Heir to 135-year Gulf dynasty is moving a $6 trillion trade market onto blockchain rails

FinanceHeir to 135-year Gulf dynasty is moving a $6 trillion trade market onto blockchain railsAbdulla Kanoo says his ARP Digital firm is building settlement infrastructure for the growing flow of trade between emerging economies, a market that could reach $32 trillion by 2030.By Olivier Acuna|Edited by Jamie Crawley Jun 17, 2026, 11:30 a.m. 2 min readMake preferred on ShareShare this articleCopy linkX iconX (Twitter)LinkedInFacebookEmailMake preferred on SummaryShowAbdulla Kanoo, an heir to Bahrain’s Kanoo business dynasty, has been investing in digital assets since 2015 and is now focused on building blockchain-based payment infrastructure.His firm, ARP Digital, aims to streamline cross-border payments among emerging economies by moving money faster and cheaper than legacy banking systems, and has already processed more than $3.5 billion in volume for over 450 institutions.Licensed in Bahrain and approved in principle in Dubai, ARP’s integration with Fireblocks gives it access to a major institutional digital asset network and positions the Gulf as a future hub for moving and settling global capital.For more than 135 years, the Kanoo family, one of Bahrain's wealthiest families, has helped build the Gulf’s entire commercial infrastructure.The family, with a net worth of up to $6 billion, owns businesses spanning shipping, logistics, travel and finance.Abdulla Kanoo, one of the heirs to this 135-year-old dynasty, is now involved in crypto. While he refuses to reveal his family’s or his personal bitcoin investments, he says he’s invested in digital assets since 2015 and remains "faithful" to bitcoin BTC$64,766.65.Kanoo also believes the next generation of global commerce will not be built on ports or banks, but on digital rails or, more specifically, on the blockchain, where programmable money is king.Kanoo is the co-founder of ARP Digital, a digital asset infrastructure project focused on allowing the movement of money between emerging economies faster, cheaper …

Heir to 135-year Gulf dynasty is moving a $6 trillion trade market onto blockchain rails

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