalating Iran War
Asian Energy Security Tested as Strait of Hormuz Disruption Threatens Oil Supplies
Iran Sets Three Conditions for Ending Regional War as Diplomatic Efforts Intensify
Saudi Arabia Launches Royal Institute of Anthropology to Examine Social Transformation
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Arrives in Saudi Arabia for High-Level Talks
×