Intelligent CIO Middle East Issue 34 | Page 7

NEWS SRTI Park partners with Future Cities Catapult Services It also promotes the emirate as a world class research and innovation hub. The implementation of projects covered under the MoU will begin with remote desktop research and stakeholder engagement in September 2018 and will go on until February 2019. Furthermore, the partnership will explore ways to develop the SRTI Park into a world-class Smart City and to position it as an indicator of the progress made by Smart Cities in the region. The development of the park as a testbed for the expansion of technological innovations and the integration of latest technologies will also remain as major focus areas. Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park and Future Cities Catapult Service have launched a partnership A partnership has been established between the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation (SRTI) Park and Future Cities Catapult Services. The partnership between the park, an initiative of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE), and the organisation, a UK government institution dedicated to developing innovative products, services and infrastructure to meet the smart needs of communities, seeks to promote cooperation between the UK and Sharjah and further build SRTI Park’s reputation as a futuristic institution. In addition to encouraging private sector companies to invest in Sharjah, the partnership will also attract international companies especially from the UK and other leading global Smart Cities, to take advantage of the services offered by the park. ///////////////// US tech company to expand presence in Abu Dhabi S ecurrency, a US based provider of financial and regulatory technology products, is aiming to expand its operations in Abu Dhabi. The company hopes to secure a licence to operate a crypto-asset business with strategic partners under the new Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) crypto regulatory framework. Securrency will file an application with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of ADGM, the international financial centre in Abu Dhabi. The company will partner with top global Blockchain companies and industry leaders to create and launch a fully-regulated crypto-asset business for institutional clients globally. Leveraging Securrency’s top-tier security and compliance tools, this platform will provide institutional-grade crypto custodial services, as well as an exchange platform accessing large-scale global liquidity. Wai Lum Kwok, Executive Director, Capital Markets, Financial Services Regulatory www.intelligentcio.com Authority of ADGM, said: “As an international financial services regulator, we welcome innovators, businesses, and financial firms to make use of our regulated platform to conduct and grow their businesses. We are encouraged by Securrency’s plans to submit an application to set up a marketplace for digital assets in ADGM. Along with their strategic partners, Securrency will leverage our comprehensive regulatory regime to foster governance, efficiency and transparency in crypto asset activities.” INTELLIGENTCIO 7