Kareem Younes, managing partner at Mercatura, has outlined a plan to deepen regional engagement with the Internet Computer (ICP) by advocating for node-hosting in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and beyond. Mercatura, a venture capital firm focused on web3, robotics and film, has supported developers on the protocol for three years and now funds the ICP Hub Egypt programme, which has trained hundreds of developers and is operating without grants.
Younes says that because Mercatura holds partner-status with government and institutional players – including banks and the Egyptian stock exchange – it sees an opportunity to support a national blockchain network that keeps data within the region. The firm is not seeking to become a node provider itself, but wants to encourage the ecosystem of node providers to expand into MENA so that ICP can meet regional requirements around data residency and governance.
The network model of ICP allows subnets with nodes located in specific geographic regions, enabling organisations to host data in a particular country or region. Medium+1 Younes argues that other blockchains are already attempting this move and that regional participation will help avoid losing out on adoption.
The proposal raises a number of considerations. Hosting nodes in Egypt or Saudi Arabia would require data-centre infrastructure, local regulatory compliance and an understanding of how decentralised governance works in ICP’s model. According to ICP documentation, node providers are vetted and must submit proposals to the Network Nervous System (NNS) DAO. Rewards for node providers vary partly based on geographic location. Internet Computer+1 Further, while data-residency is increasingly important for institutions, the blockchain model must balance local controls with decentralisation.
From a regional perspective, this move could open up stronger web3 capability in MENA, build local talent and provide institutions with a blockchain network subject to regional nodes rather than bypassing the region entirely. On the other hand, the dependency on global protocol governance and potential latency or performance impacts of regional nodes may need close attention.
Mercatura’s hub setup in Egypt, self-funded for 18 months, indicates a serious commitment and shows the ecosystem can build without relying solely on external grants. If the node-provider network grows in MENA, ICP localisation could become a realistic proposition for institutional use cases seeking data-residency, national regulation or regional ecosystem development.
The next steps would involve identifying interested node providers in the region, aligning them with ICP’s onboarding process, and mapping out how data-residency requirements align with protocol governance and institutional standards. If this gains traction, MENA may see a stronger foothold in the decentralised infrastructure of ICP.
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