H.E. Gabriel Abed

Ambassador of Barbados to the United Arab Emirates

H.E. Gabriel Abed is the Ambassador of Barbados to the United Arab Emirates, Founder and Chairman of Abed Group and Co-Founder of Bitt. He is internationally recognised as a leading authority on central bank digital currencies, math-based protocols and blockchain technology globally, having conceptualized and initiated the first global movement to encourage the use of central bank digital currencies. In November 2010, he established the Caribbean’s first blockchain company. In 2013, he co-founded Bitt Inc. in Barbados, whose current flagship project is the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank national digital currency. During his tenure as CEO, Bitt raised $16M USD in 2016 from international investors. Currently, Bitt is known for its pioneering actives in the field of central bank digital currencies and remains as one of the leaders on that frontier. In April 2018, Abed was appointed as the Special Technology Advisor to the Honourable David Burt, Premier of Bermuda and has advised the Premier and his government on establishing their policies and best practices related to blockchain and cryptocurrencies, as well as assisting to create a vision for Bermuda's future growth and economic prosperity. Abed continues to focus on the fields of financial and regulation technology to better serve central banks and governments around the world in their mission to digitize their offerings He is a graduate of the University of Ontario.