Solmate’s Santori says the UAE is the place to build a “new Wall Street”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has become one of the world’s leading centres for modern finance and cross-chain finance.

This was the opinion of Marco Santori, Chief Executive Officer of Solmate Infrastructure, the Solana-based crypto infrastructure company operating from Abu Dhabi, who added that the country’s position was supported by its strategic location, proximity to the capital, and business-friendly environment.

Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) during the Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), Santori said the country has distinguished itself and demonstrated a clear vision in the realm of digital assets.

UAE builds the future of global finance

Santori added that from the UAE, Solmate feels “capable of building a new Wall Street” and replacing centralised intermediaries with a more efficient financial system.

On the factors that make the UAE successful, he explained: “The main success factors include the UAE’s proximity to capital, which is vital for a company aiming to build a strong digital asset treasury; its strategic geographic location between New York, Europe and Asia, making it a unique hub for digital infrastructure; and low-latency, high-performance digital environments required for building high-throughput blockchain networks”.

He noted that networks such as Solana can theoretically process 100,000 transactions per second, which requires an ideal environment such as the UAE.

On ADFW, Santori said the event was an ideal platform for companies focused on infrastructure development in the UAE.

“It brings together investors, business partners and even some competitors”, Santori added, describing such gatherings as essential to staying updated on industry developments and engaging directly with key stakeholders.

He added that Solmate, unlike other companies, is building real infrastructure in the UAE, allowing it to implement capabilities in the country that were not possible previously.

Solmate also recently announced that it will acquire RockawayX through an all-stock transaction, transforming Solmate into an integrated entity combining infrastructure, liquidity and asset management under one umbrella.

Regarding expansion plans in the Middle East or other regions, Santori said Solmate is currently focused on the UAE as its main base but noted that the nature of its business allows it to operate from the UAE while serving global markets without immediate expansion.