Fluent Finance, a US-based developer of a cryptocurrency-based payment platform, has joined the UAE’s NextGenFDI programme and plans to begin operations in Abu Dhabi.
Founded in Delaware in 2020, Fluent aims to make cross-border trade easier. It plans to grow its workforce to between 100-125 people within five years.
The company will use its UAE base to deploy and scale its proprietary Fluent Economic Bridge platform. The new platform can be used by importers and exporters to settle transactions through bank-issued cryptocurrencies, known as stablecoins or deposit tokens.
“I am optimistic about the possibilities of the Fluent Economic Bridge, and the potential for digital currencies to improve the efficiency and accessibility of global supply chains,” said Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade.
By working with banks and regulators in Abu Dhabi, Fluent aims to boost the transparency of cryptocurrency with the security and regulatory structure of the traditional banking system. The company is already piloting its platform in Kenya.
“The UAE offers exactly the kind of supportive, enabling environment that Web3 companies such as Fluent require,” said Bradley Allgood, Fluent Finance’s chief executive.
“The combination of thoughtful regulation, forward-looking vision and advanced technology ambitions means we have the right foundations on which to develop our product and grow our organisation.”
The UAE hopes to attract hundreds of companies to the country as part of a NextGenFDI programme launched last year.
It aims to speed up licensing, ramp up the issuance of bulk or golden visas, improve banking services, and provide commercial and residential lease incentives for advanced technology companies seeking to relocate to the UAE.
Fluent’s approach aligns with the Ministry of Economy’s TradeTech Initiative, which, with the participation of the World Economic Forum, aims to promote the use of advanced technology tools in global supply chains, as well as the country’s comprehensive economic partnership agreement programme, which aims to achieve frictionless trade between the UAE and other economies.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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