FINALIST outside of Japan

Singapore (HQ) + Qatar (Regional)

Blade Labs offers a way to turn regular funds into ethical and shariah-compliant investments, opening doors to important markets in the Muslim world. This is especially valuable for Japan, which faces challenges reaching these regions due to cultural, religious, and language differences. By using technologies like blockchain, smart contracts, and advanced AI, Blade Labs adapts Japanese digital securities into forms that follow Islamic finance rules. This gives Japanese financial institutions a chance to enter the fast-growing green Sukuk market and lets Islamic investors safely and easily invest in Japan’s eco-friendly projects.

Born and raised in Japan, Sami Mian brings 20 years of traditional finance expertise from Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, coupled with seven years leading blockchain initiatives as Head of APAC at Hedera Hashgraph. A three-time bestselling author in Japan on financial literacy and successful entrepreneur with multiple exits, Sami’s unique combination of traditional finance expertise, deep technical knowledge of distributed ledger technology, and understanding of both Japanese and Islamic markets positions him ideally to lead Blade Labs in its mission to make Shariah-compliant and ethical financial services accessible to all through technological innovation.