Dubai's District 2020 to feature blockchain hub

Legacy project of Expo 2020 Dubai announces deal with Shanghai-based Atlas Capital Holding to create blockchain campus

District 2020, the legacy project of Expo 2020 Dubai, has announced its collaboration with Shanghai-based Atlas Capital Holding to create a blockchain campus.

The Atlas Capital partnership was confirmed by Marjan Faraidooni, chief pavilions and exhibitions officer at Expo 2020 Dubai at Cityscape Global.

The company is the latest global company to announce it will be laying foundations at District 2020, alongside Siemens and Accenture.

The investment and incubation company will build a blockchain campus of more than 15,000 sqm at District 2020, further supporting its aims of becoming a leading ecosystem for blockchain and other future technologies.

The campus will help to attract a range of businesses looking to adopt the latest advanced blockchain technologies, providing them with a collaborative space, and access to global-standard expertise.

Faraidooni said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Atlas Capital and welcome them to our diverse and growing ecosystem of global tenants at District 2020. The announcement is another testament to our vision of creating a holistic, innovation-focused environment for companies of different sizes and across different industries and technologies to collaborate and maximise synergies, towards mutual gain.”

Rain Huan, co-founder and managing partner, Atlas Capital added: “Committing to District 2020 is an exciting new chapter for Atlas Capital. Our vision is to support Dubai in its goal of developing into a long-term hub for innovation by creating a Blockchain Campus of the future – an industry hub dedicated to connecting blockchain researchers and entrepreneurs with investors.

“District 2020 will provide the ideal location to build a community-driven blockchain and fintech ecosystem capable of attracting accelerators from all over the world. The campus will offer a research & development (R&D) space, as well as educational and funding facilities.

"There is even an opportunity for us to create a digital currency and official blockchain wallet as we innovate into the future.” he added.

District 2020 aims to be an integrated community that is future-proof, and caters to the needs of its workers, residents, and visitors. It will have a balanced mix of offerings including commercial, residential, educational, social and cultural facilities, as well as those centred on hospitality, leisure and entertainment.

The District 2020 master plan has recently been approved by Dubai Municipality and the project will officially open its doors in October 2021, with a transition period of between 6-9 months that will see 80 percent of the Expo’s infrastructure repurposed.

Eventually, District 2020 will be home to 145,000 residents and employees.