Yehia Badawy
"It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that."
Through the Looking-Glass, Lewis Carroll
Yehia Badawy is a serial entrepreneur and consultant based in the Middle East. He is a co-founder of Rain, the first central bank licensed cryptocurrency platform in the Middle East. Yehia is also the founder of Digital Cotton, a business and innovation consulting company.
It was in the US that Yehia got to know more about digital currency and recognized the opportunities it presented. He started getting involved in FinTech through a number of startups and on his return to Egypt in 2014 he brought his experience in the US back to the Middle East, where it was still very new. He organized the Cairo Bitcoin Meetup, one of the first digital currency meetups in the region, and in 2015 he set up Digital Cotton, the first blockchain consulting company in Egypt. A play on Egyptian cotton which is renowned for its quality, Digital Cotton offers research and consulting services to blue chip companies, start-ups, and educational institutions. They actively help start-ups branch out of the region into other markets, such as Europe and North America. In 2016 his core passion, education, drove him to start Camp Altitude, a computer programming camp for kids and teens.
Having been a frontrunner in the region, Yehia quickly became known as an expert on digital currencies. He believes that digital currencies are ‘here to stay’ and is driven by a vision of them becoming ubiquitous, a normal part of everyday life.
Yehia attained a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Cairo University, before traveling to the United States and studying for a master’s degree in international business from HULT International Business School in San Francisco.
- Clients
Bloomberg Asharq Live TV Interview
Discussing cryptocurrencies and the upcoming Trump presidency’s impact on cryptocurrencies on Bloomberg Asharq. November 2024.
2043 Interivew
Interview with Ziad Ali of 2043 discussing crypto and the future of digital assets. December 2022.
Microsoft for Startups
Talking about go-to-market strategy at the Microsoft for Startups Middle East & Africa, Highway to 100 Unicorns virtual conference. March 2022.
Al Arabiya Live TV Interview
Discussing cryptocurrencies and the Facebook Libra crypto project with Lynn Chouman on Al Arabiya TV. June 2019.
BlockOn Conference Panel
Panel on cryptocurrency regulation at BlockOn Conference in Bahrain organized by Bahrain FinTech Bay. November 2018.
ECOH Conference Panel
A panel at East Chain Open Hub (ECOH) conference in Kuwait, reflecting on the experience in managing a cryptocurrency exchange in the Middle East and beyond, to explore how blockchain and cryptocurrencies are redefining the trading landscape. February 2019.
Web Summit Startup Showcase
Talking about Rain at the Startup Showcase at Web Summit 2019. November 2019.
BBC Arabic Radio Interview
Radio interview on BBC Arabic on Rain being the first licensed cryptocurrency exchange in the Middle East. August 2019.
Business Breakfast Radio Interview
Speaking to the number one business radio show in Dubai as a Bahraini start-up aiming to be the first regional crypto-currency exchange. October 2018.
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Yehia Badawy © 2024