Startale Expands Into Abu Dhabi Through Hub71 as UAE Deepens State-Backed Crypto Push

• Startale Group is expanding into Abu Dhabi after being selected for Hub71’s Digital Assets cohort.
• The move places the company inside ADGM and strengthens its position across blockchain infrastructure, consumer apps and stablecoin initiatives in regulated markets.

Startale Group is expanding into Abu Dhabi, a move that says as much about the UAE’s crypto ambitions as it does about the company’s own. The blockchain infrastructure firm said it has been selected for Hub71’s Digital Assets cohort, giving it a base inside Abu Dhabi Global Market, or ADGM, one of the better-known regulatory hubs for digital assets. The expansion deepens Startale’s alignment with a jurisdiction that has been building a state-backed crypto ecosystem with unusual speed and consistency. Hub71 selection gives Startale a foothold inside Abu Dhabi’s crypto strategy Startale was chosen as one of 27 companies from more than 2,400 applicants, a detail that gives the cohort some weight beyond a routine accelerator announcement. Hub71 is backed by Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, which means the program functions as more than a startup network. It is part of a broader institutional framework through which the emirate is shaping its digital asset strategy. For Startale, that means closer access to regulators, capital providers, and strategic partners already embedded in the UAE’s financial infrastructure. Chief executive Sota Watanabe said Hub71 and ADGM offer the regulatory clarity and international reach the company needs to scale more responsibly across both Eastern and Western markets. The move also follows Startale’s $63 million Series A round, which gives the company more room to expand its blockchain and stablecoin work in jurisdictions where regulation is becoming part of the product story, not just a constraint around it. Abu Dhabi becomes a base for Soneium, Strium and stablecoins Under the Hub71+ Digital Assets program, Startale said it will expand across three main parts of its ecosystem. The first is blockchain infrastructure, including Soneium and Strium. The second is the Startale App, which serves as a gateway into the Soneium ecosystem. The third is stablecoins, including USDSC and JPYSC. That stack is already broad. Startale co-develops Soneium through Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture with Sony Group Corporation, and is advancing JPYSC with SBI Group while also building around USDSC. The company said it plans to deploy personnel in Abu Dhabi and work directly with regulators, investors and partners as it grows across the Middle East and other global markets. The larger pattern is hard to miss. Crypto infrastructure firms increasingly want not just market access, but regulatory alignment with governments that are actively inviting them in.