UAE is emerging as one of the world’s most successful Web3 hubs, says Binance CEO Richard Teng ahead of Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai

Binance CEO Richard Teng

Binance is all set to launch Binance Blockchain Week (BBW) in Dubai on December 3. This is the seventh edition of BBW and the second consecutive event in the city.

The world’s largest crypto platform is bringing up a strong line up of speakers including Giggle Academy founder and Binance Co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), Strategy Inc executive chairman Michael Saylor, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Solana Foundation President Lily Liu, Stock broker Peter Schiff, among others.

Announced in April, now the event will take place at a time when the global crypto sector is still regaining its footing after the October–November crash amid the steepest Bitcoin sell-off since mid-2022. Binance continues to remain bullish on the sector's long-term recovery.

Last year, the event saw a footfall of over 4,600 in-person attendees from 126 countries and 1 million online livestreaming views, making it the one of the largest annual crypto events in Dubai.

Across social media platforms, the event had generated a staggering 226 million impressions and 578,000 engagements, along with an two-part documentary on Amazon Prime, the company shared.

This year’s edition too is expected to draw several thousand attendees including global Web3 founders, policy leaders, technologists, investors, builders, and ecosystem partners.

This year key themes of discussion include financial inclusion through blockchain payments, way forward for digital assets in 2026, Bitcoin’s role in the new financial era, future of Web3 architecture, UAE charting its crypto future, how AI will change Web3 innovation, and ultimately the big debate between CZ and Peter Schiff on Bitcoin versus tokenised gold, among other areas.

“UAE is emerging as one of the world’s most successful Web3 hubs, home to thousands of blockchain companies. Binance Blockchain Week celebrates the region's crypto ecosystem, creating opportunities for networking and discussions on the industry's future,” Richard Teng, CEO, Binance told Moneycontrol in an emailed statement.

He added, “BBW is the flagship brand-led gathering that connects industry leaders, builders, regulators, investors, and Web3 pioneers. With its growing global influence, the event has become a leading platform for bold ideas, breakthrough innovation, and meaningful conversations that drive the future of the crypto and blockchain industry.”

Over the few years, UAE has established its position as a crypto-friendly country with defined regulatory discipline under Dubai government’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). This has not only attracted the biggest crypto companies to set up offices in Dubai, but also most of the global scale digital asset conferences have started Dubai editions.

Launched in 2022 by the city-state of Dubai, VARA became the world’s first standalone crypto regulator. Ever since, the regulator has been able to build an ecosystem with ease of running crypto businesses through policies focused on discipline, compliance and clarity.

In 2024, the regulator had moved past just issuing licenses by setting rules to how virtual digital assets are getting marketed in the country.