Binance runs a $1m Qafila campaign across MENA, Turkey and Pakistan.
Binance has opened Qafila 2026, an in-house community and growth campaign for the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan. It runs from 20 October to 30 November 2026, with a reward pool of $1m in USDC.
Campaign Middle East reports that Binance's own marketing, growth, communications, social media and community teams built and run it, with the regional marketing lead, Eileen Xu, as the named spokesperson. The Romans MENA handles PR. No creative agency is credited, and the creators involved are not named. The mix covers social, influencer work, PR, educational content and Binance's own channels, including Binance Square and AMA sessions. A user-story strand, #MyBinanceJourney, runs alongside.
The rewards are tied to trading, Simple Earn and referral activity, and the article says they are subject to market rules, so the headline $1m is a ceiling on the pool, not a payment to every participant. How the pool is split, and how many people are expected to take part, is not stated.
The audience figures in the piece are Binance's own. Users aged 18 to 29 make up half of its base across MENA and Pakistan, and 54% in Pakistan. About 53% of verified users in the region use at least two product categories, with the UAE highest at 69.3%. Binance Research puts MENA's share of stablecoin balances held in Binance Earn at 9.21%, up from 5.53%, and its share of stablecoin trading volume at 11%, up from 7% in 2023. None of this has been checked against an independent source, and the article reads as a brand-supplied account.
For marketers in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf, the useful point is the structure: a young, community-led audience reached through owned channels and creators rather than a paid agency campaign. Crypto advertising rules differ by market, so the same approach will not carry over unchanged to regulated sectors.
Why it matters
A large crypto brand is running its regional push in-house through community and creators, with no agency credited.
Related trends.
Reddit adds an algorithmic For You feed beside Following
Reddit is rolling out a For You feed that recommends posts and communities chosen by its algorithm, next to a Following feed of communities people have already joined. The company says the change will reach users worldwide over the next few weeks.
Why it mattersRecommended communities can bring brand and creator posts to people who never joined a subreddit, widening organic reach on Reddit.
YouTube says microdramas passed 6.5bn views in the first half
YouTube says serialised microdramas on Shorts passed 6.5 billion views in the first half of 2026, with watch time up more than 50% year on year. It plans to make members-only episodes easier to buy on mobile in the coming weeks.
Why it mattersEpisodic Shorts with paid members-only episodes give creators a second income line and give brands a native format for integrations that keep earning views for weeks.
YouTube launches its Shopping affiliate programme in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt
YouTube has opened its Shopping affiliate programme to creators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. Amazon is the first retail partner, and creators earn a commission when viewers buy products they tag.
Why it mattersYouTube creators in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt can now earn commissions on tagged products, so creator videos get a direct route to Amazon checkout.
