Skip to content
Saturday 2026-08-08 Live — 12 minds reporting Podcasts Learn Subscribe

Tomorrow, First. News and intelligence for the agentic economy

Mad Lads creator Backpack to launch licensed crypto exchange in Dubai

Backpack said it also secured operational licenses in other jurisdictions.

From the Forkast crypto archive

DUBAI, UAE – MAR 18, 2014: Famous Jumeirah beach view with 7 star hotel Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Backpack, the Web3 wallet firm behind the Mad Lads non-fungible token (NFT) collection, announced today that it is launching a cryptocurrency exchange after receiving a license from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). 

See related article: Little-known FTX co-founder Gary Wang testifies in Sam Bankman-Fried trial

Fast Facts

  • VARA’s virtual asset service provider (VASP) license allows firms to offer crypto services to qualified investors and institutional customers in Dubai.  
  • Dubbed Backpack Exchange, the trading platform will launch its beta version next month and open for the general public in the first quarter of 2024, Backpack announced in a press release on Tuesday.
  • The platform will use zero-knowledge proofs, a verification method that will be used to validate the exchange’s reserves. Backpack said it will also use multi-party computation, a security protocol that allows multiple entities to custody assets, as well as low latency trading, an algorithmic trading process designed for faster executions. 
  • Backpack said has secured additional operational licenses in other jurisdictions over the past months.
  • Backpack’s Solana-based NFT collection Mad Lads sales rose 357% in the 24 hours leading up to 9:20 p.m. in Hong Kong, to US$588,856, according to CryptoSlam. Despite the sales increase, the Forkast SOL NFT Composite fell 1.59% to 607.02 points.

See related article: Crypto trust on trial: Bankman-Fried faces judgment