沙特阿拉伯的利雅得可能是加密货币的沉睡巨人：加密货币城市指南

Time：2024-07-18 Click：62

城市：

利雅得

国家：

沙特阿拉伯

人口：

782 万（大都市）

成立时间：

1737 年

语言：

阿拉伯语

利雅得位于纳夫德沙漠的中心，阿拉伯语意为草地，是中东地区人口第三多的城市。但当你想到加密货币和游戏时，它可能不会是你首先想到的地方。

加密货币是一个灰色地带，既没有被彻底禁止，也没有被认可，而且获取加密货币可能比较棘手。

尽管如此，KuCoin 的研究表明，18 至 60 岁的沙特人中有 14% 拥有加密货币。清真保险区块链 Takadao 的首席执行官 Morrad Irsane 将此视为事态发展方向的明显证据。他告诉 Magazine：

你不能买，也不能卖，但他们仍然拥有增长最快的加密货币持有者群体！

该地区由 Banu Hanifa 部落建立，并于大约 1000 年后于 1737 年建立，当时修建了一堵墙，将多个绿洲城镇或草地围成一个。随着农业的发展，财富不断增加，1774 年，第一个沙特国家在附近的德拉伊耶建立了首都。250 年后，这座城市已经发展成为沙特阿拉伯的现代首都。

自 2015 年以来一直居住在沙特阿拉伯的美国人艾哈迈德·尤素夫 (Ahmed Yusuf) 向《杂志》描述了当地人对待加密货币的方式，认为这种做法并不违法或合法，也许会被人皱眉，但确实有人在使用。

他表示，银行对加密货币普遍持谨慎和不友好态度，政府基本上在等待时机，因为他们不想在了解情况之前进行监管。他指出

最近的市场波动，推测没有哪个政府（沙特阿拉伯）会像萨尔瓦多那样大胆，冒险推广可能导致公民亏损的投资。

@nft #web3world #cryptoworld #blockchain #SaudiArabia #Riyadh #MiddleEast #asia pic.twitter.com/hLauHo4zii

— Cryptojoker20.x (@cryptojoker_20) 2023 年 10 月 3 日

尽管如此，一位当地金融专业的学生告诉《杂志》，我的同学中仍有 20% 的人持有或交易加密货币。他参加了 4 月份的 Outer Edge 利雅得论坛，《杂志》也出席了论坛。他在 Alinma 银行工作，该银行提供符合伊斯兰教法的金融服务。

他开玩笑说，过去购买加密货币很容易，因为资金可以通过 B2B 银行转入币安。然而，由于币安的麻烦不断，银行已经开始阻止此类转账，甚至关闭账户。

因此，点对点交易（即买家和卖家在个人银行账户之间进行资金交易）已变得十分普遍，这种交易既通过专业交易商进行，也非正式地在学生群体中进行。沙特王国不征收个人所得税或资本利得税。

The use of foreign bank accounts for such transfers has also become common, with Bahrain being a typical gateway.

Considering the difficulty of combining crypto with banking and thus fiat transfers, there is no readily identifiable culture of buying or selling things or services for crypto instead, the focus is on holding and trading.

According to Yusuf, some bigger players, like family offices of wealthy locals, also want in on the crypto action. Since there are no direct ways for them to buy, they use indirect ways. Ill leave it at that, he concludes.

From gaming to Web3

Outer Edge Riyadh was opened by Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, chairman of the Saudi Esports Federation and Arab eSports Federation.He spoke enthusiastically about his passion for gaming and the potential of the metaverse and was joined by Yat Siu, chairman of the events main sponsor, Animoca Brands. Siu declared Saudi Arabias position in the Middle East as equivalent to Chinas in Asia:

When China finally decided to enter the market, it first had a regional impact, and then afterwards a global impact. I think Saudi Arabia has the same potential as one of the richest nations in the world.

Though the word cryptocurrency was largely avoided at the event, Sius message seemed clear: Saudi Arabia may not have made definitive moves in the realm of blockchain and crypto, but it is a sleeping giant in terms of wealth, population and influence, and can set the tone of the industry for the entire region.

Sius presence was no surprise. The previous month, Animoca Brands partnered with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, or KACST, a governmental entity promoting technical innovation. The partnership aims to establish a Web3 hub to support Riyadh startups, with the further aim of supporting university research into blockchain gaming.With Prince Faisal giving his public blessing, it is clear that the kingdom is cracking open a door to the metaverse.