The Technology Express Magazine

Human-AI Collaboration in UAE Logistics

Autonomous Vehicles Transform UAE Logistics

UAE Sets Global AI Governance Standards

UAE's Cross-Border Innovation

October 2025 thetechnologyexpress.com

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Abu Dhabi’s AI Sector Expands 61% in One Year

Millennials Are Quietly Leading the AI Revolution

Human-AI Collaboration in UAE Logistics

Autonomous Vehicles Transform UAE Logistics

UAE Sets Global AI Governance Standards

UAE's Cross-Border Innovation

October 2025


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“Innovation and resilience define the UAE’s journey—driving us

beyond borders, breaking barriers, and shaping a future where

opportunity knows no limits.”

— H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence,

Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, UAE

As the UAE solidifies its position as the Global Supply

Chain & Logistics Capital of the Middle East, this

October Edition of The Technology Express captures the

transformative forces revolutionising how the region moves,

manages, and monitors goods across borders. Our cover

story features the October Power List: 30 Most Influential

Women in the Tech Ecosystem of UAE 2025, celebrating the

visionary female leaders who exemplify the UAE’s commitment

to inclusive innovation and technological excellence. These

remarkable women are pioneering breakthroughs across

artificial intelligence, logistics automation, cybersecurity, and

digital infrastructure, demonstrating how diverse leadership

drives the technological advancement positioning the UAE

at the forefront of global supply chain digitalisation.

This edition illuminates the critical infrastructure transforming

regional logistics through comprehensive analyses of the

Red Sea Cable Crisis testing UAE’s internet resilience,

Microsoft’s $1.5B investment expanding AI infrastructure

across the Emirates, and how IoT Networks are powering

the UAE’s smart cities vision from Dubai to Abu Dhabi.

We explore autonomous vehicles revolutionising logistics

delivery, examine how Physical AI enables robots to finally

think and adapt in real-world environments, and investigate

the UAE’s leadership in setting global AI governance

standards. Our exclusive coverage includes deep dives into

human-AI collaboration reshaping warehouse operations,

digital trade corridors connecting UAE to global markets,

and the multimodal transport revolution integrating rail,

maritime, and aviation networks.

Beyond core logistics coverage, this edition brings

you our signature tech reviews spanning next-generation

smart home devices and automotive innovation, while

our Startup Spotlight celebrates the emerging logistics

innovators redefining last-mile delivery and supply chain

transparency. The Visionary Spotlight honours influential

leaders whose strategic vision continues positioning the UAE

as the definitive hub for tomorrow’s intelligent landscape.

TECH

12

22

Transportation:

Connected Ports, Connected

Rails: Unified Country

Interview:

Investment in the UAE Telecom

Market: The UAE’s Digital Dividend

14

28

Drive To The Future:

MINI JCW x

Deus Ex Machina

Cover Story:

30 Most Influential Women

in the Tech Ecosystem of UAE 2025

54

72

Internet Connectivity:

The Red Sea Cable Crisis:

A Reminder of our Reality

Autonomous Vehicles:

Can Packages Deliver

Themselves?

60

76

AI Infrastructure:

Microsoft’s UAE Investment

Revolution

Smart Cities:

IoT Networks Transform

the UAE

INSIDE

Logistics

Newer Strategies for

Smarter Logistics

Human–AI collaboration reshapes logistics operations and workforce

development in UAE

Automation, artificial intelligence, IoT sensors, and

predictive analytics are revolutionizing warehouse

management, last-mile delivery, and freight tracking

in the UAE, driving efficiency, safety, and transparency

while enabling upskilling initiatives and human–machine

collaboration.

8 \ October 2025

The UAE’s logistics sector is undergoing

a strategic transformation

to meet rising demands

for automation while empowering

its workforce through comprehensive

upskilling initiatives. DP

World, Emirates Group, and ADNOC

Logistics partner with vocational

training institutes, universities, and

technology firms to deliver modular

courses covering robotics, data analytics,

and AI platform integration.

In 2025 alone, these programs have

enrolled over 6,500 logistics professionals

in workshops on operating

automated guided vehicles (AGVs),

programming warehouse robots,

and interpreting real-time IoT sensor

feeds. The Ministry of Industry and

Advanced Technology’s Industry 4.0

mentorship scheme pairs small and

medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

with “lighthouse” companies that

have achieved high digital maturity,

enabling knowledge transfer and

accelerating technology adoption

across the supply chain ecosystem.

Moreover, government-subsidized

certification pathways in data


science and robotics maintenance

ensure that frontline workers can

transition into higher-value technical

roles, reducing redundancy risks and

fostering a culture of continuous

learning and innovation.

AI-Driven Warehouse Management

State-of-the-art warehousing facilities

in Jebel Ali Free Zone and Khalifa

Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD)

now integrate thousands of IoT

sensors, RFID scanners, and computer

vision cameras that continuously

monitor inventory positions, ambient

temperature, humidity levels,

equipment vibration patterns, and

energy usage. AI-driven warehouse

management systems ingest this

multidimensional data to optimize

storage bin allocation, orchestrate

autonomous mobile robots (AMRs)

for pick-and-pack operations, and

predict maintenance requirements

with over 98 percent accuracy,

preventing unplanned downtime.

As a result, order fulfillment cycles

accelerate by 40 percent, picking

error rates plummet by 92 percent,

and equipment utilization improves

by 30 percent annually. Digital twin

simulations run millions of “what-if”

scenarios to validate layout changes,

forecast seasonal demand surges,

and test new process improvements

in a virtual environment before live

deployment. These capabilities reduce

capital expenditure on redundant

shelving and ensure dynamic

scalability during peak shipping

periods, such as Ramadan and Expo-level

trade exhibitions.

Predictive Analytics for Last-Mile

Excellence

Last-mile delivery, a critical determinant

of customer satisfaction, is

being redefined through AI-powered

route optimization engines and

predictive analytics models. E-commerce

giants such as Noon, Amazon

MENA, and Aramex ingest live traffic

feeds, historical delivery performance

data, weather forecasts, and

customer availability windows into

machine learning platforms that dynamically

adjust delivery sequences

in real time. This approach shortens

average delivery times by 28 percent

and trims fuel consumption by 17

percent, while crowd-sourced traffic

anomaly reporting further refines

routing decisions in high-density

urban centers like Dubai Marina and

Abu Dhabi’s Al Reem Island. IoT-enabled

delivery vans equipped with

telematics units transmit location,

temperature, and load weight every

EGA’s recognition

as a global leader

in Industry 4.0 positions

it ideally to

help advance the

UAE’s industrial digital

transformation

and empower our

logistics workforce

with cutting-edge

technological expertise.”

— H.E. Eng. Majed Al Mesmar,

Director-General,

Telecommunications and Digital

Government Regulatory Authority

(TDRA)

minute, enabling command centers

to detect potential spoilage risks in

cold-chain shipments or mechanical

issues in vehicles, and to dispatch

support teams proactively. Automated

SMS and app-based notifications

provide customers with precise ETAs

and delivery rescheduling options,

resulting in post-delivery satisfaction

scores exceeding 94 percent.

End-to-End Freight Visibility

Supply chain visibility across

multimodal transport networks

has reached new heights through

integrated freight tracking platforms.

Container-mounted IoT gateways

relay GPS coordinates, temperature,

humidity, and shock metrics

at fifteen-minute intervals, allowing

logistics managers to detect

transshipment delays or handling

incidents immediately. At the UAE’s

flagship ports Jebel Ali and Khalifa

AI-driven dwell-time forecasting

models analyze vessel schedules,

customs clearance throughput, and

yard storage capacity to reduce average

port dwell times by 22 percent.

These insights enable preemptive reallocation

of berthing slots and labor

resources, minimizing bottlenecks.

Blockchain-based smart contracts

automate payment triggers upon

verified delivery milestones loading

at origin port, inland pickup, port discharge,

and final delivery reducing

reconciliation cycles from weeks to

hours and eliminating over 95 percent

of invoicing disputes between

carriers and shippers.

These national initiatives not only

turbocharge operational efficiency

but also generate new high-value

career pathways AI trainers, data scientists,

digital process architects, and

automation engineers ensuring the

UAE’s logistics workforce remains

globally competitive. By integrating

human expertise with intelligent

systems, the country is building a

resilient, future-ready supply chain

capable of adapting to evolving market

demands, geopolitical shifts, and

technological breakthroughs.

October 2025 / 9

UAE NEWS

UAE Launches Nationwide

Fraud Prevention

Campaign With MoI

The Ministry of Interior, Dubai

Police, and Visa have launched

“Don’t Talk to Strangers Has No

Age Limit,” a nationwide campaign to

fight fraud and e-crimes. Focused on

digital literacy and vigilance, it uses

creative outreach across social media,

outdoor platforms, and in-person

sessions. Tailored messaging for diverse

communities ensures stronger

awareness, supporting the UAE’s

secure and resilient digital economy

vision. This move aims to significantly

prevent frauds across the UAE.

ALC Partners With

Amazon Alexa to

Enrich Arabic Content

The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language

Centre (ALC) has signed a licensing

agreement with Amazon Alexa to

expand Arabic-language content in the

UAE and Saudi Arabia. By integrating

ALC’s curated resources, including a

digital lexicon and poetry encyclopedia,

Alexa enhances accessibility for native

speakers and learners. The partnership

strengthens Arabic’s global digital presence,

preserves cultural heritage, and

highlights Abu Dhabi’s leadership in cultural

innovation, marking a much-needed

regional tool.

Dubai Opens Emirates

Next-Gen Pilot

Training Center With

Advanced Technology

Dubai has inaugurated Emirates’

cutting-edge pilot training

center, a key step in supporting

fleet expansion and aviation excellence.

Spanning 63,000 square feet,

the facility features six simulator bays

and houses advanced technologies

such as the in-house Pilot Support Station,

immersive training simulations,

and 3D printing that reduces costs

by AED 1 million annually. Training has

begun on two Airbus A350 simulators,

with Boeing 777X models to follow, enabling

130,000 annual training hours

across Emirates’ facilities. One simulator

already earned Level D certification,

the highest from EASA, marking

a global milestone. The center also

includes classrooms for recurrent and

conversion training, while Emirates

accelerates pilot recruitment through

specialized programs, reinforcing Dubai’s

role in global aviation training.

NetForChoice Opens UAE Data Center to Drive

GCC Digital Transformation

NetForChoice has opened a

state-of-the-art data center in

Dubai, delivering 99.95% uptime,

SOC services, NOC monitoring,

and enterprise-grade cloud hosting.

The facility includes free domain support,

scalable infrastructure, and secure

compliance-ready solutions for

GCC businesses. With resilient systems

and carrier-neutral connectivity,

it enables sectors like BFSI and healthcare

to scale efficiently, reinforcing

Dubai’s position as a regional hub for

digital innovation.

Ali Al Hashemi Elected

First Emirati Chairman

of Global Satellite

Association

Ali Al Hashemi, CEO of Space

Services at Space42, has been

elected Chairman of the Global

Satellite Operators Association (GSOA),

marking the first time an Emirati has

assumed this prestigious role. Bringing

over 20 years of expertise in telecommunications,

defence, and aerospace,

he previously served as Vice Chair of

GSOA and oversaw projects like the

Thuraya-4 satellite launch and expansion

of direct-to-device services in

Africa. Al Hashemi also chairs AMMROC

and serves on the boards of the UAE

Space Agency and the National Space

Science and Technology Centre. Listed

in Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 CEOs,

his election highlights the UAE’s growing

global influence in satellite communications

and reinforces its commitment to

innovation and space leadership. The

UAE aims to continue making landmark

developments in the space industry.

10 \ October 2025

Dubai RTA Partners

With Terra Tech to Roll

Out E-Bike Stations

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority

(RTA), in collaboration with

Terra Tech Ltd, has introduced the

region’s first e-bike battery-swapping

stations, strategically placed across

the emirate. The initiative is designed

to promote zero-emission transport

while offering delivery companies

cost-efficient, eco-friendly alternatives

that cut downtime and operational expenses.

It supports Dubai’s Commercial

and Logistics Land Transport Strategy

2030, which targets a 30 percent

reduction in carbon emissions through

infrastructure at 36 sites. Alongside

lowering emissions, the system reduces

noise pollution, improves service

quality, and builds readiness for future

mobility technologies. By encouraging

greater e-bike adoption in commercial

fleets, the project demonstrates how

public-private partnerships advance

sustainable transport while reinforcing

Dubai’s role as a leader in green mobility,

and sustainability.

UAE Leads Global Tech

Dependency Index

With Record Usage

The UAE has emerged as the

world’s most tech-dependent

nation, with residents averaging

7 hours and 59 minutes daily on digital

devices. Nearly three hours are devoted

to social media, where TikTok surpasses

Instagram in popularity. Globally,

screen use has risen 42% since

2020. The findings highlight how universal

access positions the UAE at the

forefront of global digital transformation,

but also raises concerns on the

mass population developing an over

dependence on technology.


Abu Dhabi Launches

Pilot Program for

Autonomous Vehicles

Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport

Centre has launched a pilot for

autonomous delivery vehicles in

partnership with K2 and EMX, logistics

arm of 7X. The emirate also issued its first

licence plate for a self-driving delivery

vehicle, developed by K2 subsidiary

Autogo. Operating in Masdar City under

SASC oversight, the trial supports Abu

Dhabi’s 2040 smart mobility goals by

enhancing logistics, reducing congestion,

and cutting emissions, by utilising

autonomous AI delivery vehicles across

the UAE.

Tensor to Debut

World’s First Personal

Autonomous Robocar

in Dubai 2025

Tensor will debut the Robocar, the

world’s first personally owned

Level 4 autonomous vehicle, at the

Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving

Transport 2025. Unlike retrofitted cars,

the Robocar is built from scratch for

autonomy, featuring over 100 sensors,

including 37 cameras, 5 lidars, and 11

radars. Powered by Tensor’s Foundation

Model, it combines real-world

and simulated data to ensure safety,

reflexes, and reasoning. Designed for

individuals, it offers autonomous parking,

charging, offline self-diagnostics, and

privacy-first features like encrypted

access and camera covers. Partnerships

with Nvidia, Sony, VinFast, Oracle, and

Marsh strengthen its technology, manufacturing,

and insurance ecosystem. With

innovations like a foldable steering wheel

and Dual Mode operation, deliveries are

scheduled for late 2026, positioning

Dubai as a global hub.

Indonesia and UAE Sign Digital Governance

Pact to Advance Innovation and Services

Indonesia and the UAE have signed

a strategic agreement to boost

digital governance, enhance service

delivery, and foster innovation.

The partnership covers government

performance, competitiveness, and

technology adoption. A key initiative

will train a staggering number of 10 million

Indonesian coders in three years

with UAE support. Cooperation also

extends to food security and auditing,

reinforcing transparency, accountability,

and sustainable growth across

both nations.

October 2025 / 11

Transportation

Connected Ports, Connected

Rails: Unified Country

How cutting-edge rail, port, and airport networks drive the

UAE’s global logistics dominance

A nationwide rail network has transformed

the country into an integrated

economic zone by linking ports,

airports, industrial hubs, and cities,

thereby streamlining logistics, cutting

transit times, boosting trade

and investment, enabling regional

development, and supply chains.

The UAE has emerged as the

world’s most advanced multimodal

transport hub, with

Etihad Rail’s 900-kilometer network

connecting all seven emirates,

creating unprecedented economic

integration. The Phase 2 completion

in February 2025 now links Ghuweifat

on the Saudi border to Fujairah,

enabling freight services to transport

60 million tons annually while

replacing 5,600 truck journeys daily.

This transformative infrastructure

positions the UAE as the logistics

backbone of the GCC region.

12 \ October 2025


Maritime excellence drives record

container volumes

The UAE’s ports achieved exceptional

performance in 2025, with Jebel

Ali Port handling 15.5 million twenty-foot

equivalent units, representing

an increase of approximately one

million units compared to the previous

year. This achievement marks

the highest container and breakbulk

cargo volumes since 2015, with

breakbulk cargo surging 23% yearon-year

to reach 5.4 million tonnes.

Combined UAE container throughput

exceeded 20 million units, reinforcing

the nation’s position among the

world’s top container handling countries.themaritimestandard+1

Khalifa Port experienced remarkable

growth with container volumes

increasing significantly, supported

by Mediterranean Shipping Company’s

joint venture through Terminal

Investment Ltd and China Shipping

Ports’ dedicated facility. AD Ports

Group reported substantial year-onyear

container volume growth, driven

by enhanced capacity and operational

efficiency improvements across its

network. The strategic positioning

enables seamless connectivity to

over 180 global destinations through

150+ shipping lines.

Port Khalifa’s current capacity

of 7.8 million twenty-foot equivalent

units is expected to increase

to 9.6 million by 2025, while total

nameplate capacity will exceed 10

million units following CMA CGM’s

$154 million investment in a new 1.8

million unit terminal. These facilities

collectively contribute approximately

14% to the UAE’s gross domestic

product, reflecting their economic

significance.

Aviation infrastructure maintains

global leadership

Dubai International Airport achieved

record-breaking performance in the

first half of 2025, welcoming 46

million passengers across 222,000

flights despite regional airspace disruptions.

The airport processed over

1 million tonnes of cargo during this

period, demonstrating resilience in

volatile global trade conditions. Service

efficiency remained exceptional,

with 99.2% of passengers clearing

departure passport control in under

10 minutes and 91% of baggage

delivered within 45 minutes.thenationalnews+1

The average monthly passenger

traffic during January-June reached

7.7 million, while daily passenger volume

averaged 254,000. April 2025

became the busiest April in airport

history with 8 million passengers,

establishing new monthly records.

Combined Dubai International and

Dubai World Central handled 2.1

million metric tons of cargo, maintaining

the UAE’s position as a critical

aviation hub.

Al Maktoum International Airport’s

ongoing development creates

an integrated logistics ecosystem

facilitating multimodal transitions

between air, sea, and land transport

modes. This strategic positioning

enables the UAE to capture high-val-

This project represents

a significant

step toward realizing

the UAE’s vision

of establishing an

integrated road network

that meets the

needs of population

and economic

growth.”

— Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei,

Minister of Energy and Infrastructure

ue cargo representing 35% of global

trade value despite comprising only

1% of trade volume.

Smart road networks enable optimal

efficiency

The Emirates Road development

project, launched in September 2025

with an AED 750 million investment,

expands capacity from 6,000

to 9,000 vehicles per hour while

reducing travel times by 45%. This

strategic upgrade features a fivelane

expansion over 25 kilometers

with six directional bridges totaling

12.6 kilometers.

The UAE Logistics Integration

Council, established in 2025, coordinates

federal and local entities

to achieve AED 200 billion sector

contribution within seven years, targeting

a top-three global ranking in

the Logistics Performance Index. Advanced

traffic management systems

utilize real-time data analytics and

AI-powered optimization, while the

nation maintains 914 EV charging

stations with plans for 10,000 chargers

by 2030, supporting a sustainable

mobility transition.

This integrated approach transforms

the UAE into a seamless logistics

ecosystem where rail, maritime,

aviation, and road networks operate

in perfect synchronization, establishing

the Emirates as the undisputed

global logistics leader for the next

decade.

Digital innovation empowers logistics

intelligence

The UAE’s integrated transport

ecosystem is increasingly driven by

smart technologies that enhance

operational intelligence and predictive

efficiency. Through AI, IoT,

blockchain, and advanced data analytics,

key logistics assets ranging

from ports and airports to freight

hubs and warehouses are now connected

within real-time monitoring

networks. Predictive maintenance

systems reduce downtime, while

digital twins optimize cargo flow and

energy usage across multimodal

corridors. The Ministry of Energy and

Infrastructure’s National Smart Mobility

Strategy further aligns these

innovations with sustainability goals,

ensuring logistics growth remains

globally competitive.

October 2025 / 13

DRIVE TO THE FUTURE

MINI JCW

X

DEUS EX MACHINA

Two worlds. Two cars. Singular enthusiasm

6.2 s

0–100 km/h

258 hp

Horsepower

350 Nm

Torque

MINI John Cooper Works and Deus Ex Machina have joined forces to create

two bespoke one-off cars that celebrate craftsmanship, community, and

motorsport spirit. These MINI JCW collaborations are crafted as dual design

statements , machines that honor racing heritage and artisanal culture while

serving as wearable expressions of a lifestyle built around speed, creativity,

and hands-on design.

14 \ October 2025


231 hp

Horsepower

320 Nm

Torque

6.5 s

0-100 km/h

Both cars originate from the MINI

JCW lineage but express two distinct

energies joined by a single

visual thread: a large white ‘X’ across

each roof that signals co-creation and

shared identity. The pair is presented

as complementary opposites. The

Skeg channels coastal minimalism and

electric propulsion; the Machina embodies

raw, combustion-powered racing

fervour. Together, they speak the

same design language while celebrating

different cultural origins.

The Skeg is a clean, light electric

concept inspired by surfboard construction

and beach life. Its vivid yellow

and silver finish, semi-transparent

fiberglass panels, and widened fenders

create a striking profile that reduces

weight and refines aerodynamics.

Functional surf cues, tension straps

on the roof, fiberglass trays for wetsuits,

and a dashboard built with surfboard

techniques translate seaside

rituals into automotive practicality.

Inside, neoprene-trimmed lightweight

racing seats, simple tactile controls,

and purposeful storage turn the cabin

into a mobile surf shop, marrying durability

with understated style while

evoking the freedom of open coastlines

and the spirit of endless summer

exploration.

The Machina takes the opposite approach:

loud, low, and uncompromisingly

mechanical. Its red, white, and

black livery, widened arches, and four

bonnet-mounted driving lights reference

classic rally and track lore. At the

same time, a Can–Am–style rear spoiler,

perforated headlight surrounds,

and a performance-oriented diffuser

sharpen both function and form. The

interior is Spartan and purposeful:

five-point harnesses, exposed rollcage

elements, raw aluminium floor

plates, and a waxed-fabric dash evoke

Deus’ workshop aesthetic and MINI’s

motorsport lineage. Mechanical toggle

switches and a hydraulic hand-

brake reinforce the direct connection

between the driver and the machine,

creating an immersive driving environment

that feels both raw and exhilarating,

built for performance purists.

Across both cars, visible seams,

artisanal finishes, and bold graphic

elements prioritise authenticity over

polish. Designworks, Deus creatives,

and designer Matt Willey wove historic

racing cues into fresh, contemporary

livery. The collaboration extends into

a MINI x Deus apparel capsule made

from premium materials and thoughtful

tailoring, debuting at IAA Mobility

2025. Altogether, the MINI JCW x

DEUS project is a concentrated celebration

of craft, community, and the

shared joy of the ride, proving how

two strikingly different machines can

embody one unified story of passion,

heritage, and creative expression.

cars originate from the MINI JCW lineage

but express two distinct energies

joined by a single visual thread.

October 2025 / 15

Supply Chain

How AI Supports

Interconnectivity

Assessing AI-driven automation across UAE ports, logistics,

and cargo operations

Exploring ADNOC’s AI Smart Ports,

DP World’s terminal automation

and BOXBAY high-bay storage,

Emirates SkyCargo’s digital cargo

platform, integrated MarHub community

systems, IoT and blockchain

infrastructure, and economic impact

under national AI and autonomous

transport strategies.

The United Arab Emirates has

emerged as a global leader in

supply chain digitalization, harnessing

artificial intelligence, automation,

and data-driven platforms to

transform port operations, logistics

hubs, and air-cargo services. Three

flagship initiatives underpin this revolution:

ADNOC Logistics & Services’

AI-powered Smart Port Solution,

Dubai Ports World’s advanced

terminal automation and BOXBAY

high-bay storage, and Emirates Sky-

Cargo’s unified digital cargo ecosystem.

Together, these programs create

a seamless, resilient network that

16 \ October 2025


enhances throughput, reduces costs,

and bolsters sustainability across the

UAE’s logistics corridors.

ADNOC’s AI-Powered Smart Port

Solution

ADNOC Logistics & Services deployed

the region’s first AI-enabled

Smart Port Solution at Das, Zirku,

Mubaraz, Ruwais, and Jebel Dhana

terminals. By integrating machine-learning

algorithms with live

sensor feeds from berth occupancy

to mooring tensions the system

automates vessel scheduling and

resource allocation. Predictive analytics

forecast arrival windows and

maintenance requirements, cutting

average turnaround times by up

to 60 percent and boosting berth

utilization by 20 percent. Automated

workflows eliminate manual coordination,

reducing service-sourcing durations

from hours to under a minute

and saving roughly 3,000 operational

hours annually. Real-time anomaly

detection further enhances safety

by flagging irregular equipment behavior

for preemptive action, yielding

projected cost savings of nearly USD

950,000 per facility by 2028.

Dubai Ports World’s Automation

and BOXBAY

Dubai Ports World leads port automation

via its Zodiac terminal operating

system at Jebel Ali and global

terminals, unifying crane control,

yard planning, rail coordination, and

container tracking across 18 subsystems.

This end-to-end automation elevates

productivity, reduces human

error, and maintains uninterrupted

operations. The BOXBAY high-bay

storage system stacks containers

eleven stories high, tripling storage

density within the same footprint

and eliminating reshuffling delays.

Automated retrieval enables instant

access to any container, while

AI-driven analytics optimize yard

utilization and energy consumption.

Combined, these innovations reduce

energy use by 25 percent, improve

handling speeds by 35 percent, and

enhance safety by minimizing human-machine

interaction in hazardous

zones. DP World’s rollout across

14 terminals demonstrates a scalable

blueprint for standardized, data-centric

operations.

Emirates SkyCargo’s Digital Transformation

Emirates SkyCargo has reimagined

air-cargo logistics through an

integrated digital platform spanning

booking, handling, and tracking.

Emirates Courier Express leverages

the airline’s wide-body fleet for direct,

point-to-point deliveries with average

transit times under 48 hours.

The CargoWise-powered system delivers

real-time capacity visibility and

instant e-quoting, while AI-based

demand forecasting achieves up to

94 percent accuracy. Partnership

with CargoAi provides 24/7 marketplace

access for over 10,000 freight

forwarders, and the Trade-Sustain-

AI initiative uses machine learning

Our commitment to

supply chain digitalization

transforms

the UAE into the

world’s smartest

logistics hub, where

technology, efficiency,

and sustainability

converge to serve

global trade.”

— H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al

Zeyoudi,

Minister of State for Foreign Trade,

Government of the United Arab

Emirates

to optimize routing for cost, speed,

and carbon footprint. Automated

customs pre-clearance and predictive

exception management cut manual

processing by 70 percent, boosting

reliability and customer satisfaction.

Integrated Technology Infrastructure

The UAE’s supply chain digitalization

rests on a cohesive technology

backbone. Port of Fujairah’s MarHub

Port Community System, built on

cloud-native, API-first architecture,

centralizes port-call, customs, and

terminal data to streamline workflows

and foster stakeholder collaboration.

Smart gates using optical

character recognition and AI video

analytics accelerate vehicle processing

and enforce compliance. IoT

sensors monitor equipment health

and environmental conditions, while

blockchain-secured ledgers maintain

data integrity across transactions.

Predictive maintenance leverages real-time

telemetry to schedule repairs

before failures, reducing downtime

by up to 40 percent and extending

asset lifecycles.

Economic Impact and Future Outlook

Strategic investments in AI, automation,

and digital infrastructure generate

substantial returns. ADNOC’s

suppliers will invest AED 3 billion in

local manufacturing, creating over

3,500 skilled jobs and reducing

import reliance. DP World’s automation

boosts Jebel Ali’s throughput

by 20 percent, reinforcing Dubai’s

status as the world’s busiest container

port. Emirates SkyCargo’s

digital enhancements drive a 15

percent increase in cargo yield and

expand network reach. Under the

UAE National AI Strategy 2031 and

Dubai’s Autonomous Transportation

Strategy targeting 25 percent

autonomous mobility by 2030, the

Emirates is charting a resilient, sustainable

course for global trade. By

uniting AI-driven operations, predictive

analytics, and shared digital

platforms, the UAE sets the standard

for an agile, intelligent supply chain

capable of meeting future challenges

and opportunities in the logistics industry,

setting a standard for global

players to follow.

October 2025 / 17

INFOGRAPHIC

UAE Supply Chain

Technology Adoption

Overview

HEADLINE STATISTICS 2024

225% SURGE

Industrial Demand Growth

Dubai's industrial & logistics

space requirements reached

40.6 million sq ft in 2024

$20.11B

Market Size 2024

Smart technology maritime &

logistics market value,

projected to reach $30.19B

by 2030

59% ADOPTION

Industrial AI Integration

Nearly doubled from 32% in

2023, leading global automation

trends

HEADLINE STATISTICS

Supply Chain Management

$5.22B Current Value $8.5B 2031 Projection 7.2% Growth Rate

Logistics Market

$62.28B Total Value $106.04B 2034 Target 5.5% Growth Rate

18 \ October 2025


TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION METRICS

67%

Cloud Platform Migration

enterprises on cloud infrastructure

• An additional 22% planning migration within 15 months

93%

AI Investment Commitment

C-suite leaders are increasing AI budgets

• The Middle East leads global AI adoption rates

80%

Cloud Platform Migration

UAE professionals are actively using AI

• Highest global adoption rate in 2025

2025 PREDICTIONS

AI Acceleration

• 40%+ growth trajectory expected

• Machine learning for demand forecasting

• Predictive maintenance integration

• Route optimization algorithms

Warehouse

Automation Expansion

• Automated storage & retrieval systems

• Collaborative robots deployment

• AI-powered inventory management

• 17.4% CAGR projected through 2030

October 2025 / 19

Launch EXPRESS

GOOGLE GEMINI SMART HOME

A NEW ERA OF INTERACTION: FROM COMMANDS TO CONVERSATION

Google Gemini Smart Home represents a transformative

leap in artificial intelligence-powered home automation.

Set to launch in early access on October

1, 2025, Gemini for Home will replace Google Assistant on

Nest speakers and displays, introducing sophisticated AI

capabilities that fundamentally change how users interact

with their smart homes.

The system leverages Google’s most advanced Gemini AI

models to deliver natural language processing that eliminates

rigid voice commands. Users can issue complex requests

like “turn off the lights everywhere except my bedroom” or

“play that song from this year’s summer blockbuster about

race cars,” and Gemini will understand context and intent.

This represents a significant departure from traditional smart

home interactions that required specific command structures.

Gemini for Home introduces powerful new capabilities

across multiple domains. For media discovery, users can

ask for content using descriptive phrases rather than exact

titles, with the system searching across multiple streaming

platforms. Smart home controls become more intuitive,

allowing multiple commands in sequence, such as “dim

the lights and set the temperature to 72 degrees”. The AI

assistant also provides enhanced calendar management,

list creation, and timer functionality with improved natural

language support.

One of the most compelling features is Gemini Live, which

enables extended conversational interactions without repeatedly

saying “Hey Google.” This allows for natural backand-forth

dialogue, making the assistant feel more like a

household companion than a simple command interface.

Users can interrupt responses to refine requests or redirect

conversations, creating a more fluid interaction experience.

The integration extends beyond basic commands to include

comprehensive home and family life coordination.

Gemini can create detailed shopping lists based on recipe

requests, set precisely timed cooking alerts, and automatically

schedule calendar events for entertainment preferences.

The system’s advanced reasoning capabilities allow it to

provide personalized advice on topics ranging from pest

control to travel planning.

Google plans to offer both free and paid versions of Gemini

for Home, though specific pricing details remain undisclosed.

The rollout begins with early access for select users, with

broader availability expected throughout late 2025. For developers

and third-party manufacturers, Google is opening

Nest camera APIs to enable Gemini-powered features.

20 \ October 2025


ROG XBOX ALLY X

PERFORMANCE AND POWER

ROG Xbox Ally X: a powerhouse handheld that marries ASUS

hardware know-how with Microsoft’s Xbox ecosystem.

Released in 2025, the Ally X packs an AMD Ryzen AI

Z2 Extreme (2.0 GHz, 8 cores / 16 threads) alongside 24

GB of LPDDR5X and a 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive, delivering

desktop-class performance in a portable chassis.

The 7-inch 1080p IPS touchscreen runs

at 120 Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium,

Gorilla Glass Victus protection, 500 nits

brightness, and 100% sRGB coverage for

vibrant, accurate visuals. An 80 Wh battery

powers the unit; real-world tests

show roughly 2–3 hours of intensive

AAA play in turbo mode, 6–8 hours

for less demanding/emulated titles,

and up to about 14.5 hours for light

tasks like video streaming.

Ergonomically, the design draws

from Xbox controllers: contoured,

textured grips, Xbox ABXY layout, and RGB thumbstick

rings for a familiar, secure feel. Durability is emphasized,

thumbsticks rated for five million rotations and buttons en-

gineered for millions of presses. Haptics get a boost from

impulse triggers with independent vibration motors, while

dual Smart Amp speakers deliver robust onboard audio. The

Ally X can boot directly into an Xbox full-screen interface.

SAMSUNG GALAXY XR HEADSET

CUTTING-EDGE DISPLAY AND INTUITIVE TRACKING

Samsung’s Galaxy XR (formerly Project Moohan) marks the

company’s bold return to standalone extended reality,

developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm.

Unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked on September 29, 2025, the

headset is positioned as Samsung’s first true XR device since

Gear VR, and as a premium, more affordable alternative to

Apple’s Vision Pro.

Under the hood sits Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2

chipset and 16 GB of RAM, running Google’s new Android XR

platform with Gemini AI integration for voice and contextual

interactions. The software stack brings native access to

Google services, YouTube, Chrome, Maps, and XR-native

apps like enhanced Google Photos.

The visual system uses 1.3-inch Sony OLEDoS microdisplays

that deliver 4K resolution with an extraordinary pixel density

(~3,800 ppi), up to 90 Hz refresh, and peak brightness around

1,000 nits. Pancake optics and foveated rendering work

together to maximize clarity while conserving processing

power and improving comfort during long sessions.

Tracking is comprehensive: multi-camera hand and eye

tracking enable controller-free interaction, automatic IPD adjustments,

and room-scale positional tracking. Eye tracking

also powers foveated rendering to allocate GPU resources

where the user is looking. Samsung adds a Camera Assistant–

enabled 3D capture workflow so compatible Galaxy phones

can record spatial photos and 4K@30fps video for immersive

playback on the headset.

Design prioritizes comfort and modularity. An external, hotswap

battery reduces headset weight and supports quick

charging; dial-adjustable straps and mechanical IPD let users

fine-tune fit and focus. Modular accessories include detachable

light shields and prescription lens support.

October 2025 / 21

Interview

MANOJ SUREKA

CEO & Managing Partner,

Synergy Fin. Consulting

22 \ October 2025


Investment in the UAE Telecom

Market: The UAE’s Digital

Dividend

Exclusive Interview

Manoj Sureka is a recognised leader in the finance and investment sector. Manoj has built a strong reputation for his

strategic foresight and ability to foster sustainable business growth.

Prior to Synergy, he served as Head of Commercial Banking at RAKBANK and held key roles at institutions including

Mashreq Bank and National Bank of Fujairah. He also serves as a board member and mentor to several companies

across diverse industries.

At Synergy Fin. Consulting, the firm provides end-to-end fundraising advisory services through private equity, debt, and

trade finance solutions. Their clientele includes SMEs and corporates seeking capital through banks, financial institutions,

sovereign wealth funds, and other institutional investors. Synergy also offers specialised advisory services in mergers and

acquisitions, joint venture and investment into profitable businesses.

Q: Why look at the UAE now?

Macro tailwinds + digital ambition. IMF

projects ~4% GDP growth in 2025 and

an average ~5% through 2027 (user-provided).

A young, digitally savvy population

(≈79% under 44) and long-run

population growth (from ~1m in 1980

to 10.7m in 2023, user-provided) support

long-term demand. The UAE Digital

Economy Strategy targets digital GDP at

~19% by 2031 (user-provided).

The UAE offers scale, visibility,

and quality: world-leading

penetration and powerful digital-economy

tailwinds.”

Q: How is the market structured?

It’s a two-operator integrated market (e&

and du) with only two public telecom

network licences under the Telecom Law.

TDRA is an independent regulator with

broad powers across pricing, interconnect,

service quality, consumer protection,

and spectrum. Spectrum is centrally

managed via a National Frequency Plan.

In a two-operator market, competition

shifts from price to performance, and

investors capture the delta.

Q: What are the headline market facts

investors should know?

2024 sector revenue exceeded AED

50bn (mobile ~AED 19bn; fixed ~AED

16bn). Usage and infrastructure are worldclass:

~231% mobile penetration and

~99% FTTH coverage. Competitive dynamics

are value-driven (network quality

and service, not price wars).

Q: What’s driving growth beyond population?

Government digital programs and a

thriving cloud/data-center ecosystem

create sustained demand for high-speed,

secure connectivity across consumer

and enterprise segments. Fixed growth

is further supported by fibre rollout and

FWA; mobile benefits from rising digital

services usage.

Q: What are the key risks?

• Tech disruption/OTT substitution

requires continued innovation to monetize

data and 5G use-cases.

• Regulatory change: TDRA holds

broad discretion over tariffs, interconnect

and market conduct.

• Macro sensitivity (tourism/expat

cycles) and cybersecurity/operational

resilience (sector-wide).

• eSIM-based roaming alternatives

and satellite entrants creating incremental

competition at the edges.

Q: Bottom line for capital allocators?

The UAE offers scale, visibility, and

quality: world-leading penetration and

fibre coverage, a disciplined two-player

structure, strong regulatory institutions,

and powerful digital-economy tailwinds.

With smart, customer-centric execution

in broadband, FWA, enterprise ICT, data-center

and fintech adjacencies, the

market remains an attractive, cash-generative

exposure to regional digital growth,

balanced by the usual execution and

regulatory watch-items.

October 2025 / 23

AI Policy

UAE Sets Global

Standards in AI

International artificial intelligence policy framework shapes

worldwide governance approaches

The world’s first AI-powered legislative intelligence

system is established, creating a comprehensive regulatory

ecosystem that enhances governance, streamlines

policymaking, and ensures smarter, data-driven

decision-making for global innovation and compliance.

24 \ October 2025

In 2025, the UAE Cabinet approved

the world’s first integrated regulatory

intelligence ecosystem powered

by AI, marking a breakthrough

in smart governance and legislative

reform. The system links federal

and local laws with judicial rulings,

government services, and executive

procedures, cutting legislative drafting

time by 70% while aligning with

national values.

It monitors laws’ real-time impact

on citizens and the economy, recommending

updates through advanced

data analysis. Managed by a new

Regulatory Intelligence Office, it integrates

global best practices. Complementing

this, Law No. 3 of 2024

established the AI and Advanced

Technology Council to oversee projects,

ethics, and regulations.

Partnerships drive responsible AI

G42 and Microsoft launched the Abu

Dhabi-based Responsible AI Foundation

in 2025, establishing the first

center of its kind in the Middle East

focused on responsible AI research,

implementation, and governance.


The UAE has become a significant player in

the global governance of artificial intelligence,

actively contributing to international

policy discussions.”

— H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama,

Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence,

UAE Ministry of AI and Digital Economy

The foundation supports research

programs while Microsoft expanded

its AI for Good Lab to Abu Dhabi,

cementing G42 and the UAE

as global hubs for responsible AI

development. This collaboration

demonstrates the UAE’s commitment

to ethical AI standards

through international partnerships

with leading technology companies.

Core42, a G42 company,

provides sovereign cloud and

AI infrastructure solutions while

empowering individuals, enterprises,

and nations to unlock AI’s

full potential through comprehensive

enablement capabilities.

The company launched OpenAI

GPT-OSS globally on its AI Cloud,

demonstrating advanced AI capabilities

within sovereign infrastructure

frameworks. Microsoft and

Core42 released comprehensive

whitepapers on sovereign public

cloud solutions, providing strategic

insights for technology leaders

adopting AI while maintaining

regulatory compliance.

Mohamed bin Zayed University

of Artificial Intelligence collaborates

with government entities

and private sector partners to advance

AI research and education

initiatives. The university’s board

comprises key leaders from the

UAE and around the world, bring-

ing expertise in research, technology,

governance, and economics.

These partnerships enable the

development of large language

models and AI solutions tailored

to regional requirements while

maintaining global standards.

Framework ensures transparent

accountability.

The UAE’s international stance on

artificial intelligence policy builds

on six core principles: advancement,

cooperation, community,

ethics, sustainability, and security.

This framework positions AI as

a catalyst for economic diversification

while encouraging the

development of high-impact technological

solutions that address

regional and global challenges.

The policy emphasizes the critical

importance of transparency and

the establishment of checkpoints

within AI tools, enabling governments

to ensure compliance with

ethical standards.

The UAE actively participates in

international AI forums to shape

the development and use of

emerging technologies through

future standards and guidelines.

The country supports establishing

international alliances for governing,

securing, and developing AI

systems while advocating for rules

that hold nations accountable for

developing harmful or destabilizing

AI tools. These efforts ensure

AI security, privacy protection,

and data safety through collaborative

research and development

initiatives promoting peace and

stability regionally and globally.

The Abu Dhabi Government

has approved a landmark Digital

Strategy 2025-2027, with an investment

of AED 13 billion, aiming

to become the world’s first fully

AI-native government by 2027.

The strategy implements over 200

innovative AI solutions across government

services while establishing

robust digital guidelines and

frameworks, ensuring the highest

cybersecurity standards. This

initiative positions the emirate as a

global leader in AI-driven government

operations.

AI fuels economic growth

The UAE National Strategy for

Artificial Intelligence 2031 seeks to

position the nation as the world’s

most AI-ready, integrating AI

across nine key sectors, including

health, transport, space, and education.

Federal initiatives target

50% AI adoption in government

services, while boosting the UAE

as a global AI hub. The sector now

employs 90,000 more people

compared to 2022, marking a

huge leap in AI governance.

October 2025 / 25

AI NEWS

Sheikh Mohamed

Launches UAE’s K2

Think

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed

bin Zayed has launched K2

Think, hailed as the world’s

most advanced open-source reasoning

model. Developed by Mohamed

bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence

and G42, it delivers frontier-class

performance in a compact,

efficient design. The launch underscores

the UAE’s commitment to AI

innovation, global competitiveness,

and honoring Sheikh Khalifa’s legacy

in advancing science, technology,

and national progress.

AI-Powered HR Assistant

Launched for Gov

Employee Services

The UAE has introduced an AI-powered

Human Resources Assistant to

transform government operations

and improve employee experiences.

Serving over 50,000 federal staff in

its first phase, it offers 108 services,

automates 80% of HR tasks, and handles

most inquiries, saving 170,000 work

hours annually. Accessible anytime in

Arabic and English, the assistant supports

the UAE’s vision of efficient, AI-driven

governance. The UAE has introduced an

AI-powered Human Resources Assistant

to transform government operations.

Ras Al Khaimah

Rebrands as Innovation

City, World’s First

AI Free Zone

Ras Al Khaimah Digital Assets Oasis

has rebranded as Innovation City

(INC), establishing the emirate as

a hub for technology and entrepreneurship.

The initiative targets five strategic

pillars: Web3 and digital assets, artificial

intelligence, gaming and iGaming,

robotics, and healthtech. By clustering

innovators and startups, Innovation City

aims to build a thriving ecosystem for

emerging industries. Positioned as the

world’s first AI-powered free zone, it

integrates artificial intelligence into

regulatory frameworks, services, and

business support systems to streamline

operations and attract enterprises.

Dedicated land development will provide

advanced infrastructure tailored to tech

companies, while modern amenities

and proximity to Dubai strengthen its

appeal. With this rebrand, Ras Al Khaimah

seeks to become a global launchpad

for innovation.

China Debuts R1 Humanoid Robot to Showcase

Ambitions in AI Automation

A

Chinese tech giant has introduced

R1, its first humanoid robot,

marking a bold entry into

AI-powered robotics. Demonstrated at

IFA 2025 in Berlin, R1 cooked shrimp

before engaging audiences at Shanghai’s

Inclusion Conference. Beyond

culinary tasks, it could support healthcare

or tourism, though real-world trials

remain limited. Positioned against

rivals like Tesla, R1 underscores China’s

growing ambitions in humanoid

robotics and AI-driven automation,

making way for newer breakthroughs.

YouTube Integrates

Veo 3 AI to Revolutionize

Shorts and

Creator Tools

YouTube has integrated Google’s

Veo 3 AI into Shorts, introducing

text-to-video generation, remixing

tools, and automated editing in one

of its largest creator upgrades. Veo

3 Fast enables 480p clips with lower

latency and built-in sound, addressing

long-standing frustrations, while motion

transfer technology animates still images

using movements from existing videos.

Google’s Lyria 2 music model expands

remix options by converting dialogue into

soundtracks across styles like “chill” or

“danceable.” The “Edit with AI” tool further

streamlines production by scanning

raw footage, adding transitions, music,

and voiceovers in English or Hindi. Initial

rollout begins in the US, UK, Canada,

Australia, and New Zealand, as YouTube

positions AI-driven creation to redefine

short-form video and challenge rivals

like TikTok, completely revolutionising

how Shorts would be edited.

26 \ October 2025

OpenAI Launches GPT-

5 Codex to Advance

Smarter, More Adaptive

Coding

OpenAI has launched GPT-5 Codex,

a next-generation AI coding agent

built to handle complex programming

tasks with greater efficiency. Unlike

earlier models, it adapts its “thinking”

time dynamically, ranging from seconds

to seven hours, enabling stronger performance

on advanced agentic coding

benchmarks. Already available in Codex

products across terminals, IDEs, GitHub,

and ChatGPT, it is accessible to Plus, Pro,

Business, Edu, and Enterprise users, with

API rollout planned. Benchmark results

show GPT-5 Codex outperforming GPT-

5 on SWE-bench Verified and excelling

in large-scale code refactoring. It also

delivers more accurate code reviews

and fewer errors, making it a versatile

tool. By optimizing resources and

productivity, GPT-5 Codex positions

OpenAI as a leader in AI-driven software

development, setting benchmarks for

other AI companies to follow.

Samsung Launches

Galaxy Buds3 FE With

AI Features

Samsung has introduced the Galaxy

Buds3 FE, designed with a

sleek “Blade” style and powered

by Galaxy AI. The earbuds offer real-time

translation, voice control, and

hands-free “Hey Google” activation.

Larger drivers boost bass and clarity,

while ANC and Crystal Clear Call enhance

audio. Priced at AED 575, they

provide intuitive controls, seamless

device switching, and smart, practical

functionality for everyday immersive

listening music and entertainment experiences.


Albania Appoints Diella

as World’s First AI

Government Minister

Albania has appointed Diella, the

world’s first AI-powered government

minister, to manage public

procurement and reduce corruption.

Introduced by Prime Minister Edi Rama,

Diella serves as a virtual avatar rather than

a traditional minister. The AI evaluates

and awards tenders, assists citizens

through the digital services portal, and

automates bureaucratic tasks. While

concerns about oversight remain, the

move marks a groundbreaking first step

in brand-new digital governance across

the world.

Adobe Launches

AI Agents to

Revolutionize Business

Operations

Adobe has announced the general

availability of AI agents, designed

to transform how businesses operate

and deliver customer experiences.

Integrated with the Adobe Experience

Platform (AEP) Agent Orchestrator, these

agents can be managed and customized

from Adobe or third-party sources, enabling

real-time data connections and

contextually relevant actions. The platform

uses reasoning engines to interpret

prompts, coordinate multiple AI agents,

and streamline workflows. Through the

AI Assistant chat interface, teams can

interact naturally with agents to improve

productivity and decision-making. Over

70 percent of AEP users already leverage

the system, benefiting from automation,

smarter insights, and enhanced customer

engagement. By embedding AI agents

into existing operations, Adobe aims to

drive measurable business value and

digital transformation.

Zoom Introduces Lifelike AI Avatars and

Upgraded AI Companion 3.0 Features

Zoom has introduced lifelike AI avatars

and the upgraded AI Companion

3.0 to enhance virtual

collaboration. Avatars mirror live video,

giving users a polished presence

without appearing on camera, while

waiting rooms can feature AI-generated

clips with agendas and instructions.

AI Companion 3.0, launching

in November, delivers note-taking,

scheduling, and collaboration tools

across platforms at no additional cost

to subscribers, making the platform

more interactive.

October 2025 / 27

COVER STORY

COVER

STORY

28 \ October 2025


From AI governance and digital banking to smart city

design, climate tech, and entrepreneurship, these

trailblazers represent the energy, innovation, and

inclusivity driving the UAE’s ascent as a global technology

hub.

Their collective impact embodies the essence of

the UAE’s leadership vision, where equality and excellence

intersect to redefine innovation.

October 2025 / 29

Adele Trombetta

SVP & GM, Customer Experience (CX) EMEA

Cisco

Adele Trombetta leads Cisco’s Customer Experience

organisation across Europe, the Middle East, and

Africa, overseeing a team of 3,500 professionals

dedicated to ensuring seamless deployment and

adoption of Cisco solutions. She transformed support

operations by implementing AI-driven service bots and

predictive analytics, reducing average resolution times

by 45% and improving first-contact resolution rates to

82%. Under her leadership, customer satisfaction scores

rose to 94%, while renewal rates increased by 18%.

Adele launched the Cisco CX Academy, a certification

and mentorship program that has upskilled over 4,000

regional engineers in advanced networking, security, and

collaboration tools. She also introduced the Customer

Success Exchange, a peer-to-peer forum that fosters

best-practice sharing among enterprise customers,

driving a 25% uplift in cross-sell opportunities.

Committed to diversity, Adele established Cisco’s

EMEA Women in CX network, mentoring over 1,200 female employees and boosting women’s representation in leadership

roles by 30%. Her strategic vision and advocacy have positioned Cisco CX EMEA as an industry benchmark for

customer-centric innovation and inclusive team development, driving sustainable transformation across 50 countries

and empowering thousands of professionals to excel in the digital economy.

Ambareen Musa

CEO Revolut GCC

Revolut

Ambareen Musa led Revolut’s expansion into the

Gulf Cooperation Council, obtaining in-principle

approval from the UAE Central Bank in September

2024 and launching full-stack digital banking services

across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Within six

months, she onboarded over 500,000 customers and

achieved 300% year-on-year growth in transaction

volumes through offerings such as real-time cross-border

transfers, cryptocurrency trading, automated

savings goals, and multi-currency accounts tailored

to regional needs.

She negotiated critical partnerships with local banks,

payment networks, and regulators, fast-tracking product

approvals and compliance. Under her leadership,

Revolut GCC raised $75 million in regional funding

to support infrastructure and market development.

Musa also established Revolut Academy, a training

initiative that has empowered over 2,000 women in

fintech through mentorship, workshops, and scholarship grants.

Committed to gender parity, she built a diverse regional team with women holding 45% of senior roles and introduced

flexible work policies and leadership development programs. Her success has inspired women across the Middle East to

pursue careers in financial technology, demonstrating that female executives can rapidly scale innovation.

30 \ October 2025


Amira Sajwani

Founder & CEO

PRYPCO

Amira Sajwani has disrupted the Middle East’s

real estate sector by founding PRYPCO in 2022

and building it into the region’s fastest-growing

proptech platform. Under her leadership, PRYPCO has

enabled nearly AED 10 billion in mortgages, facilitated

over 3,000 UAE Golden Visas, and attracted 50,000+

investors through PRYPCO Blocks (fractional ownership)

and PRYPCO Mint (tokenized investments). In 2025,

she closed a pre-Series A round led by General Catalyst,

their first PropTech investment in MENA solidifying

PRYPCO’s position as a category leader.

Amira pioneered tokenized real estate in partnership

with the Dubai Land Department, making property

investment transparent, accessible, and efficient. She

also launched PRYPCO One (secondary market trading)

and PRYPCO Mortgage, offering streamlined, data-driven

solutions that have become industry benchmarks.

As a female trailblazer in a male-dominated field,

she has inspired women to pursue tech and entrepreneurship by demonstrating that visionary leadership can scale

billion-dirham platforms. Her success showcases how confidence, resilience, and strategic innovation empower women

to redefine traditional industries and drive regional economic transformation, fostering a new era of inclusive growth

and technological excellence across emerging markets worldwide.

Dana Baki

Co-Founder & COO

MUNCH:ON (Acquired by Careem)

Dana Baki co-founded MUNCH:ON in 2016, scaling

it from startup to serving over 20,000 companies

across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Pakistan.

She secured $16 million in funding from Wamda Capital,

Global Ventures, and Shorooq Partners, establishing

MUNCH:ON as the region’s leading B2B food delivery

platform. Under her operational leadership, the

company delivered millions of meals while achieving

consistent double-digit growth and expanding beyond

corporate lunches to residential delivery.

During COVID-19, Dana’s strategic pivot maintained

business continuity by diversifying into all-day meal

delivery, demonstrating exceptional crisis management.

In 2022, she successfully negotiated MUNCH:ON’s

acquisition by Careem, integrating the platform into

the region’s premier super app to reach millions of

additional users.

As a Lebanese-American entrepreneur who left corporate

stability to build a tech startup, Dana has inspired women across the region to pursue entrepreneurship. Through

speaking engagements and mentorship programs, she demonstrates that female founders can secure significant funding,

scale innovative platforms, and achieve successful exits. Her journey proves that women can lead transformative

ventures while balancing motherhood and business leadership, breaking barriers in male-dominated industries.

October 2025 / 31

Dina Sam’an

Founder and Managing Director

CoinMENA

Dina Sam’an co-founded CoinMENA in 2019, establishing

the first fully regulated, Sharia-compliant

cryptocurrency exchange serving the MENA

region from Bahrain. As Managing Director, she has

positioned CoinMENA as the leading crypto assets

platform across five countries: Bahrain, UAE, Saudi

Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, offering seamless deposit,

trading, and withdrawal services in local currencies

with 24/7 multilingual support. Her platform supports

13 major cryptocurrencies with plans for continued

regional expansion.

Licensed by both the Central Bank of Bahrain and

Dubai’s Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, CoinMENA

operates under strict regulatory compliance while

maintaining competitive fees and high liquidity. Her

entrepreneurial journey began in real estate before

entering cryptocurrency in 2015 as part of the founding

team of the region’s first crypto exchange. Sam’an

serves as the youngest board member at Princess Sumaya University for Technology and an Advisory Board Member

for Women in Tech Bahrain. Her leadership has inspired women throughout the region to pursue careers in emerging

financial technologies, demonstrating how female entrepreneurs can navigate complex regulatory environments while

building trusted financial platforms that serve diverse communities.

Dr. Saeeda Jaffar

Group Country Manager – GCC

Visa

Dr. Saeeda Jaffar has driven Visa’s digital payments

expansion across the Gulf Cooperation

Council since June 2021, overseeing operations

in six markets and managing partnerships with leading

banks, fintechs, and governments. She launched

Visa’s third edition of the She’s Next initiative in

the GCC, empowering women-led small businesses

through mentorship, grants, and digital tools, directly

supporting over 2,000 entrepreneurs. In July 2024,

she spearheaded the rollout of contactless payments

on Ajman’s public transport network via a partnership

with Ajman’s Transportation Authority, making Visa

the first card provider on GCC buses.

Under her leadership, Visa introduced mobile wallet

integrations in four new markets, boosting consumer

adoption rates by 45% and increasing merchant acceptance

by 30%. She also established the GCC Payments

Forum, uniting regulators and industry stakeholders

to harmonize digital commerce standards, resulting in a 25% reduction in cross-border transaction friction.

A passionate advocate for gender parity, Dr. Jaffar founded Visa’s CEMEA Women’s Network GCC chapter, mentoring

over 1,500 female professionals and advancing women into leadership roles. Her achievements demonstrate that women

can lead large-scale financial transformations and foster inclusive growth across the region.

32 \ October 2025


Dr. Ebtesam Almazrouei

Chairperson of the Executive Board

AI for Good

Dr. Ebtesam Almazrouei has pioneered global AI

leadership through her role as Chairperson of the

UN’s AI for Good Impact Initiative while simultaneously

driving technological innovation as CEO and

Founder of AIE3. Her groundbreaking contributions

include developing the Falcon series of AI models, with

Falcon 180B recognised as the world’s most powerful

open AI model in 2023, and NOOR, the largest Arabic

language model launched in 2022. These innovations

have democratised AI access across Arabic-speaking

communities worldwide.

As Senior AI Consultant for the International Telecommunication

Union, she shapes global AI policies

and governance frameworks while leading initiatives

to harness AI for achieving the UN’s 17 Sustainable

Development Goals. Her previous role as Executive

Director at Technology Innovation Institute saw her

establish AI Cross Center Units and lead multidisciplinary

teams across computer vision and generative AI platforms. Her work bridges cutting-edge research with practical

humanitarian applications, inspiring women globally to pursue AI careers. Through her leadership, she has demonstrated

how female technologists can drive responsible AI development that serves both scientific advancement and societal

benefit, encouraging the future generation of young leaders to do the same.

CEO

Dr. Laila Bin Hareb Almheiri

Alive Group

Dr. Laila Bin Hareb Almheiri represents three

decades of transformational leadership across

aviation, cybersecurity, public transportation,

and holistic healthcare sectors. As founder and CEO of

Alive Group, she has established innovative ventures

including Alive Medical for diagnostics, Alive Education

and Events, and Alive Newledge for cybersecurity

awareness, while serving as senior advisor to Bain

& Company. Her distinguished career began in the

1990s as Senior IT Manager at DEWA, followed by

instrumental roles in establishing Dubai’s Roads and

Transport Authority.

She later led the transformation of the UAE’s aviation

regulation through her leadership at the General

Civil Aviation Authority, serving as lead negotiator for

international aviation agreements with the European

Commission, USA, Canada, and other nations while

spearheading the UAE’s ICAO election campaigns. Her

global recognition demonstrates her influence in shaping regional transportation and technology policies. Dr. Almheiri’s

achievements showcase how women can successfully navigate complex government negotiations while building private

sector ventures. Her multifaceted leadership has inspired women across aviation, technology, and healthcare sectors to

pursue executive roles in traditionally male-dominated industries, proving how diverse expertise can transform outcomes.

October 2025 / 33

Eman Al Awadhi

Vice President – Network & Cyber Security

Expo City Dubai

Eman Al Awadhi has architected Expo City Dubai’s

resilient network and cybersecurity framework,

safeguarding more than 20 million annual

visitors and 200+ tenant organizations. She led the

design and deployment of a next-generation security

operations center (SOC), integrating AI-driven threat

detection and automated incident response to reduce

mean time to detection by 60% and block 1,500+ cyber

threats monthly.

Under her leadership, the network infrastructure

expanded to support 10,000 concurrent wireless

connections with zero downtime during peak events.

Eman implemented a “Zero Trust” security model

across all digital services, achieving full compliance

with ISO 27001 and NESA regulations. She also forged

partnerships with leading cybersecurity vendors and

academic institutions to pilot advanced solutions in

IoT security and secure 5G network slices.

Committed to nurturing talent, Eman launched the Women in Cyber program at Expo City, mentoring 100+ aspiring

female security engineers through workshops and hands-on SOC training. Her dedication to inclusive leadership has

inspired women across the UAE to pursue careers in cybersecurity, demonstrating that female executives can protect

critical infrastructure and pioneer cutting-edge security strategies on a global stage.

Erika Blazeviciute Doyle

Founder & CEO

Drink Dry

Erika Blazeviciute Doyle founded Drink Dry in 2019,

establishing the GCC’s first premium non-alcoholic

drinks marketplace and pioneering the

zero-alcohol revolution in the Middle East. Starting

as an e-store in Dubai, her business has grown at an

astonishing rate to supply 50 retail stores and over

200 hospitality venues, from vegan cafés to top-end

hotels, while becoming widely acknowledged as the

champion of the alcohol-free movement in the UAE.

Operating through a dual business model as both

distributor and direct-to-consumer brand, she works

directly with hotels, restaurants, cafés, and retailers

while building strong relationships with industry

professionals and maintaining direct customer engagement

through e-commerce platforms and social

media. Her strategic approach includes launching

operations in Kuwait and expanding into Saudi Arabia,

demonstrating a scalable business model adaptation

across different regional markets. Doyle’s success has inspired female entrepreneurs throughout the region to pursue

innovative business concepts that address emerging consumer trends. Her work in establishing an entirely new beverage

category demonstrates how women can identify untapped market opportunities and build successful enterprises

while promoting healthier lifestyle choices and creating sustainable business models that serve both markets effectively.

34 \ October 2025


Haidi Nossair

Sr. Director, Client Solutions Group - META

Dell Technologies

Haidi Nossair leads Dell Technologies’ client solutions

across the expansive Middle East, Turkey,

and Africa region, driving the transformation of

modern workplaces through AI-powered computing

solutions. As Senior Director of the Client Solutions

Group, she oversees deployment of cutting-edge AI PCs

and workstations that enable organizations to leverage

artificial intelligence for enhanced productivity, security,

and innovation across sectors, including healthcare,

financial services, media, and professional services.

With the rapid adoption of generative AI across 70%

of global businesses, Nossair’s strategic leadership

focuses on helping regional organizations transition to

Windows 11 while unlocking on-device AI capabilities

through Intel Core Ultra and AMD Ryzen processors

featuring dedicated Neural Processing Units. Her

expertise encompasses unified ecosystem management,

from laptops and displays to comprehensive

device management platforms supporting hybrid and remote workers. Her work enables organizations to achieve up to

75% reduction in user downtime and 30% ROI through modernised device management. Nossair’s success has inspired

women throughout the technology sector to pursue senior leadership roles in enterprise computing, demonstrating how

female executives can drive technological transformation across diverse markets while maintaining security standards.

Heather Henyon

Founding Parter

Mindshift Capital

Heather Henyon stands as a transformative force

in venture capital and gender-inclusive investment

across the Middle East and beyond. As

Founding Partner of Mindshift Capital, she has built

a global venture fund dedicated exclusively to backing

early-stage women-led technology companies,

demonstrating that investing in female founders is not

only ethical but exceptionally profitable. Her portfolio

spans over 200 direct and fund investments across

the United States, Europe, and the Middle East, covering

sectors from artificial intelligence and fintech to

health technology and enterprise software. Beyond

capital deployment, Heather founded the Women’s

Angel Investor Network (WAIN), the first and largest

women’s angel investor group in the region, creating

a powerful ecosystem that educates, mentors, and

mobilises female investors whilst amplifying opportunities

for women entrepreneurs. Her leadership

has catalysed a paradigm shift in how venture capital approaches gender diversity, proving that inclusive investment

strategies drive superior returns whilst fostering economic empowerment. Recognised as Investor of the Year nominee,

Heather’s influence extends through advisory roles, speaking engagements, and thought leadership that challenges

traditional funding models. Her work dismantles barriers for women entrepreneurs seeking capital.

October 2025 / 35

Ioanna Angelidaki

Ex Co-Founder & CMO

InstaShop

Ioanna Angelidaki spearheaded marketing and

growth at InstaShop, transforming it from a Dubaibased

grocery delivery startup into the leading

quick-commerce platform in MENA. She architected

customer-acquisition strategies that drove user growth

from zero to over 1.5 million active monthly users and

scaled order volume to 2 million monthly transactions.

Under her leadership, InstaShop secured $55 million in

funding across Series A and B rounds, attracting global

investors and fueling expansion into six new markets.

Ioanna built and managed a performance-driven

marketing team of 40 across digital, brand, and growth

channels, optimising campaigns to achieve a 30%

reduction in customer-acquisition costs while tripling

lifetime value. She launched data-driven personalization

initiatives including dynamic pricing, targeted

promotions, and AI-powered product recommendations

that boosted repeat purchase rates by 45%. In 2020,

Ioanna negotiated InstaShop’s acquisition by Delivery Hero, ensuring a seamless integration that preserved the startup’s

culture and accelerated innovation. By leading high-impact growth in a male-dominated industry, she has inspired women

to pursue leadership in tech and marketing. Through mentorship programs and industry panels, Ioanna advocates for

female representation in fintech and e-commerce, demonstrating expert strategic vision.

Katharine Budd

Co-Founder

NOW Money

Katharine Budd co-founded NOW Money in 2016

to bank the unbanked Gulf workforce, building

the region’s first mobile payroll and remittance

platform for low-income workers. She secured the inaugural

regulatory permissions for a mobile payment

app in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, raising over $12

million in venture funding from GCC, US, and European

investors. Under her leadership, NOW Money launched

a PCI-compliant Visa card and integrated with major

banks, enabling seamless salary disbursements, bill

payments, and international remittances directly from

a smartphone.

The platform consistently outperforms industry

standards with a monthly login rate ten times higher

than competitors, demonstrating exceptional user

engagement. By partnering with large employers

across construction, hospitality, and retail sectors,

Katharine has extended digital financial services to

over 150,000 previously unbanked workers, saving them millions in fees and travel time.

Katharine’s commitment to financial inclusion has inspired women in fintech by showcasing how female founders can

tackle complex regulatory environments and scale profitable, socially impactful businesses. She has encouraged women

to enter payments and data science roles, proving that women can lead transformative fintech ventures.

36 \ October 2025


Khawla Hammad

Founder & CEO

Takalam

Khawla Hammad has transformed mental health

care in the MENA region by launching Takalam

in 2021 as the first AI-driven digital therapy platform

tailored to local needs. She secured $1 million in

pre-seed funding and a strategic grant from the Abu

Dhabi Investment Office, enabling rapid development

and scalability. Under her leadership, Takalam partnered

with government health agencies, corporations, and

universities to integrate digital therapy into employee

wellness and student support programs, reaching

over 50,000 users across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Khawla directed the rollout of AI-enabled mood

tracking and personalized therapy modules, reducing

average session wait times by 60% and doubling user

engagement. She spearheaded Takalam for Enterprise,

providing HR teams with real-time mental health

dashboards and predictive analytics to proactively

manage workforce well-being.

As a female founder in a nascent industry, Khawla has inspired women to enter health-tech and AI by sharing her

journey at regional conferences and mentoring female entrepreneurs through Hub71 and Ma’an accelerator programs.

Her success proves that women can lead pioneering digital health ventures, bridge critical care gaps, and build commercially

sustainable platforms that deliver lasting social impact across the Middle East.

Khulood Alawadhi

Director - Advanced Technology Services

Moro Hub

Khulood Alawadhi drives digital transformation

across Dubai’s government, public, and private

sectors through her leadership at Moro Hub,

overseeing cutting-edge AI-driven products and

advanced technology solutions. With over 17 years

of experience optimising complex technology infrastructures,

she has established herself as one of the

region’s most innovative transformational leaders,

consistently delivering strategic government initiatives

and leading multi-functional teams through digital

transformations.

Her career trajectory includes progressive leadership

roles at Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) and

InfraX Digital DEWA Company. Her expertise spans AI

acceleration, data governance, infrastructure operations,

and project management. As a mentor for Dubai App

Olympics 2024 and Product Advisory Board member

for DataRobot Emerging Markets, she actively shapes

the next generation of technology leaders while positioning Dubai at the forefront of smart city innovation. Alawadhi’s

success has inspired women in government technology roles to pursue leadership positions in digital transformation

initiatives. Her work demonstrates how female executives can successfully navigate complex technology implementations

while fostering innovation that serves millions of citizens and businesses throughout the region.

October 2025 / 37

Kinda Ibrahim

Regional GM, Operations - METAP, Central & South Asia

TikTok

Kinda Ibrahim leads TikTok’s expansive operations

across the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan,

and South Asia, making her one of the most

influential content strategy executives in the region.

With over 17 years of international experience, she

became TikTok’s first-ever female regional general

manager of operations and marketing in 2022, overseeing

content strategy for one of the world’s most

dynamic social media markets. Her responsibilities

encompass building diverse creator communities, developing

regional content partnerships, and ensuring

platform safety while maintaining TikTok’s core values

of community empowerment.

Previously serving as Director of Global Partnerships

for Twitter Middle East, Turkey, and Africa, she

accelerated content partnerships across news, politics,

sports, and entertainment verticals. Her earlier leadership

at Microsoft’s MSN Arabia and Yahoo Maktoob

demonstrates consistent excellence in digital media transformation. Ibrahim continues to champion creators who spark

global trends and inspire audiences worldwide through innovative content creation. Her success has paved the way for

women in senior technology roles across the region, proving that female executives can successfully navigate complex

multinational operations while driving platform growth and community engagement.

Nadine Mezher

Co-Founder

NAWA and Sarwa

Nadine Mezher has redefined fintech in the Middle

East by co-founding Sarwa in 2017, the region’s

first hybrid robo-advisor. She guided Sarwa

through funding rounds, securing $26 million to build

an automated investment platform that now manages

over $200 million in assets for more than 100,000

users. She forged partnerships to launch diversified

cryptocurrency portfolios, democratising digital asset

access for young professionals. Following regulatory

approval, Nadine spearheaded Sarwa’s expansion into

Saudi Arabia, extending low-cost, tech-driven wealth

management across the GCC.

In 2024, she co-founded NAWA, a digital community

platform promoting sustainable living and social

entrepreneurship. Nadine secured alliances with NGOs

and corporate sponsors to incubate over 50 community

initiatives, impacting thousands through mentorship,

micro-grants, and digital skills training. A passionate

advocate for gender equality, she designed Sarwa’s Women in Finance program, mentoring and upskilling female talent

to boost women’s representation in tech roles. She leads regional fintech forums that spotlight female founders and

foster collaboration. Through her ventures and commitment to inclusive growth, Nadine Mezher has inspired women

to pursue leadership in finance and technology, proving that female entrepreneurs can scale high-impact businesses.

38 \ October 2025


Najla Al-Midfa

Vice Chairperson

Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa)

Najla Al-Midfa has transformed entrepreneurship

across the UAE by driving Sheraa’s remarkable

growth since 2016, supporting over 114 startups

and generating over $90 million in revenue while creating

2,690+ jobs. Her strategic leadership has achieved a

95% survival rate for incubated startups, with women

leading 51% of these ventures, demonstrating her

commitment to gender equality in entrepreneurship.

Through her role as Vice Chairperson and Managing

Director of Emirates Growth Fund, she extends her

influence across multiple entrepreneurship stages, creating

comprehensive support ecosystems for founders.

Al-Midfa’s board positions across United Arab Bank,

Emirates Development Bank, and Dana Gas showcase

her versatility in strategic governance. Her “kindness

with a spine” leadership philosophy has inspired

countless female entrepreneurs to pursue ambitious

ventures. The annual Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival

under her guidance attracts 44,000+ attendees, with 93% inspired to launch businesses. Her innovative approaches to

startup acceleration and female entrepreneur mentorship have created ripple effects throughout the region, positioning

women as key drivers of economic diversification and proving that supportive ecosystems can dramatically increase

entrepreneurial success rates for underrepresented groups.

Nichola Banerjee

Senior Field Marketing Manager - META, ANZ

Nexthink

Nichola Banerjee leads field marketing operations

for Nexthink across the Middle East, Turkey,

Africa, and Australia-New Zealand regions,

driving digital employee experience initiatives that

transform how enterprises deliver optimal end-user

experiences. As Senior Field Marketing Manager, she

develops strategic marketing campaigns that highlight

Nexthink’s unique combination of real-time analytics,

automation, and employee feedback across all endpoints,

helping IT teams meet the demanding needs

of modern digital workplaces.

Her marketing expertise encompasses demand

generation, customer engagement, and partnership

development, which has significantly expanded

Nexthink’s presence across diverse global markets.

Banerjee’s approach to enterprise technology marketing

combines a deep understanding of IT challenges

with innovative campaign strategies that resonate

with technical decision-makers and business leaders alike. Her work has been instrumental in communicating how digital

employee experience platforms can enhance productivity for millions of employees across thousands of customers

worldwide. Her success has inspired women throughout the technology marketing sector to pursue specialized roles in

enterprise software marketing, demonstrating how female marketers can successfully help evolve digital technology.

October 2025 / 39

Nour Al Hassan

Chief Executive Officer of Tarjama AI

Tarjama AI

Nour Al Hassan has propelled Tarjama AI to become

the MENA region’s premier Arabic-first

enterprise AI platform. Since spinning off in

April 2025, she secured $15 million in Series A funding

to build Pronoia, a proprietary large language model

optimised for Arabic dialects and contexts. Pronoia has

processed over two billion words, outperformed global

benchmarks in Arabic NLP tasks, and enabled rapid

deployment of AI solutions for content generation, legal

document review, and customer support automation.

Under her leadership, Tarjama AI forged partnerships

with governments, Fortune 500 firms, and regional

enterprises, delivering AI-powered workflows that

cut translation and analysis time by up to 70%. She

architected the “agentic ecosystem,” empowering

in-house teams and freelance experts to launch tailored

AI agents for marketing campaigns, compliance

monitoring, and data insights.

To advance gender parity, Nour initiated Tarjama AI’s Women in AI program, mentoring over 500 female technologists

and sponsoring hands-on AI projects. Her advocacy and visible leadership have inspired women across the region to

pursue careers in emerging technologies, demonstrating that female innovators can drive transformative change in the

AI industry.

Pia Tabet El Hachem

Senior General Manager

Uber MENA

Pia Tabet El Hachem has led Uber’s growth

across the Middle East and North Africa since

2021, overseeing ride-hailing, delivery, and new

mobility services in 20 markets. She achieved a 50%

increase in active users and doubled driver-partner

earnings through localized incentive programs and

dynamic pricing models. Under her leadership, Uber

introduced electric vehicle (EV) options in Dubai and

Riyadh, reducing per-trip carbon emissions by 30%

and supporting the region’s sustainability agenda.

She forged strategic partnerships with government

entities to pilot autonomous shuttle services and integrated

Uber Mobility APIs into public transit apps

in Abu Dhabi and Doha, driving a 25% boost in multimodal

trip usage. Pia also launched the Uber Elevate

task force for urban air mobility, collaborating with

regulators and aerospace firms to test drone delivery

and eVTOL routes.

Committed to gender equity, she expanded Uber’s Women at Work initiative across MENA, increasing female driver-partner

participation by 40% and mentoring 500+ women through leadership workshops. Her tenure demonstrates

that female executives can scale complex technology platforms, shape urban mobility ecosystems, and deliver both

commercial growth and social impact in traditionally male-dominated industries.

40 \ October 2025


Prakriti Singh

EVP, Head of Core Payments, EEMEA

Mastercard

Prakriti Singh leads Mastercard’s Core Payments

operations across Eastern Europe, the Middle East,

and Africa, overseeing the company’s strategic

business transformation in one of its fastest-growing

regions. With over 10 years in the payments industry,

she has spearheaded initiatives that collectively reached

more than a million users through Mastercard Labs,

including launching and scaling credit programs for

small businesses, farmers’ networks for agri-businesses,

and IoT payment solutions that have revolutionised

financial inclusion across underserved markets.

Her leadership of Mastercard’s partnership with

EXPO 2020 and launch of the Priceless Planet Coalition

demonstrated how payment technologies can drive

environmental and social impact. Singh chairs Mastercard’s

Women Leadership Network in Dubai, creating

mentorship opportunities and career advancement

pathways for women across the financial services

sector. Her consultative approach to packaging customer-centric solutions has transformed service sales throughout the

organization while driving top strategic deals across the region. Singh’s success has inspired countless women to pursue

leadership roles in financial technology, proving that female executives can successfully navigate complex multinational

operations while championing diversity and inclusion initiatives that create lasting organizational change.

Raja Al Mazrouei

Chief Executive Officer

Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI)

Since her appointment as CEO in November

2022, H.E. Raja Al Mazrouei has reshaped ECI

into a digital-first federal export credit company

bolstering the UAE’s non-oil trade. She spearheaded

a comprehensive digitisation strategy launching real-time

risk analytics and an automated policy-issuance

platform that reduced turnaround times by 40% and

improved customer satisfaction. Under her leadership,

total insured turnover grew 15.7% to AED 16 billion in

2024, covering exports across 110 countries and 17

key sectors.

Raja forged strategic MoUs with Saudi EXIM Bank

and Credit Oman in October 2024 to enhance regional

risk-sharing and SME financing, and launched the

Xport Xponential programme, which has facilitated

AED 174 million in trade financing in partnership with

leading banks. She also championed climate-linked

insurance products, supporting the UAE’s Net Zero by

2050 ambitions. Beyond ECI, she chairs the Harvard Business School MENA Advisory Board and sits on the boards of

Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Zand Digital Bank, and Al Masraf, driving governance and fintech innovation.

A distinguished leader in sustainable finance and digital transformation, Raja’s strategic vision continues to elevate

the UAE’s position as a global trade and export credit hub, inspiring excellence across institutions throughout the region.

October 2025 / 41

Reem Asaad

Senior Vice President, Head of Client Services

Visa - CEMEA

Reem Asaad has transformed Visa’s client services

across Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa by

leading digital onboarding in 12 markets, cutting

partner activation time by 50% and boosting regional

transaction volumes by 35%. Under her leadership,

client satisfaction rose to 92%, and cross-sell revenue

increased by $200 million annually through solutions

in tokenization, contactless payments, and real-time

fraud monitoring.

She founded Visa’s CEMEA Innovation Lab, collaborating

with startups and issuing banks to pilot QR

payments and biometric authentication, resulting in

three commercial launches within one year. Reem

also implemented a unified client feedback program,

using data analytics to customize service models and

improve net promoter scores by 40%.

Dedicated to advancing women, Reem launched

Visa’s CEMEA Women’s Network, which has mentored

over 1,500 female professionals via peer coaching, leadership workshops, and client project rotations. Her leadership

and advocacy have inspired women in payments to pursue strategic roles, proving that female executives can spearhead

large-scale digital transformations and drive client-centric innovation across diverse markets, including the Middle East,

Africa, and Central Europe.

Rima Manna

Vice President, NI & UAE Country Director

Nokia - Middle East

Rima Manna has led Nokia’s Middle East network

infrastructure (NI) business and UAE operations

since 2021, driving major 5G, fixed broadband,

and cloud transformation projects. She secured and

delivered flagship contracts with national carriers in

the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, totaling over $2

billion in network rollouts that enabled 5G coverage

for more than 60% of the region’s population. Under

her direction, Nokia deployed virtualized core networks

and edge computing solutions that reduced latency by

40% and increased network capacity by 50%.

She forged strategic alliances with UAE government

entities to support smart city and IoT initiatives, positioning

Nokia as a key technology partner for digital

government programs. Rima also led the establishment

of a regional R&D center in Dubai, accelerating local

innovation in network automation and AI-powered

operations.

As one of the few women heading a major technology division in the Gulf, Rima actively mentors aspiring female

engineers through Nokia’s Women of Nokia network and university outreach programs. Her career demonstrates that

women can lead billion-dollar telecom projects, pioneer cutting-edge infrastructure, and inspire future generations to

pursue STEM leadership roles across the region.

42 \ October 2025


Samia Bouazza

Group CEO & Managing Director

Multiply Group

Samia Bouazza has driven Multiply Group from a

boutique consultancy in 2003 to a $14.6 billion

Abu Dhabi-listed holding company, leading

strategic acquisitions across media, wellness, mobility,

energy, and digital economy sectors. She orchestrated

the 2021 ADX listing becoming the first woman to take

a company public on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange

and closed six high-growth transactions within a single

year. Under her leadership, Multiply Group launched

Multiply Media Group, uniting market-leading out-ofhome

advertising assets into the UAE’s largest OOH

platform, and HealthierU, an AI-powered wellness

startup reshaping corporate health programs.

She has expanded the group’s portfolio to over 30

subsidiaries, tripling its capital investments to AED

25 billion through data-driven, tech-infused growth

strategies. As a board member of TAQA, Arena Events

Group, and Emirates Driving Company, she champions

digital transformation and operational excellence.

A trailblazer for women in executive roles, Samia initiated leadership forums and mentorship circles within Multiply

Group, boosting female representation in senior management by 40%. Her career exemplifies how visionary leadership

and bold innovation empower women to lead multi-billion-dirham enterprises and redefine corporate success.

Sarah Toukan

Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer

Ziina

Sarah Toukan co-founded Ziina in 2020, transforming

digital payments across the UAE through

innovative peer-to-peer financial solutions. As

Chief Product Officer, she leads product development

for the region’s fastest-growing fintech platform,

processing over 800 million dirhams annually with a

remarkable 10x year-on-year growth. Ziina’s mission

centers on bringing financial freedom to every person in

the Middle East, making digital transactions as simple

as sending a text message through her user-centric

design approach.

Under her product leadership, Ziina has secured $22

million in Series A funding and earned the UAE Central

Bank’s prestigious SVF license. The platform eliminates

complex IBAN and SWIFT codes, enabling seamless

money transfers through simple phone numbers while

maintaining enterprise-grade security. Her previous

entrepreneurial experience includes co-founding Ferdos,

celebrating Middle Eastern heritage, and engineering roles at Schlumberger in Paris. Toukan’s success has inspired

women across the fintech sector to pursue product leadership roles, demonstrating how female technologists can create

user-centered financial solutions that drive widespread adoption. Her approach to simplifying complex financial processes

has proven that women can lead transformational product development in emerging markets.

October 2025 / 43

Soumia Benturquia

Founder & CEO

FODEL

Soumia Benturquia revolutionised last-mile delivery

across MENA by founding FODEL in 2017,

creating the region’s first parcel pick-up locations

provider for online shoppers. Her innovative platform

addresses unique logistical challenges through over

1,000 pick-up and drop-off locations across gas stations,

groceries, and retail stores operating until midnight

or 24/7. Under her leadership, FODEL has raised over

$8 million in funding and expanded operations to five

countries, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,

Bahrain, and Oman.

Her strategic partnerships with major players like

Amazon, Landmark, and DHL have positioned FODEL

for expansion to over 2,500 locations across MENA.

Benturquia’s success demonstrates how female

entrepreneurs can identify market gaps and create

scalable solutions that transform entire industries. Her

approach to logistics innovation has inspired women

throughout the region to pursue technology-driven entrepreneurship in traditionally male-dominated sectors. By making

e-commerce more accessible across diverse communities, she has proven that women-led startups can drive regional

economic transformation while employing over 50 professionals and creating sustainable business models that serve

both consumers and retail partners effectively.

Zeina El Kaissi

Regional Director Public Policy, MENA

Amazon

Zeina El Kaissi leads Amazon’s public policy initiatives

across the Middle East and North Africa,

bringing over 15 years of strategic government and

private sector experience to bridge policy gaps between

technology companies and regional governments. Her

distinguished career includes serving as Chief Digital

Officer at Smart Dubai, where she launched several

city-wide strategies, including the Dubai Blockchain

Strategy and Dubai Paperless Strategy, positioning

Dubai as a global leader in smart city innovation.

Her extensive government experience includes

senior roles at the Executive Office of His Highness

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the

Abu Dhabi Executive Council, where she led strategic

planning and performance management across over

50 public-sector agencies. At Amazon, she leverages

this unique background to navigate complex regulatory

environments while advocating for policies that enable

technological innovation and economic growth across the region. Her work demonstrates how technology companies

can collaborate effectively with governments to drive digital transformation while maintaining regulatory compliance.

El Kaissi’s success has inspired women throughout the region to pursue careers at the intersection of technology and

public policy, proving that female leaders can successfully driving meaningful societal impact through strategic policy.

44 \ October 2025

Digital Trade

Digital Trade Corridors

Transform

UAE embraces innovative cross-border solutions for global

market integration

Nationwide blockchain platforms are transforming

customs procedures by digitizing documentation, automating

verification, and enabling secure, immutable

records. Consequently, clearance times fall sharply,

cross-border compliance improves, and supply chains

gain transparency, efficiency overall, and reduced risk

of fraud.

46 \ October 2025


positioned itself at the forefront

of digital trade transformation,

deploying cutting-edge technology

to revolutionize cross-border

commerce. Through comprehensive

digital customs platforms, automated

documentation systems,

and artificial intelligence-powered

trade finance solutions, the nation

is reshaping how global trade flows

through the region.

Dubai Customs launched its

blockchain platform in July 2024,

marking a pivotal advancement in

trade facilitation technology. The

system integrates artificial intelligence,

predictive analytics, and

digital-twin technologies across

major commercial intersections,

significantly enhancing transparency

in supply chains through secure,

tamper-proof data sharing networks.

This innovation directly supports the

UAE’s blockchain strategy for digital

transactions, aiming to consolidate

Dubai’s position as a leading global

trade hub.

Abu Dhabi Customs has achieved


This initiative contributes to improving

customs operations efficiency, elevating

service quality, and achieving the highest

standards of institutional excellence.”

— H.E. Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori,

Director General,

Abu Dhabi Customs

remarkable digital transformation

milestones, recording a 10.08

percent growth in digital platform

transactions from January to August

2025 compared to the same

period in 2024. The emirate’s

TradeChain platform, launched

at GITEX Global 2023, integrates

with global blockchain platforms

specialized in trade operations,

reducing customs clearance time

and effort by up to 80 percent.

Pre-arrival clearance transactions

now constitute 82 percent of total

clearance procedures across Abu

Dhabi’s customs ports.

AI-Powered Trade Finance Solutions

The UAE’s artificial intelligence

integration in trade finance

addresses traditional challenges,

including cumbersome processes

and fraud vulnerabilities. AI-powered

blockchain technology ensures

enhanced transparency and

security, enabling faster and more

reliable cross-border transactions.

The UAE AI in Finance Market is

projected to grow from $67 million

in 2023 to an estimated $514

million by 2032, representing a

compound annual growth rate of

25.3 percent.

Dubai Electricity and Water

Authority’s smart grid initiative

demonstrates the broader digital

infrastructure supporting trade

operations. The $7 billion investment

integrates IoT sensors and

artificial intelligence to monitor

electricity and water distribution in

real-time, achieving a world record

of just 1.06 minutes of electricity

downtime per customer annually

in 2023.

Virtual Trade Corridors

The India-UAE Virtual Trade Corridor,

launched in September 2024,

exemplifies the UAE’s commitment

to international digital trade cooperation.

The corridor utilizes the

MAITRI platform to integrate multiple

digital systems and enable

seamless document exchange

among regulatory stakeholders

through unified interfaces. This

initiative reduces administrative

processes, logistics costs, and

transport expenses while enhancing

ease of doing business.

Cross-border e-invoicing implementation

represents another

significant advancement in the

UAE’s digital trade infrastructure.

The phased rollout, beginning in

Q2 2025, mandates real-time reporting

to the Federal Tax Authority

with standardized formats and

automated validation processes.

This system reduces VAT fraud

and under-reporting while accelerating

customs clearance through

integrated invoice data access.

The UAE’s digital economy

strategy targets doubling the

digital economy’s contribution to

GDP from 12 percent to 20 percent

by 2030. Government spending

on IoT development exceeded $37

billion by 2020, with a compound

annual growth rate of 31 percent.

These investments support public-private

partnerships developing

digital infrastructure and cloud

computing ecosystems across the

Emirates.

Customer Satisfaction at its Core

Abu Dhabi Customs achieved a

95.94 percent customer satisfaction

rate for digital services

through the TAMM platform,

compared to 94.17 percent during

the same period in 2024. Digital

platform transactions increased by

19.72 percent through direct integration

systems, while proactive

transactions grew by 28.93 percent

of total customs transactions.

The transformation extends

beyond technological implementation

to encompass comprehensive

ecosystem development. These

digital trade corridors represent

more than technological advancement;

they embody the UAE’s

vision for sustainable economic

growth through innovation,

growth and change.

October 2025 / 47

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Dell CFO Yvonne

McGill Steps Down,

David Kennedy Interim

Dell Technologies announced

CFO Yvonne McGill will step

down after two years in the role,

concluding a nearly three-decade career

at the company. Senior VP David

Kennedy, with 27 years at Dell, has

been appointed interim CFO while

a permanent successor is sought.

McGill will remain as adviser through

October. Shares slipped 1.2% despite

Dell reaffirming its financial guidance,

highlighting leadership continuity and

the company’s strong operational momentum

across evolving markets.

Apple Unveils iPhone

17 Pro and Pro Max

with Major Upgrades

Apple introduced the redesigned

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max at its

September 2025 event. Featuring

a vapor chamber within a lightweight

aluminum unibody, the devices allow

larger batteries and faster charging.

Powered by the A19 Pro chip and N1

connectivity, both models include

Super Retina XDR displays, triple 48MP

Fusion cameras, pro-level video tools,

and storage up to 2TB. Pricing begins

at $1,099, reflecting Apple’s continued

innovation and commitment to delivering

premium, performance-focus.

Meta Expands

Metaverse With

Hyperscape Capture,

VR Games Updates

Meta announced significant updates

at its annual developer

conference, spotlighting Hyperscape

and new VR games. Hyperscape

Capture, now in Early Access, lets

Quest owners scan rooms in minutes

and render lifelike virtual replicas within

hours. Initially, users can only create and

explore personal spaces, but sharing

via private links will arrive later. Demonstrations

included kitchens, training

arenas, and custom-designed rooms,

showcasing immersive possibilities.

Powered by Gaussian Splatting and

cloud rendering, Hyperscape supports

Quest 3 and 3S users aged 18 and older.

Meta also unveiled a lineup of new VR

games featuring superhero adventures,

fantasy battles, and story-driven quests,

alongside Horizon TV’s expanded support

for Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu, further

strengthening the company’s growing

metaverse ecosystem.

YouTube Expands Multi-Language Audio and

Thumbnails to Boost Global Reach

YouTube has launched multi-language

audio for creators worldwide

after a two-year pilot.

The feature lets millions add dubbed

tracks, helping expand international

audiences. Early testers like MrBeast

and Jamie Oliver saw major growth,

with Oliver’s channel tripling views.

An AI-powered tool ensures natural

dubbing, while localized thumbnails

are being tested. Together, these updates

foster inclusivity, enabling creators

to connect globally and boost

engagement across languages.

Serbia Partners With

e& Enterprise to

Expand Digital

Infrastructure

Serbia’s Office for IT and eGovernment

signed a strategic MoU with

e& enterprise to expand the nation’s

hyperscale-ready digital infrastructure.

The agreement will triple current

capacity by adding up to 40 megawatts

to the existing 14-MW Tier-4 campus in

Kragujevac, strengthening Serbia’s role

as a regional hub for sovereign cloud and

digital services. This expansion supports

critical workloads, including sovereign

data, AI applications, and enterprise

systems across the Balkans. Building

on earlier success with 1,080 racks and

secured land for growth, the initiative

enhances reliability, governance, and

low-latency services. Linked with e&’s

Middle East backbone and subsea cables,

the project connects Serbia to Europe

and MENA, advancing regional cooperation

and digital transformation, fueling

innovation and sustained cross-border

digital growth momentum.

48 \ October 2025

Google Introduces

Experimental Windows

App Featuring

AI Search

Google has launched an experimental

Windows app through Search Labs,

designed to boost productivity by

unifying search functions. The Google

app for Windows lets users quickly search

the web, browse Google Drive, locate

local files, and access installed apps.

Installation mirrors Chrome, requiring a

Google account, and adds a draggable

desktop search bar with the Alt+Space

shortcut for instant access. The app

mimics macOS Spotlight, supporting dark

mode and result categories such as AI

Mode, images, shopping, and videos. AI

Mode delivers detailed responses, while

customizable settings allow shortcut

adjustments and AI toggling. Integrated

Google Lens extends functionality by

enabling screen capture, translation,

and problem-solving. Currently, the

app is available only in English for U.S.

users, indicating future plans for broader

international rollout.

Apple Stock Drops

$108B Following

Disappointing Launch

Apple shares tumbled 3.48%,

erasing about $108 billion in

market value after the iPhone

17 launch. Analysts cited incremental

updates and a delayed Siri AI overhaul

until 2026 as key disappointments.

Investor sentiment also worsened

over $1 billion in tariff costs the company

will absorb. While analysts issued

downgrades, many expect loyal

customers to maintain sales through

upgrades and camera improvements,

reflecting the brand’s enduring resilience

despite market skepticism.


ByteDance Unveils

Seedream 4.0 Competes

With Google

ByteDance has launched Seedream

4.0, an advanced AI image generator

built to rival Google DeepMind’s

Nano Banana, also known as Gemini 2.5

Flash Image. Internal Magicbench tests

showed superior performance in prompt

accuracy, alignment, and aesthetics.

Offering text-based editing, multi-image

compositing, and consistent character

sequencing, Seedream 4.0 strengthens

ByteDance’s position as a major competitor

in AI-powered creative tools

expanding its innovation ecosystem

and AI influence across global content.

Oman Launches Digital

Tourism Platform

to Enhance Visitor

Experiences

Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and

Tourism has partnered with a national

travel operator to create an

advanced digital tourism platform aimed

at transforming visitor experiences. The

initiative will unfold in two phases. The

first focuses on developing professional

digital content, training licensed guides,

and producing high-quality photos and

videos optimized for search engines

and global booking platforms. Phase

two will introduce an integrated booking

system, multilingual support in Arabic

and English, and secure electronic

payments, while connecting directly

with international distribution channels.

Tourist guides will manage their services

through a dedicated portal, fostering

collaboration and visibility. Backed by

strategic digital marketing campaigns,

the platform is designed to boost global

accessibility and strengthen Oman’s

position in international tourism.

Meta Introduces Ray-Ban Display Smart Glasses

With Built-In Lens Screen

Meta has unveiled the Ray-Ban

Display, smart glasses featuring

a built-in right-lens screen

and a wristband controller. Priced at

$799, they launch September 30, followed

by the Oakley Vanguard sports

model on October 21. The lineup supports

livestreaming, AI assistance,

and gesture control. While early demos

faced glitches, analysts view the

glasses as a step toward mainstream

AR adoption and future advanced eyewear,

signaling Meta’s deeper push

into wearable computing innovation.

October 2025 / 49

Big Tech

AGI Reality Check:

Are We Ready Yet?

Assessing technical and infrastructural readiness for AGI

by 2037

Evaluating extensive compute infrastructure requirements,

scalable high-quality multimodal data pipelines,

crucial algorithmic breakthroughs in transfer

and meta-learning, and the establishment of robust

safety measures, ethical governance models, and

standardized evaluation benchmarks to assess AGI

feasibility by 2027–2037.

50 \ October 2025

Artificial general intelligence

(AGI) aspires to create machines

matching or exceeding

human cognitive abilities across all

domains. Industry opinions vary:

Sam Altman predicts AGI by 2027

based on scaling trends and software

advances, while skeptics argue

that fundamental breakthroughs,

compute capacity, and data constraints

may delay AGI until 2037 or

beyond. To assess these views, we

examine technical hurdles, compute

and data requirements, algorithmic

developments, safety frameworks,

and evaluation benchmarks crucial

for AGI’s realization.

Technical Hurdles to True Generality

AGI must transcend narrow task

performance and achieve flexible,

adaptive reasoning akin to human

thought. Today’s foundation models

excel at language generation but falter

in long-horizon planning, dynamic

context switching, and continual

learning. They lack robust memory

mechanisms and meta-reasoning

capabilities, making knowledge


We are committed to advancing AI responsibly,

ensuring robust governance frameworks

guide the journey toward general

intelligence.”

— H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama,

Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and

Remote Work Applications,

UAE Government

retention across sessions difficult.

Grounding language in real-world

semantics remains unsolved:

without genuine world-model

construction, outputs can be brittle

and prone to hallucinations when

faced with unfamiliar inputs.

Overcoming these gaps demands

hybrid architectures that integrate

neural networks with symbolic

reasoning, episodic memory, and

active learning strategies to support

lifelong adaptation.

Compute and Data Requirements

Training a human-level generalist

model requires far more computation

than current AI systems.

OpenAI’s GPT-4 consumed

exaflop-days of compute, yet AGI

may demand zettaflop-days or

higher implying terawatt-scale

energy consumption and specialized

hardware. Efficient infrastructures

must combine GPUs, TPUs,

NPUs, and custom accelerators,

leveraging sparsity, quantization,

and neuromorphic designs to

optimize performance and energy

use. Equally critical is building

high-quality multimodal datasets

spanning text, vision, audio, and

sensorimotor streams to reflect

the full range of human experience.

Creating such data pipelines

ensuring diversity, ethical

sourcing, and privacy protection

poses significant logistical and

governance challenges. Without

sustainable compute and data

ecosystems, AGI timelines risk

slipping well beyond 2037.

Algorithmic Advances and Foundation

Models

Foundation models have revolutionized

AI by pretraining massive

transformers on internet-scale

data, enabling transfer learning

across tasks. Yet AGI requires algorithms

capable of autonomous

goal formation, self-improvement,

and multi-agent coordination.

Reinforcement learning

successes such as DeepMind’s

MuZero demonstrate generalized

game-playing but real-world

environments introduce continuous

action spaces, unpredictable

dynamics, and safety constraints.

Future systems must integrate

meta-learning for rapid adaptation,

adversarial robustness for

secure deployment, and modular

interpretability to debug complex

neural substrates. Building self-reflective

models that can audit their

own reasoning and recalibrate

biases is essential for human-level

general intelligence.

Timeline Debate: Optimism vs.

Skepticism

Predictions for AGI timing diverge

sharply. Sam Altman asserts that

current hardware and continued

software breakthroughs suffice

to achieve AGI by 2027. Anthropic’s

leadership echoes this

timeline, based on scaling laws

and emergent capabilities in large

models. Conversely, many researchers

caution that unresolved

algorithmic, compute, and data

bottlenecks could delay AGI well

past 2037. Historical AI winters

remind us that hype often outpaces

real-world progress. While

ongoing investment could produce

unexpected advances, innovation

plateaus may extend AGI timelines

by decades.

Evaluation Benchmarks and Cognitive

Tests

Validating AGI requires benchmarks

measuring generality,

adaptability, and reasoning

breadth. Proposed “Levels of AGI”

frameworks categorize systems

by task diversity and human-relative

performance. Challenges

like the ARC-AGI test abstraction

and common-sense reasoning

but must also assess open-ended

problem solving, social intelligence,

and ethical judgment.

Real-world evaluation scenarios

involving physical interaction,

long-term planning, and human

collaboration are crucial.

October 2025 / 51

APP EXPRESS

GUMLOOP – AI-POWERED AUTOMATION

PLATFORM

4.4 STARS | 6K+ DOWNLOADS

Gumloop is a no-code AI automation framework that

lets users design and deploy custom workflows via

a visual drag-and-drop interface. It integrates with

third-party apps and services PDFs, spreadsheets, CRMs,

email platforms, webhooks, web pages, Google Analytics,

Semrush, HubSpot, Salesforce, and more to automate tasks

like document processing, data extraction, web scraping,

SEO analysis, CRM updates, email marketing campaigns, and

meeting preparation. Users select or build “flows” (pre-made

or custom workflows), define triggers (e.g., new email, form

submission, API call), and configure actions and conditions

to execute complex sequences without coding. Built-in AI

nodes enable content summarization, sentiment analysis,

decision logic, and dynamic data transformations. Gumloop

provides sandbox testing, debugging tools, execution logs,

and performance analytics for optimization.

The platform prioritizes accessibility for non-technical

teams while supporting enterprise-scale deployments. Its

AI-driven nodes perform advanced tasks such as automated

compliance checks, PDF data extraction, and real-time

lead enrichment. With SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliance,

Gumloop secures data and infrastructure for organizations of

all sizes. Industries from marketing and sales to finance, HR,

and operations leverage Gumloop to reduce manual work,

eliminate bottlenecks, and accelerate digital transformation.

Whether building turnkey automations with templates or crafting

bespoke AI agents, Gumloop empowers teams to reclaim

hours of productivity and focus on high-value strategic work.

CURSOR – THE AI-POWERED CODE

EDITOR

4.6 STARS | 50K+ ENTERPRISE USERS

Cursor transforms traditional code editors into intelligent

developer IDEs by embedding advanced AI directly into

your workflow. Built as a fork of Visual Studio Code,

it leverages frontier models (GPT-4, Anthropic, Gemini)

and custom “cursor-small” networks to understand entire

codebases, enabling seamless natural language commands,

multi-line code generation, and context-aware refactoring.

Developers import VS Code settings, themes, and extensions

in one click, preserving familiar shortcuts while gaining AI chat,

inline editing, and a Composer mode for multi-file requests.

Cursor’s intelligent tab-completion anticipates next edits,

unlocking a “coding at the speed of thought” experience.

Its built-in AI assistant analyzes project context in real time,

generating boilerplate, debugging code, and implementing

pull-request style diffs for safe integration. Enterprise-grade

security features include SOC 2 Type II certification, Privacy

Mode with zero data retention, SAML SSO, and RBAC controls.

Analytics dashboards track AI adoption and productivity

gains across teams.

Whether crafting a new feature, refactoring legacy code, or

onboarding new engineers, Cursor accelerates development

velocity, reduces manual workloads, and empowers teams

to ship high-quality code faster.

52 \ October 2025


AIVA – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

VIRTUAL ARTIST

4.5 STARS | 1M+ USERS

AIVA is an AI-powered music composition assistant that

generates original songs in over 250 distinct styles:

classical, electronic, pop, jazz, cinematic, and more

within seconds. Built on deep generative neural networks,

AIVA analyzes massive datasets of human-composed music

to craft emotionally resonant melodies, harmonies, and arrangements

tailored to user preferences. Musicians, game

developers, filmmakers, podcasters, and content creators

can upload audio or MIDI references to influence style, mood,

tempo, and instrumentation.

The platform features an integrated DAW-like editor that

enables real-time mixing, track layering, and fine-grained

control over orchestration elements such as strings, brass,

piano, synths, and percussion. Compositions export to MP3,

MIDI, or high-fidelity WAV formats for seamless integration into

professional workflows. AIVA offers free, Standard (€11/mo),

and Pro (€33/mo) plans. The Pro tier grants full copyright

ownership of generated tracks, up to 300 downloads per

month, extended composition lengths up to 5 1⁄2 minutes,

priority AI processing, and advanced style customization.

AIVA’s intuitive interface gamifies creativity with an achievement

system that rewards users for exploring new genres,

collaborating on compositions, and sharing tracks on social

platforms. Its enterprise and educational licensing options

enable studios, schools, and orchestras to integrate AI composition

into curricula, scoring workflows, and immersive

installations. With transparent licensing terms, scalable download

allowances, and clear commercial rights.

SNYK AI – AI-POWERED DEVELOPER

SECURITY PLATFORM

4.6 STARS | 120K+ INSTALLED TEAMS

Snyk AI seamlessly integrates security into the developer

workflow by embedding advanced machine learning

driven vulnerability detection directly into code editors,

CI/CD pipelines, and container registries. Leveraging

proprietary AI models trained on millions of open-source and

proprietary codebases, Snyk AI identifies code-level security

flaws, misconfigurations, and insecure dependencies in real

time. Developers receive instant inline remediation suggestions

including secure code snippets, dependency upgrades, and

patch recommendations, without leaving their IDE.

The platform supports major environments such as GitHub,

GitLab, Bitbucket, Jenkins, CircleCI, Docker, Kubernetes, and

popular IDEs (VS Code, IntelliJ, PyCharm). Snyk AI continuously

monitors project repositories and container images, sending

automated pull requests to fix vulnerabilities and maintain

compliance with industry standards (OWASP Top Ten, CIS

Benchmarks, NIST). Its comprehensive security dashboard

aggregates findings across code, containers, and Infrastructure

as Code, providing risk prioritization powered by AI-driven

exploitability scoring and contextual threat intelligence.

With flexible pricing from Free tier for open-source projects

to Enterprise plans featuring SAML SSO, RBAC, API rate limits,

Snyk AI has dedicated security support features.

October 2025 / 53

Internet Connectivity

The Red Sea Cable Crisis:

A Reminder of our Reality

UAE internet infrastructure faces resilience test after Red Sea

cable disruptions

September 2025 undersea cable cuts

in Red Sea disrupt UAE connectivity

alongside India and Pakistan, exposing

critical vulnerabilities while

demonstrating both infrastructure

fragility and regional resilience capabilities

through emergency rerouting

protocols and alternative satellite

networks.

The September 2024 Red Sea

cable crisis exposed critical

vulnerabilities in global internet

infrastructure, as undersea cable

cuts disrupted connectivity across

the UAE, India, Pakistan, and multiple

Middle Eastern nations. Commercial

shipping activity, specifically anchor

dragging by vessels navigating the

congested Bab el-Mandeb Strait,

severed four major submarine

cable systems including South East

Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 4,

India-Middle East-Western Europe,

FALCON GCX, and Europe India

Gateway networks. The incident

54 \ October 2025


highlighted the UAE’s dependence

on Red Sea corridors for international

connectivity while demonstrating

both the fragility and resilience of

modern digital infrastructure systems.

Immediate Disruptions and Economic

Consequences

The disruption began at 05:45 UTC

on September 6, immediately affecting

Microsoft Azure cloud services

and forcing traffic rerouting through

alternative pathways with significantly

increased latency. UAE telecommunications

providers e& and du

confirmed widespread service degradation,

with customers experiencing

slow internet speeds, intermittent

access, and complete outages across

residential and commercial networks

throughout the emirates. Microsoft

reported that Middle East traffic

routes experienced elevated latency

due to undersea fiber cuts while

successfully implementing emergency

rerouting protocols to minimize

global impact.

Economic implications proved

substantial, with businesses relying

on cloud computing services facing

operational disruptions lasting

multiple days across various industrial

sectors. E-commerce platforms

experienced delayed transactions,

streaming services suffered buffering

issues, and remote work productivity

declined significantly across

affected regions, impacting international

business operations. The

UAE’s position as a regional digital

hub meant that connectivity issues

rippled through financial services,

logistics, and technology sectors,

highlighting the critical importance

of reliable internet infrastructure for

economic continuity.

NetBlocks monitoring revealed

degraded connectivity affecting approximately

15 million users across

Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,

and the UAE, with failures concentrated

near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The organization’s real-time analysis

demonstrated how single-point

failures in critical infrastructure

corridors can cascade across multiple

countries, emphasizing the interconnected

nature of global internet

architecture. Pakistan Telecommunications

Company Limited reported

decreased capacity on impacted cables

while working with international

partners to restore services through

alternative routing mechanisms.

Repair Challenges and Vulnerability

Assessment

Repair challenges underscore the

complexity of subsea cable maintenance

operations, with industry

experts estimating several weeks

to months for complete restoration

depending on damage severity. Only

three to four specialized companies

worldwide possess the advanced

technology and expertise required

for deep-sea cable repairs, creating

bottlenecks during multiple simultaneous

failures. Specialized fiber divers

must locate exact cutting points

on ocean floors while navigating

complex geopolitical environments,

Ensuring uninterrupted

connectivity

is not just about

cables, it’s about

safeguarding the

digital lifeblood of

our economy and

society.”

— H.E. Abdulla Al Saleh,

UAE Minister of State for Telecommunications

and Digital Government,

Government of the United Arab

Emirates.

particularly challenging in the Red

Sea region amid ongoing Houthi militant

activities affecting commercial

shipping operations.

The incident accelerated discussions

about route diversification

and redundancy planning across

the Middle East telecommunications

sector, highlighting strategic infrastructure

vulnerabilities. The International

Cable Protection Committee

confirmed that commercial shipping

activity accounts for approximately

30% of global cable faults annually,

representing around 60 incidents

worldwide. The Red Sea’s concentration

of 15 submarine cables passing

through the narrow Bab el-Mandeb

Strait creates a critical chokepoint

vulnerable to both accidental damage

and intentional sabotage.

Resilience Strategies and Future

Preparedness

UAE resilience strategies demonstrated

mixed effectiveness during

the crisis, with successful traffic rerouting

preventing complete internet

blackouts while exposing limitations

in backup capacity. The nation’s investment

in terrestrial fiber networks

and satellite connectivity provided

alternative pathways, though insufficient

bandwidth resulted in degraded

performance across all services.

Regional cooperation through Gulf

Bridge International Cable System

and other redundant networks

helped maintain essential connectivity

while highlighting the need for

expanded backup infrastructure.

Lessons learned emphasize the

critical importance of geographic

diversity in cable routing, enhanced

marine traffic coordination, and

accelerated deployment of satellite

internet alternatives for emergency

scenarios. The UAE’s strategic

response includes increased investment

in Starlink and other satellite

technologies to reduce dependence

on vulnerable undersea routes. Regional

collaboration initiatives now

prioritize cross-border terrestrial fiber

projects through Saudi Arabia and

alternative Mediterranean pathways

to Europe.

This crisis reinforced the UAE’s

commitment to maintaining its

position as a global digital hub while

building more resilient connectivity.

October 2025 / 55

INFOGRAPHIC

Red Sea Cable Crisis:

By the Numbers

CRISIS OVERVIEW:

INCIDENT TIMELINE: SEPTEMBER 6, 2025

Time:

05:45 UTC (9:45 AM UAE Time)

Location:

Near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Cause:

Commercial shipping anchor drag

Cables Affected:

4 major systems simultaneously

SPEED REDUCTION ANALYSIS

LATENCY IMPACT METRICS

Maximum Delays:

Up to 30%

between India-Europe

routes

Additional Latency:

100-200ms

for international

transit traffic

Traffic Affected:

25%

of all Asia-Europe

data flow disrupted

PERFORMANCE DEGRADATION BY ROUTE

International Transit:

95%

successful rerouting,

minimal packet loss

Regional Middle East:

70%

performance degradation

due to proximity to damage

Cloud Services:

Microsoft

Azure implemented

emergency

rerouting protocols

56 \ October 2025


INDIA

Domestic networks

stable via 17 submarine

cables + 14 landing stations

AFFECTED COUNTRIES & IMPACT SEVERITY

PAKISTAN

Business

closures due to

connection instability

UAE

Slower

speeds on Du &

Etisalat state networks

SAUDI ARABIA

Regional

disruptions near

Jeddah landing points

KUWAIT

FALCON

GCX cable

confirmed cut

YEMEN

Most

isolated

connectivity profile

6-WEEK RECOVERY TIMELINE

WEEK 1-2: EMERGENCY

RESPONSE

Immediate: Traffic automatically rerouted through SMW-5,

AAE-1, PEACE cables

Damage Assessment: International Cable Protection

Committee analysis

Alternative Routing: Microsoft Azure restored services via

alternate pathways

WEEK 3-4: TECHNICAL

OPERATIONS

Repair Ships: Specialized vessels deployed to damage sites

near Jeddah

Cable Location: Deep-sea operations to locate exact cut

points

Assessment: Fiber divers evaluate damage extent underwater

WEEK 5-6: RESTORATION

PHASE

Physical Repairs: Cable splicing and testing operations

Capacity Testing: Full bandwidth restoration verification

Service Restoration: Complete recovery expected by

mid-October

October 2025 / 57

GADGET REVIEWs

APPLE IPHONE 17 SERIES

THE MOST AMBITIOUS IPHONE

Apple’s iPhone 17 series, unveiled

at the September 9 “Awe Dropping”

event, represents the

most ambitious iPhone generation in

company history. The lineup introduces

groundbreaking design

innovations while pushing

performance boundaries

across multiple models,

including the standard

iPhone 17, ultra-thin

iPhone 17 Air, and

Pro variants.

The iPhone 17

Air emerges as

the series’ most

revolutionary device, measuring just

5.6mm thick and weighing approximately

145 grams. This ultra-slim profile makes it

Apple’s thinnest iPhone ever, achieved

through advanced titanium construction

and innovative internal architecture. The

device features a unique camera “plateau”

housing the camera system, Face

ID components, and speakers, enabling

the remarkably thin form factor.

Performance across the series centers

on Apple’s new A19 chip built on

advanced 3nm technology. The standard

iPhone 17 delivers 6-core CPU

performance with a 5-core

GPU that’s reportedly 90%

faster than the iPhone 14.

The Air model utilizes a

slightly modified A19

Pro configuration

with 5

GPU cores instead

of the full

6-core setup found

in Pro models.

Display technology

sees significant improvements

with 120Hz ProMotion

refresh rates extending to the

standard iPhone 17, previously exclusive

to Pro models. Peak brightness reaches

3,000 nits across the lineup, offering

superior outdoor visibility and 2x better

contrast performance.

Battery innovations address the Air’s

slim profile through silicon anode technology,

enabling higher energy density

in constrained spaces. Despite measuring

just 2.49mm thick, the Air’s battery

provides competitive performance

through advanced chemistry and iOS

26’s Adaptive Power

Mode. The standard

iPhone 17 achieves

30 hours of video

playback, representing

an 8-hour

improvement over previous

generations.

Camera systems feature

enhanced 48MP main sensors

with improved low-light performance,

while front-facing cameras upgrade

to 24MP across all models. The Air

model opts for a single rear camera to

continue to maintain its ultra-thin design

philosophy.

58 \ October 2025


NOTHING EAR (3)

REDEFINING DESIGN AND FUNCTIONALITY

Nothing is set to revolutionize the true wireless earbuds

market once again with the Nothing Ear (3), officially

launching on September 18, 2025. This

flagship offering marks the London-based

company’s return to numerical naming

after user feedback demanded clarity

in their product sequence.

The Ear (3) retains Nothing’s signature

transparent design philosophy

while introducing premium materials

that elevate the overall aesthetic.

The charging case now features

100% anodized recycled aluminum

construction, replacing the previous

plastic build for enhanced durability

and a more sophisticated finish. This

metallic foundation is complemented

by the familiar transparent top lid that

showcases the internal components.

A revolutionary addition is the mysterious

“Talk” button positioned on the

aluminum frame alongside what Nothing

calls a “Super Mic”. Industry speculation

suggests this feature could enable walkie-talkie functionality

between earbuds or activate enhanced voice assistant capabilities,

potentially integrating ChatGPT as seen in previous

Nothing products.

Audio performance receives significant

upgrades through Nothing’s continued

partnership with KEF, the renowned

British audio company. This collaboration

promises improved sound

tuning with enhanced bass response,

clearer highs, and more natural audio

reproduction. The earbuds are

expected to feature a redesigned

dual-driver system targeting audiophile-grade

performance.

Technical specifications include

active noise cancellation reaching

up to 50dB, substantially improved

from previous generations. Battery

life extends to approximately 40 hours

total with the charging case, while

individual earbuds provide around 8

hours of continuous playback. The ultra-slim

earbud design achieves remarkable

thinness through minimized component

clearance and a reengineered metal antenna measuring just

0.35mm thick, reaching current industry limits.

LEVEL LOCK PRO

SECURE, SMART, AND SIMPLY INVISIBLE

Level Lock Pro represents the pinnacle of invisible smart

lock technology, combining advanced security features

with aesthetics that seamlessly blend into traditional

home design. Priced at $349, this premium smart lock maintains

Level’s signature invisible approach while introducing

cutting-edge connectivity and sensing capabilities.

The Lock Pro’s standout feature is its ability to hide sophisticated

technology within a standard deadbolt profile. Unlike

bulky smart locks with obvious keypads or large housings, the

Level Lock Pro appears identical to conventional deadbolts

from the exterior while housing dual-core Bluetooth/Thread

processors, advanced sensors, and comprehensive smart

home integration internally.

Installation follows standard deadbolt procedures, requiring

no additional holes or modifications to existing doors.

The device includes color-coordinated strike plates and key

cylinders for cohesive aesthetics, while a protective ceramic

coating ensures long-term durability. Professional installation

typically costs $50-90 per hour, though DIY installation remains

straightforward for experienced homeowners.

Advanced features include Matter-over-Thread compatibility,

enabling seamless integration with Apple Home, Amazon

Alexa, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings platforms.

Response times show noticeable improvements over previous

Level models through enhanced processing power and

optimized firmware architecture.

Revolutionary door sensing technology eliminates the

need for visible magnetic sensors by integrating detection

capabilities directly into the lock mechanism. This feature

prevents accidental locking when doors remain ajar while

providing real-time status updates through the companion

app, and its multiple access methods.

October 2025 / 59

AI Infrastructure

Microsoft’s UAE Investment

Revolution

$1.5 billion commitment transforms the artificial intelligence

landscape across the Emirates

Microsoft formed an unprecedented strategic partnership

with Abu Dhabi-based G42 to accelerate AI and

cloud infrastructure, deploy hyperscale data centres,

and drive regional innovation, sovereign solutions,

and skilled workforce development.

60 \ October 2025

Microsoft announced a

groundbreaking $1.5 billion

investment in G42, establishing

the technology giant’s most

significant artificial intelligence

partnership in the Middle East. The

strategic alliance positions G42 as

Microsoft’s primary regional partner

for delivering advanced AI solutions

across various industries and

markets throughout the Middle East,

Central Asia, and Africa.

This partnership represents more

than financial commitment, creating

a comprehensive framework for AI

development and deployment. Brad

Smith, Microsoft Vice Chair and President,

joined G42’s board of directors,

strengthening collaboration between

the two companies. The investment

enables G42 to expand its existing

commitment to deploying Microsoft

Cloud offerings while migrating its

data platform and essential technology

infrastructure to Microsoft

Azure.

The commercial partnership

includes assurances to both the US

and UAE governments through a


first of its kind binding agreement

applying world-class best practices

for secure, trusted, and responsible

AI development. Both companies are

committed to complying with US and

international trade, security, responsible

AI, and business integrity laws

and regulations under a detailed

Intergovernmental Assurance Agreement

developed in consultation with

both the UAE and US governments.

Azure cloud regions drive unprecedented

economic growth across the

UAE markets.

Microsoft’s cloud ecosystem continues

to generate substantial economic

impact, with recent studies

projecting over $74.4 billion in new

revenues for the UAE economy over

the next four years. The International

Data Corporation research reveals

that Microsoft, its partners, and

cloud using customers will contribute

significantly to the country’s digital

transformation journey.

Microsoft’s Abu Dhabi and Dubai

data center regions, active since

2019, have accelerated digital

transformation and driven economic

growth. The UAE cloud market,

valued at $18.9 billion in 2024, is projected

to reach $53.6 billion by 2030

at an 18% CAGR. These investments

underpin government, healthcare,

education, and retail digitalisation.

Focused on cybersecurity and data

sovereignty, local centres keep sensitive

data in country, and Microsoft

earned the Dubai Electronic Security

Centre certification. Partners are set

to earn $6.29 per $1 Microsoft generates

in 2025.

Massive job creation initiative

targets

Microsoft’s cloud expansion in the

UAE is set to drive substantial job

creation and skills development.

An IDC study forecasts more than

152,530 new positions across sectors

by 2028, including over 41,800

skilled IT roles. These opportunities

will arise both directly within

Microsoft and indirectly through its

partner ecosystem and customers

adopting cloud services.

Furthermore, the resulting surge

in technical expertise will help shift

the UAE from technology consumer

to regional innovation hub, enabling

the country to develop and export

advanced solutions. Microsoft is

backing this transformation with

major investments, including over $5

billion in new data center infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Microsoft Cloud

Society has trained more than

300,000 IT professionals across the

Middle East and Africa, and other

Microsoft’s investment

in G42 marks

a pivotal moment in

our company’s journey

of growth and

innovation, signifying

a strategic alignment

of vision and

execution between

the two organizations.”

— H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed

Al Nahyan,

Chairman,

G42

skilling programs continue to upskill

and reskill the workforce for digital

careers. In addition, a $1 billion developer

fund aims to accelerate AI skills

and innovation across the UAE and

neighboring markets. Together, these

measures are expected to boost

competitiveness, nurture local talent,

and support the nation’s transition to

a knowledge based economy.

Strategic partnerships acceleration

Microsoft’s expansion in the UAE

emphasizes sovereign cloud solutions

that meet local regulatory and

data sovereignty requirements.

The Core42 Sovereign Public Cloud,

powered by Microsoft Azure, delivers

secure, compliant cloud services

tailored for regulated industries.

Recently, the Abu Dhabi Government

agreed with Microsoft and Core42

to implement a sovereign cloud platform

that streamlines services and

fosters digital innovation.

The multiyear arrangement will

create a unified, high-performance

environment able to process more

than 11 million daily digital interactions

among government entities,

citizens, residents, and businesses.

Concurrently, du committed $544.5

million to build a hyperscale data

centre with Microsoft as the anchor

tenant, which will be delivered in

phases to bolster national cloud

capacity.

Additional infrastructure investments

include three new UAE data

centres developed with G42 and

Khazna, offering 30MW, 30MW,

and 100MW capacities. Collectively,

these facilities equivalent in compute

to nearly 100,000 H100 chips will

support Azure-based AI inference

workloads and help consolidate a

regional Azure hub. Overall, these

initiatives strengthen the UAE’s AI

infrastructure while maintaining

high standards of security and data

privacy.

Collectively, these facilities, will

support Azure-based AI inference

workloads and help consolidate a

regional Azure hub.

October 2025 / 61

INVESTMENT NEWS

Alibaba Issues $3.2B

Convertible Bond to

Accelerate Cloud

Alibaba plans to raise $3.2 billion

through a zero-coupon convertible

bond, the largest of its

kind this year, to fuel cloud computing

and artificial intelligence growth.

Around 80% of proceeds will expand

data centers, upgrade technology,

and enhance cloud services, while

the remainder supports e-commerce.

The bond, maturing in 2032, carries a

27.5%–32.5% conversion premium,

reinforcing Alibaba’s global expansion

strategy, enabling growth in cloud

computing and AI services.

du Raises Dh3.15

Billion Through Secondary

Share Sale

Emirates Integrated Telecommunications

Company (du) has raised

Dh3.15 billion through a secondary

public offering for shareholder Mamoura

Diversified Global Holding, selling 342

million shares at Dh9.20 each. The deal,

oversubscribed by investors, increases

du’s free float to 27.7%, enhancing

liquidity and potential index inclusion.

Investor demand underscores confidence

in du’s strategy and its role in

advancing the UAE’s digital economy,

marking a major landmark in high-value

share propositions.

Nvidia Plans $500 Million

Investment in UK

Self-Driving Pioneer

Wayve

Nvidia is preparing a $500 million

investment in Wayve, a UKbased

self-driving technology

company, as part of its broader £2

billion pledge to support AI startups.

Wayve confirmed signing a letter of

intent with Nvidia ahead of its Series

D funding round. Known for its end-toend

neural network approach, Wayve

develops scalable “Embodied AI” driving

systems compatible with standard

vehicle sensors and Nvidia hardware,

paving the way for joint research on

advanced AI accelerators, next-generation

foundry processes, and energy-efficient

computing architectures.

The partnership could also enhance

cross-supply capabilities, diversify

production resilience against geopolitical

risks, and accelerate breakthroughs

in edge computing, cloud

infrastructure, and autonomous systems

globally.

Alphabet Hits $3 Trillion Market Value Fueled

by AI Growth

Alphabet has reached a $3 trillion

market capitalization for the first

time, driven by AI momentum

and a favorable antitrust ruling. Shares

rose over 4%, joining Apple and Microsoft

in the exclusive club, while

Nvidia surged past $4 trillion. A legal

victory securing control of Chrome

and Android, combined with strong

cloud revenue growth and Gemini AI

advances, reinforced investor confidence

in Alphabet’s long-term leadership,

pushing it ahead of some of the

leading technology companies.

ALPTech Partners With

AstroLabs to Expand

AI Operations Into

Saudi Arabia

ALPTech has partnered with AstroLabs

and opened a new office

in Riyadh, marking its official

expansion into Saudi Arabia, one of the

world’s fastest-growing AI economies.

The move takes advantage of the Kingdom’s

progressive regulations, strong

talent pool, and increasing investments

in artificial intelligence. Since launching

in 2019, ALPTech has supported banks,

asset managers, family offices, and

corporates across the GCC and beyond.

Establishing a Saudi hub enables faster

response to enterprise demand for risk

analytics, ESG, and climate intelligence

solutions. Riyadh operations will also

complement existing hubs in Dubai,

London, and Pune, enhancing regional

service delivery. The expansion reflects

Saudi Arabia’s strategic importance and

positions ALPTech to scale computational

finance and advanced analytics

capabilities across the region.

62 \ October 2025

PRYPCO Secures

Pre-Series A Funding

to Accelerate Middle

East PropTech Growth

UAE-based PropTech platform

PRYPCO has raised Pre-Series A

funding led by General Catalyst,

marking the firm’s first PropTech investment

in the Middle East. Founded

in 2022, PRYPCO offers an integrated

ecosystem for property investment,

financing, and ownership. Its fractional

ownership feature, PRYPCO Blocks, has

enabled over 50,000 users to invest

AED20 million across 21 properties,

while PRYPCO Mint introduced tokenized

property investments attracting

nearly 2,000 investors. The platform

has facilitated AED10 billion in mortgages

and supported 3,000 Golden Visas,

while also partnering with a government

body to tokenize property title deeds.

Supporting 60,000 agents and 1,500

developments, PRYPCO will use the new

funding to scale operations, strengthen

regulatory ties, and expand product

offerings across the MENA region.

Groq Raises $750M

at $6.9B Valuation to

Challenge Nvidia

AI chip startup Groq has raised

$750 million at a $6.9 billion

valuation, surpassing earlier expectations

and more than doubling its

worth in a year. The company’s LPUs,

or language processing units, are

designed for efficient AI inference,

offering lower costs than GPUs. With

over 2 million developers using its

technology, Groq is rapidly emerging

as a challenger to Nvidia’s dominance,

raising concerns about the global chip

makers standing and positioning in the

market.


Nvidia Invests $5 Billion

for 4% Stake in

Intel Recovery

Nvidia has invested $5 billion in

Intel, acquiring an estimated 4%

stake through newly issued shares.

The move makes Nvidia one of Intel’s

largest shareholders, boosting investor

confidence and sending Intel’s stock

up 23%. Beyond strengthening Intel’s

balance sheet, the deal signals potential

collaboration to address global chip

demand. Analysts see the investment

as a strategic alliance reshaping semiconductor

competition and innovation

worldwide, amidst Intel’s recent round

of layoffs.

Larry Ellison Briefly

Overtakes Elon Musk

as World’s Richest Billionaire

Larry Ellison briefly surpassed Elon

Musk as the world’s richest person

after a surge in his company’s stock

lifted his fortune to $393 billion, slightly

ahead of Musk’s $384 billion. The advantage

proved temporary, as Ellison’s

stake later dropped to $378 billion,

allowing Musk to reclaim the top spot

by the day’s end. At 81, Ellison derives

most of his wealth from his enterprise

software company but also owns Tesla

shares, the Indian Wells Open tennis

tournament, a professional sailing team,

and the Hawaiian island of Lanai. He

has close ties to Musk, having invested

$1 billion in the Twitter acquisition,

now X. With AI driving massive cloud

demand, their wealth rivalry continues

intensifying globally, underscoring the

tech sector’s dominance in shaping

modern capital power dynamics and

innovation leadership across emerging

global digital markets.

Abu Dhabi’s MGX Partners With Silver Lake in

51% Altera Acquisition

Abu Dhabi’s MGX has joined Silver

Lake as a co-investor in

acquiring a 51 percent stake in

Altera, while Intel retains the remaining

49 percent. The deal positions Altera

as the world’s largest independent

provider of Field-Programmable Gate

Array (FPGA) solutions, combining

strong financial backing with technical

expertise. Altera will support developers

with software tools, IP, and design

kits to deliver complete FPGA-based

innovations. Its Agilex family of products

lowers AI entry costs.

October 2025 / 63

Physical AI

Physical AI Thinking

Breakthrough

Evaluating foundation-model robots’ adaptability and performance

in dynamic real-world scenarios

Integrating multimodal perception, continuous learning

architectures, hybrid control strategies, scalable data

pipelines, real-time decision-making modules, robust

safety protocols, transfer learning mechanisms, and

ethical governance frameworks to achieve truly adaptive

physical intelligence in unstructured, dynamic

real-world environments.

Physical AI marks a transformative

milestone in robotics

by embedding large-scale

foundation models directly into

robot control pipelines. Traditional

robots follow static, preprogrammed

routines ill-suited for dynamic

environments. In contrast, physical

AI systems process visual, linguistic,

auditory, and tactile inputs through

pretrained neural networks to generate

rich context embeddings. These

embeddings inform motion planners

and control policies, allowing robots

to infer human intent, anticipate

changes, and adjust actions on the

fly with human-like agility. As a

result, robots can perform diverse

tasks from warehouse order fulfillment

and field inspection to home

assistance and collaborative services

without bespoke programming for

each new scenario.

Perception-Action Fusion

Central to physical AI is the tight

coupling of perception and action.

Vision-language transformers con-

64 \ October 2025


vert raw camera feeds and sensor

readings into semantic scene

representations. A logistics robot

using such a model can interpret

spoken pick-and-place commands,

identify target items amid clutter,

and dynamically replan its path to

avoid moving obstacles. Embodied

control modules integrate these

semantic signals with proprioceptive

data joint angles, force sensors,

and inertial measurements

to close the loop between “what”

the robot perceives and “how” it

moves. This fusion yields smooth,

adaptive behaviors that maintain

safety and coordination, even in

crowded or unstructured spaces.

Continuous Learning and Adaptation

Real-world deployment demands

resilience to unpredictable conditions,

shifting lighting, uneven

terrain, and novel human behaviors.

Physical AI addresses this by

incorporating continuous learning

paradigms. Online reinforcement

learning fine-tunes policies based

on live reward signals, while fewshot

meta-learning enables rapid

adaptation to new tasks or environments

with minimal additional

data. For example, a delivery robot

encountering an unexpected barrier

updates its navigation heuristics

via a lightweight adaptation layer,

refining its path-planning parameters

in situ. To prevent catastrophic

forgetting, hybrid control architectures

overlay symbolic planners

that enforce high-level safety

constraints, ensuring learned

updates remain within certified

operational limits and preserve

system stability.

Scalable Data Pipelines and Applications

Transitioning robots from narrow

automatons to generalist agents

requires extensive, high-quality

datasets. Physical AI initiatives

build scalable data infrastructures

that unify real-world sensor logs,

human-robot interaction annotations,

and simulated environment

outputs. Synthetic simulations

generate rare edge-case scenarios

such as emergency evacuations,

extreme weather events, or dense

clutter while domain-transfer

algorithms align simulated training

distributions with real-world

conditions. This continuously enriched

data ecosystem underpins

transfer learning across domains,

accelerating deployment in precision

agriculture, elder care, infrastructure

inspection, and disaster

response. Early pilots demonstrate

tangible benefits: autonomous

drones detect crop stress and apply

treatments, reducing chemical

usage by 30 percent; assistive

home robots monitor vital signs,

deliver medication reminders,

detect falls, and alert caregivers;

construction sites deploy material-handling

vehicles that fuse

LiDAR and vision to navigate uneven

terrain with centimeter-level

precision, boosting efficiency and

safety.

Future Roadmap

The maturation of physical AI

depends on breakthroughs in energy-efficient

edge inference, federated

learning frameworks that

preserve data privacy across robot

fleets, and advanced reasoning

layers capable of commonsense

abstraction and ethical judgment.

Establishing open evaluation platforms

will accelerate innovation by

enabling transparent comparison

of perception action models under

consistent testing protocols. Interdisciplinary

collaboration among

roboticists, ethicists, domain

experts, policymakers, and end

users is essential to align system

capabilities with societal values, legal

norms, and practical utility. By

uniting foundation-model research

with robust governance, the robotics

community can realize truly

adaptive physical AI robots that

act as partners in the complexity

of real-world environments.

More than 20 billion robots will be serving

humans by 2050, reshaping lifestyles, labor

markets and societies.”

— H.E. Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi,

UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs

October 2025 / 65

STARTUP Spotlight

MANIFEST

CO-FOUNDERS: NATHANIEL

SOKOLL-WARD & ROBERT V. LEE

YEAR STARTED: 2023

Manifest is a Dubai-based blockchain

fintech startup founded

in 2023 by Nathaniel Sokoll-

Ward and Robert V. Lee, revolutionizing

global real estate investment through

tokenization technology. The company

developed $USH, the first scalable tokenized

real estate vehicle backed by

U.S. Home Equity Investments (HEIs),

enabling investors worldwide to access

the $35 trillion U.S. home equity market

in under 30 seconds. Unlike traditional

real estate tokenization attempts that

recreate landlord complexities, Manifest’s

approach eliminates operational overhead

while providing institutional-grade investment

opportunities through blockchain

infrastructure.

The founders bring extensive fintech

expertise, with Sokoll-Ward previously

co-founding Roostify (acquired by Core-

Logic for $600B in annual mortgage

processing) and serving on Google+’s

founding team, while Lee contributed

decade-long Deloitte consulting experience

advising Fortune 500 companies

on finance and innovation strategies.

In March 2025, Manifest raised $2.5

million in pre-seed funding co-led by

VanEck Ventures and Lattice Fund, with

participation from Compound and SALT.

Manifest’s mission centers on democratizing

real estate investment by

combining Bitcoin’s global accessibility

with stablecoin utility, removing traditional

barriers including high entry costs,

complex paperwork, and geographic restrictions.

Manifest positions itself as the

leading solution for scalable, liquid real

estate tokenization in emerging markets.

COMFI

CO-FOUNDERS: ALISHER AKBAROV,

AMAL ABDULLAEV, SANJAR SAMIEV

YEAR STARTED: 2023

Comfi is a Dubai-based B2B embedded

finance startup founded

in 2023 by Alisher Akbarov, Amal

Abdullaev, and Sanjar Samiev. The platform

addresses cash flow challenges

in MENA’s supply chains by enabling

manufacturers and suppliers to offer

flexible payment terms such as net-30,

net-60, and pay-in-3 while receiving upfront

settlement. Comfi’s proprietary risk

engine underwrites buyer credit in real

time, integrating seamlessly via lowcode

APIs or its dashboard to embed

“Buy Now, Pay Later” and “Pay Now”

options directly into existing invoicing

and accounting software.

In May 2024, Comfi secured a $5

million debt facility from an Abu Dhabi

family office to scale its invoice financing

solution across the UAE and Saudi Arabia,

facilitating over $40 million in B2B

transactions within the next year. The

startup has rapidly grown its network to

200+ suppliers and 400+ buyers across

industries including F&B, healthcare,

and automotive, financing upwards of

3,000 deals. Its cloud-native architecture

ensures 24/7 availability, real-time

transaction monitoring, and automated

collections, while maintaining zero credit

risk for suppliers through dynamic credit

limit management.

Comfi’s mission is to democratize

access to working capital for SMEs by

simplifying credit delivery and preserving

sales cycles. With plans to expand into

Egyptian and Pakistani markets where

SMEs face similar payment friction Comfi

aims to become the region’s leading

embedded finance enabler.

66 \ October 2025


SWFTBOX

CO-FOUNDERS: AHMAD & OMAR

ABSI, MOHAMMAD ABSI-HALABI

YEAR STARTED: 2020

Swftbox is a Dubai-based AI-driven

same-day delivery logistics platform

founded in 2020 by Ahmad Absi,

Mohammad Absi-Halabi, and Omar Absi.

The company’s mission is to transform

last-mile delivery by offering retailers an

end-to-end plug-and-play solution that

connects e-commerce merchants, courier

partners, and customers on a unified

digital platform. Swftbox’s proprietary

machine learning algorithms optimize

pickup and drop-off routes in real time,

dynamically assigning parcels to couriers

to maximize vehicle utilization and

minimize empty miles.

Built on a microservices architecture

with Kubernetes orchestration, Swftbox

integrates seamlessly via RESTful APIs

into existing e-commerce storefronts,

order management systems, and mobile

apps. Retailers can embed Swftbox’s

checkout widget or schedule pickups

directly from their dashboards, while

courier companies access a real-time

dispatch portal and mobile driver app

featuring optimized routing, proof of

delivery capture, and automated performance

analytics. The platform’s AI

engine predicts delivery time deviations

with up to 94 percent accuracy by analyzing

historical GPS data, order volumes,

traffic conditions, and weather patterns.

In November 2022, Swftbox closed

a $2 million seed round led by MENA

Technology Fund, to accelerate regional

expansion across the UAE and Saudi

Arabia. The company has since powered

over 150,000 same-day deliveries for

major retailers, achieving a 95 percent

on-time delivery rate.

SHIPSIDER

CO-FOUNDERS: IDRISS AL RIFAI

YEAR STARTED: 2024

Shipsider is a Dubai-based maritime

technology startup launched in

January 2024 by veteran ship

captain Ayşe Aslı Başak and software

engineer Bariq Al-Shakkaki, aimed at

digitizing and optimizing commercial

ship operations. The company’s flagship

SaaS platform provides end-to-end

pre-fixture and post-fixture voyage management,

automated laytime and demurrage

calculations, and charter party

administration via a unified dashboard.

Shipsider integrates AI-driven analytics

to deliver real-time insights on voyage

costs, carbon emissions, and charter

party compliance, enabling charterers,

ship owners, brokers, and operators to

streamline decision-making and reduce

freight claim losses effectively and con-

sistently across international markets. Key

features include the CarbonGo mobile

app for instant voyage carbon footprint

estimation and EU ETS tax compliance,

and an AI assistant that answers operational

queries, highlights contractual

obligations, and predicts charter party

deviations. Shipsider’s modular architecture

supports seamless integration

with existing systems through RESTful

APIs, while ensuring data privacy through

client-specific AI models. The startup

gained early traction at Breakbulk Europe

Futures 2024 and secured strategic partnerships

with leading shipbrokers and

maritime service providers. Shipsider

continues to expand its global footprint,

targeting major shipping hubs in

Singapore, Rotterdam, and New York

to accelerate maritime innovation and

drive digital transformation across the

global shipping industry.

October 2025 / 67

Cybersecurity

UAE Strengthens

Cyber Defense

Digital transformation drives comprehensive cybersecurity policy

framework implementation

Advanced threat protection systems now defend vital

sectors by enforcing mandatory IoT device controls,

round-the-clock monitoring, and quantum-resistant

encryption, significantly reducing risks from ransomware,

data breaches, and sophisticated nation-state

attacks across UAE infrastructure.


unveiled three transformative

cybersecurity policies

targeting cloud computing security,

Internet of Things protection, and cybersecurity

operations centers to fortify

its digital infrastructure against

evolving cyber threats. The UAE Cybersecurity

Council, led by Chairman

Dr. Mohammed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti,

announced these initiatives in August

2024 to strengthen the nation’s

position as a global technology hub

while protecting critical digital assets

across all economic sectors.

These comprehensive policies

address the escalating cyber threat

landscape, with UAE organizations

facing over 50,000 cyberattack attempts

daily, targeting critical infrastructure

and financial services. The

cybersecurity market is projected to

reach $1.39 billion by 2030, growing

at 11.20% annually from $820 million

in 2025, reflecting the urgency of

implementing robust defensive measures

across government and private

sector operations.

68 \ October 2025


IoT Security Framework Protects

Connected Infrastructure

The Internet of Things security

policy mandates strict protection

for millions of connected devices

across the UAE’s smart cities, industrial

sites, and government sectors.

With wide digital adoption in

healthcare, energy, education, and

aviation, IoT vulnerabilities pose

major risks to national security.

The framework requires

manufacturers to embed security-by-design

principles, enforce

mandatory encryption, and ensure

continuous updates. Organizations

must perform thorough IoT

risk assessments, apply network

segmentation, and implement

real-time monitoring systems

to detect any suspicious activity

throughout connected networks.

These measures collectively aim

to protect critical infrastructure

and maintain economic stability as

digital transformation advances in

the UAE.

Cloud Computing Protection Ensures

Data Sovereignty

The UAE’s new cloud computing

and data security policy addresses

the surge in cloud adoption, with

97% of UAE businesses accelerating

digital transformation. To

combat expanded risk, the policy

enforces strict security standards:

all cloud service providers operating

in the country must enable

encryption for data at rest and

transit, implement advanced access

controls, multi-factor authentication,

incident monitoring, and

routine vulnerability testing.

Every organization must keep

detailed audit trails of cloud

processing and comply with UAE

Information Assurance Standards,

ensuring sensitive data remains

within national borders and aligns

with strict residency requirements.

Supporting the government’s

ambition to be a global data hub,

all certified cloud deployments

must meet international standards

and introduce quantum-resistant

encryption to protect against

next-generation computational

threats.

Financial institutions, healthcare

providers, and telecommunications

companies must transition

to quantum-resistant encryption

protocols by 2026 to maintain regulatory

compliance. The requirements

include comprehensive key

management systems, secure

communication channels, and

regular cryptographic audits to

ensure ongoing protection against

quantum-enabled attacks.

Collaboration with international

partners and technology vendors

ensures access to cutting-edge

quantum-resistant solutions while

supporting domestic cybersecurity

industry development through

knowledge transfer and capacity

building initiatives.

Economic Impact Drives Investment

in Cyber Defense

The UAE’s cybersecurity sector

is poised to reach $1.39 billion

by 2030, driven by significant

investments from government and

private players across multiple

industries. Healthcare cybersecurity

leads growth with a 16.60%

annual increase, fueled by expanding

electronic health records

and telemedicine.

Average cybersecurity spending

per employee is expected to hit

$80.28 in 2025, reflecting a strong

organizational focus on digital

asset protection and operational

continuity. The UAE’s leap from

47th to 5th in the ITU Global

Cybersecurity Index highlights

national resilience improvements

under the current strategy.

Unified government initiatives

like the National Cybersecurity

Strategy and Cybersecurity

Council foster coordinated threat

detection, incident response, and

international cooperation. This

safeguards digital transformation

efforts while mitigating the $8.05

million breach cost regionally.

The UAE serves as an inspiring model for

many countries worldwide, aiming to develop

their cybersecurity systems, especially

in the data sector.”

— Mohammed Hamad Al-Kuwaiti,

Chairman,

UAE Cybersecurity Council

October 2025 / 69

Crypto NEWS

PayPal Launches One-

Time Payment Links

With Crypto

PayPal has introduced PayPal

Links, a new peer-to-peer feature

that lets users send or request

money using personalized, onetime

links. Unlike PayPal Me, the links

are tied to exact amounts and remain

valid for ten days. The streamlined

process simplifies transactions, supports

instant transfers, and will expand

globally. Soon, PayPal will also enable

payments with Bitcoin, Ethereum, PY-

USD, and other cryptocurrencies, ,

offering faster, smarter, and more inclusive

digital payment experiences.

Bybit, QNB and DMZ

Finance Launch QCDT

Tokenised Money Fund

Bybit has partnered with Qatar National

Bank (QNB) and DMZ Finance

to launch QCDT, a DFSA-approved

tokenised money market fund now available

as collateral on Bybit’s platform.

Backed by U.S. Treasuries and custodied

with Standard Chartered, QCDT offers

regulated, institutional-grade security.

The initiative provides up to $1 billion

borrowing capacity, enabling traditional

institutions and trading firms to access

compliant, low-risk entry into digital

assets, fostering greater innovation,

adoption, and trust.

Coinbase Leads

$14.6M Bastion Round

to Expand Stablecoin

Infrastructure Globally

Coinbase Ventures has led a $14.6

million funding round in Bastion,

a startup focused on building enterprise-grade

stablecoin infrastructure.

Other investors included Sony Innovation

Fund, a16z crypto, Samsung Next, and

Hashed, bringing Bastion’s total fundraising

to over $40 million. The company

provides services enabling enterprises

and financial institutions to securely

hold and use stablecoins at scale, ensuring

efficiency, safety, and regulatory

compliance. CEO Nassim Eddequiouaq

emphasized rising demand for regulated

stablecoin infrastructure as adoption

accelerates. Stablecoins are expected

to grow rapidly, with major U.S. financial

institutions preparing dollar-pegged

tokens. Founded by two former a16z

crypto executives, Bastion previously

raised $25 million in 2023. Its platform

positions it as a critical player in digital

financial transformation.

Tether Reportedly Targets $500 Billion Valuation

in New Capital Raise

Tether, issuer of the largest stablecoin,

is reportedly seeking

to raise $15 billion to $20 billion

through a private placement, a move

that could value the company near

$500 billion. The deal would involve

new equity rather than secondary

sales and remains in early talks. If finalized,

the valuation would rival global

leaders like SpaceX and OpenAI,

highlighting Tether’s expanding role in

revolutionising the crytocurrency market

and ensuring that it remains on an

equal standing to global AI giants.

Plasma Blockchain

Unveils Stablecoin

Neobank Ahead of

Mainnet Beta Launch

Plasma, the Bitfinex-backed blockchain

project, has introduced

Plasma One, promoted as the first

neobank built entirely for stablecoins. The

announcement comes just days before

its mainnet beta debut and XPL token

generation event, signaling a decisive

step in expanding blockchain-based

financial services. Plasma One is designed

for users already relying on

dollar-pegged assets but struggling with

limited cash-out options and outdated

apps. The launch version will provide

zero-fee USDT transfers within Plasma’s

network, reward-based card spending,

and onboarding that issues a virtual card

within minutes. Early access will be rolled

out gradually, targeting markets where

dollar access is restricted. By offering

a vertically integrated product, Plasma

aims to simplify stablecoin adoption and

expand real-world usability worldwide

through its new launch.

70 \ October 2025

MetaMask’s mUSD

Stablecoin Surges to

$65 Million One Week

After Launch

MetaMask’s newly launched mUSD

stablecoin has surged to a circulating

supply of $65 million,

climbing from only $15 million a week

after going live. The token, officially

introduced last Monday, is backed 1:1

by high-quality, dollar-equivalent assets,

ensuring transparency and stability.

Data from Seoul Data Labs via Dune

analytics shows 88.2% of the supply

deployed on Linea, with the remaining

11.8% on Ethereum. MetaMask stated

mUSD is issued through Bridge, Stripe’s

stablecoin platform, and minted using

M0’s decentralized infrastructure.

The rapid growth highlights demand

for compliant stablecoins as global

supply nears $280 billion. Regulatory

clarity under the U.S. GENIUS Act and

increased adoption further emphasize

stablecoins’ importance in connecting

blockchain finance with mainstream

financial ecosystems.

Nasdaq Commits $50

Million Investment in

Winklevoss Gemini

Gemini, the crypto exchange

founded by Cameron and Tyler

Winklevoss, has secured a $50

million investment from Nasdaq ahead

of its IPO. The deal allows Nasdaq to

offer Gemini’s custodial services to

institutional clients, while Gemini becomes

a distribution partner for Nasdaq’s

Calypso trade management system.

Separate from its public listing,

Gemini also plans to raise $317 million

this week, strengthening its market

position, technology stack, and global

institutional partnerships significantly.


DBS, Franklin Templeton

and Ripple Partner

on Tokenised Market

DBS Group has teamed up with

Franklin Templeton and Ripple to

provide accredited and institutional

investors access to trading and lending

services using tokenised money market

funds and Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin.

Franklin Templeton’s sgBENJI token,

representing its U.S. dollar fund, will be

listed on the DBS Digital Exchange. The

partnership aims to enhance efficiency,

enable yield opportunities, and expand

liquidity in global financial markets, driving

innovation, transparency, and broader

institutional adoption.

Metaplanet Acquires

$632 Million in Bitcoin,

Becoming Major

Corporate Holder

Japanese bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet

has announced its largest

bitcoin purchase to date, acquiring

5,419 BTC for approximately $632.5

million at an average price of $116,724

per coin. This brings the company’s

total holdings to 25,555 BTC, worth

about $2.71 billion at an average cost

of $106,065. The move likely positions

Metaplanet as the world’s fifth-largest

public corporate bitcoin holder, surpassing

Bullish and ranking behind Strategy,

Mara, XXI, and Bitcoin Standard Treasury

Company. Earlier this month, Metaplanet

revealed plans to raise $1.4 billion through

a share issuance, earmarked for further

bitcoin accumulation. Additionally, it

established a U.S. subsidiary to expand

bitcoin income generation. Despite recent

stock volatility, shares remain up 73%

year-to-date, underscoring investor

confidence and strategic alignment

with Bitcoin’s long-term global growth.

Raiku Raises $13.5M to Deliver Guaranteed

Transactions on Solana

Raiku, a crypto infrastructure

startup, has raised $13.5 million

across seed and pre-seed

rounds backed by Pantera Capital,

Jump Crypto, Lightspeed Faction, and

other investors. The company is building

tools to make Solana transactions

predictable and “guaranteed” by coordinating

blockspace with validators.

Its parallel execution layer and scheduling

engine aim to ensure reliable

performance, even under congestion,

opening new possibilities for institutions

and developers.

October 2025 / 71

Autonomous Vehicles

Can Packages

Deliver Themselves?

Examining self-driving trucks, drone delivery and warehouse

robots in UAE logistics

Detailing driverless truck convoys, VTOL drone parcel

delivery corridors, AI-driven warehouse robots and

AGVs, integrated unmanned traffic management, cybersecurity

and safety protocols, workforce upskilling,

and projected economic and environmental gains

across UAE logistics networks.

72 \ October 2025

The United Arab Emirates is rapidly

integrating autonomous

vehicles into its logistics ecosystem

under the National Strategy

for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and

Smart Dubai initiatives. Self-driving

delivery trucks, drone parcel services,

and warehouse robots are being

tested and deployed to increase

speed, reduce costs, and enhance

resilience across ports, free zones,

and urban centers.

Driverless Delivery Trucks

In Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, the 7X

Group piloted a fleet of electric,

AI-enabled trucks on fixed “huband-spoke”

routes within the free

zone. Equipped with LiDAR, radar,

and computer-vision sensors, these

vehicles communicate with a cloudbased

fleet management system

to navigate roads, detect obstacles,

and optimize routing. During trials,

trucks completed last-mile runs

under ten minutes over a 5 km radius

25 percent faster than conventional

vans while cutting delivery costs by

a quarter. Following safety valida-


Autonomous vehicles are the next frontier

in logistics, delivering speed, sustainability,

and safety to every corner of the UAE.”

— H.E. Mattar Al Tayer,

Chairman of the Board and Executive

Director,

Dubai Roads and Transport Authority

tions, the scheme is expanding to

Khalifa City and Shobha Hartland

in Dubai, with nationwide deployment

planned for 2026. Convoy

operations at fixed intervals

maximize load density, minimize

idle time, and reduce emissions,

creating an eco-friendly alternative

to delivering packages.

Drone Parcel Delivery

Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport

Centre (ITC) partnered with LODD

Autonomous to launch VTOL

drone deliveries between Al Samha

and KIZAD (Khalifa Industrial

Zone Abu Dhabi). Drones carrying

up to 25 kg fly point-to-point

over 50 km corridors, bypassing

ground traffic and completing missions

in under 20 minutes over 60

percent faster than road transport.

The ITC’s unmanned traffic management

platform issues flight

permits, manages geo-fenced

corridors, and ensures BVLOS (beyond-visual-line-of-sight)

safety.

Precision landing systems achieve

drop-off accuracy within one meter,

enabling seamless integration

with e-commerce logistics and

medical supply chains. Upcoming

phases will extend routes to Dubai

South and the Northern Emirates,

linking with digital fulfillment platforms

for real-time tracking and

dynamic scheduling.

Automated Warehouse Robots

Major UAE fulfillment centers are

deploying Autonomous Mobile

Robots (AMRs) and Automated

Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to streamline

order picking, sorting, and intra-warehouse

transport. IQ Robotics

and Exotec AMRs use AI-driven

Warehouse Management Systems

to optimize picking paths, balance

workloads, and monitor inventory.

In one Abu Dhabi e-commerce

hub, AMRs cut order-picking times

by 40 percent and reduced labor

costs by 30 percent, handling up

to 10,000 packages per hour. AGV

fleets transport pallets and heavy

loads along marked routes, integrating

with conveyor belts and

robotic arms for packing. These

automated systems operate 24/7

with minimal downtime, improving

throughput and accuracy while

freeing staff for oversight and

maintenance roles.

Regulatory and Safety Frameworks

The UAE government has established

robust guidelines for autonomous

deployments. The ITC

and Dubai’s Roads and Transport

Authority (RTA) issue provisional

permits for vehicle trials, requiring

detailed safety case submissions,

cybersecurity assessments, and

insurance bonds. Drone operators

register with the General Civil

Aviation Authority and adhere to

unified UTM (Unmanned Traffic

Management) protocols. Regulatory

sandboxes in Masdar City Free

Zone and DP World’s Jebel Ali terminals

allow controlled testing of

autonomy under real-world conditions.

Mandatory cybersecurity

audits, fail-safe braking systems,

and remote-operator override capabilities

ensure compliance and

public safety.

Economic and Environmental

Impact

Autonomous logistics vehicles

offer significant economic and

sustainability benefits. Simulation

models forecast AED 4 billion

in GDP contributions by 2030

through productivity boosts,

reduced labor expenses, and new

tech exports. Driverless trucks

and drones cut CO₂ emissions by

up to 30 percent per delivery by

eliminating idling and optimizing

routes. Warehouse automation

reduces facility energy consumption

by leveraging demand-driven

HVAC control and load balancing.

Workforce transformation

programs retrain operators into

supervision, robotics maintenance,

and data analytics roles, supported

by government-funded upskilling

initiatives.

October 2025 / 73

DRIVE TO THE FUTURE

NEW KIA

STONIC

Performance

Powerhouse Redefined

The new Kia Stonic has emerged as a game-changer in the compact crossover segment,

measuring 4,165mm in length while offering up to 352 liters of cargo capacity. This clever

packaging delivers urban-friendly dimensions without compromising on practical interior

space, featuring 1,070mm of front legroom that rivals larger vehicles.

74 \ October 2025


Guided by Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy,

the updated Stonic showcases a more confident

and expressive character. The refreshed front

fascia features Kia’s distinctive Star Map Signature Lighting,

creating a modern electric-vehicle-inspired aesthetic

that sets it apart from conventional compact SUVs.

The exterior transformation includes a sharper, more

structured grille design and an updated front bumper

that enhances the vehicle’s road presence. At the rear,

a redesigned tailgate and enhanced taillight signature

complete the modern makeover, while new 16-inch and

17-inch alloy wheel options provide additional visual

impact.

The cabin represents perhaps the most significant

upgrade, introducing technology typically reserved for

higher-segment vehicles. The centerpiece is a panoramic

dual-display layout featuring two connected 12.3-inch

screens that handle both digital instrumentation and

advanced infotainment functions.

The innovative Multimode Touch Display replaces

traditional HVAC controls with a sleek, configurable interface

that allows seamless toggling between climate

settings and media functions. Additional comfort enhancements

include USB-C fast charging ports, wireless

smartphone charging capabilities, and ambient lighting

throughout the cabin.

The engine lineup centers around a refined 1.0-liter

T-GDI unit available in both conventional petrol and

mild-hybrid configurations. The mild-hybrid system provides

enhanced efficiency and improved torque delivery,

particularly beneficial for city driving and highway merging

scenarios.

Transmission options include a six-speed manual for

driving enthusiasts and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic

that delivers smooth acceleration and improved

fuel economy. The DCT system offers agile gear shifts

while maintaining excellent efficiency ratings across

various driving conditions.

Designed for the digitally connected generation, the

Stonic integrates Kia Connect services that provide

cloud-based functionality, real-time vehicle diagnostics,

and remote interaction through the dedicated Kia App.

The standout Digital Key feature allows drivers to unlock

and start the vehicle using either a smartphone or smartwatch,

bringing premium convenience to the compact

crossover segment.

The safety package represents one of the most advanced

offerings in the compact crossover class. Key

features include Blind-spot Collision Avoidance Assist

with Safe Exit Warning, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

1.5, and Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control that

proactively adjusts speed approaching corners.

Highway Driving Assist and Lane Following Assist

work together to maintain safe following distances while

keeping the vehicle centered in its lane during extended

highway journeys. These technologies collectively position

the Stonic as a safety leader in its segment.

The new Kia Stonic successfully bridges the gap between

compact dimensions and premium features, offering

customers advanced technology, confident design,

and versatile performance in an urban-friendly package

that redefines expectations for the compact segment.

115 PS

Horsepower

(MHEV)

(MHEV)

20.4 kgf.m

Torque

(ICE DCT)

12.1 sec

0-100 km/h

October 2025 / 75

Smart Cities

IoT Networks Transform

the UAE

Internet of Things deployment revolutionizes urban infrastructure

across the Emirates

AI-driven traffic sensors and adaptive signals have

been deployed across Dubai, allowing real-time monitoring

and responsive control that enhances traffic

flow. This technology significantly reduces congestion

hotspots and shortens commute times by dynamically

adjusting to traffic conditions.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport

Authority launched the upgraded

UTC-UX Fusion traffic

control system, incorporating artificial

intelligence, predictive analytics,

and digital-twin technologies across

all major intersections. The system

reduces traffic congestion by 10-20%

while enhancing journey time and

prioritizing emergency vehicles and

public transport. Smart traffic lights

automatically adjust timers based on

vehicle densities, ensuring smooth

traffic flow throughout the city.

The implementation includes

IoT-enabled systems that analyze

traffic flow, forecast alternative

routes, and reduce commute time.

Connected sensors embedded in

roads, vehicles, and traffic signals

provide real-time data to IoT systems

that enhance traffic flow and ease

urban congestion. Dubai’s smart

traffic system dynamically optimizes

routes and improves commute

efficiency through comprehensive

vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure

communication.

76 \ October 2025


Smart Grids: Optimizing Energy

Dubai Electricity and Water

Authority invested $7 billion in a

smart grid that uses IoT sensors

and AI to monitor electricity and

water in real time. The grid set a

world record with just 1.06 minutes

of annual electricity downtime per

customer in 2023, versus about 15

minutes in the EU. Smart meters

deliver live data and analytics,

helping users optimize consumption.

The Green Charger initiative

installed over 700 EV chargers

across Dubai, broadly supporting

electrification. DEWA’s Automatic

Smart Grid Restoration System

restores supply instantly after

disruptions. Abu Dhabi’s advanced

metering and dynamic tariffs

further encourage off-peak usage

and efficiency.

Eco-friendly urban design

Smart waste management systems

across Dubai deploy IoT-enabled

bins equipped with sensors

that detect when containers are

full. This intelligent system helps

reduce fuel consumption, carbon

emissions, and operational costs

by scheduling pickups only when

necessary rather than following

fixed schedules. Dubai’s smart

waste management initiative

aligns with the city’s goal to be-

come a zero-waste city by 2030.

IoT-powered parking systems

help drivers find spots in real-time,

reducing traffic congestion and

emissions throughout Abu Dhabi.

The Zayed Smart City Project

integrates IoT and artificial intelligence

to optimize public lighting,

waste management, and traffic

flow. Smart streetlights adjust

brightness based on movement

patterns, cutting energy consumption

by 60%.

Environmental monitoring

includes IoT sensors that reduce

pollution and waste across the

UAE’s smart cities. The Dubai Data

Establishment manages the city’s

data infrastructure through initiatives

such as Dubai Pulse, the centralized

hub for all of Dubai’s smart

data. This advanced infrastructure

has firmly positioned Dubai on the

international smart development

map. connect.

Accelerated Growth: Digital Investment

The UAE’s IoT market is projected

to reach several billion dollars by

2025, with the business-to-business

segment leading growth as

companies adopt smart sensors,

asset tracking, and connected devices.

The market for IoT in utilities

alone generated $922.1 million in

2024 and is projected to double

to approximately $1.83 billion by

2030. Overall, technology services,

including IoT projects, are expected

to grow to about $4.79 billion

by 2029.

Government spending on IoT

development was estimated to

exceed $37 billion by 2020, with

a compound annual growth rate

of 31%. The smart cities market

generated $17.9 million in revenue

in 2024 and is expected to reach

$78.1 million by 2030, growing at

a compound annual growth rate of

29.8%. Smart governance represented

the largest revenue-generating

application segment in

2024, while smart transportation

registered the fastest growth

during the forecast period.

Information and communication

technology spending will reach

$23 billion in 2024, representing

a compound annual growth rate

of 8% during 2019-2024. The

digital economy strategy includes

measures to support growth from

the current 12% of non-oil GDP to

20% by 2030.

These investments support public-private

partnerships to develop

digital infrastructure and cloud

computing ecosystems across the

Emirates, setting the precedent for

a truly effective and efficient transportation

system in the Middle

East region.

The upgraded traffic signal system aims to

enhance the travel experience for all road

users while prioritizing emergency vehicles

and public transport.”

— Hussain Al Banna,

CEO,

RTA’s Traffic & Roads Agency

October 2025 / 77

Fintech NEWS

Mastercard Partners

With HyperPay for

Digital Payments

Mastercard has partnered with

HyperPay to modernize commercial

payments in Saudi

Arabia, with plans to expand into the

UAE and Qatar. The initiative introduces

secure, scalable commercial cards

that streamline expense management,

boost efficiency, and support SME resilience.

Backed by HyperPay’s Electronic

Money Institute license, the

collaboration leverages Mastercard’s

expertise and HyperPay’s regional

presence to drive financial digitalization

and strengthen the digital region.

Mastercard Partners

With Syria’s Central

Bank for New Systems

Mastercard has signed a memorandum

of understanding

with the Central Bank of Syria

to develop a national payments ecosystem.

The agreement focuses on

expanding access to financial services,

promoting inclusion, and strengthening

infrastructure through knowledge sharing

and training programs. By exploring

integration opportunities among Syrian

banks and aligning with international

best practices, the partnership aims to

modernize digital payments and support

Syria’s broader economic development.

Presight and Shorooq

Launch $100M Fund

to Accelerate Global AI

Innovation

Presight, a global AI and big data

analytics company, and Shorooq

Partners, an Abu Dhabi-headquartered

investment firm, have launched

Presight-Shorooq Fund I, a $100 million

initiative dedicated to supporting AI

ventures worldwide. Established within

Abu Dhabi Global Market, the fund

highlights the UAE’s position as both a

hub and investor in global innovation,

talent, and infrastructure. It will focus

on startups applying AI, machine learning,

and advanced analytics to sectors

such as fintech, healthcare, energy,

smart cities, and Industry 4.0. Beyond

financial backing, portfolio companies

gain access to Presight’s cloud, GPU,

and secure data resources, along with

Shorooq’s extensive mentorship network,

empowering entrepreneurs to scale

responsibly and deliver sustainable,

long-term impact across international

markets.

Amazon Payment Services Appoints Pablo Londono

as New Managing Director

Amazon Payment Services, a regional

provider operating in nine

countries, has named Pablo

Londono as Managing Director. With

over 15 years at Amazon, including

his role as Regional Finance Director

for MENA, Londono brings global expertise

across technology, logistics,

and operations. He will lead expansion

and innovation in digital payments,

supporting businesses with secure

processing, fraud protection, and advanced

analytical and processing capabilities.

barq Partners With

iPiD Validate to

Strengthen Saudi

Payment Systems

barq, a Saudi digital payments provider,

has partnered with iPiD, a global

Know Your Payee (KYP) solutions

leader, to adopt iPiD Validate, a payee

verification tool designed to improve

security and accuracy in transactions.

The integration allows real-time checking

of account names and details before

payments are processed, significantly

reducing fraud risk, failed transfers,

and operational costs while boosting

customer confidence. The collaboration

supports Saudi Arabia’s broader vision

to advance secure digital commerce

and strengthen cross-border payment

capabilities. Delivered via a single global

API, iPiD Validate provides banks, payment

providers, and businesses with

robust protection and compliance tools.

Together, barq and iPiD aim to build

trust, accelerate financial innovation,

and empower the Kingdom’s digital

economy.

78 \ October 2025

Kamel Pay Gains Central

Bank Approval to

Expand Business Payment

Services

Kamel Pay, a Dubai-based fintech

company, has secured In-Principle

Approval from the Central Bank of

the UAE (CBUAE) for the country’s highest-level

Stored Value Facilities (SVF) and

Retail Payment Services (RPS) licenses.

With this approval, Kamel Pay can now

provide payroll and comprehensive

business payment services across the

UAE. Employers will gain efficient tools

to manage salaries, supplier payments,

and operating expenses with stronger

compliance, while employees benefit

from timely salary transfers and access

to financial services that support daily

money management. The development

aligns with the UAE’s Vision 2030 agenda,

which emphasizes digital transformation,

innovation, and financial inclusion.

Chairman Hussain Al Qemzi stated the

milestone reinforces Kamel Pay’s mission

to empower underserved communities

and advance economic growth.

TerraPay and D360

Bank Partner to Enable

Inbound Transfers

TerraPay has partnered with Saudi

Arabia’s Sharia-compliant

D360 Bank to enable inbound

money transfers into the Kingdom.

The collaboration creates a compliant,

high-volume payment corridor

supporting payouts to both bank accounts

and mobile wallets. Covering

use cases from remittances to business

disbursements, the partnership

leverages TerraPay’s global network

and D360’s API-driven platform,

streamlining compliance and ensuring

faster, more reliable financial flows.


Saudi National Bank

Launches POS Lending

Solution for SMEs

Saudi National Bank (SNB) will launch

a Point-of-Sale lending solution for

SMEs, powered by Tarabut and

delivered through Geidea’s vast merchant

network. Pending Saudi Central

Bank approval, the initiative aligns with

Vision 2030 by providing faster access

to working capital. Integrating lending

into existing POS systems, it simplifies

finance for SMEs, addressing credit gaps

and strengthening entrepreneurship

across the Kingdom, driving financial

inclusion, innovation, and sustainable

economic growth for future business.

Najm and Elm Partner

to Advance Data and

Technology for Saudi

Insurance

Najm for Insurance Services has

signed a cooperation agreement

with Elm Company at the

Money20/20 Middle East conference,

establishing a framework for collaboration

in data exchange and digital technology.

The partnership will focus on processing,

transferring, and protecting data while

enhancing digital systems to improve

the quality of services for insurance

beneficiaries. Both organizations will

also hold regular consultations to identify

opportunities for improved project

execution, stronger collaboration, and

more efficient procedures. Abdullah Abdulrahman

Al-Khalaf, Acting CEO of Najm,

said the agreement supports innovation,

safeguards data, and boosts operational

efficiency. He emphasized it represents

a step toward building advanced, secure

infrastructure for Saudi Arabia’s insurance

sector while aligning with Vision 2030’s

digital transformation objectives.

Telr Partners With Kema to Simplify B2B Payments

and Cash Flow

Telr has partnered with UAEbased

fintech Kema to streamline

B2B payments and improve

SME cash flow. The collaboration integrates

Telr’s secure local and international

payment services with Kema’s

automation platform, enabling merchants

to generate invoices, embed

payment links, and track receivables

in real time. Supporting 120 currencies

and 30 languages, the solution enhances

compliance, reduces delays,

and empowers businesses to scale

digital commerce efficiently.

October 2025 / 79

VISIONARY Spotlight

H.E. DR. SULTAN BIN

AHMED AL JABER

MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, UAE

FEDERAL CABINET

H.E. Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber

has transformed the UAE into a

global Industry 4.0 hub through

comprehensive technology transformation

initiatives since the establishment of

the Ministry of Industry and Advanced

Technology in 2020. Upon his appointment

as Minister, he identified fragmented

industrial ecosystems, limited technology

adoption across manufacturing

sectors, and insufficient data-driven decision

making as barriers to achieving the

UAE’s industrial diversification goals. He

launched Operation 300bn, the nation’s

most comprehensive industrial strategy

that introduced the Industrial Technology

Transformation Index (ITTI), advanced

technology financing mechanisms, and

strategic public-private partnerships to

accelerate Fourth Industrial Revolution

adoption. These initiatives contributed

to the industrial sector becoming the

second-largest contributor to the UAE’s

non-oil GDP, valued at AED 205 billion

in 2024.

Under his leadership, the Ministry

deployed the Technology Transformation

Program (TTP) that established the

world’s first comprehensive framework

for measuring digital maturity and sustainability

practices in manufacturing facilities.

He spearheaded the development

of over 1,000 technological projects with

AED 11 billion in advanced technology

investments, positioning the UAE as the

region’s leading destination for smart

manufacturing and Industry 4.0 solutions.

Al Jaber’s digital transformation initiatives

extended to Make it in the Emirates,

the region’s largest industrial platform

that concluded its 2025 edition with over

AED 11 billion in new industrial projects

and agreements with national banks.

H.E. SALEH BIN

NASSER AL-JASSER

MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND

LOGISTIC SERVICES, KINGDOM OF

SAUDI ARABIA

H.E. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser

has revolutionized Saudi Arabia’s

transport infrastructure into

a digitally-enabled global logistics hub

through comprehensive technology

transformation since his appointment

in October 2019. Upon becoming Minister

of Transport and Logistic Services, he

identified fragmented transport systems,

manual documentation processes, and

limited digital integration across aviation,

maritime, railway, and road sectors

as barriers to achieving Vision 2030’s

logistics objectives. He launched the

National Transport and Logistics Strategy

(NTLS) that introduced the unified Logisti

digital platform, autonomous vehicle

regulatory frameworks, and advanced

digitalization centers that consolidated

over 200 transport services into a single

digital ecosystem. These initiatives

increased the sector’s GDP contribution

from 6 percent in 2021 to a projected

10 percent by 2030, generating SAR

45 billion in annual non-oil revenues.

Under his leadership, the Ministry deployed

the world’s first comprehensive

autonomous vehicle regulatory sandbox

that enabled WeRide’s Robotaxi to receive

Saudi Arabia’s first autonomous

driving license, positioning the Kingdom

as the only Middle Eastern nation with

operational self-driving vehicle programs

across airports, and highways.He spearheaded

the development of the Digitalization

and Technical Processing Center

alongside the Unified Documents and

Records Platform, which eliminated 267

redundant digital platforms. Al-Jasser has

established Saudi Arabia as the Middle

East’s leading smart mobility destination

and the global benchmark for autonomous

transportation regulation.

80 \ October 2025

H.E. ABDULLA BIN

ADEL FAKHRO

MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND COM-

MERCE, KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

H.E. Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro has

transformed Bahrain into the Middle

East’s leading Industry 4.0 hub

through comprehensive digital transfor-


H.E. Omar bin Sultan Al Suwaidi has

been instrumental in operationalizing

the UAE’s industrial transfortry

Readiness Index (SIRI) assessment

framework, automated digital transformation

planning, and strategic partnerships

with Tamkeen to convert 300 of

Bahrain’s 800 licensed factories into

smart manufacturing facilities by 2026.

These initiatives positioned Bahrain as the

first GCC nation to achieve systematic

Fourth Industrial Revolution adoption

across its entire industrial ecosystem.

Under his leadership, the Ministry

deployed Sijilat 3.0, the region’s most

advanced commercial registration

platform that reduced business establishment

procedures by 60 percent

and achieved 99-second commercial

registration processing times through

cloud-native architecture and artificial

intelligence integration. He spearheaded

the development of the Digital Business

Champions Overseas Program that enabled

Bahraini companies to capture international

markets through e-commerce

platforms, resulting in over 250 educational

institutions adopting digital payment

systems. Through these achievements,

Fakhro has established Bahrain as the

region’s premier destination for smart

manufacturing investments.

H.E. OMAR BIN

SULTAN AL SUWAIDI

UNDERSECRETARY, MINISTRY OF IN-

DUSTRY AND ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY,

UAE

mation initiatives since his appointment

as Minister of Industry and Commerce

in November 2022. Upon taking office,

he identified fragmented industrial processes,

limited digital maturity across

manufacturing sectors, and insufficient

automation infrastructure as barriers to

achieving Bahrain’s Industrial Sector

Strategy 2022-2026 objectives. He

launched the groundbreaking iFactories

initiative that introduced the Smart Indusmation

agenda since his appointment as

Undersecretary in 2020. He identified the

need for robust implementation frameworks,

data-driven performance tracking,

and stakeholder collaboration as critical

success factors. He led the launch of

the Technology Transformation Program

(TTP), establishing a standardized digital

maturity assessment and enabling

over 600 federal and private entities to

benchmark and accelerate their Industry

4.0 journeys through targeted funding

and technical assistance.

Under his stewardship, Al Suwaidi

oversaw the development and rollout of

the Industrial Technology Transformation

Index (ITTI), which measures digital and

sustainability KPIs across 1,200 manufacturing

facilities and guided AED 9.4 billion

in strategic technology investments. He

directed the In-Country Value (ICV) Program’s

second phase, integrating ICV

metrics into all federal procurements

and increasing local content spending

by 32 percent year-on-year, generating

AED 14.3 billion of domestic economic

value in 2024. Al Suwaidi also managed

the Make It in the Emirates platform,

culminating in the 2025 edition with 120

new advanced manufacturing projects

valued at AED 11 billion and secured AED

42 billion in financing commitments for

industrial growth. He championed the

UAE’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy,

achieving 100 percent digitalization of

industrial licensing and reducing approval

times from 28 days to under 24 hours.

Through these initiatives, Al Suwaidi has

reinforced the UAE’s leadership in global

advanced manufacturing and innovation.

October 2025 / 81

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