By Ashton Hettiarachi, David Freuden, Fantom Innovation Labs

The Fantom Foundation is pleased to announce a partnership with The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum. This partnership will see the Fantom Foundation establish an operational presence in Dubai.

Dubai has committed to becoming a world leader in blockchain adoption as part of Smart Dubai initiative. Dubai aims to be the “first city fully powered by blockchain by 2021.” The Smart Dubai initiative was founded following the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to collaborate with the private and government sectors to empower and deliver efficient and happier city. Its goal is to achieve efficiency by using blockchain in 100% of applicable government services; creating and enabling blockchain ecosystem for startups and businesses and to become a global thought leader.

Hisham Al Gurg, CEO of Seed Group and The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, formalised the partnership with Fantom Foundation at a signing ceremony in their Dubai head office with Fantom Foundation represented by Ashton Hettiarachi and David Freuden.

From left to right: Patrick Osman, Director — International Ventures, The Private Office, Hisham Al Gurg, CEO, The Private Office, Ashton Hettiarachi, Head of Innovation Lab, Fantom Foundation, David Freuden, Partner, Fantom Foundation

This partnership is the result of our successful trip to Dubai in April and subsequent discussions by our Sydney-based Fantom Innovation Lab, led by Ashton Hettiarachi and David Freuden along with Technical Advisor Andre Cronje. We participated in the Austrade Blockchain Trade Mission 2019 and were welcomed to Dubai by the Australian Ambassador to the UAE and hosted by Smart Dubai, Dubai Blockchain Center, and the Dubai Future Foundation.

This commercial partnership will allow us to operate under The Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum corporate umbrella to engage with the Dubai and UAE government, and the private sector offering Fantom technology and services across multiple public and private sectors.

“We are super excited to partner up with The Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum to bring innovation and build solutions for Dubai to create new economic opportunities and deliver better user experience for UAE citizens.” Ashton Hettiarachi, Head of Innovation Lab, Fantom Foundation. “This day marks the beginning of a new partnership that lays the groundwork for integrating Fantom Foundation’s technology and expertise into the vision of Dubai to become a blockchain city. Given their extensive experience in technology R&D and working with partners, we look forward to seeing how this will significantly benefit the Smart Dubai initiative strategy,” said Hisham Al Gurg, CEO, SEED Group and The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum.

From left to right: David Freuden, Partner, Fantom Foundation, Ashton Hettiarachi, Head of Innovation Lab, Fantom Foundation, Hisham Al Gurg, CEO, The Private Office, Patrick Osman, Director — International Ventures, The Private Office

About Fantom Foundation (FTM)

Fantom is a DAG blockchain with a modulated tech stack solution with aBFT consensus enabling fast, immutable and secure consensus. This makes Fantom Protocol ideal for highly complex applications requiring high throughput such as data sharing, Machine-to-Machine transactions and smart cities, such as public utilities, government services, traffic management, telecommunications, healthcare, education, resource management and environmental management.

About SEED Group and The Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

Over the past 16 years, SEED Group has formed strategic alliances with leading global companies representing diverse regions and industries. These companies have propelled their business interests and goals in the Middle East and North Africa region through the support and strong base of regional connections of the SEED Group. The Group’s goal is to create mutually beneficial partnerships with multinational organizations and to accelerate their sustainable market entry and presence within the MENA region. SEED Group has been a key point in the success of all its partners in the region helping them reach their target customers and accelerate their businesses. The Private Office was established by Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum to directly invest in or assist potential business opportunities in the region, which meet The Private Office’s criteria.

For more information, visit www.seedgroup.com and www.the-private-office.com.

For more information please contact:

Ashton Hettiarachi at ashton@fantom.foundation