Avalanche Builds MENA Momentum: A Recap of Abu Dhabi Finance Week

From regulatory foundations to real-world adoption, here’s how Avalanche’s announcements at ADFW signal a long-term commitment to building in the MENA region.

Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) 2025 proved to be a defining moment for Avalanche’s growth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Throughout the event, Avalanche released a series of announcements related to regulation, enterprise adoption, startup incubation, and institutional infrastructure. Together, these developments create a cohesive roadmap to support Avalanche’s goal of becoming a long-term blockchain partner for governments, enterprises, and builders across MENA.

At the core of this series of announcements is the formation of Avalanche’s DLT Foundation in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), which enables subsequent initiatives to operate under a clear and trusted regulatory framework.

Abu Dhabi Finance Week was a defining moment for Avalanche and for blockchain adoption in the Middle East. With a regulated foundation now established in ADGM and a growing network of institutional, enterprise, and government partners, we’re helping build the infrastructure to support the region’s ambition to become one of the world’s most digitally integrated economies - Khalid Dannish (Head of MENA, Ava Labs)

Avalanche Foundation Deepens MENA Commitment

The Avalanche Foundation’s Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Foundation in ADGM provides access to one of the most advanced and accessible regulatory jurisdictions in the world for blockchain foundations and decentralized organizations. The new entity will serve as Avalanche’s primary regional foundation across MENA. All regional ecosystem programs, enterprise and institutional partnerships, government initiatives, and developer outreach efforts will be housed under a unified legal structure.

The DLT Foundation framework was built from the ground up to accommodate Web3 organizations and their operations, eliminating the need to force blockchain projects into traditional corporate structures. For Avalanche, ADGM offers the regulatory certainty and clarity needed to scale while remaining aligned with the ethos of decentralization. The new DLT Foundation acts as the cornerstone for Avalanche’s MENA strategy.

Hub71: Empowering the Next Generation of MENA Builders

Following the Avalanche DLT Foundation announcement, Avalanche completed the first-ever private blockchain track within Hub71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem.

This initiative will connect Abu Dhabi and UAE-based startups with the global Avalanche ecosystem, providing technical and infrastructure support, mentorship, and access to a broader market. The initiative also supports Avalanche partners from other regions to gain more exposure in the UAE. The collaboration with Hub71 is another important sign of Avalanche’s commitment to fostering the growth of homegrown builders and ecosystems in the region while providing a clear pathway from regional innovation to global-scale deployment.

Our Abu Dhabi startup cohort featured founders from the UAE, the US, and Europe who are leveraging Avalanche to solve for infrastructure, capital market, credit, payments, and energy markets. This includes startups like FiatRails, SemiLiquid, Oori, Stryde, Rilla, and Innovo.

LuLu Financial Holding and Ava Labs: Bringing Remittances On-Chain

One of the most significant announcements from ADFW was the strategic partnership between LuLu Financial Holdings and Ava Labs. LuLuFin processed more than $19 billion in remittances as of 2024 across Asia, Europe, and Africa. The collaboration explores building blockchain-native financial infrastructure on Avalanche, beginning with programmable remittances, payments, and embedded finance.

The partnership includes plans for a purpose-built Avalanche Layer 1, expected to launch in 2026 using AvaCloud. The initiative will bring in partners like Axiym and other regulated financial institutions, money transfer operators, payment service providers, and fintechs, showcasing interoperability across the world’s largest remittance corridors. This is a major step toward regulated, large-scale blockchain adoption in FinTech.

Kitopi

In addition to financial services, Avalanche continued to build momentum across other industries in the region with Kitopi, bringing Kitopi Rewards on-chain using Avalanche

Launched in the UAE, the Kitopi Rewards app is a one-stop platform for loyalty and convenience, combining a digital wallet, loyalty card, and ordering experience in one place. Customers can earn and redeem rewards on both dine-in and delivery orders, whether they order through the Kitopi app or leading aggregator platforms.

With 100,000+ meals served per day and 70,000+ active wallets already, the planned move on-chain is designed to unlock more utility and introduce new perks across Kitopi’s growing brand network.

SemiLiquid

Meanwhile, SemiLiquid’s Programmable Credit Protocol (PCP) launched automated institutional lending against tokenized assets without asset movement out of custody. Avalanche served as the first blockchain environment for this pilot, highlighting its readiness for institutional-grade financial infrastructure.

Ignyte

Ignyte, an UAE government-backed startup ecosystem governed by the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), launched its MENA-focused L1 Builder Challenge. This challenge offers $25,000 for top builders across three main L1 tracks:

• Customizable L1 networks for payment infrastructure that can meet regulatory requirements for stablecoins

• Compliant RWA L1 networks for tokenized assets, on-chain finance, and digital securities

• High-performance L1 networks enabling decentralized infrastructure, privacy-preserving applications, and community-owned systems for infrastructure

Maalexi

Finally, Hub71 graduate Maalexi is developing a blockchain-based agricultural trade platform and exploring an Avalanche Layer 1 in 2026. They are launching Maalexi Agri Tokens (MATs): the world’s first data-enriched, asset-backed agri tokens (U.S. patent filed) to simplify cross-border agri-trade using fiat, stablecoin, and crypto payments. This reduces financing friction, data opacity, and supply failures for small importers.

A New Phase for Avalanche in MENA

In total, these announcements represent more than just a series of separate partnerships and programs. With a clearly regulated foundation at ADGM, deep enterprise and institutional engagements, startup incubation, joint support for blockchain innovation, and improved government alignment, Avalanche is entering a new phase of regional growth. Abu Dhabi has taken a clear position as a strategic hub for Avalanche’s long-term vision in MENA, which will help bridge decentralized innovation with real-world adoption at scale.