The Middle East isn’t typically considered a hotbed for bitcoin, but that hasn’t stopped entrepreneur Ola Doudin from generating local interest. The founder of bitcoin wallet and exchange BitOasis, Doudin graced the cover of Forbes Middle East in January in an issue where the startup was ranked 19th on a list of the most promising UAE-based startups.
Doudin was lauded alongside co-founder Daniel Robenek for the firm’s dedication to spreading awareness of the emerging technology in the market. Since then, BitOasis has released a steady stream of updates to its service, offering the ability for users to withdraw bitcoin to bank accounts and launching iPhone and iPad wallets.
However, BitOasis perhaps made its biggest splash internationally last month when it revealed it had completed a proof-of-concept with commodity marketplace tech provider Dubai Multi Commodities Center ( DMCC ) in what might be the first test of the technology by a major regional financial institution.
The announcement came as part of the unveiling of the Global Blockchain Council ( GBC ), a 32-member working group of UAE government bodies, international tech firms and blockchain startups led by a government innovation effort called Museum of the Future .
Doudin, whose startup is also a member, described the group as part of a broader initiative by local government officials to better understand the emerging technology.
She told CoinDesk: "The whole idea of creating the GBC was to create the umbrella under which regulatory discussions occur to become a bridge or cross-link between the private and public sector that legitimizes the space as a whole. It gives us serious backing and emphasizes that UAE or Dubai regulators need to look at it, that banks need to seriously observe the space." Doudin said that local blockchain companies are now benefiting from an initiative called Dubai 2021, a government effort […]
