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Taxir is an initiative working to facilitate blockchain adoption in the Arab region.
Taxir's mission is guided by our nuanced and multifaceted understanding of blockchain.
We first see blockchain as a general purpose technology, having the potential to deeply impact various aspects of our lives. Insofar, blockchain’s greatest legacy can be seen in the finance and culture sectors. With time, we expect to see blockchain technology transforming many more sectors.
Secondly, we understand blockchain as a social movement, born as a response to unsound monetary policies, and grew as a protest against intermediary / platform economy, work crisis, exploitive and inefficient business models and a highly centralized world.
Throughout the past decade, the blockchain sphere has hosted progressive conversations around governance, exit to community, scaling democracy (quadratic voting and funding) and radical decentralization. This sphere also bears the influence of systems theory, game theory and system thinking.
By combining our comprehensive understanding of blockchain with our lived understanding of the Arab region and its potentials and challenges, we came to build our initiative around the following objectives:
Presenting blockchain as an alternative financial infrastructure for the large unbanked and underbanked populations of the region, and promoting specific use cases around financial inclusion and economic integration (remittance payments, saving, business transactions, invoicing, etc).
Introducing personal finance culture to an audience that has been long excluded from the financial world, and promoting financial literacy as a contributing factor to decreasing global economic inequality. Exploring new trends in personal finance such as social investing and financial services provision (liquidity provision, loans, insurance, staking, etc).
Promoting approaches of decentralized and horizontal governance / self-organization as a corner stone to building alternative, better business models, and a potential solution to many problems that non-profit organizations and initiatives (NGOs, CSOs, Independent Media, etc) face in the region.
Exploring how blockchain, both as a technology and a movement, can revitalize the cultural economy of the region by creating fairer, more inclusive and democratic art institutions and cultural infrastructure.
Encouraging the region’s youth to learn blockchain skills and capitalize on the supply / demand imbalance. Promoting ways to gaining exposure to blockchain other than capital investment.
Creating a favorable and safe regional blockchain sphere, by advocating for progressive regulations, and educating on safe practices on the legal, technical and financial levels.
Thanks to our diverse and multidisciplinary team, Taxir has been present in a growing list of regional conferences, summits, meet ups, workshops and research efforts around blockchain technology. Amongst these, we mention:
Barzakh, a cultural hub in Beirut (a seminar on the blockchain, DAOs and the Future of Work)
Bread and Net 2022, a regional internet rights festival / conference (participation in a panel on cultural economy and technology)
Bread and Net 2023 (organizing a panel on blockchain opportunities and challenges for the Arab region)
CCI Amman, a three-days conference on Creative and Cultural Industries in Jordan and the Middle East (participating in two seminars, on blockchain and culture, and on the Future of Work and alternative business models)
AFAC (Arab Fund for Art and Culture), a regional fund for art and culture (developing a research paper on Web3 and music)
Web3 Summit 2023, a blockchain summit in Saudi Arabia bringing together industry leaders and Saudi government representatives (community partner)
Arab Blockchain Week 2022, a leading blockchain conference for the region’s blockchain scene (co organizer and speaker)
Culture 3.0, an incubator funded by Mozilla Foundation and organized by Culture Resource, a regional fund for art and culture (introducing blockchain technology to grantees and offering support and consultations)
Through these participations, Taxir takes a balanced approach to presenting blockchain to the region’s audience, advocating for rational and well informed adoption, apart from dominating trends in the region such as ill-informed trading and NFT flipping. While we work to destigmatize blockchain and cryptocurrencies and highlight their regional potential, we also resist maximalist discourses and hype / FOMO -based behavior.
We take a ‘show, don’t tell’ approach to introducing different aspects of blockchain (technology / movement) to the Arab audience, by initiating and instigating projects that provide the curious with an opportunity to learn, experiment and build.
Each of our projects has a declared main objective. For instance, AbjaDAO is here to develop, maintain and propagate an Arabic blockchain glossary, while MousDAO is an onboarding program for Arab musicians and music workers to blockchain and Web3, and BunaDAO is a experiment in radical decentralization and self-organization in the Arab’s culture industry.
Parallel to these main objectives, are other concepts that we put forward for people to explore, such as tokens, virtual and token-gated communities, DAOs, NFTs, smart contracts, tokenomics, the decentralized metaverse and (meta)governance.
Taxir has been playing a pioneering role in building the Arab blockchain sphere, by connecting projects, builders and entrepreneurs together, and fostering several collaborations and partnerships. Key to our scene building mission is El Salon, a token-gated virtual community hosted over Taxir’s Discord, bringing together representatives of the region’s serious blockchain projects. Taxis has also signed 10 partnerships with some of the region’s leading blockchain projects, providing many of them with deal flow and client acquisition assistance.
Our research efforts are focused on two areas. First, in order to effectively facilitate blockchain adoption in the region, we must build a comprehensive understanding the adoption barriers. For example, we carried out a research around the language barrier, spotting common pain points in translation resources, and concluding that developing a methodical, standardized, constantly updated and propagated Arabic glossary for blockchain terminology, can go a long way reducing the time and cost needed to produce or translate quality blockchain content to Arabic.
We want to expand our research efforts in the near future in cover regulations and legal adoption, as well as consumer / institutional data aggregation and data-backed analysis.
Second, we follow and carry out research on decentralized governance models and alternative business models. Our most significant contribution to the field is our ten thousand words documentation of our own ownership and governance model, the Dynamic Partnership Protocol. Our research was supported by the MetaGov project, and emphasizes configurability.
While there is not shortage of generic blockchain educational content in Arabic (what is: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, etc … ), we try to focus our efforts on occupational education, as well as tackling more nuanced and less covered aspects of blockchain.
We have produced an Arabic video course on ‘Discord for Promoting Blockchain’, and an Arabic educational specialization of three courses on the intersections of blockchain and the music industry, including one introductory course covering blockchain basics.
Beside our Youtube channel, we use our blog and main social media account on Instagram to cover and introduce various topics, including: data-as-labor and data unions, virtual / token-gated communities, sociocracy and holacracy, the Howey test (blockchain regulation), future of work and else.
AbjaDAO (Arabic for: the alphabet DAO) is an alliance of four MENA-based organizations, joining forces to develop, maintain and propagate a methodical and standardized Arabic blockchain glossary. The alliance consists of Taxir, Arabs in Blockchain, ZeFi and DocStream.
AbjaDAO was conceived to tackle the language barrier concerning blockchain adoption in the region. While many organizations have developed Arab blockchain glossaries, they all suffer from three common flows:
Lack of Standardization: other glossaries seem to be developed in an arbitrary manner, without methodical foundation or standardization. To tackle this issue, we started working on AbjaDAO by organizing several methodology where we agreed upon standards and approaches to be used across the glossary, to maintain a high level of consistency through our translations.
Lack of Updates: we noticed that other glossaries are one-time off efforts, and lack further updates and expansions. Given that blockchain technology is constantly evolving and spewing new terminology as it does so, we agreed to schedule periodic updates of AbjaDAO to allow the glossary to keep up with the industry.
Lack of Propagation: many of the Arabic blockchain glossaries are only used in-house by their developing organizations, such as the case with Ethereum Foundation and Cointelegraph Arabia, who both developed glossaries that were not shared publicly. Other organizations, such as Binance Middle East, have published public glossaries, but did not put the effort to propagate them. This leads to more translation dispersion, where we noticed that the same blockchain term is translated in many different ways across different publishers, leading to weaker SEO and translation quality. To tackle this, we planned for 3 waves of propagation, where we reach out to blockchain publishers (foundations, media, developers) and make the case for adopting our glossary.
Between September 2022 to August 2023, we translated 600 terms for the first edition of our glossary, published a beta version where we have collected community feedback, before launching the official first edition of AbjaDAO. We followed the launch by a highly successful propagation wave, that ended up with the glossary being adopted by 20 different organizations, including the Ethereum, Solana and Algorand Foundations. The propagation wave has also seen the translation of 20 blockchain-related wikipedia pages to Arabic using AbjaDAO. We are currently working on the first update to add 120 new terms to the glossary. AbjaDAO has received media coverage from Cointelegraph Arabia, NFT bil Arabi, UpYo podcast and Arab Blockchain Week.
AbjaDAO was funded by the Solana Foundation, and received logistic support from the Ethereum Foundation. In September 2023, we have launched the AbjaDAO Translation Unit.
How does this project fit with our mission and approach? AbjaDAO targets the language barrier and works to reduce this barrier to pave the way for better, more rapid adoption. AbjaDAO is an essential tool for any blockchain organization operating in or expanding to the Arab world, as well as any publication speaking to the Arab reader. On a secondary level, AbjaDAO is a showcase of DAOism and the values of collaboration, system thinking and open-source.
MousDAO is an onboarding program dedicated for Arab musicians and music workers interested in exploring career-development opportunities and new streams of income within the blockchain / web3 sphere.
The program consists of two main part. The first is an educational program of three courses in Arabic. The first course covers blockchain basics for newcomers, while the second and third courses delve deeper into the intersections of blockchain and the music industry / economy, in addition to interview with experts offering expertise and tips for navigating this new world.
The second part concerns with launching a virtual community for Arab musicians and music workers interested in blockchain, to come together and explore the potential of working on collective projects on the intersection of (blockchain) technology and music. Taxir will curate a program of workshops and talks for the community over a six months period, after which, we will consider turning this community into a DAO, and working on a collective project, such as a decentralized record label or a festival for alternative Arab music in a decentralized metaverse platform.
MousDAO is funded by Culture Resource’s Culture 3.0 program, and two of its three courses are hosted by Tarkeeza platform for music industry education. The educational specialization was made public last July, and we’re in the process of establishing the virtual community.
How does this project fit with our mission and approach? While MousDAO serves as an onboarding program for Arab musicians and music workers in particular, it also serves as an experiment in initiating and developing virtual communities, developing decentralized governance model, and exploring the potential of growing into a DAO. It is also an experiment in blockchain education, where we are testing our hybrid model of educational content (the three courses) + a sandbox for experimentation (the virtual community / potential DAO).
BunaDAO is an experiment in decentralizing art institutions and cultural infrastructure in the Arab region as an attempt to revitalize the art economy. More precisely, it is building in a decentralized metaverse platform (Decentraland is our main candidate now), that serves as an art gallery and music venue. We plan to invite curators and cultural workers from the region to experiment with this virtual space by organizing talks, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and concerts. All stakeholders at the project (curators, organizers, artists and attendees) will be rewarded by a stake in the building, that allows them to participate in the governance and development of BunaDAO. Taxir plans to gradually shift the project from a benevolent dictator model (by Taxir) to a community-owned model (by the DAO) over a period of three years. Has it proved successful, BunaDAO’s approach to decentralizing cultural infrastructure can be taken to the real world.
BunaDAO is funded by Mophradat, and is in research and development phase.
How does this project fit with our mission and approach? BunaDAO highlights the potential of blockchain to disrupt and improve the arts and cultural economy in sustainable and meaningful ways, and can serve to re-attract artists and cultural workers / institutions to the blockchain sphere after they’be been repelled by the 2021’s NFT craze and its subsequent crash. It is also an experiment in Radical Decentralization, and a showcase of blockchain’s movement side.
Taxir's media team is developing a dual lingual (Arabic / English) blog about emerging technologies and futurology, called 2099. The blog will provide a sandbox for experimenting with media decentralization on several levels (governance, curation and fundraising). 2099 will launch in beta in late 2023.
Contextualizing Blockchain.
What does success look like? Producing more content, participating in more events, attracting further media coverage, launching our own blockchain-focused media outlet.
Identifying and Reducing Adoption Barriers.
What does success look like? Carrying out and publishing more research, initiating public good projects and initiatives, achieving measurable improvement in adoption pain points.
Building Robust Communication and Education Infrastructure.
What does success look like? Develop essential resources such as educational material, courses, onboarding programs, university curriculums, increasing the number of Arab media covering blockchain.
Mapping the Arab Blockchain Sphere and Aggregating / Analyzing Data.
What does success look like? Establishing a research center and database focused on deepening our understanding of blockchain adoption and use in the Arab region.
Taxir's diverse business and media team assists blockchain projects in navigating Arab markets. We offer 5 services:
Translation. Taxir is a founding partner at AbjaDAO, an alliance of four organizations developing, maintaining and propagating the most trusted Arabic glossary for blockchain terminology. AbjaDAO glossary is used by Ethereum, Solana and Algorand foundations amongst 20 other entities. In 2023, AbjaDAO launched its translation unit, backed by translation and editorial services powerhouse DocStream, to offer translation services to blockchain projects operating in or expanding to the Arab region. AbjaDAO’s team excels at bringing technical documentation, UI copy and marketing content to Arabic in a vibrant, accessible and standardized manner.
Media Buying. Taxir has access to leading blockchain / tech / finance publications in the Arab region.
Consultancy. Taxir provides consultancy, business development and deal flow services to leading blockchain projects in the Arab region. Our services cover:
- B2B / B2C business development and client acquisition - Market research - Partnership and sponsorship opportunities
- Marketing & content strategy - PR and arranging media and events appearances
Social Media & Content. We take a Cross-Cultural Scaling approach to content and social media marketing, drawing on the deep and diverse pool of expertise of our team, delivering highly localized and culturally sensitive communications. We offer the following services:
- Arabic social media and community channels management - Arabic content creation and marketing - Multimedia content (educational videos, podcasts, landing pages, booklets)
- Community building and community events - Memes ;)
Events organizing. Taxir has been present in key MENA blockchain events, as a co-organizer, community / media partner and speaker. Taxir’s team, complemented by a network of regional affiliates, is capable of organizing small meetups and large conferences alike. Our event organizing services cover:
- Developer and community meetups - Conferences - (NFT) Exhibitions - Hackathons
- Virtual activities
To learn more about our localization offering, approach, expertise, clients and team, download this presentation. To hire Taxir or inquire about our services and rates, reach out to Ammar Manla Hasan (ammar@taxir.xyz).
Taxir is constructing the first database that maps the blockchain ecosystem in the Arab region. The database consists of seven sheets, covering:
Blockchain Startups
Investors & VCs
Investments
Accelerators / Incubators
Events
Ecosystem Enablers
Contacts
We will update this section soon when the database is available for subscription.
Taxir works with some of the Arab region's pioneering blockchain projects to identify and secure funding and investment opportunities. We onboarded 4 projects for our 2023 cohort. Our new cohort starts at February 2024.
If you are a blockchain startup from the Arab region, or an investor searching for investment opportunities in the Arab blockchain sphere, reach out to our financial lead Ali Karake (ali@taxir.xyz).
Taxir has been offering governance consultancy to Lebanon's Alternative Syndicate of Journalism, and to Syria's Sada Sound Syndicate where we're exploring the concept of DAS (Decentralized Autonomous Syndicate).
Reach out to us on contact@taxir.xyz with any inquiries about our governance consultancy offering.
Taxir is worker-cooperative DAO. We have developed our own ownership and governance model, the Dynamic Partnership Protocol (DPP). It organizes the issuance and erosion of shares at Taxir based on the contribution level of its members. The DPP is in constant development. In 2023, we received a grant from the MetaGov project to develop a ten thousand words documentation of the DPP, which can be accessed through this site.
DeLeb is Taxir’s most ambitious project so far, as it touches on essential economic issues, and has the potential to be iterated, reproduced and generalized, has it proved successful.
The project concerns the Lebanese independent economy (freelancers and entrepreneurs), and is based on research (link) carried out by the Drosos foundation on this sector of the Lebanese economy. In its essence, DeLeb is a decentralised investment club with a twist. It brings together Lebanese freelancers and skilled workers in a DAO-styled investment club, where they can collectively offer a package of services essential to the establishment and development of local businesses, in exchange for equity. The services include, amongst other things, web development, online and social media marketing, business mentorship, accounting set up, incorporation assistance, etc.
The project aims to provide freelancers with career optimization options (the ability to monetize monthly un-hired hours) and long term financial sustainability, while provide the tens of thousands of Lebanese micro enterprises and SMEs with the essential support they lack to launch or scale up their operations.
DeLeb is currently in the research and development phase, and has been so far self-funded by Taxir.
How does this project fit with our mission and approach? DeLeb showcases how DAOs and Radical Decentralization can serve to solve serious economic issues, strengthen circular economy, and optimize Lebanon’s local economy. Has been excited properly and to a favorable receptions, it can be tweaked and launched in different countries / economies or even in a cross-border edition (regional, global).
Taxir offers a set of paid services to increase its financial independence and operational autonomy.
Ali Karake. Former risk-assessment banker, Ali spent his last ten years between Beirut’s Wallstreets and its communist Mezza bars, where he’s known by the name. LinkedIn.
Nour Ezzedine. With +13 years of experience to her name, Nour Ezzedine knows the alternative media and culture scenes of MENA like the back of her hand, and vice versa. LinkedIn.
Adele Jarrar. An independent curatorial and cultural worker and a researcher. Adele has an MA in arts and cultural management and a BA in architecture. She has a wide-ranging experience in curating, writing, and production. Recently collaborated with The Question of Funding collective at Documenta, and has been a resident artist at Cittadellarte – Fondazione Pistoletto in Biella. Adele is interested in self-organization, artist-run initiatives, and digitality. LinkedIn.
Ammar Manla Hasan. The former EIC of Ma3azef, Ammar has co-curated art exhibitions, symposiums, Boiler Room collaborations, and did some war-reporting in Syria. LinkedIn.
Peter Houaiss. Photographer, video editor and music composer, Peter is Taxir’s creative and NFT lead. His main focus is on the intersections of technology, blockchain and internet culture. LinkedIn.
Moustafa Sbeity. Taxir’s own human crunching machine, Moustafa spends his time chasing down Web 3 rabbit holes, with emphasis on GameFi, the Metaverse, and multi media applications of blockchain technology.
Yasser Al Maamoun. An architect, researcher and graphic designer, Yasser now teaches at the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg University, and works on multiple NFT and GameFi projects. LinkedIn.
Nadim El Roz. A media virtuoso with filming and video production expertise spanning the Lebanese video industry, working with news channels and music video directors alike, Nadim is leading Taxir’s video production and coverage from behind the lense. LinkedIn.