- Buy Crypto
- Markets
Futures- Spot
- Copy Trade
- Earn
- More
Maldives Partners with Dubai Investor to Build $9 Billion Blockchain Hub in Southeast Asia
By: coin central|2025/05/05 16:15:01
0
Share
TLDRDubai-based MBA Global Services is investing $8.8 billion in a blockchain hub in the MaldivesThe Maldives International Financial Center aims to diversify the country’s economy beyond tourismThe project exceeds Maldives’ $7 billion GDP and will employ up to 17,000 peopleInvestors will receive benefits including 100% foreign ownership and special tax regulationsThe hub faces competition from established crypto centers like Singapore and Hong KongThe Maldives has inked a deal with Dubai-based MBA Global Services to build a $9 billion blockchain hub that aims to attract cryptocurrency investors and blockchain companies to its shores.The investment is massive by any standard but especially for the Maldives. At nearly $9 billion, the project exceeds the country’s entire GDP of around $7 billion.The blockchain hub, formally named the Maldives International Financial Center, represents the country’s biggest effort to move beyond its traditional economic pillars of tourism and fisheries. The project will be located in the capital city of Male.According to reports, MBA Global Services will provide as much as $8.8 billion for the hub’s development. The company plans to tap into its network of high-net-worth individuals and wealth management firms for funding.Economic Strategy and Investor BenefitsFinance Minister Moosa Zameer highlighted the economic strategy behind the move.“The Maldives faces the biggest challenge in repaying external debt maturing over the next two years,” Zameer said in an interview with Financial Times.The project “could help ease some of the financial pressures we are facing,” he added. The government hopes to triple its GDP within four years through blockchain investment.To attract cryptocurrency firms and investors, the Maldives plans to operate the hub as a “financial freezone for blockchain and digital assets.” This structure will offer several key benefits to international service providers.Foreign firms will enjoy 100% ownership rights within the hub. The government also plans to implement special regulatory tax treatments and streamline registration and licensing processes.Banking services will be provided to companies operating within the zone. These incentives are designed to attract cryptocurrency investors facing tax uncertainty in the United States and other regions.The hub will be substantial in size, spanning 830,000 square meters. It will accommodate 6,500 residents and create employment for up to 17,000 people.The project is expected to take five years to complete. MBA Global Services is the family office of Qatari royal Sheikh Nayef bin Eid Al Thani and manages assets worth $14 billion.Preliminary funding commitments have already exceeded $4 billion. The investment will be structured as a joint venture with the Maldives government and deployed through a combination of equity and debt.The Maldives’ move mirrors Dubai’s transformation from a tourism-focused economy to a digital asset hub over the past four years. Dubai has made substantial progress in its Web 3 adoption, with Eric Trump recently confirming cryptocurrency payments in Trump Towers Dubai.However, the Maldives will face strong competition in the region. Singapore and Hong Kong currently lead Southeast Asia’s cryptocurrency and blockchain sectors, while Thailand is also working to close the gap following KuCoin’s expansion into the country.The post Maldives Partners with Dubai Investor to Build $9 Billion Blockchain Hub in Southeast Asia appeared first on CoinCentral.
You may also like
Dune Stablecoin Research: The Flow and Demand of a $300 Billion Market
In the dataset, transfers are no longer simply labeled as pure "transaction volume," but are classified as different on-chain activities. This is the difference between "just knowing that $100 trillion has been transferred" and "understanding why it was transferred."
Stripe Annual Letter: New cognitive density is extremely high, especially the 5-level model of "AI + Payments"
Every trend here is affecting everyone's future survival.
Sam Altman's Twenty-Four Hours: The Pentagon said "no" twice, but only one was serious
In Silicon Valley, Altman's sub-12-hour move has a name. It's not called backstabbing, it's called timing.
The US-Iran Conflict Spreads to the Crypto Space: What to Expect in the Market on Monday
The most important industry in the crypto world, only 300 kilometers away from the missile's impact point
Lily Liu, the chair of the Solana Foundation, shouted "Don't waste time on crypto," is the crypto industry really dead?
The interest of the younger generation is shifting from cryptocurrency to the field of artificial intelligence, which coincides with the current phenomenon in the cryptocurrency industry.
The little deer live by the water and grass
Mining companies have never been the most devout believers in Bitcoin. Under the pressures of halving compressing profits, financial reports showing revenue growth without profit increase, and coin prices falling below mining costs, the industry is collectively de-risking.
The world belongs to Chinese people who speak English
The world is vast, and only playing half of it is truly a loss.
Why Stop at 126K? Michael Saylor Breaks Down BTC Stagnation and Retail Absence Truth
Bitcoin is digital capital, and I will spend a thousand hours explaining it to you. Eventually, you will understand, but you will still have to endure a 45% crash.
Virtuals Protocol's inaugural Titan project: ROBO aims to give a wallet to a robot
This is a key step in Virtuals expanding the Agent Economy into the Embodied AI and Robotics field.
Stablecoin Latest Report: Actual Distribution and Circulation Much More Notable Than Supply
The Truth about Stablecoin Circulation Speed, Concentration, and Structure After Doubling the Supply
Paradigm's New Arithmetic: When Crypto Can't Hold 12.7 Billion, AI Becomes the Answer
It took Paradigm three years to emerge from the ruins of FTX.
Wintermute Founder: In the Lost Cryptocurrency Market, What Can We Still Do?
This is more like a manifesto, discussing "the very reason we are here."
$1.3 Billion Debt: BitDeer Faces Tough Battle
Wu Jihan is waiting for AI's money to catch up with the speed of debt.
Anthropic's IPO Gamble: At the Most Unlikely Moment, It Chose to Say No
In the AI Era, what is the most valuable thing?
Paradigm's Math Problem: $12.7 Billion, Too Big for a Single Crypto Fund
Emerging from the ruins of FTX, Paradigm took three years
Ethereum Unveils Scaling Roadmap, What's Different This Time?
Short-term improvements to execution efficiency through the Gas mechanism optimization and block validation parallelization, and long-term scalability through ZK-EVM and blobs data architecture.
Anthropic Ban Wave, OpenAI $100 Billion Funding Controversy: What Is the Overseas Crypto Community Talking About Today?
What Have Foreigners Been Most Interested in Over the Last 24 Hours?
Morning News | OpenAI receives $110 billion investment; Solana launches Solana Payments; M0, MoonPay, and PayPal jointly launch PYUSDx
Overview of Important Market Events on February 27
Dune Stablecoin Research: The Flow and Demand of a $300 Billion Market
In the dataset, transfers are no longer simply labeled as pure "transaction volume," but are classified as different on-chain activities. This is the difference between "just knowing that $100 trillion has been transferred" and "understanding why it was transferred."
Stripe Annual Letter: New cognitive density is extremely high, especially the 5-level model of "AI + Payments"
Every trend here is affecting everyone's future survival.
Sam Altman's Twenty-Four Hours: The Pentagon said "no" twice, but only one was serious
In Silicon Valley, Altman's sub-12-hour move has a name. It's not called backstabbing, it's called timing.
The US-Iran Conflict Spreads to the Crypto Space: What to Expect in the Market on Monday
The most important industry in the crypto world, only 300 kilometers away from the missile's impact point
Lily Liu, the chair of the Solana Foundation, shouted "Don't waste time on crypto," is the crypto industry really dead?
The interest of the younger generation is shifting from cryptocurrency to the field of artificial intelligence, which coincides with the current phenomenon in the cryptocurrency industry.
The little deer live by the water and grass
Mining companies have never been the most devout believers in Bitcoin. Under the pressures of halving compressing profits, financial reports showing revenue growth without profit increase, and coin prices falling below mining costs, the industry is collectively de-risking.
App