Startale Expands to Abu Dhabi, Aligning With UAE's State-Backed Crypto Push

Startale Group, a global blockchain infrastructure company, is expanding into Abu Dhabi after being selected for Hub71’s Digital Assets cohort, the company announced April 20. Startale was named one of 27 companies chosen from more than 2,400 global applicants and will establish operations within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) under the Hub71+ Digital Assets programme backed by Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development. The move follows Startale’s $63 million Series A funding round and places the firm inside a network of institutional partners, capital providers and regulators shaping the emirate’s digital asset strategy.

“Hub71 and Abu Dhabi Global Market provide the regulatory clarity and global reach we need to scale Startale’s ecosystem responsibly,” said Sota Watanabe, CEO of Startale Group. “Abu Dhabi is becoming a key hub for digital assets, and joining this cohort positions us to expand across Eastern and Western markets, working closely with regulators and institutional partners.”

Expansion scope and strategic assets

Startale will use Hub71’s platform and ADGM’s regulatory framework to deepen work across multiple parts of its ecosystem. The company, which operates Astar Network — described in the announcement as Japan’s largest public blockchain — highlighted several core initiatives it plans to advance from Abu Dhabi:

• Soneium — being co-developed through Sony Block Solutions Labs, a joint venture with Sony Group Corporation, and positioned as part of Startale’s blockchain infrastructure push;
• Strium — another of Startale’s infrastructure projects named for expansion under the cohort;
• Stablecoin initiatives — including USDSC and JPYSC, the latter being advanced in collaboration with SBI Group;
• Startale App — the company’s consumer and developer gateway to the Soneium ecosystem;
• Personnel deployment and regulatory engagement — Startale said it will place staff in Abu Dhabi and work closely with regulators, investors and partners through Hub71 as it expands across the Middle East and global markets.

Hub71 framed the selection as validation of Abu Dhabi’s specialist ecosystems and its appeal to founders seeking a launchpad for global growth. “We are pleased to welcome Startale Group into Hub71’s Cohort 18. Their focus on digital asset infrastructure reflects the strength of our specialist ecosystems and the calibre of founders choosing Abu Dhabi as a launchpad for global growth. We look forward to supporting their expansion,” said Divya Claudia Nair, Startup Journey Lead at Hub71.

The announcement underscores a trend of crypto infrastructure firms seeking jurisdictions with clearer regulatory regimes and institutional capital access. By anchoring in ADGM and joining Hub71’s digital assets programme, Startale positions its Soneium, Strium and stablecoin projects to operate within a regulated framework while leveraging connections to Mubadala-backed resources and Abu Dhabi’s economic development apparatus.

Startale’s move is framed as part of a broader strategy to scale its technology across Eastern and Western markets, working “closely with regulators and institutional partners” as it deploys its teams and products from Abu Dhabi, the company said in its release.