The past few days in Dubai have been a whirlwind of meetings with old and new industry friends and learning about new projects. These past two days have been spent in Abu Dhabi engaging in in-depth exchanges with local policymakers.
The UAE's macro-level strategy is very clear: accelerating its transformation from a past oil-based economy to a future-oriented fintech hub (visually, the highways between Dubai and Abu Dhabi are still bustling with traffic at 2 AM, and both cities are filled with construction sites, reminiscent of Shenzhen 10 years ago). The crypto industry is a key sector for achieving a leapfrog development, and it's currently in a relatively advantageous position.