The first edition of the Middle East Blockchain Awards (MEBA), held on 18 November in the five-star W Hotel on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, 14 of the region’s best in the field of Web 3.0. Award winners were announced during a glittering ceremony attended by government officials and industry experts from the Middle East and beyond.
Kevin O’Leary, Chairman of O’Leary Ventures and star of ABC’s Shark Tank, delivered the keynote speech at the first edition of the Middle East Blockchain Awards (MEBA).
Launched in order to recognise and reward outstanding efforts within the fields of blockchain and Web 3.0 innovations, MEBA was hosted by Hoko Agency Middle East, in association with Abu Dhabi Finance Week and the Middle East, Africa and Asia Crypto and Blockchain Association (MEAACBA).
The Middle East Blockchain Awards were supported by GEM Digital Limited as headline sponsor, with supporting sponsors including Abu Dhabi Residents Office, a division of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED); Inery Blockchain, a layer-1 blockchain solution offering decentralised database management solution and Everdome, the digital frontier’s first hyper-realistic metaverse.
Winners announced during the MEBA ceremony were:
- Best NFT and Gamefi Project 2022: Bonuz
- Most Influential Woman in Blockchain and Crypto 2022: Meera Judge, Binance
- Most Promising Web 3.0 Ecosystem 2022: Reef
- Most Influential CEO in Blockchain and Crypto 2022: Basil Al Askari, MidChains
- Most Influential Global Crypto News Service 2022: Smashi TV
- Most Influential CMO in Blockchain and Crypto 2022: Haider Rafique, OKX
- Top Global Crypto YouTuber / Influencer 2022: Andrés Meneses
- Most Innovative DeFi Platform 2022: Horizon X
- Most Powerful CEX 2022: MidChains
- Most Promising ESG Crypto Project 2022: Islamic Coin
- Best Mobile Crypto Wallet 2022: Velas
- Best Crypto Investment Fund 2022: Sino Global Capital
- Best NFT Marketplace 2022: Bybit
- Most Promising DEX to Watch 2022: Curve Finance
“On behalf of everyone at Hoko Group and MEBA’s sponsors, I would like to offer hearty congratulations to the well-deserving winners of the inaugural Middle East Blockchain Awards,” said Bally Singh, Chairman and Co-Founder of Hoko Group. “This has been a spectacular event celebrating the phenomenal calibre of Web 3.0 innovation and talent across the Middle East. With such a successful first showing and such a strong field of contenders for each of our award categories, we look forward to future editions of MEBA with great anticipation.”
A panel of prestigious experts selected the winners for each category. The panel included Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, CEO of Dubai Blockchain Centre (DBCC); Jehanzeb Awan, Board Member of MEAACBA, Founding Partner and CEO of J. Awan and Partners; Miriam Kiwan, Former Head of Digital Assets at ADGM, Board Member at BlackOack Global; Misha Hanin, Co-Founder and Futurist at Bedu; Saqr Ereiqat, Co-Founder and CCO of Crypto Oasis and Matthew Amlot, Managing Editor of Arabian Business.
Abu Dhabi was chosen as the host city for the inaugural awards because of the UAE leadership’s commitment to progression and innovation in blockchain and digital transformation. The UAE as a whole has made significant moves towards the regulation, safety and transparency of blockchain and digital assets, driving the importance of global standards for industry compliance that will benefit all aspects of Web 3.0. This forward-thinking approach has attracted numerous global players to establish their presence in the emirates, creating a strong ecosystem that contributes towards its reputation as a hub for crypto and beyond.