Turkish cryptocurrency exchange Paribu announced it has acquired a majority stake in CoinMENA, the leading Sharia-compliant crypto platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The transaction values CoinMENA at up to $240 million, marking Turkey’s largest fintech acquisition to date and its first cross-border purchase of a digital asset platform.

Paribu, founded in 2017 and Turkey’s top crypto exchange with over 10 million users, is acquiring a controlling stake in CoinMENA. CoinMENA, established in 2020 by Talal Tabbaa and Dina Sam’an, operates as a regulated crypto service provider serving 1.5 million users across 45 countries, with support for over 50 cryptocurrencies and local fiat on-ramps.

The deal is valued at up to $240 million, though exact terms weren’t disclosed publicly. CoinMENA had previously raised about $20 million from investors like BECO Capital, Arab Bank Switzerland, Circle Ventures, and Bunat Ventures.

Through CoinMENA, Paribu secures two high-value regulatory licenses: From the Central Bank of Bahrain issued in early 2021. From Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority VARA, issued in late 2023. These enable compliant operations in two crypto-friendly hubs, bypassing years of licensing delays and positioning Paribu as a multi-jurisdictional player in MENA—a region with surging crypto adoption.

Paribu’s move is a calculated play to bridge Turkey’s vibrant but domestically focused crypto market where it handles billions in monthly volume with MENA’s growth potential.

CEO Yasin Oral described it as “opening a new chapter in Paribu’s growth journey,” emphasizing how the licenses create a “regulated player in one of the world’s most crypto-adoptive markets.”

CoinMENA’s co-founder Talal Tabbaa called it the “most transformative milestone” for the platform, validating its Sharia-compliant model amid rising demand for Islamic finance-aligned crypto services.

Sharia-compliant cryptocurrencies—often called “halal crypto”—are digital assets designed to align with Islamic principles, prohibiting riba (interest), gharar (excessive uncertainty), maysir (gambling), and haram (forbidden) activities like alcohol or pork-related ventures.

As of December 2025, this niche is exploding, driven by the 1.9–2 billion global Muslim population seeking ethical alternatives in a $3+ trillion crypto market. Adoption surged 40% year-over-year in MENA and Southeast Asia, fueled by regulatory green lights and platforms like HAQQ Network and Binance.

The sector’s value hit $8 billion in 2025, up from $4.5 billion in 2024, with projections to $12.45 billion by 2028. MENA alone saw $390 billion in crypto flows from mid-2023 to mid-2025, but halal options lag behind demand—only 5–10% of tokens are certified, creating a “supply crunch.”

Muslim-majority markets like Indonesia and UAE lead adoption, with 10–15% of locals holding crypto. This ties into the $4 trillion Islamic finance opportunity, where blockchain tokenizes sukuk for fractional, transparent ownership.

Projects like Caiz emphasize “fair finance for all,” warning against speculative “gambling” tokens while highlighting riba-free DeFi. Bitcoin (BTC) tops lists as “digital gold” for its scarcity and decentralization; Ethereum (ETH) follows for utility in non-interest DeFi.

Niche tokens like Islamic Coin (ISLM) on HAQQ Network donate 10% of supply to charity and support 6M+ users. Others include gold-backed HelloGold and Caiz Coin. Screening focuses on asset-backing (e.g., real estate or gold), transparency, and fatwas from scholars.

Tools like Saraf Screening and Halal Crypto Guide vet 50+ coins quarterly, flagging issues like interest-based staking in MakerDAO (MKR). Real-world assets (RWAs) like tokenized sukuk in Gulf nations are booming, offering yields via profit-sharing, not interest.

Binance’s Sharia Earn launched in July 2025 offers certified halal staking for BNB, ETH, and SOL in 25+ countries, certified by Amanie Advisors—praised on X as a “game-changer” for inclusion. Bybit added interest-free accounts for 18 coins. Emerging wallets like SidEx integrate AI for zakat calculations and traceable transfers.

Paribu’s $240M buy of CoinMENA secured Bahrain/Dubai licenses, expanding Sharia services to 1.5M users across 45 countries. Theological variances by region; need for standardized governance. Solutions include scholar-blockchain teams for audits.

This is the convergence of faith, tech, and finance is democratizing wealth for underserved communities, with RWAs and AI tools accelerating inclusion. On X, sentiment is bullish: “We’re entering the era of Halal DeFi.”

This acquisition signals accelerating consolidation in global crypto, for Turkey It cements Paribu’s role as a regional powerhouse, potentially exporting Turkish liquidity and tech to MENA while diversifying away from local economic volatility.

For MENA, expect enhanced infrastructure for cross-border trading, with Paribu’s scale like advanced trading tools boosting CoinMENA’s offerings. It also highlights the UAE and Bahrain as “license magnets” for global players.

Amid regulatory clarity in places like Dubai, deals like this advised by firms such as Areta underscore how acquisitions are faster routes to compliance than organic licensing. Similar to Binance’s regional pivots or OKX’s UAE push, it could spur more Turkish-MENA fintech ties.

Researchers from the US have revealed some exciting data, which highlights the fact that gold nanoclusters, or superatoms, exhibit properties that are similar to quantum systems used today. Discoveries like this could not only make quantum computers more scalable but also more accessible.

Using Gold Nanoclusters as Building Blocks

Nomis Foundation has reported that quantum information technology could be syndicated with electron spins. This is the magnetic orientation of electrons, and they help to determine how long information stays stable and how it can be controlled. The best systems used trapped atomic ions that are isolated in a gas, as these are coherent, clean, and controllable.

With that said, it’s hard to scale, as the atoms have to remain dilute, and they also have to be isolated. If you expand the system or grow it beyond its capabilities, you may end up introducing interference, which will destroy the information you’re trying to generate. With that said, gold nanoclusters are able to mimic the same results, can be mass-produced, and are also stable when condensed.

Researchers have identified 19 Rydberg-like states in gold clusters, which previously were only identifiable in isolated gaseous ions. This means that, based on current data, gold clusters could end up becoming quantum components that can be tailored to computing.

Quantum Computers Rely on Uncertainty

If you have a qubit in superposition, it behaves in a way that is random. Randomness is essential in the world of quantum computing, but interestingly, it’s also a big part of our lives in other ways. According to Nayaone, banks need large quantities of synthetic data and unpredictable numbers. This could include generating information for customer account numbers, bank card PINs, and even transaction IDs.

Banks use cryptographically secure random number generators that are seeded via entropy sources to guarantee this. Car keys also use rolling code encryption, which means every time you unlock your car, a new code is generated randomly to ensure security. Even in entertainment, random number generators are used.

Slot machines online rely on random number generators. In iGaming, some Megaways casino games have 117,649 ways to win. This applies to titles such as Centurion Megaways and Eye of Horus Megaways, where random number generators are used to ensure each outcome is completely independent, just as it would be on a physical slot machine.

Even though random number generators are essential in a lot of different aspects of our lives, they are a core part of quantum computing, and the concept of having gold nanoclusters is certainly exciting. As gold nannoclusters have quantum properties, they are random at a quantum level. If you excite a nanocluster, the timing of the photon is random on a molecular level. This means that moving forward, it may be that gold nanoclusters are used to create randomness on a higher level, which is not only scalable but also easier to implement on a more global level. Research like this helps to show how important it is to explore new research, but also how even the simplest of concepts can be refined and improved.