The current FTX crisis notwithstanding, digital asset markets, crypto, Web3, DeFi, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and stablecoins are shaking up decades-old financial protocols. Unlike most of the other parts of the world, in the Middle East and Northern African (MENA) region central banks are driving the evolution of these technologies. Here they lead, regulate, and exert inordinate power in setting government policies. Central…