Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain — UK-headquartered FinTech Fasset, a provider of blockchain-powered platforms for the financing of sustainable infrastructure, has received authorisation to test its solutions for the tokenisation of hard assets in Kingdom of Bahrain’s FinTech Regulatory Sandbox. The authorisation, issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain, is the first of its kind in the world. The company has raised some US$4.7 million in pre-seed investment from strategic backers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Singapore.
Fasset aims to address climate change acceleration by bridging the sustainable infrastructure funding gap estimated by the World Economic Forum to reach US$15 trillion by 2040. Through its two flagship products – Fasset Enterprise Platform (FEP) and Fasset Exchange (FEX) – Fasset aims to increase investor exposure to assets that were previously illiquid, inaccessible, or had high barriers to entry. Simultaneously, asset owners can bypass costly middlemen to directly list their assets on an exchange, gain faster access to liquidity and court a wider base of like-minded investors. FEP provides a tokenisation service for sustainable infrastructure assets – ‘fractionalising’ or breaking down large assets into smaller “pieces” or tokens using blockchain technology. FEX is a platform to where these tokens can be traded.
Dalal Buhejji, Director of Business Development, Financial Services at Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) Said: “As disruptive technologies transform industries around the world, investment in innovation is a key enabler and driver of economic growth. Bahrain’s forward -thinking regulatory approach provides an attractive environment for FinTech companies to reap the benefits of our agile economy, availability of the most skilled and diverse workforces and the best value operating costs in the region. We are delighted to welcome Fasset to Bahrain and we look forward to welcoming many more FinTech companies.”
“We thank the Central Bank of Bahrain and Bahrain Economic Development Board for their continued support” says Aziz Zainuddin, Fasset Chief Product Officer. “The CBB has fostered a unique and supportive setting for startups in the region to flourish and to build impactful companies of the future. The CBB granting us this authorisation is proof of the progress the Ethereum developer community has made to earn the trust of regulators worldwide. Moreover, it is testament to the pioneering and pro-innovation spirit of Bahrain, where ideas for tackling the world’s most pressing issues based on even the most cutting edge technologies are given the opportunity to take flight.”
About Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB)
The Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) is an investment promotion agency with overall responsibility for attracting investment into the Kingdom and supporting initiatives that enhance the investment climate.
The EDB works with the government and both current and prospective investors, in order to ensure that Bahrain’s investment climate is attractive, to communicate the key strengths, and to identify where opportunities exist for further economic growth through investment.
The EDB focuses on several economic sectors that capitalise on Bahrain’s competitive advantages and provide significant investment opportunities. These sectors include financial services, manufacturing, ICT, tourism, logistics and transport.
For more information on the Bahrain EDB visit www.bahrainedb.com; for information about Bahrain visit www.bahrain.com.
About Fasset
Fasset is the operating system for financing sustainable infrastructure built on the Ethereum blockchain. Fasset offers a platform for the ethical financing of sustainable infrastructure, creating a new class of assets for investors built on blockchain and rooted in real-world, physical investments. This allows for a never-before-possible level of portfolio diversification that enhances people’s lives.
To learn more about Fasset, please visit https://www.fasset.com/
