Crypto.com Exchange and financial technology provider ZagTrader announced a direct connectivity partnership on September 16, 2026, linking the Crypto.com Exchange trading platform with ZagTrader’s Zag Financial Network (ZagFN) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The partnership adds Crypto.com Exchange as a new trading destination on ZagFN, allowing institutions to access digital asset markets without modifying their existing infrastructure.
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The move responds to rising institutional demand for secure, regulated access to crypto markets.
Crypto.com Exchange Connects to ZagTrader’s Institutional Network
ZagFN is ZagTrader’s financial connectivity network, which is designed to connect global institutional clients with trading destinations across traditional and digital markets.
The network connects more than 100 institutions with over $500 billion in assets that connect directly to ZagFN. The company said thousands of additional institutions can be accessed through routing networks that include Bloomberg, LSEG and NYFIX.
ZagTrader Founder and CEO Shihab Khalil said “the line between traditional and digital markets is disappearing” and institutions increasingly expect traditional and digital assets to be accessible through common trading infrastructure, with execution, risk management and compliance processes integrated into existing workflows.
The integration allows eligible ZagFN clients to connect directly to Crypto.com Exchange through their existing systems, without having to build a separate connection.
Crypto.com Exchange Managing Director Iskandar Vanblarcum said the partnership is intended to support institutional digital-asset adoption through connectivity and a multi-asset trading offering.
Crypto.com Exchange offers spot trading, margin trading and derivatives, although availability of specific instruments depends on jurisdictional regulatory requirements.
MENA’s Institutional Crypto Market Is Growing
Crypto activity in the Middle East and North Africa has grown sharply in recent years, with the region recording more than $500 billion in on-chain transaction volume in the year through 2026, according to the recent Bitcoin Policy Institute report.
The United Arab Emirates has emerged as a major digital asset hub, with around $150 billion in cryptocurrency transactions in 2025. The market is largely driven by institutional activity, with Bitcoin accounting for 38% of trading, followed by Ethereum at 22% and dollar-backed stablecoins, mainly USDT and USDC, at 30%.
The UAE’s crypto growth is now being driven mainly by big institutional money. Large institutional transactions jumped 54.7%, and institutional transfers grew 37.2%, according to Chainalysis.
Why This Matters
The partnership gives institutions across MENA a direct route to Crypto.com Exchange through infrastructure they already use, lowering the friction of accessing digital-asset markets. It also reflects the region’s shift toward integrating crypto into established institutional trading workflows.
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