The Hashgraph Association Partners with Orange in Morocco

Through education, funding, and support for collaboration, the accelerator program will help build successful projects and startups, and foster emerging technologies in the region.

Zürich — 22nd February 2023 — The Hashgraph Association, the not-for-profit accelerating adoption of the Hedera network globally, has partnered with Orange, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators, to launch the AGV High-Speed Accelerator in Morocco. Through education and funding opportunities, the accelerator program’s objective is to train young people in innovative technologies and select the most promising start-ups to offer them a suitable development and managerial support program. The program will foster the growth, collaboration, and integrity of local businesses and build an ecosystem in Casablanca aimed at attracting innovators, entrepreneurs, and pioneers.

This partnership comes off the back of Orange launching Orange Fab in the Kingdom, the startup accelerator, and the third entity of Orange Digital Center Morocco. For this first edition, Orange Fab Morocco has partnered with The Hashgraph Association to set up their AGV High-Speed Accelerator for startups operating in the blockchain sector. The Hashgraph Association will be supporting this program by allocating €100 million euros to startups operating in fintech and blockchain, with the ambition of empowering young entrepreneurs to adopt digital assets and decentralized finance (DeFi).

Kamal Youssefi, President of the Board of The Hashgraph Association, said: “Invention thrives on education and collaboration. Orange is aligned with our drive to share the benefits of DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) with new communities and to educate, fund, and build relationships with people there. This partnership aims to bolster the use of DLT and showcase the varying applications of the technology. We hope that, as a result of our partnership and investment in Morocco, Casablanca will become a center of technological innovation and worldchanging entrepreneurship.”

Together, The Hashgraph Association and Orange will provide co-funding to entrepreneurs, startups, enterprises, government projects, universities, and academic institutions. This coinvestment model will serve the development and implementation of DLT, blockchain, and fintech solutions. The accelerator program will provide a wide spectrum of learning modules based on an assessment of learning needs. The education will be hands-on and include seminars, classroom training, executive coaching, mentoring, e-learning, webinars, and blended learning programs. Hendrik Kasteel, Managing Director of Orange Morocco, said: “As a citizen and committed operator in the region, Orange Morocco is strengthening its investments to deploy essential digital services adapted to everyone’s needs. Moreover, Orange Morocco signed an agreement with the Moroccan Government in 2022 to carry out an investment program worth 5.7 billion dirhams over the next three years to support local innovation. Through our support of social and entrepreneurial innovation, Orange Morocco and The Hashgraph Association are committed to empowering the further development of Morocco.”

To spur collaboration among members of the AGV High-Speed Accelerator and like-minded entities in Morocco, the accelerator will enable global exchange programs, which can be integrated with other professional programs for career beginnings and development. The Hashgraph Association and Orange aim to co-organize virtual and onsite events regularly, providing space to workshop emerging concepts and technology in the DLT, blockchain, and fintech industries. Global thought leaders will be invited to speak and share industry insights at these events.

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About The Hashgraph Association

The Hashgraph Association supports training and education programs across multiple industry verticals. At the forefront is the digital enablement and empowerment of the public through the broad adoption of Hedera-powered, enterprise-grade solutions and applications in the decentralized economy, which include accreditation and certification. As a non-profit, The Association funds innovation, research, and development for the benefit of economic inclusion with a positive environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact.

For information about The Hashgraph Association, visit www.hashgraph-association.com or follow The Hashgraph Association on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Orange

Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 42.5 billion euros in 2021 and 136,500 employees worldwide at 30 September 2022, including 75,000 employees in France. The Group has a total customer base of 286 million customers worldwide at 30 September 2022, including 240 million mobile customers and 24 million fixed broadband customers. The Group is present in 26 countries. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies under the brand Orange Business Services. In December 2019, the Group presented its “Engage 2025” strategic plan, which, guided by social and environmental accountability, aims to reinvent its operator model. While accelerating in growth areas and placing data and AI at the heart of its innovation model, the Group will be an attractive and responsible employer, adapted to emerging professions.

Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN). For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com and the Orange News app or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.

For Media Enquiries

Brigit Hirsch

thehashgraphassociation@wachsman.com

+353(87)428-4326