Dubai is quickly becoming a destination for fintech companies as the country has seen a surge in startups the last three years; according to Arif Amiri, CEO of Dubai International Financial Centre Authority (DIFCA), the country hosts 1,715 companies and banking assets have risen from $50 billion to $150 billion; financial services contributes 12% to gross domestic product, by 2024 that number is set to increase to 18%; Gareth Lewis, CEO and co-founder of Delio, which helps firms getting investment, told CNBC Thursday, "there's a fantastic opportunity in the Dubai region purely around the appetite for private investment." Source
New York-based ConsenSys has been elected to advise the City of Dubai on the first ever blockchain city technology effort; the initiative is led by the Smart Dubai Office and IBM, the government's strategic partner; as part of the Dubai Blockchain Strategy 2020, the city of Dubai will now require all government records and transactions to be documented using blockchain technology. Source
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has announced a consultation process that will begin to set a framework for P2P lending; following the consultation process the regulator is likely to begin issuing licenses for P2P lending businesses; the regulators initiative would provide for a new source of funding for borrowers and would also help to support small businesses. Source
Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission has entered into a cooperation agreement with the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to establish a framework to help each other develop the fintech industry; the two regulators will work together on information sharing, innovation projects and referrals of fintech firms seeking to enter one another's markets. Source