Institutional growth takes centre stage at TOKEN2049
BCB Group met with senior policymakers and regulatory advisers at this year’s TOKEN2049 conference in Dubai, as the Emirate positions itself as a global hub for asset digitisation. This year’s Dubai edition of TOKEN2049 threw a spotlight on the growth in crypto demand from institutional investors and explored how sovereign adoption, structured credit, and cross-asset infrastructure are reshaping digital asset markets. The event, held in the heart of the UAE’s growing crypto hub, reflected the industry’s movement toward regulated market expansion and high-impact partnerships. James McKeon, Head of Trading at BCB Group, said this year’s event offered a solid blend of educational seminars and networking opportunities in a region that is gaining significant momentum. “This year’s TOKEN2049 was a well-attended event that offered additional value from fringe events with BCB Group partners. “Some of our commercial partners also took to the stage, exploring themes relating to the growth of stablecoin adoption to how tokenised assets are transforming cross border payments.” McKeon said fringe events held by Talos, B2C2, and Laser Digital were particularly worthy of note.
Above left: James Mckeon
“These offered a highly effective environment for deepening relationships with existing clients and exploring new opportunities with partners, particularly across the UAE and APAC. Congratulations to the organisers for building a successful event programme.” One of the most discussed themes at this year’s TOKEN2049 Dubai was the institutionalisation of crypto markets, with increasing participation from sovereign funds, asset managers, and structured finance players.
The conference highlighted a move toward modular blockchain architectures, replacing monolithic networks with more scalable and interoperable systems. The tokenisation of real-world assets was a theme that took centre stage. The Dubai Land Department showcased a pilot programme for tokenised property ownership, aiming to establish secure and transparent real estate transactions on the blockchain.
Awards pile up for BCB Group
The trophy shelf at BCB Group headquarters may soon need some reinforcing after the group picked up a clutch of new awards in the first half of 2025, with many more pending announcements where BCB is a shortlisted finalist. The award wins recognise BCB’s achievements across specific products and its wide-ranging innovation, as well as acknowledgement for the company’s legal expertise in the field of digital assets law and regulation. BCB’s BLINC ® instant payments product, which allows instant and fee free payments between BCB account holders, clinched the award for Best Payments product at the Digital Commonwealth Summit, held at London’s prestigious Mansion House in May. Holiston Media’s Global Crypto Awards named BCB Group as winner in the Best Provider of Crypto Innovation
category. Oliver Tonkin, BCB Group’s Co-founder and Chief Executive, described the win as “Testament to our commitment to remaining as one of the first multi- jurisdictional, regulated firms offering payment accounts and trading services to businesses in the digital asset economy.” Tonkin added that the win was particularly gratifying as the Global Crypto Awards are voted for by hundreds of industry participants: “It's always an honour to be voted for by real users of our services as a trusted provider.” BCB Group has also been shortlisted in six categories for the Hedgeweek Global Digital Awards. The result of the Hedgeweek awards had not been announced as BLINC went to press, but Tonkin commented: “To be shortlisted across so many categories is itself a huge endorsement of our business.” Meanwhile, the calibre of BCB Group’s legal capabilities has also been
recognised by the GC Powerlist, an annual list of the best general counsel in various jurisdictions, sponsored by Legal 500. BCB’s Group General Counsel Agathe Laissus was included in the powerlist for Luxembourg for the third year running. To see the full list of BCB’s industry awards visit our website.
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