Senior Counsel, Binance
Biography:
Robbie Nakarmi is an experienced senior M&A lawyer and cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiast, currently serving as Senior Counsel at Binance. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce in International Business at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, before completing his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney Law School, Australia.
During his studies, he completed internships in the digital marketing and strategy department of Samsung Electronics at Samsung’s HQ in Suwon, South Korea, as well as with the consumer technology division of Booz & Company, which helped him develop a keen interest in technology and its applications.
Following his graduation from the University of Sydney Law School, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, he joined one of the top Australian law firms, Minter Ellison, in their private equity, venture capital and M&A department. During this time, he obtained his admission as a lawyer to the New South Wales Supreme Court and the High Court of Australia. He was actively involved in the execution of cross-border international mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions for a variety of multinational clients investing in Australia as well as for Australian clients investing outbound.
In January 2014, he moved to the Middle East, joining White & Case in Abu Dhabi, where he was initially seconded to the Doha office, where he advised Katara Hospitality, the Qatar-based global owner, developer and operator of hotels owned by the Qatar Investment Authority, on the acquisition of five luxury InterContinental properties in key European cities. He also advised on the US$5.3 billion sale of stakes in three companies by Barwa Real Estate Company Q.S.C. to a subsidiary of Qatari Diar, the Qatari state-owned real estate investment company, subsequently awarded “Domestic M&A Deal of the Year” by the International Financial Law Review.
In January 2015, Robbie joined the Government of Dubai on secondment to the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, where he supported the Government of Dubai on various FDI initiatives with foreign partners and investors as well as advising the Government of Dubai on commercial agreements with external stakeholders. In May 2016, he joined Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, an leading US law firm in their Dubai office, in order to further develop his expertise as the advisor for venture capital funds and multinational corporations investing in technology startups across Asia, Europe and the Middle East. During this time, he advised Wamda Capital on their initial investments into one of the Middle East’s first cryptocurrency exchanges, as well as several other major investors into e-commerce and technology businesses.
Most recently, he joined Hogan Lovells in June 2018 to help build Hogan Lovells technology and venture capital practice, where he advised the HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud’s Kingdom Holding Company on several aspects of their investment in Careem and the eventual sale to Uber, as well as advising several European and US investors into the Middle East, as well as assisting the Government of Dubai again by advising the Investment Corporation of Dubai on a global acquisition. During this time he authored an article about cryptocurrency regulation in order to give further guidance in the cryptocurrency space.
As of October 2021, Robbie joined Binance as Senior Counsel – M&A, Venture Capital and Investments, to support Binance’s global efforts to become the largest blockchain ecosystem and to help in the expansion of Binance’s Middle East business. He is an active participant in conferences and meetings for the blockchain space and is committed to growing the blockchain ecosystem in Dubai, where he has resided since January 2015. He is helping to lead Binance’s growth in the Middle East, which is a region he is passionate about and has spent several years professionally and personally developing
contacts and networks. He was a speaker at Binance Blockchain Week and has helped lead Binance’s regulatory efforts in the Middle East and globally.
Presentation title:
MENA – The next crypto hub?
Presentation abstract:
TBA
