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Blockchain

Shoppers at the Galleria mall

Where the mall meets the metaverse

“We’re working on a number of initiatives that start to blur the boundaries between Web3, the metaverse, and how that is implemented in a physical space.” This is not how retail bosses used to talk a few years ago – but the digital habits that shoppers developed during the pandemic are here to stay, so […]

DIFC launches metaverse platform to attract tech innovators

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has launched the “DIFC Metaverse Platform” to attract global technology innovators. The new platform is aligned with the Dubai metaverse strategy, which aims to add $4 billion to Dubai’s GDP, DIFC said in a statement.  The strategy aims to create 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030 and attract 1,000 companies specialised […]

Technology is believed to be the No1 disruptor this year

Technology is ‘biggest disruptor’ for regional CEOs this year

Two-thirds of chief executives in the Middle East view technology as having the biggest potential to disrupt their businesses in 2023 and beyond, above supply chain, regulations, energy and other issues. For its latest annual CEO Survey, PwC asked 4,410 chief executives across 64 countries the extent to which a range of potential disruptions would […]

Exempt offer sukuks have become more popular in the past five years

Saudi SMEs look to sharia funding to balance cash flow

In Saudi Arabia, small to medium-sized companies are increasingly turning to sharia-compliant funding to raise money for their businesses. But rather than borrow from banks, these SMEs instead rely on the kingdom’s nascent fintech sector to obtain bridging loans, invoice financing and other kinds of niche financial support. “SMEs are underserved by the banking sector, […]

People, Person, Crowd

Mena is Binance’s fastest growing region for institutional investors

Binance reported a 34 percent rise in the number of new Middle East and North Africa institutional investors adopting its cryptocurrency technology during the last quarter of 2022, the highest growth of all regions. The world’s largest crypto exchange attributed the results to strong appetite for digital banking and financial solutions in the region. This […]

European and Russian expats opt for freelance jobs in UAE

UAE job visa applications will increase by nearly one third this year, with many expats from Europe and Russia opting for freelance roles, the managing director of recruitment and HR consultancy Connect Group told AGBI.  Aaron Portero forecasts that visa applications will rise at least 25 to 30 percent in 2023. This is on top […]

Metaverse

The metaverse is alive and kicking

Just as online shopping drove internet penetration, the metaverse’s immersive interaction between physical and digital worlds will power its adoption 

DIFC

DIFC Courts issues rules for robots, drones, AI and fintech

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has issued a fresh set of rules designed to address digital business disputes across the emirate. The rules range from big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence, fintech and cloud services, to unmanned aerial vehicles, 3D printing and robotics. Established in 2004, the DIFC Courts is the English language, independent, […]

Dubai entrepreneur to launch crypto community for nickel

A prolific Dubai-based entrepreneur is set to launch a crypto token aimed at opening up the asset market and “shaping the future of nickel”. The Nikel token will launch in Dubai next week. Safi Qurashi, CEO of NewTek, told AGBI that it will “create a community that can help shape the future of nickel, and […]

Iridium uses AI to cut through jargon and multiple data points to offer actionable insights
  • Exclusive

Dubai firm using AI to plot corporate sentiment in the Gulf

A UAE management consultancy firm is using artificial intelligence to help companies understand corporate sentiment across sectors and regions. Iridium Advisors in Dubai uses AI analysis to scan and draw insights from 6.7 million words in 1,300 historic earnings calls from companies across the GCC, quantifying what management teams, investors and analysts are telling the […]

The DIFC Courts operate from the Dubai International Financial Centre

DIFC Courts investing in metaverse and blockchain

The DIFC Courts plan to enter the metaverse and use blockchain technology to make instant settlements following a judgment. Established in 2004, the DIFC Courts are the English language, independent, common law legal system for the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) free zone, the emirate’s main financial hub. In 2017 the court partnered with the […]

Learning passport
  • Opinion

How technology can power lifelong learning

The analogue approach can no longer keep pace with student or employer demands. Data management is the answer to enable real-time and lifelong learning

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao

Binance CEO says ‘shaken’ crypto market needs ‘a lot more’ scrutiny

Confidence in the crypto industry has been “shaken” and it needs to open up to “a lot more” oversight from regulators, the chief executive of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange has said. Changpeng Zhao, the CEO and co-founder of Binance, added that the crypto sector should adopt some regulations from the traditional finance industry. Zhao’s […]

Binance

Wealthy fintechs will find it hard to buy Gulf banks, says expert

Wealthy financial technology (fintech) companies won’t find it easy to buy banks in the Middle East or other developed economies, no matter how much money they’re willing to put on the table. A top banking executive expressed this view as reports that Binance, the world’s biggest crypto exchange, may go on a $1 billion acquisition […]

Apicorp signs $75m carbon offset financing deal with UK firm

The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (Apicorp), a Saudi-headquartered, energy-focused development financial institution, has signed a $75 million Islamic financing agreement with a British firm to fund high-quality carbon offsets, supporting the Gulf’s net zero emission targets. The agreement, known as a Murabaha, is an Islamic financing facility where a financier will purchase an asset and […]

Adnoc Adipec

Adnoc’s new pilot scheme to address UAE’s carbon footprint

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) chose this week’s Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conferences (Adipec) to announce a partnership with Siemens Energy to pilot blockchain technology to certify the carbon intensity of a range of products. By using smart sensor data gathered from across Adnoc’s operational chain – from the oil well to the customer […]

Supercomputers operate at a much higher level of performance compared to a general-purpose computer

Rise of the supercomputers: Gulf invests its oil profits in big tech

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the world’s third-largest sovereign wealth fund, has revealed plans to launch ADIA Lab, a centre dedicated to cutting-edge research in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing.  From its base in the UAE capital, ADIA Lab will start work on December 2, supporting projects on climate change and energy […]

Metaverse

‘The metaverse can change the way we school our children’

Some schools still rely on more traditional teaching methods but an Emirati entrepreneur believes the metaverse has the potential to extend the physical classroom experience. Using blended learning options such as augmented and virtual reality technologies, Amin Al Zarouni, CEO of UAE-based Web3 company Bedu, is aiming to give the Gulf’s education system an overhaul. […]

A woman pays for her coffee with crypto at a cashless cafe in Singapore
  • Opinion

Ethereum has switched. Your move, bitcoin

It's been more than a month since the ethereum switch, and while its market cap has fallen and bitcoin's has stayed flat, many think it's only a matter of time