UAE hosts major blockchain summit alongside AI and gaming events

Abu Dhabi hosted the Global Blockchain Show December 10-11, 2025, drawing over 7,000 blockchain industry professionals to Space42 Arena. The two-day summit was part of a five-day technology series alongside the Global AI Show and Global Games Show, bringing together blockchain, AI, and gaming professionals.

The event coincided with Bitcoin MENA, Solana Breakpoint, and Abu Dhabi Finance Week, concentrating blockchain-related programming across multiple venues in the emirate during the same week. VAP Group, the event organizer, structured scheduling to enable cross-attendance across AI, blockchain, and gaming summits.

The blockchain summit focused on institutional adoption, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure buildout for crypto businesses expanding into Middle East and North African markets. Here’s what emerged from the two-day event.

Institutional focus dominates programming

Unlike retail-oriented crypto conferences, the Global Blockchain Show programming skewed heavily toward institutional infrastructure. Sessions covered derivatives platforms, custody solutions, stablecoin rules, DeFi adoption by corporate treasuries, and licensing for crypto businesses.

UAE regulations were a recurring topic across panels. Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) provide three distinct licensing tracks for crypto operations:

• Exchange licenses for trading platforms
• Custody licenses for digital asset storage providers
• Advisory licenses for crypto consulting and investment services

Processing timelines run 4-6 months for complete applications with published KYC/AML requirements aligned with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. Multiple panelists referenced UAE regulatory clarity as a primary factor in regional expansion decisions.

Exchange executives outline MENA strategies

The speaker lineup included CEOs and managing directors from major cryptocurrency exchanges discussing Middle East market entry approaches.

Stephan Lutz (CEO, BitMEX) presented on institutional derivatives trading growth, addressing infrastructure requirements for professional traders and market makers. BitMEX’s presentation referenced increasing institutional client adoption for macro hedging strategies using crypto derivatives.

Gracy Chen (Managing Director, Bitget) covered crypto exchange expansion tactics across emerging markets, discussing regulatory adaptation strategies and regional partnership approaches.

Reeve Collins (Co-Founder, Tether) joined stablecoin regulation panels addressing reserve transparency standards and Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. Collins discussed Tether’s compliance preparations for Q2 2026 EU requirements including quarterly reserve audits and real-time reserve dashboards.

Sessions also featured representatives from regional crypto exchanges, custody providers including Copper and Fireblocks, and MENA-focused cryptocurrency investment funds.

DeFi protocols discuss institutional adoption

Henri Arslanian (Host, CNBC Arabia Crypto Weekly) moderated multiple sessions on decentralized finance adoption by traditional finance entities. Panels featured representatives from Aave, MakerDAO, and Compound discussing how corporate treasuries access DeFi yield strategies through regulated custody wrappers.

Discussions focused on infrastructure for institutional DeFi use, including custodial smart contracts, compliance monitoring, and regulated fiat-crypto on/off ramps. Panelists noted growing corporate interest in stablecoin yield farming as an alternative to traditional money market instruments.

Regional expansion and infrastructure announcements

While detailed deal terms typically emerge through post-event press releases, the summit served as a platform for licensing announcements and regional expansion disclosures.

Common themes across announcements:

• Crypto exchanges pursuing UAE regulatory licenses through ADGM and DFSA pathways
• Stablecoin providers testing cross-border payment corridors for remittance applications
• Blockchain infrastructure companies signing data center partnership agreements
• Cryptocurrency investment funds raising capital from family offices and sovereign wealth vehicles

Multiple companies used the platform to announce pilot programs for crypto payment rails, particularly for corporate cross-border settlement and migrant worker remittances. The India-UAE remittance corridor, processing $14B+ annually, emerged as a frequent use case for stablecoin payment testing.

Abu Dhabi Finance Week creates traditional finance crossover

The blockchain summit’s timing during Abu Dhabi Finance Week created overlap with traditional banking and asset management executives exploring cryptocurrency treasury strategies. Several panels addressed the intersection between conventional finance infrastructure and crypto rails.

Topics included:

• Banks evaluating stablecoin settlement for correspondent banking
• Asset managers exploring cryptocurrency as portfolio diversification
• Corporate treasuries testing crypto payment rails for supplier payments
• Family offices allocating to cryptocurrency custody solutions

The crossover programming enabled conversations between crypto-native companies and traditional financial institutions evaluating blockchain technology adoption.

AI and gaming summits run parallel

The Global Blockchain Show ran alongside two complementary events:

Global AI Show (December 8-9): 5,000+ attendees focusing on government AI deployment, with announcements including ADQ Growth Lab’s $200M AI startup fund, UAE National AI Program’s 100 fellowship positions, and AI implementation case studies from Abu Dhabi government entities.

Global Games Show (December 10-11): 3,000+ attendees addressing Web3 gaming business models, with Animoca Brands, The Sandbox, and regional game publishers announcing partnerships and discussing the industry shift from speculative tokenomics to entertainment-first game design.

The overlapping events encouraged intersections, such as AI tools for blockchain analytics, blockchain infrastructure for gaming, and AI-generated game content with NFT ownership.

• AI tools for blockchain analytics (fraud detection, smart contract auditing)
• Blockchain infrastructure for gaming economies (Polygon, Immutable X integrations)
• Generative AI for game content creation paired with NFT asset ownership

Investors attended across all three summits, evaluating opportunities in AI infrastructure, DeFi protocols, and Web3 gaming within the same week.

UAE positioning as crypto-friendly jurisdiction

The summit reinforced the UAE’s emergence as a regulatory-clear jurisdiction for cryptocurrency businesses. Key factors highlighted:

Licensing clarity: Published requirements, defined timelines, and established regulatory authorities (ADGM, DFSA) eliminating uncertainty common in other jurisdictions.

Capital access: Sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and regional venture capital actively deploying into crypto infrastructure, with the December event series concentrating this capital in Abu Dhabi for five days.

Infrastructure support: Government programs including tax-free zones, data center partnerships, and developer visa programs supporting crypto company operations.

Strategic geography: Location between European and Asian markets with direct flight connectivity to major financial centers.

What’s next for UAE blockchain events

VAP Group is expected to announce 2026 dates for the Global Blockchain Show in Q1 2026. Based on attendee feedback and organizer statements, potential expansion to additional cities including London, Singapore, and Dubai is under consideration.

The December 2025 format – running blockchain, AI, and gaming summits consecutively – enabled cross-sector discussions and diversified investor access. For crypto companies evaluating Middle East expansion, the event demonstrated functional regulatory pathways, institutional capital availability, and operational infrastructure in place.

Integrating the blockchain summit with Abu Dhabi Tech Week shows the UAE aims not just to attract crypto companies, but to build a broader tech ecosystem across AI, blockchain, and digital entertainment.