Something interesting just happened in the Gulf region. A Sharia-compliant institution in the UAE just teamed up with a fintech platform to roll out in-app Bitcoin purchasing—reportedly the first move of its kind for an Islamic bank in that market. This isn't just symbolic. Data from a major blockchain analytics firm reveals that the UAE pulled in over $30 billion in crypto inflows between mid-2023 and mid-2024. That's a 42% jump year-over-year. Clearly, appetite for digital assets is climbing fast in that corner of the world, and now even religiously-aligned banks are getting in on the action. Worth watching how this plays out as more traditional finance players explore crypto rails.