The Technology Express

Agentic Enterprises: How Autonomous AI Is Reshaping Business Operations

Deepfake Defense: Combating AI-Generated Fraud in the Digital Age

Digital Dynasties: How Sovereign Funds Are Investing in AI and Deep Tech

Tokenised Markets: The Future of Digital Assets and Financial Infrastructure

July 2026

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EDITOR’S

NOTE

EDITORIAL

Manish Kumar

“AI is no longer a tool. It analyses, decides, executes, and improves

in real time.”

— H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President,

Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai

DESIGN

Hamza Khan

COMMERCIAL (EVENTS & ADVERTISING)

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Software used to wait for instructions. Increasingly, it

doesn’t. This issue tracks that shift – our cover story,

“The Autonomous Era,” leads into deeper looks at

agentic AI in business, deepfake fraud, and the governance

question every autonomous system eventually raises: how

do we trust something that acts without asking first?

On the money side, we follow AI and tokenization into

sovereign wealth, investment strategy, and even inheritance

planning, tracing how capital is adapting to assets and

decision-makers that didn’t exist a decade ago. We also

take a longer view on digital identity – who controls it, and

what “self-sovereign” really means once so much of our

financial and personal life lives on-chain.

As always, you’ll also find our regular news pulse across

AI, crypto, fintech, investment, and the region, spreads on

the cars and startups worth watching, hands-on reviews of

the Amazfit Balance 3, HONOR Magic V6, and Sony Xperia

1 VIII, and our ongoing She Innovates series spotlighting

the women shaping this industry.

Thanks, as ever, for reading.

The Publisher has taken all reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the

content at the time of publication. However, The Publisher accepts no

liability for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies within this publication.

The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The

Publisher. Readers are encouraged to seek professional advice before acting

on any information provided, as the content is for general reference and may

not apply to individual circumstances. All trademarks, logos, and intellectual

property rights featured in this publication are acknowledged and remain the

property of their respective owners. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form without the prior written

consent of The Publisher. All rights reserved.

MCFILL MEDIA &

PUBLISHING GROUP

TECH

8

20

Enterprise Tech:

Agentic Enterprises: Autonomous

AI Reshaping Business

Interview:

How AI is Changing the Way

Businesses Access Funding

12

24

Drive to the Future:

BMW iX3: Neue Klasse, New

Direction

Cover Story:

Autonomous Era: Why Agentic Will

Transform Every Industry

30

40

Sovereign Wealth:

Digital Dynasties: Sovereign

AI Bets

Event:

The FinanceWorld

She Innovates 2026

34 58

Launch Express:

Sony Xperia 1 VIII: Flagship Camera

Phone for Multimedia Power Users

Generational Wealth:

Digital Inheritance And

Tokenized Wealth

INSIDE

Enterprise Tech

Agentic Enterprises:

Autonomous AI

Reshaping Business

How organizations are deploying autonomous AI agents to

drive decisions, execute workflows, and orchestrate operations

across the enterprise

Enterprises are moving from passive copilots to autonomous

AI agents that can plan, decide, and execute

complex workflows across systems, reshaping operations,

costs, and governance as agentic intelligence

becomes the new backbone of business.

In the first wave of enterprise

AI, large organizations added

copilots and chatbots to existing

tools. These systems could summarize

documents, draft emails, or

answer support questions, but they

remained fundamentally reactive:

nothing happened until a human

asked. In 2026, a new pattern is

emerging. Agentic enterprises are

deploying autonomous AI agents

that can understand goals, assemble

multi-step plans, call APIs, and coordinate

with other agents to execute

work across business functions with

minimal human intervention.

Analysts see this as an inflection

point rather than an incremental

upgrade. Gartner predicts that by the

end of 2026, around 40 percent of

enterprise applications will be integrated

with task-specific AI agents,

up from less than 5 percent in 2025.

These agents are expected to evolve

from single-task helpers into multiagent

ecosystems by 2029, transforming

enterprise applications from

static tools into dynamic platforms

that support autonomous collabo-

8 \ July 2026


ration between humans and machines.

For CIOs, that means the

operating model of the business is

now on the table, not just its user

interfaces.

From Assistants To Agents

Agentic AI differs from earlier

assistant-style systems in three

important ways. First, agents are

goal-driven: instead of waiting

for instructions at every step,

they can decompose a business

objective into sub-tasks, decide

which tools to call, and iterate until

the goal is met. Second, they are

environment-aware, maintaining

memory of previous interactions

and adapting plans when constraints

change, such as a system

outage or a missing approval.

Third, they can collaborate with

other agents, handing off tasks or

requesting specialized support in

a way that resembles how human

teams operate.

Technology platforms are racing

to provide the orchestration layer

for this behavior. Microsoft has

announced an open-source Agent

Framework that unifies prior

work from Semantic Kernel and

AutoGen, allowing developers to

design, coordinate, and govern

enterprise-grade agentic systems

on a common foundation. Copilot

Studio now supports multi-agent

orchestration, letting organizations

wire together agents for customer

service, IT, HR, and finance that

can collectively resolve tickets or

fulfill employee requests without

manual routing. IBM and others

describe agentic AI as a shift

from AI as a feature to AI as an

operational fabric that spans the

enterprise.

Where Agents Run The Enterprise

Early adopters are deploying

agents in high-volume, rulesheavy

domains where traditional

automation struggled with edge

cases. In financial services, agentic

AI systems are being used to monitor

portfolios, detect fraud patterns,

and automate compliance

procedures in real time, adapting

to changing market or regulatory

conditions. Supply chain teams are

turning to agents that can predict

demand fluctuations, re-optimize

inventory, and automatically

reorder supplies when thresholds

are breached, without waiting for

human planners to review dashboards.

In customer operations,

voice and chat agents now handle

a growing share of inbound queries

across channels, escalating

only genuinely novel or emotionally

sensitive cases to human staff.

The economic impact is already

measurable. Case studies com-

piled by enterprise AI providers

show that autonomous workflow

systems can reduce manual

intervention by up to 70 percent

and cut operational costs by

40 to 60 percent in back-office

processes, while improving issue

resolution times by around 45

percent. McKinsey-style surveys

cited in these reports indicate that

more than a third of enterprises

have moved beyond pilots to scale

agentic automation across two or

more business functions, up from

low double digits just a few years

ago. For organizations that get

this right, AI agents are not side

projects; they are a new class of

digital worker.

New Governance And Human

Roles

Autonomous agents improve

operations but raise governance,

accountability, and security

challenges as they handle critical

tasks. Regulations require risk

management, human oversight,

and technical safeguards. Organizations

are creating AgentOps

teams to oversee AI performance

and compliance. Success depends

on balancing autonomous execution

with transparency, safety,

accountability, while aligning with

long-term goals as humans focus

on strategy and exceptions.

AI is no longer a tool. It analyzes, decides,

executes, and improves in real time. It will

become our executive partner to enhance

services, accelerate decisions, and raise

efficiency.”

— HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE,

Ruler of Dubai

July 2026 / 9

CRYPTO News

CFI Bahrain Expands

Trading Portfolio With

Crypto CFDs

CFI Bahrain has launched cryptocurrency

CFDs, expanding its

offerings for traders across the

Kingdom. The new products enable

investors to speculate on price movements

without owning digital assets.

Through a regulated trading environment,

clients can access crypto markets

alongside traditional financial

instruments. The move reflects rising

demand for digital assets, supporting

Bahrain’s financial sector and cryptocurrency

integration.

CoinMENA and INFIN-

IOS Launch Secure

Digital Card Program

CoinMENA has partnered with

INFINIOS to launch virtual and

physical card services, enhancing

financial accessibility for users across

the region. Under the agreement,

INFINIOS will provide licensed card

issuance, processing, and program

management capabilities. The initiative

enables secure, scalable payment

solutions integrated with CoinMENA’s

digital asset platform. Collaboration

strengthens digital asset payment and

financial services.

BlackRock Launches

Bitcoin Income ETF

Using Covered Call

Strategy

BlackRock has launched the iShares

Bitcoin Premium Income ETF (BI-

TA), a new fund that offers Bitcoin

exposure while generating monthly

income through covered call options.

The ETF holds spot Bitcoin and shares

of the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) and

sells call options on 25% to 35% of its

IBIT holdings to earn premium income

for investors. BITA targets investors

seeking both Bitcoin exposure and

regular yield, a feature unavailable

through the Bitcoin network itself.

The fund debuts ahead of Goldman

Sachs’ planned Bitcoin income ETF and

carries a 0.65% fee. BlackRock said the

product combines its ETF expertise,

options strategy and institutional infrastructure

to meet growing demand for

income-generating crypto investments.

The strategy allows investors to capture

option premiums while retaining most

Bitcoin upside over time.

Mastercard Launches

Agent Pay for AI

and Stablecoin

Payments

HIVE Secures $220M AI Deal, Targets $70M

Annual Revenue

HIVE Digital Technologies signed

a three-year, $220 million sovereign

AI cloud agreement with

Bell to deploy 2,304 Nvidia Grace

Blackwell GPUs in Canada. The project

is expected to generate $70 million

in annual recurring revenue and

supports enterprise and government

AI services. The deal marks HIVE’s

continued expansion beyond Bitcoin

mining into artificial intelligence and

high-performance computing infrastructure

across global technology

markets and operations.

Mastercard has introduced Agent

Pay for Machines (AP4M), a

new payment infrastructure

designed to enable autonomous

AI agents to conduct high-volume,

low-value transactions, including

stablecoin payments. The platform

supports microtransactions across

cards, bank accounts and digital assets

while allowing AI agents to operate

with verified credentials and programmable

spending limits. More than 30

partners, including crypto firms such

as Coinbase, OKX, Ripple and Polygon,

have joined the initiative to accelerate

adoption. Mastercard said the system

addresses the limitations of traditional

payment rails and could unlock new

AI-driven business models. The launch

strengthens Mastercard’s blockchain,

stablecoin payments, programmable

finance, and autonomous commerce

ecosystem.

10 \ July 2026

SpaceX IPO Creates

Billionaires as

Elon Musk Tops

$1 Trillion

SpaceX’s public listing has pushed

Elon Musk’s net worth above $1

trillion while creating a new wave

of billionaires among early investors,

executives, and institutional backers.

The company’s shares traded about

37% above the $135 IPO price, giving

SpaceX a valuation near $2.4 trillion.

Musk, who owns roughly 42% of

SpaceX, saw his stake rise above $750

billion, briefly lifting his total wealth

to nearly $1.4 trillion when combined

with Tesla and xAI holdings. Major

investors including Founders Fund,

Alphabet, Sequoia Capital, and Valor

Equity recorded massive gains worth

tens of billions. SpaceX executives and

employees also benefited through

equity stakes and stock options. Despite

later volatility and a pullback

from highs, the IPO remains one of

the largest wealth-creation events in

modern financial history.

Abu Dhabi ADIC Plans

$15B Leveraged

Hedge Fund

Expansion

BlackRock Sells $230M

in Bitcoin and Increases

Ethereum Exposure

BlackRock sold 3,671 Bitcoin

worth $230 million and bought

10,566 Ethereum valued at

$17.71 million, signaling a portfolio

rebalance rather than an exit from

crypto. The asset manager has faced

ETF outflows but continues backing

digital assets. Analysts say Ethereum

is gaining importance as infrastructure

for tokenized finance, while Bitcoin

remains a store-of-value investment

in institutional portfolios for long-term

growth and diversification.


Fidelity Launches GENI-

US-Compliant Fund for

Stablecoin Issuers

Fidelity launched the Fidelity

Reserves Digital Fund, a money

market fund designed for stablecoin

issuers under the GENIUS Act. The

fund invests exclusively in approved

reserve assets, including U.S. Treasuries,

cash and repurchase agreements.

Targeting institutional investors, it

aims to preserve capital and liquidity

as stablecoin demand accelerates

following U.S. regulations. The product

reflects growing institutional interest

in digital assets.

Abu Dhabi Investment Council

(ADIC) is considering expanding

its hedge fund portfolio, with

plans to deploy up to $15 billion using

leveraged total return swap structures,

according to a Bloomberg report. The

strategy would give ADIC synthetic

exposure to a diversified hedge

fund basket while outsourcing active

management to external managers

and using banks as intermediaries.

The approach is expected to focus on

large multi-strategy hedge funds with

strong performance records, while also

including other liquid strategies. This

model enables amplified returns and

risks through embedded leverage compared

with traditional allocations. The

move reflects Middle Eastern sovereign

wealth funds increasing alternative

asset exposure, with ADIC targeting

higher long-term returns through

private credit and digital investments.

Ripple Invests in Flutterwave to Expand RLUSD

Across Africa

Ripple joined Flutterwave’s Series

E funding round, valuing the

African payments company at

$3.2 billion and strengthening their

strategic partnership. The deal will

integrate Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin

and XRP Ledger into Flutterwave’s

payment infrastructure across 34

African markets. The partnership aims

to improve cross-border payments

by enabling faster settlements, lower

costs, enhanced digital asset services

throughout the continent’s growing

fintech ecosystem.

July 2026 / 11

DRIVE TO THE FUTURE

12 \ July 2026


Neue Klasse, New Direction

The latest BMW iX3 inaugurates the

brand’s Neue Klasse mid-size SUV

architecture, and it does so with a

clear focus on long‐range electric touring

rather than short‐burst theatrics. At

its heart is a dual‐motor xDrive 50 system

that delivers 345 kW, equivalent to

463 hp, and 645 Nm of torque to all four

wheels.

This drivetrain is sufficient to move the

iX3 from rest to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds

and on to a top speed of 210 km/h, which

gives it performance that is squarely in

the premium EV mainstream. Yet BMW’s

sixth‐generation eDrive hardware has

been engineered for efficiency, supported

by an 800‐volt electrical system designed

to minimize charging times on

high‐power DC infrastructure.

A large 108.7 kWh battery (BMW figure,

total energy content) underpins the

range story, with WLTP figures of up to

805 km depending on specification and

conditions. Crucially for long‐distance users,

the iX3 can accept DC fast charging

at up to 400 kW, allowing roughly 309

to 372 km of additional range to be added

in about ten minutes according to

BMW’s internal data.

Inside, the iX3 showcases BMW’s new

Panoramic Vision interface and the latest

BMW Operating System, consolidating

most driving and infotainment functions

into a wide, gently curved display

arrangement. The cabin design aims

to balance high‐tech presentation with

familiar BMW ergonomics, and early

specifications highlight extensive use of

recycled and secondary materials, with

around one‐third of the vehicle content

described as secondary material by

BMW.

What sets the new iX3 apart is the

combination of long‐legged range, very

rapid charging and a driving experience

that is intended to feel recognizably like

a BMW rather than a clean‐sheet EV experiment.

In a class where many rivals

lean heavily on dramatic acceleration

figures, the iX3 instead makes its case

through consistency, efficiency and a

mature, touring‐oriented character.

4.9 s

0–100 km/h

463 hp

Horsepower

645 Nm

Torque

July 2026 / 13

Digital Identity

Self-Sovereign Identity

In The UAE

How decentralized identity can strengthen trust, privacy, and

compliance across the UAE’s fast-evolving digital economy

As the UAE connects public services, trade, and finance

through digital platforms, self-sovereign identity

offers a way to combine strong assurance and user

control without undermining regulatory oversight or

data sovereignty.

Self-sovereign identity is moving

from theory to practice in

the UAE, where digital identity

now anchors everything from public

services to trade and aviation security.

At the center of this shift is UAE

Pass, the national digital identity and

signature solution that lets citizens,

residents and visitors authenticate

to thousands of government and

private services with a single login.

From UAE Pass To SSI

UAE Pass already covers federal

ministries, local entities and a growing

number of banks, utilities and

private platforms, giving users one

smartphone-based identity linked

to their Emirates ID and verified

through biometrics. Instead of filling

forms or managing separate passwords,

people log in once, consent to

share attributes and sign documents

digitally in a way that carries legal

weight under the UAE’s electronic

transactions and trust services

framework.

This gives the UAE a rich set of

verified attributes, such as name, na-

14 \ July 2026


tionality and residency status, that

can be turned into portable credentials

rather than being copied

repeatedly between institutional

databases. Self-sovereign identity

takes the next step by placing

those credentials inside a digital

wallet under the user’s control

so that people and organizations

decide which claims to present

in each interaction. Technically,

this model relies on decentralized

identifiers and verifiable

credentials, which allow a verifier

to confirm that a claim is genuine

and unaltered without calling the

original database every time.

For a state that wants high

assurance, low-friction access

to digital services, this combination

of central trust services and

user-controlled credentials is

appealing. It complements, rather

than replaces, the role of government-backed

identity providers

by adding a more flexible layer of

privacy and portability on top of

existing infrastructure.

Early SSI Style Deployments

Several recent initiatives show

what this future could look like in

practice. Innovation City, a specialised

free zone in Ras Al Khaimah,

has launched a blockchain-based

digital business identity system

for companies that register there.

Each firm receives a sovereign,

cryptographically verifiable digital

identity on OPN Chain that functions

as a living on-chain profile

rather than a static database

entry, designed to reduce reliance

on central registries.

Banks, regulators, investors and

automated software agents can

verify that profile within seconds,

cutting manual checks and dependence

on scanned trade licenses

or paper attestations. In Sharjah,

BEEAH Group is rolling out IDTrust,

an enterprise-grade self-sovereign

identity platform built on Hedera,

beginning with employees

and partners and then extending

across smart communities, healthcare

and environmental services.

Here, the same decentralized

identity framework can support

access control, service eligibility

and audit trails across different

lines of business without asking

users to manage separate logins

for every system.

At the national level, the UAE’s

decision to move 50 per cent of

government transactions onto

blockchain under the Emirates

Blockchain Strategy 2021 provides

a natural foundation for verifiable

credentials. TDRA’s blockchain-based

Digital Verification

Platform, often referred to as UAE

Verify, already lets organizations

confirm the authenticity of digital

documents against blockchain-secured

records instead of inspecting

physical files. Plans to phase

out physical Emirates ID cards in

favour of biometric digital identity,

together with biometric travel

journeys at Dubai airports, point in

the same direction, where identity

becomes a set of reusable proofs,

not a plastic card.

Regulation And Governance Priorities

Federal Decree Law No. 46 of 2021

on Electronic Transactions and

Trust Services gives legal force to

electronic signatures and documents

and sets licensing rules

for trust service providers. TDRA

is responsible for licensing these

providers and for setting rules and

standards for electronic identification

systems and verification

procedures in coordination with

other authorities. In Dubai, Executive

Council Resolution No. 106 of

2023 establishes a specific regulatory

framework for digital identity

at the emirate level, signalling that

identity is treated as shared public

infrastructure.

Self-sovereign identity strengthens

privacy, interoperability, and

secure digital verification, while

reducing fraud and reinforcing

data control.

The digital divide today is no longer just

a technological challenge. It is a developmental

divide that shapes the future of nations

and their opportunities for progress.”

— H.E. Eng. Majed Sultan Al Mesmar,

Director General,

Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority

July 2026 / 15

International News

Dell XPS 13 Launches

$699 Laptop to Challenge

Apple

Dell has unveiled its redesigned

XPS 13 laptop starting at $699

for consumers and $599 for

students, aiming to challenge Apple’s

MacBook Neo. The 13.4-inch 2.5K

120Hz touchscreen offers premium

color accuracy and HDR support in

a lightweight aluminum design. It

delivers up to 17 hours battery life,

Wi-Fi 7, and Dolby Atmos audio, with

Dell emphasizing stronger specs,

value, and flexible RAM and storage

options.

Honor Win Turbo

Launches With

10,000mAh Battery

Honor expanded its Win series with the

Win Turbo smartphone featuring a

massive 10,000mAh battery in Black,

Blue, White options. It sports a 6.79-inch

1.5K AMOLED 120Hz display with 8000-

nit peak brightness, a Dimensity 8500

Racing Edition chipset, up to 16GB RAM,

and 512GB storage running MagicOS 10

based on Android 16. The camera system

includes a 50MP main, 5MP ultra-wide, and

16MP selfie camera, along with 40,000mm²

cooling, dual speakers, and IP66 to IP69K

durability ratings.

Samsung Galaxy

Book6 Edge Launches

With Snapdragon X2

Elite Chip

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy

Book6 Edge, a 16-inch laptop powered

by Qualcomm Snapdragon

X2 Elite, making it the first consumer

device with the new ARM-based chip.

Priced at $2,099.99 in the US, it focuses

on AI-driven productivity with strong

on-device processing. The chip delivers

up to 80 TOPS via an 18-core CPU based

on Qualcomm’s Oryon architecture.

It includes a 16-inch 2.8K Dynamic

AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh

rate, 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, and 1TB

SSD storage. The laptop is just 12.3mm

thin, weighs 1.55kg, and offers up to 22

hours battery life. Connectivity includes

Wi-Fi 7, USB4, HDMI 2.1, and more.

Despite premium positioning, RAM is

non-upgradable, raising concerns about

long-term AI workload performance

globally today, especially as future

applications demand greater memory

capacity and efficiency.

Threads Surpasses

500 Million Monthly

Active Users Milestone

Globally

Ooredoo Qatar Launches First Quantum-Safe

Communications Link Network

Ooredoo Qatar has launched the

country’s first quantum-safe

communications link in collaboration

with Hamad Bin Khalifa University

and the Ministry of Defense

using Quantum Key Distribution

technology within a live network. The

system enhances cybersecurity by

generating secure encryption keys,

detecting interception attempts, and

enabling future-ready infrastructure

while demonstrating quantum-safe

telecommunications deployment

across Qatar’s digital systems.

Meta’s Threads has surpassed

500 million monthly active

users, marking a major milestone

for the fast-growing social

media platform. The achievement

highlights its rapid expansion since

launch and strengthens its position

in the competitive social networking

market. Integration with Instagram

has significantly accelerated global

user adoption. Threads continues

to attract users seeking real-time

conversations, creators, brands, and

publishers building audiences. Meta

has expanded features including

content discovery, recommendations,

messaging tools, and creator options

to improve engagement. Threads is

positioned for advertising and monetization

growth as users increase, with

analysts highlighting its role in Meta’s

strategy, ecosystem integration, and

engagement innovation.

16 \ July 2026

Snap Launches $2,195

Specs AR Glasses for

Consumer Market

Globally

Snap has introduced its first consumer

augmented reality glasses,

called Specs, at Augmented World

Expo in California. Priced at $2,195,

the standalone device marks a major

step toward Snap vision of computing

beyond smartphones. CEO Evan

Spiegel described the glasses as the

next stage of human-computer interaction

in the AI era. Specs run on dual

Qualcomm Snapdragon chips, offer up

to four hours battery life, and include

a charging case with four additional

charges. Users interact through hand

gestures and voice commands powered

by Snap OS, with digital content

displayed in see-through lenses. The

launch follows pressure from investors

over AR spending, though Snap shares

rose after the announcement. The

company positions Specs as a longterm

platform competing with Apple

and Meta AR products globally today.

Microsoft Launches

Surface Pro 12 and

Laptop 8 Snapdragon

X2

Instagram Plus Launches

With Premium

Stories and Analytics

Meta has launched Instagram

Plus at $3.99 per month,

offering over 11 premium features

focused on Stories, profiles, and

analytics. Users gain tools like Story

Extend, Story Spotlight, anonymous

viewing, expanded audience lists,

and advanced engagement insights.

The subscription is optional and part

of Meta’s broader shift toward paid

services across its apps, alongside

Facebook Plus and WhatsApp Plus

worldwide rollout.


Brave Launches $60

Privacy Browser Without

AI or Ads

Brave Software has launched

Brave Origin, a $59.99 one-time

premium browser that removes

AI, crypto tools, ads, and several builtin

services. Released for Windows and

macOS, it excludes 12 features while

keeping core privacy protections like

Brave Shields and Brave Search. The

license covers up to 10 devices, while

Linux users get it free and mobile

support is coming soon globally, expanding

accessibility for diverse user

environments and platforms.

Microsoft has introduced updated

Surface Pro 12 and Surface

Laptop 8 models powered by

Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 processors,

advancing its Windows on Arm strategy.

The Surface Pro 12 starts at $1,499, while

the Surface Laptop 8 begins at $1,599

with 13.8-inch and 15-inch variants. Both

support up to 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD

storage, with optional Snapdragon X2

Plus and X2 Elite chips. The new 3nm

processors feature an 80 TOPS NPU

for on-device AI and deliver up to 58%

faster graphics performance. Battery life

reaches 15.5 hours for the Pro and 20

hours for the Laptop. The devices also

introduce OLED display options, haptic

touchpads, and improved resolutions,

reinforcing Microsoft’s focus on premium

AI-powered productivity hardware

across consumer and professional

computing markets worldwide with

enhanced user experiences.

Telegram Launches Native Apple Watch App for

Messaging Experience

Telegram has launched a native

Apple Watch app, enabling users

to read chats, send messages,

voice replies, stickers, and quick responses

directly from their wrist. The

app supports real-time notifications

and recent chat browsing, improving

convenience without needing an iPhone.

This release strengthens Telegram

cross-device strategy and expands

its ecosystem as demand grows for

wearable-based communication and

productivity tools globally across

emerging digital platforms.

July 2026 / 17

Cybersecurity

Deepfake Defense:Combating

AI-Generated Fraud

How deepfakes, voice cloning, and synthetic identities are

forcing banks to rethink fraud and security models

Deepfake voice, video, and identity

fraud is exploding, forcing banks,

regulators, and enterprises to redesign

controls, deploy AI-native

detection, and educate customers

as AI-generated scams scale faster

than traditional defenses can adapt.

Deepfakes have moved from

internet curiosities to industrial-grade

fraud tools. Analysts

estimate that deepfake files shared

online jumped from around 500,000

in 2023 to a projected 8 million by

2025, reflecting the rapid consumerization

of generative AI. Identity

fraud attempts using deepfakes

surged by roughly 3,000 percent

in 2023, with businesses losing an

average of nearly 500,000 dollars

per deepfake-related incident in

2024. For security leaders, the threat

is no longer hypothetical; it is a daily

18 \ July 2026


operational risk.

Financial services are at the

sharpest edge. Surveys show more

than half of financial professionals

reported deepfake scam attempts by

2024, and deepfake-enabled fraud

in North America alone cost more

than 200 million dollars in the first

quarter of 2025. Deloitte forecasts

that generative AI-assisted fraud

losses in the United States will rise

from 12.3 billion dollars in 2023 to

around 40 billion by 2027, a compound

annual growth rate of roughly

32 percent. The pattern is clear: AI

is amplifying both the volume and

believability of fraud faster than

rules-based defenses can respond.

How Deepfakes Turn Voice, Video,

And Identity Into Scalable Fraud

Infrastructure

Deepfake-enabled fraud spans three

main channels: voice, video, and

identity verification. Voice cloning

tools can replicate a person’s speech

from just a few seconds of recorded

audio, harvested from social media

clips, online panels, or leaked calls.

In one documented case involving

the UAE, criminals used an AI-cloned

voice to impersonate a company director

and authorize a 35 million dollar

bank transfer, bypassing existing

call-back and verification procedures.

Similar attacks are increasingly used

to defeat voice-based authentication

or pressure staff into urgent payments.

Video and social media deepfakes

add another layer. In 2025, a UAE

minister publicly warned that “investment”

videos circulating online

using his likeness were entirely

fabricated, urging the public not to

trust clips in which he appeared to

promote specific shares. Gulf News

reports that scammers have used

fake videos and accounts to demand

large payments from victims, with

deepfake techniques used to construct

convincing but entirely false

scenarios.

The identity verification process

itself is under pressure. FinCEN has

issued formal alerts warning that

criminals are using deepfakes to

circumvent know-your-customer

checks and remote onboarding, citing

suspicious activity reports describing

synthetic faces and manipulated

Integrate AI across

every touchpoint to

make ADGM more

efficient, more responsive,

and more

forward-looking.

We’re not waiting

for the future to arrive;

through our

Emerging Technologies

and internal

pilots, we’re building

it today.”

— Salem Mohammed Al Darei,

CEO, ADGM Authority (Abu Dhabi

Global Market)

documents used to open accounts.

A FATF horizon scan on AI and

deepfakes highlights that biometric

authentication once seen as a silver

bullet can be fooled by high-quality

synthetic media, especially in fully

digital channels.

Why Financial Institutions In The

GCC Face Heightened Deepfake

Exposure

The Gulf’s rapid digitisation has created

both opportunity and exposure.

UAE authorities have repeatedly

warned that cyber fraud, including

AI-augmented scams, is rising, with

deepfakes used to impersonate

officials, influencers, and ordinary

citizens. Voice cloning and video

fraud have particular traction in the

region’s relationship-driven culture,

where fraudsters clone the voice of a

CEO or family patriarch to authorize

urgent cross-border transfers, often

timed to coincide with market events

or regional developments.

Attackers in the GCC now also

impersonate call-center voices of

banks and telecom providers using

cloned audio, exploiting the trust

customers place in familiar-sounding

service channels. These scams

blend with existing phishing and

vishing patterns, making them hard

to detect without deliberate training

and independent verification habits.

UAE financial institutions are under

growing pressure from both global

standard setters and domestic

regulators to demonstrate that their

fraud Programs treat deepfakes as

a distinct risk typology with specific

controls.

Building Deepfake-Resilient Defenses

With AI Detection And Public

Awareness

Defending against deepfake fraud

requires a layered approach combining

technology, process, and

culture. Specialized detection models

can flag artifacts in audio and video

inconsistencies in lighting, lip sync,

or spectral features statistically

associated with synthetic content.

However, both regulators and security

vendors warn that detection alone

is a moving target, as generative

models improve and attackers adapt

rapidly.

Stronger verification processes are

therefore critical. FinCEN’s deepfake

alert highlights the need for phishing-resistant

multi-factor authentication,

live verification checks, and

cross-referencing identity signals

against device, location, and behavioral

data rather than trusting any

single biometric. Security providers

recommend detecting behavioral

anomalies, unusual transactions,

abnormal access, and workflow bypass

attempts. Organizations should

verify urgent requests independently,

strengthen deepfake awareness

through simulations, and integrate

these practices into AI security strategies

to maintain customer trust.

July 2026 / 19

Interview

MANOJ SUREKA

CEO & Managing Partner,

Synergy Fin. Consulting

20 \ July 2026


How AI is Changing the

Way Businesses Access

Funding

Exclusive Interview

Manoj Sureka is CEO & the Managing Partner of Synergy Fin. Consulting, a UAE-based corporate finance advisory

firm specializing in debt, equity, alternative funding, trade finance, and mergers & acquisitions. He works closely

with SMEs and corporates to help them secure capital, optimize financial strategies, and accelerate business

growth. A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Manoj is also a regular speaker & contributor, where he shares insights

on corporate finance, fintech, innovation, and the evolving funding landscape.

Q: How is AI transforming the funding

landscape for businesses?

AI is replacing many manual processes

involved in funding with intelligent automation.

Financial institutions can now

analyze vast amounts of data within

minutes, reducing approval times and

improving decision-making. Businesses

benefit from quicker responses, more

tailored financing solutions, and a

smoother funding experience.

Q: How do lenders use AI when assessing

loan applications?

AI evaluates multiple data points beyond

traditional financial statements. It can

assess cash flow patterns, transaction

history, payment behavior, industry

performance, and operational trends

to build a more comprehensive risk profile.

This allows lenders to make more

informed credit decisions.

Q: Does AI make funding approvals

faster?

Absolutely. Tasks that previously required

several days—or even weeks—

can now be completed within hours.

AI automates document verification,

financial analysis, risk assessment, and

eligibility checks, significantly reducing

processing time while improving

efficiency.

Q: Can AI help businesses that do not

qualify for traditional bank loans?

Yes. AI enables alternative lenders

AI is not replacing financial judgment; it

is empowering faster, smarter, and more

informed funding decisions.”

to assess businesses using broader

datasets rather than relying solely on

conventional credit criteria. This creates

funding opportunities for growing businesses,

startups, and SMEs that may

have strong operational performance

despite limited borrowing history.

Q: How is AI improving the experience

for business owners seeking finance?

AI-powered platforms provide faster

application processes, instant eligibility

assessments, personalized funding recommendations,

and real-time updates.

Business owners spend less time on

paperwork and receive more relevant

financing options based on their specific

needs.

Q: What role does AI play in investor

decision-making?

Investors increasingly use AI to analyze

financial performance, market trends,

customer behavior, competitive positioning,

and growth potential. AI helps

identify promising investment opportunities,

improves due diligence, and

supports faster, data-driven investment

decisions.

Q: Can businesses use AI to improve

their chances of securing funding?

Certainly. Businesses can use AI tools

for financial forecasting, cash flow planning,

budgeting, scenario analysis, and

preparing investor presentations. Better

financial insights enable management

teams to present stronger funding proposals

and demonstrate future growth

potential with greater confidence.

Q: Will AI replace relationship managers

and financial advisors?

No. While AI excels at processing data

and generating insights, funding decisions

still require human judgment,

strategic thinking, negotiation, and

relationship building. Experienced advisors

continue to play a critical role

in structuring transactions, selecting

suitable funding sources, and guiding

businesses through complex financial

decisions.

July 2026 / 21

Ai News

MSI Launches World’s

First Agentic AI Gaming

Monitor

MSI has unveiled what it calls

the world’s first Agentic AI

gaming monitor ahead of

Computex 2026. The new 31.5-inch

QD-OLED display combines 4K resolution

with a 360Hz refresh rate and

supports up to 680Hz at 1080p. It

also features RGB-stripe technology,

VESA DisplayHDR True Black 600

certification, and peak brightness

of 1,500 nits. Production begins late

2026, with global consumer availability

expected afterward.

Nvidia Prepares Arm-

Based AI Laptops for

2026 Debut

Nvidia is preparing to enter the AI

laptop market with Arm-based

PCs expected to launch in 2026.

The new devices are designed to combine

power efficiency with advanced

on-device AI capabilities for productivity,

content creation, and enterprise workloads.

Several PC manufacturers are

expected to support the platform. As

AI PCs gain momentum, Nvidia’s move

could intensify competition, expand

consumer presence, and accelerate

innovation across personal computing.

Gemini Live

Now Supports

Real-Time AI Image

Editing

Google has introduced a new

Gemini Live feature that lets

users generate and edit images

during live AI conversations on

Android and iOS devices. By enabling

camera sharing within the Gemini

app, users can point their device at

objects, people, or scenes and provide

verbal instructions for real-time image

creation or modification. The feature

is powered by Google’s Nano Banana

image model, which combines fast

image generation with Gemini Live’s

conversational experience. It follows

several recent updates, including improved

response speeds, camera and

screen sharing, and integrations with

Google Maps, Calendar, Tasks, and

Keep. The enhancement strengthens

Gemini Live’s multimodal capabilities,

enabling seamless AI-generated visuals

while improving creativity, productivity,

and communication.

Google Orders Three

Million AI TPUs From

Intel for Future AI

Expansion

ZoomMate AI Turns Meetings Into Actionable

Workplace Tasks

Zoom has launched ZoomMate,

an agentic AI-powered platform

that transforms workplace conversations

into actionable tasks. The

tool combines AI search, workflow

automation, and content creation

while integrating with Zoom, Google

Meet, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce,

Slack, and other enterprise platforms.

It helps teams identify next steps,

automate follow-ups, and generate

documents from meeting discussions,

positioning Zoom against rival

AI workplace assistants.

Google has reportedly placed an

order for more than three million

Tensor Processing Units (TPUs)

with Intel, one of the largest AI hardware

commitments in the industry.

Intel is expected to manufacture the

chips through 2028, helping Google

expand computing capacity for AI,

cloud, and search services. TPUs are

custom-built accelerators designed for

AI training and inference workloads,

supporting products such as Gemini

and Google Cloud AI. The agreement

also strengthens Intel’s contract manufacturing

business as competition in

semiconductor production intensifies.

With AI demand surging, the deal highlights

growing demand for advanced

computing infrastructure, securing

long-term access to critical AI hardware

while supporting future innovation,

large-scale model development, and

enterprise cloud adoption worldwide.

22 \ July 2026

Epic Launches

Unreal Engine 5.8

With Major AI

Upgrades

Epic Games has released Unreal

Engine 5.8, introducing significant

performance improvements and

new AI-powered development tools. The

update features a new medium-quality

Lumen lighting mode, known as Lumen

Lite, which boosts efficiency and can

reduce GPU bandwidth usage by up

to 40% while maintaining advanced

lighting effects. Epic also launched

MetaHuman 5.8 with a Crowd plugin

that enables developers to scale

character populations from dozens to

thousands in real time. Additionally, the

engine includes an experimental Model

Context Protocol plugin, allowing large

language models to interact directly

with the Unreal Editor. As Epic shifts

toward Unreal Engine 6, Unreal Engine

5.8 marks the final major milestone,

offering creators enhanced workflows,

scalability, flexibility, and development

efficiency.

ChatGPT Reaches

One Billion Monthly

Users in Record

Time

Google Introduces AI

Scam Call Detection for

Android

Google has launched a fake call

detection feature for Android

devices to help users identify

AI-powered impersonation scams.

Available through Phone by Google

on Android 12 and newer devices,

the system uses digital verification

to confirm call authenticity and warn

users of suspicious activity. Google also

introduced AI features, including outfit

searches, reading recaps in Play Books,

and Circle to Search capabilities for

enhanced everyday user experiences.


Amazon Unveils AI

Robot That Understands

Spoken Commands

Amazon has introduced an upgraded

version of its Proteus

warehouse robot that can

understand and respond to natural

spoken commands. The AI-powered

robot helps employees manage logistics

tasks without technical instructions,

improving warehouse efficiency and

automation. Alongside the launch,

Amazon announced plans to create

25,000 jobs across Europe and invest

more than €10 billion in expanding and

modernizing its fulfillment network.

ChatGPT has become the fastest

application ever to reach one billion

monthly active users, achieving

the milestone in May 2026, less than

four years after launch. The AI chatbot

previously reached one million users

within five days and 100 million monthly

active users in only two months. The

rapid growth highlights increasing

global adoption of generative AI technologies.

Meanwhile, competition in

the AI sector continues to intensify,

with Anthropic’s Claude emerging as

a leading rival. Both companies are

expanding their market presence while

reportedly preparing for potential public

offerings. As demand for AI tools grows

worldwide, competition among major

AI platforms is expected to accelerate

innovation, product development, investment,

and broader adoption across

consumer, enterprise, education, and

business sectors.

HP and Ferrari Launch $5,599 Limited-Edition

AI Laptop

HP and Ferrari have unveiled the

Limited Edition Scuderia Ferrari

AI PC, a luxury laptop priced at

$5,599. Limited to 4,999 units worldwide,

the device features Ferrari-inspired

design elements, including a

Rosso Magma finish and carbon-fiber

construction. Powered by an Intel Core

Ultra processor, 64GB RAM, and Intel

Arc graphics, it delivers AI performance

while targeting collectors and technology

enthusiasts seeking exclusive premium

desktop experiences with advanced

performance and design.

July 2026 / 23

COVER STORY

COVER

24 \ July 2026


Agentic AI — autonomous AI systems that can plan, decide, and act — is

moving from research labs into production, and it is poised to remake

how every industry works. As these agents graduate from “helpful

assistants” to self-directed digital workers, they are quietly redefining

productivity, operating models, and what it means to run a business in

the 21st century.

July 2026 / 25

COVER STORY

The Next Chapter of AI

26 \ July 2026


For the past few years, the AI story has been

about generative models that answer questions,

draft documents, or create images on

demand. The next chapter is about systems that do

not just respond to prompts — they pursue goals.

They break down tasks, choose tools, take action

across software and networks, and adapt based

on feedback, often without waiting for a human to

direct each step.

Consultants have estimated that generative AI

could add between 2.6 and 4.4 trillion dollars of

value annually across industries, with the biggest

gains in banking, high-tech, and life sciences. Agentic

AI connects that potential directly to execution —

turning static capabilities into continuously running

workflows that seek outcomes on their own. In an

era of talent shortages and stagnant productivity,

that shift is not a convenience. It is a structural economic

change.

What Makes AI “Agentic”?

Traditional AI systems are narrow: they classify,

rank, approve, or generate — and then they stop.

Agentic AI exhibits a form of digital agency. It can

The world is going through

a fundamental shift driven

by artificial intelligence,

and the UAE, thanks to its

forward-thinking vision

and early investments, has

positioned itself at the

forefront of nations ready

to embrace and capitalise

on this transformation.

Agentic AI does not replace

people, it makes them more

capable, and opens wider

possibilities for creativity,

innovation and impact.”

— Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi,

Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman

of the National Committee for the Agentic

AI Project

interpret a high-level goal, decompose it into steps,

call tools and APIs, and iterate until it reaches an

acceptable result.

Researchers generally describe five capabilities

that distinguish agentic systems: autonomy, reasoning,

adaptable planning, context understanding,

and the ability to take real-world actions — not just

produce outputs. These agents often sit on top of

large language models but add memory, tool use,

and orchestration layers, enabling them to work

across multiple applications over extended periods.

In practice, that means an agent can read an inbox,

open tickets, update a CRM, generate follow-up

emails, and adjust its strategy based on response

rates — without a human orchestrating each click.

The core economic difference is simple: we are

moving from on-demand assistance to continuous,

outcome-focused automation. A generative model

might help a marketer write a better email; an

autonomous agent designs the campaign, runs A/B

tests, adjusts budget allocation, and kills underperforming

variants in real time.

Industry by Industry

Software and IT Operations

Enterprise IT is already an early proving ground.

Autonomous IT agents can understand requests,

verify permissions, trigger installers, reset access,

and close tickets — often before employees know

there was an issue. In infrastructure and DevOps,

agentic systems monitor logs, propose configuration

changes, and sometimes implement low-risk

fixes automatically, creating self-healing environments

that recover from minor faults without

waking an engineer at 2 a.m. As these systems

mature, the role of IT shifts from manually operating

machinery to supervising autonomous orchestration

at scale.

Finance and Back-Office Operations

In financial operations and compliance, autonomous

agents are beginning to scan transactions,

flag anomalies, update fraud models, and prepare

regulatory reports continuously. Banks and payments

companies already use AI for fraud detection,

but agentic workflows go further: they adjust

thresholds, retrain components, and refine rules

mid-stream as patterns shift — maintaining a living

control system. This matters because regulatory

requirements are growing and labor markets are

tight. Studies suggest that up to 30 percent of

current hours worked could be automated by 2030,

and agentic AI gives finance teams a way to handle

higher complexity without linearly increasing headcount.

Supply Chains and Manufacturing

Supply chains are inherently multi-step and inter-

July 2026 / 27

Cover story

dependent, making them well suited to autonomous

agents that continuously coordinate information

and action. Agents can monitor inventory

levels, shipping delays, and demand signals, then

automatically reroute shipments, trigger purchase

orders, or adjust production plans in response to

disruptions. Industrial platforms are embedding

agents that orchestrate tasks across ERP and manufacturing

execution systems — reducing bottlenecks,

improving asset utilization, and accelerating

quality response through systems that learn and

adapt rather than follow static rules.

Under the directives of the

President of the UAE, we

launch a new government

model. Within two years,

50% of government sectors,

services, and operations

will run on Agentic AI, making

the UAE the first government

globally to operate at

this scale through autonomous

systems.”

— H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al

Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of

the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai

Healthcare and Life Sciences

Healthcare organizations are experimenting with

agentic AI to coordinate appointments, summarize

clinical notes, and surface high-risk patients based

on live data. Agents can move information between

systems, schedule follow-ups, and send personalized

instructions to patients — freeing clinicians

from the administrative burden that contributes

to burnout. In life sciences, autonomous research

assistants can scan literature, design experiments,

and propose hypotheses, accelerating R&D cycles

in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. As safety

and regulatory frameworks mature, these agents

could become core collaborators in discovering and

testing new therapies.

Retail and Customer Experience

Retailers are using agentic AI to dynamically adjust

prices, manage promotions, and optimize inventory

placement based on real-time conditions. Customer-facing

agents can handle end-to-end journeys

— answering questions, troubleshooting issues,

processing refunds, and updating records — while

escalating only genuine edge cases to human

teams. Organizations that have deployed these

systems report meaningful gains in both revenue

and operating efficiency, particularly in sales, customer

service, and software development.

New Operating Systems for Organizations

The rise of agentic AI does not just automate tasks

— it forces leaders to rethink how work is designed

altogether. McKinsey research argues that competitive

advantage from AI only emerges when companies

rewire their organizations to innovate, deploy,

and improve solutions at scale — not from isolated

pilots. With agents embedded across functions,

that rewiring becomes a practical necessity.

In this model, humans set direction, define

constraints, and handle exceptions, while agents

handle orchestration, execution, and continuous

optimization. The most successful organizations

will treat agentic AI as an operating layer — standardizing

patterns for how agents access data, call

services, log actions, and escalate decisions. Those

patterns become the new management system for

digital work.

Risks and the Human Question

None of this transformation is guaranteed to go

smoothly. Agentic AI amplifies classic AI risks —

bias, hallucination, security vulnerabilities — by

connecting models directly to action. Poorly governed

agents can drift from intended goals or make

opaque decisions, especially when multiple agents

interact across the same environment.

The workforce implications are equally significant.

Projections suggest that AI and automation

could require tens of millions of occupational transitions

by 2030, with mid-skill, routine roles most

affected. Demand is expected to grow for STEM,

healthcare, and roles that can direct and complement

autonomous systems. Whether agentic AI

becomes a story of human enablement or displacement

depends heavily on how organizations invest

in reskilling, redesign roles, and share productivity

gains.

Three Priorities for Leaders Now

For executives, the autonomous era is arriving

faster than most organizations can absorb. Three

priorities stand out:

• Go end-to-end on a few workflows — pick

high-impact processes like sales operations, incident

response, or claims handling and make them

fully agentic, rather than scattering shallow pilots

across the business.

• Build a common agentic platform — standardize

interfaces for tools and data, create monitoring

and override mechanisms, and set clear rules

about what agents are permitted to do autonomously.

28 \ July 2026


• Treat people as co-pilots — use productivity

gains to redesign jobs around higher-value work,

invest in training, and be transparent about how

roles will evolve. The organizations that give

workers more context and capability through AI

will consistently outperform those that simply

replace headcount.

The autonomous era will not arrive with a single

breakthrough moment. It will creep in through

service tickets that close themselves, supply chains

that quietly reroute around disruption, and products

that improve each week without a standing

meeting. Agentic AI is the engine behind that

shift — and over the next decade, it will not just

transform every industry; it will transform the very

texture of everyday work.

July 2026 / 29

Sovereign Wealth

Digital Dynasties:

Sovereign AI Bets

How Gulf sovereign funds are backing AI, chips, and data infrastructure

to future-proof national wealth

Gulf sovereign wealth funds are shifting from passive

portfolios to active builders of the AI economy, pouring

capital into chips, data centers, cloud platforms,

and deep tech to future-proof their national balance

sheets.

30 \ July 2026

Sovereign wealth funds were

once quiet owners of blue-chip

stocks and real estate. Today,

some of the world’s largest state

investors are reinventing themselves

as architects of the AI economy,

writing multibillion-dollar cheques

for chips, data centers, cloud platforms,

and space technology. Global

SWF estimates that sovereign funds

worldwide now manage around

15 trillion dollars in assets, with

roughly 15 billion dollars deployed

into AI-related investments in 2025

alone. Seven Gulf funds accounted

for about 43 percent of all sovereign

capital deployed that year, with Abu

Dhabi’s Mubadala investing nearly

12.9 billion dollars into AI and digital

initiatives.

For leaders in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh,

and Doha, AI is not just another

sector allocation; it is an infrastructure

play. Gulf sovereign funds are

taking an assertive role in building AI

and advanced technology capabilities,

from semiconductors to space.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala has publicly

committed to deploying significant


The race for AI is not just about code… it’s

about gigawatts.”

– H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber

UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology

CEO, ADNOC

capital into artificial intelligence

and space technology, while

Saudi Arabia’s PIF is positioning

the kingdom as a global hub for

AI compute and applications.

The result is a new kind of digital

dynasty in which data, computation,

and algorithms sit alongside

hydrocarbons as core sources of

national power.

From Oil To Compute

The strategic logic is straightforward.

As AI systems become more

powerful, they demand enormous

quantities of energy, specialized

chips, and secure cloud capacity.

PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan

has argued that Saudi Arabia is

“fairly well positioned to be an AI

hub outside of the U.S.” because it

combines abundant energy with

deep capital and the political will

to move quickly. PIF is already deploying

between 40 and 50 billion

dollars a year and plans to raise

that figure to 70 billion annually

between 2025 and 2030, with a

rising share targeting technology

and digital infrastructure.

In Abu Dhabi, Mubadala’s chief

executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak

has warned that the world has

not yet grasped the “degree of

disruption” AI will unleash across

industries, from employment to

business models. He has made

clear that Mubadala intends to be

on the enabling side of that disruption,

investing in data centers,

semiconductor manufacturing,

and AI-focused ventures including

MGX. Reuters reports that

Mubadala is allocating substantial

capital into AI and space technology

in a single year, while separate

data shows it led global sovereign

deal activity with more than 29

billion dollars invested across 52

transactions in 2024.

Buying The AI Backbone

Gulf sovereign funds are no longer

content to buy equity in listed

AI champions. A 2026 analysis

describes how they are buying the

backbone of AI owning the power,

land, and hardware beneath the

cloud. In 2025, sovereign investors

put an estimated 66 billion dollars

into AI and digital infrastructure,

with Gulf funds leading the field.

One flagship deal saw an Abu

Dhabi-backed consortium acquire

Aligned Data Centers for around

40 billion dollars, giving it control

of more than 50 facilities across

the Americas at a time when

hyperscalers are scrambling for

capacity.

Alongside infrastructure, Gulf

funds are targeting deep tech that

underpins AI systems. PIF has

explored a 40 billion dollar part-

nership with Andreessen Horowitz

to create a major technology fund,

while Saudi and Emirati vehicles

are backing domestic chip and

sensor manufacturing. Abu Dhabi’s

Space42 and PIF’s Neo Space

Group are racing to position their

countries as satellite and space

data leaders, with orbital infrastructure

seen as vital to earth observation,

secure communications,

and AI training datasets.

Mubadala is also embedding AI

inside the fund itself. Al Mubarak

has described how an “AI member”

now sits on the investment

committee as a consultative

co-pilot, supported by a proprietary

platform called MAIA that

mimics the fund’s decision logic

and includes a contrarian AI agent

to challenge consensus. This

feedback loop where the fund becomes

a sophisticated AI user and

AI investor simultaneously marks

a new chapter in how state capital

is being managed.

Governance, Risk, And The Long

Game

Digital dynasties reflect Gulf sovereign

investors’ long-term commitment

to AI infrastructure. By

investing in compute, chips, data

centers, and technology, they aim

to build resilient, future-focused

national wealth beyond oil.

July 2026 / 31

Fintech News

OMPAY Launches

JEEL Digital Wallet for

Young Users

OMPAY has launched JEEL, a

digital wallet designed for children

and teenagers aged seven

to 17. Integrated within the OM-

PAY app, the service enables parents

to transfer funds, monitor spending

in real time, and manage allowances

through a secure platform. JEEL

includes tokenized payments and

a prepaid Visa card, helping young

users develop responsible financial

habits while promoting digital financial

literacy.

Mastercard Launches

AI Payment System for

Autonomous Agents

Mastercard has introduced Agent

Pay for Machines (AP4M), a

new framework that enables

AI agents and connected devices to

complete transactions autonomously.

The platform supports payments across

cards, bank accounts, and stablecoins

while using cryptographic verification

and programmable spending controls for

security. Developed with 30+ partners,

AP4M enables secure, low-latency machine-driven

commerce and automated

payment workflows worldwide.

CBUAE and World

Bank Strengthen

Financial Inclusion

Efforts

The Central Bank of the UAE and

the World Bank Group have

signed an agreement to advance

financial inclusion, financial literacy,

and consumer protection initiatives

across the country. The partnership

will focus on improving digital fraud

prevention measures and enhancing

dispute resolution mechanisms within

the banking and insurance sectors.

Both organizations are also preparing

for the second Regional Summit

on Financial Health and Inclusion,

scheduled for Abu Dhabi in September

2026. The collaboration supports

broader efforts to strengthen financial

awareness, encourage responsible

financial decision-making, and build a

more sustainable financial ecosystem

for individuals and businesses. Joint

initiatives improve financial access,

reinforcing UAE leadership in financial

health and inclusion.

Blue Owl

Capital Opens Abu

Dhabi Hub for

Expansion

Visa Integrates ChatGPT for AI-Powered Shopping

Payments

Visa has integrated its payment

network directly into ChatGPT,

enabling the AI chatbot to

shop and complete purchases on

behalf of users. The move expands

AI-powered commerce beyond limited

merchant partnerships, allowing

transactions across a broader retail

ecosystem. Built on Visa’s Intelligent

Commerce platform, the integration

supports secure agent-driven payments

and advances the adoption of

autonomous AI shopping experiences

worldwide.

Blue Owl Capital has opened a

new office in Abu Dhabi Global

Market (ADGM), establishing

its regional headquarters in the UAE.

The alternative asset manager aims to

strengthen relationships with institutional

investors across the Middle East

while expanding its regional presence.

The office will host members of the firm’s

institutional capital and general partner

stakes teams, supporting investment

and business development activities.

The expansion marks Blue Owl’s seventh

office across Europe, the Middle

East, and Africa, bringing its global

network to 23 locations. The move

reflects growing Middle East interest

from global asset managers, reinforcing

Abu Dhabi’s role as a financial center for

alternative investments, international

capital markets, regional fundraising,

partnerships, and long-term investment

opportunities.

32 \ July 2026

Vault22 Expands

AI Wealth Management

Platform Across

UAE

Vault22 is expanding its AI-powered

digital wealth management

platform in the UAE to meet

rising demand for automated financial

services. The platform features Tara,

an AI financial assistant that analyzes

spending habits, liabilities, income

patterns, and financial goals to provide

personalized guidance. Users can manage

budgeting, investments, savings,

debt, and account aggregation through

a single dashboard. Vault22 also offers

52 diversified investment portfolios,

including 26 Shariah-compliant options

tailored for Gulf investors. In addition,

the company is developing a Wealth-asa-Service

model that enables banks to

integrate digital wealth solutions into

their platforms. With over one million

registered users, Vault22 strengthens

its regional fintech position, supporting

financial inclusion, smarter investing,

and long-term wealth creation.

Yango Ventures

Makes First

MENA Investment in

Comfi AI

DMCC and Tether

Partner to Expand

Blockchain Adoption

DMCC has signed a memorandum

of understanding with Tether to

advance blockchain infrastructure,

cryptocurrency payments, and

tokenised finance in Dubai. The partnership

will support more than 26,000

member companies through blockchain

initiatives, digital asset solutions, and

educational programs. Both organizations

also plan to host hackathons and

industry events, strengthening Dubai’s

position as a leading hub for blockchain

innovation and digital assets.


Emirates NBD Completes

$2.75 Billion RBL

Bank Acquisition

Emirates NBD has completed its

US$2.75 billion acquisition of a

60% controlling stake in India’s

RBL Bank. The transaction, finalized

after regulatory approvals, is among the

largest foreign investments in India’s

banking sector. The capital infusion

aims to strengthen RBL Bank’s growth

plans while combining Emirates NBD’s

regional expertise with the lender’s

domestic banking network, customer

reach, and long-term strategic expansion

objectives.

Yango Group has expanded its

presence in the Middle East

and North Africa by investing

in UAE-based fintech startup Comfi

AI through Yango Ventures as part of

the company’s Pre-Series A funding

round. The deal represents Yango

Ventures’ first investment in the MENA

region and aligns with its strategy of

supporting early-stage businesses

developing critical infrastructure for

fintech, logistics, and SME services.

Comfi AI provides embedded finance

products for small and medium-sized

enterprises, including Buy Now, Pay

Later solutions, invoice discounting,

and dealer financing. Its technology

integrates directly into supplier workflows

and partner platforms, allowing

businesses to access funding without

separate lending applications. Yango

partnership improves working capital

access and shortens payment cycles.

HSBC and DDS Expand Digital Direct Debits in

UAE

HSBC Bank Middle East has partnered

with Direct Debit System

(DDS) to help businesses digitize

recurring payment collections across

the UAE. The collaboration provides

corporate clients with paperless direct

debit infrastructure, automated payment

workflows, and remote payer onboarding.

Featuring UAE PASS authentication

and API integration capabilities, the

platform supports sectors such as real

estate, utilities, insurance, education,

and automotive leasing with enhanced

digital solutions.

July 2026 / 33

Launch express

Sony Xperia 1 VIII:

Flagship Camera Phone

for Multimedia Power

Users

Sony’s Xperia 1 VIII pairs a 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED display with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, triple

48MP cameras, 5000mAh battery, microSD expansion, and a 3.5mm jack, targeting photography

and media enthusiasts who value legacy features.

34 \ July 2026


Key Specifications & Tech Specs

+ +

Android 16, Snapdragon 8

Design

ORE design, 162 × 74 × 8.3

mm, 200 g, Gorilla Glass Victus

2 front/rear, aluminum

frame, IP65/68 resistance.

Processor

Consumer Electronics / Premium

Android Smartphones.

Battery

5000mAh battery, 30W

wired, 15W wireless, reverse

charging, two-day battery life

claimed.

Main Display

6.5-inch LTPO OLED FHD+

(1080×2340), 120Hz, HDR,

BRAVIA-based processing

improves color, outdoor

brightness.

Storage

256GB, 512GB, or 1TB UFS

storage, plus microSD expansion

up to 2TB.

RAM

12GB or 16GB LPDDR RAM

depending on variant.

Software

Cameras

Triple 48MP rear cameras with ultrawide, periscope

telephoto, AI Camera Assistant, RAW processing, and

12MP front camera.

Elite Gen 5, Xperia Intelligence,

four OS, six-year security

updates.

Pros

Enthusiast-Friendly Hardware Layout:

Retains rare flagship features like

a 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD card

support up to 2TB, dual front-facing

stereo speakers, and a dedicated twostage

camera shutter button, appealing

strongly to power users and media

creators.

Advanced Triple 48MP Camera System:

All three rear cameras feature 48MP

sensors with RAW multi-frame processing,

a telephoto sensor four times larger

than the previous generation, and AI

Camera Assistant offering lens, bokeh,

and creative shooting suggestions inspired

by Sony Alpha expertise.

Cons

Very High Launch Pricing: With pricing

around €1,499 in Europe and £1,399 in

the UK for the 256GB base model, and

significantly more for the 1TB variant, it

offers weaker value compared to mainstream

flagships from Samsung and

Apple that are often discounted more

aggressively.

Slower Charging and Only FHD+ Resolution:

While the 5000mAh battery

is large, 30W wired and 15W wireless

charging feel conservative next to rival

flagships with much faster standards,

and the shift from 4K to FHD+ resolution

may disappoint long-time Xperia fans

who prized ultra-dense panels.

The Verdict

The Sony Xperia 1 VIII is a classic enthusiast flagship: powerful, opinionated, and unapologetically niche. Combining

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a 6.5-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED, and triple 48MP cameras with a larger telephoto sensor, it delivers

serious imaging potential and top-tier performance in a distinctive ORE design. Legacy touches like the headphone

jack, microSD expansion, stereo speakers, and shutter button make it uniquely attractive to creators and media purists in

2026. However, its very high price, conservative charging speeds, and demanding camera/software experience mean it

will likely remain a connoisseur’s choice rather than mainstream. Overall, reviews position it as a strong specialist flagship

for users who know exactly what they want—roughly an 8.7/10 for enthusiasts.

July 2026 / 35

Market Infrastructure

The Enterprise AI Stack:

Building the Autonomous

Company

How tokenized assets, CBDCs, and new regulatory rails are

quietly rewiring global financial plumbing

Tokenization is moving from slideware to production

as institutions put treasuries, funds, and deposits onchain

and central banks pilot multi‐CBDC platforms,

pointing to a future where financial infrastructure

is natively digital, programmable, and interoperable.

36 \ July 2026

For years, tokenization was

pitched as a bridge between

traditional finance and crypto

with little to show beyond pilots.

That is changing fast. By early 2026,

the total market capitalization of tokenized

real-world assets had grown

to roughly 30.2 billion dollars, up

more than fourfold from early 2025,

with US Treasuries representing

nearly 9 billion dollars of that figure

and gold-backed tokens and tokenized

funds emerging as meaningful

segments alongside them.

Analytics show tokenized RWA

value rising from about 5.8 billion

dollars in January 2025 to more than

30 billion by April 2026, with Q1

2026 alone seeing around 30 percent

quarter-on-quarter growth. This

is still modest compared with global

securities markets, but it signals

that tokenized products are moving

beyond experimentation into live

use by asset managers, banks, and

corporate treasuries. The broader

direction is clear: financial assets are

beginning to live on shared ledgers

instead of siloed databases.


From Crypto Experiments To Institutional

Rails

The clearest proof of concept is

coming from large asset managers.

BlackRock’s tokenized US Treasury

fund, BUIDL, which launched in

March 2024 on Ethereum, mirrors

a traditional money-market fund

but executes issuance, transfer, and

income distribution entirely on-chain.

Investors hold a dollar-pegged token

backed by a portfolio of T-bills, repos,

and cash equivalents, with yield

streamed directly to token holders

through on-chain payouts; by late

2025, the fund had delivered around

100 million dollars in distributions

and expanded to multiple chains.

BlackRock estimates that Ethereum

accounts for roughly 65 percent

of all tokenized assets, making it the

dominant network for Wall Street’s

tokenization efforts. As of January

2026, BUIDL managed close to 2

billion dollars in tokenized treasuries

and cash equivalents, illustrating

how on-chain funds can operate at

institutional scale while connecting

into the broader digital-asset

ecosystem. In parallel, private banks,

securities houses, and real estate

platforms are launching tokenized

notes, sukuk, and property interests,

often with minimum tickets far below

traditional offerings, widening access

for smaller investors.

Central Banks And Regulators Redesign

Market Plumbing

Tokenization is not just a buy-side

story. Central banks and regulators

are quietly re-architecting the core

rails that sit beneath tokenized markets.

The BIS-led Project mBridge,

developed with the central banks of

Hong Kong, Thailand, the UAE, China,

and Saudi Arabia, reached minimum

viable product stage in mid-2024.

It now runs as a live multi-CBDC

platform where participating central

banks issue wholesale CBDC

tokens and commercial banks settle

cross-border payments by swapping

those tokens directly on a shared

ledger. The BIS transferred operational

control to participating central

banks in October 2024, marking

the shift from research pilot to live

infrastructure.

Singapore’s Monetary Authority is

playing a similar role on the securities

side. Under Project Guardian,

MAS and major financial institutions

have tested tokenized bonds, funds,

and structured products across

interoperable networks, concluding

that open platforms could materially

improve liquidity and collateral mobility.

MAS unveiled a commercialization

roadmap in 2024, publishing the

Guardian Fixed Income and Guardian

Funds frameworks and launching

the Global Layer One initiative for

The use of the Digital

Dirham for government

transactions

is a qualitative

shift in leveraging

financial technology,

creating an opportunity

to develop government

and private

payments.”

— H.E. Hadi Al Husseini

Minister of State for Financial Affairs,

UAE Government

cross-border digital-asset transactions.

It also signed an MoU with the

Deutsche Bundesbank to collaborate

on cross-border settlement of tokenized

assets, tying tokenization directly

to future connectivity between

European and Asian markets.

Legal frameworks are evolving in

parallel. In Dubai and the wider UAE,

VARA, ADGM’s FSRA, and the federal

Securities and Commodities Authority

have created specific regimes for

virtual assets, digital securities, and

tokenized securities, clarifying when

tokens represent regulated instruments

and how they must be issued

and traded. Dubai’s VARA regime

introduces a dedicated category

for asset-referenced virtual assets

covering tokenized real-world asset

baskets, while DFSA and FSRA treat

tokenized securities as digital securities

subject to the same disclosure

and conduct rules as their off-chain

equivalents.

What Tokenized Market Infrastructure

Could Look Like

In a mature tokenized architecture,

treasuries, funds, repo, and deposits

might exist as tokens across

multiple permissioned networks,

with wholesale CBDCs or tokenized

bank deposits serving as settlement

media. Atomic settlement

delivery-versus-payment in a single

on-chain transaction could eliminate

settlement risk and reduce the need

for intermediaries. Programmability

would enable conditional flows such

as auto-rollable repo, coupon reinvestment,

or embedded compliance

checks, while shared ledgers could

reduce reconciliation overhead by

making positions and entitlements

visible to all authorized parties.

Tokenization risks include fragmented

liquidity, cyber threats,

operational challenges, and legal

uncertainty. However, financial infrastructure

is shifting toward digital instruments,

cash, and collateral, with

interoperable tokenized networks replacing

legacy systems and enabling

more connected global markets.

July 2026 / 37

UAE News

Dubai RTA Digital Services

Reach Record

Transaction Growth

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority

recorded strong growth

across its digital platforms in

2025, processing more than 628

million transactions and generating

AED 5.3 billion in digital revenue.

Digital adoption reached 96 percent,

while active users of the RTA Dubai

app surpassed 1.2 million. AI-powered

services and smart mobility

platforms strengthen Dubai’s digital

transformation and smart city goals

across the emirate.

Positron AI Opens

First International

Office in Dubai

Positron AI has opened its first

international office at Dubai International

Financial Center, marking

a major step in its global expansion. The

AI infrastructure company specializes

in inference systems for large language

models and has raised more than $300

million in funding. The new Dubai office

strengthens Middle East presence,

supporting demand for scalable AI

infrastructure, advanced computing,

and enterprise AI deployments across

multiple industries and sectors.

Vault22 Expands

UAE Operations Amid

Rising Wealth Tech

Demand

Vault22 is expanding its presence

in the UAE as demand for

AI-powered wealth management

and digital investing platforms

continues to grow. The platform combines

budgeting, investing, account

aggregation, debt management, and

AI-driven financial guidance within a

single application. Its AI advisor, Tara,

provides personalized insights based on

spending patterns, income, liabilities,

and financial goals. Vault22 currently

offers 52 investment portfolios, including

26 Shariah-compliant options,

and is developing Wealth-as-a-Service

solutions for financial institutions. The

company has surpassed one million

registered users globally and added

more than 50,000 users in the past

90 days. UAE remains key to Vault22’s

GCC expansion, supporting fintech

innovation, financial inclusion, smarter

investing, and digital wealth adoption.

Space42 Expands

Foresight Network for

Satellite Intelligence

Growth

Abu Dhabi Gaming and ASPIRE Partner to

Advance AI

Abu Dhabi Gaming has partnered

with ASPIRE to accelerate

AI-driven game development

and strengthen the emirate’s

gaming ecosystem. The collaboration

will provide startups and game studios

with access to advanced technologies,

research expertise, and

development support. By connecting

cutting-edge AI research with commercial

game creation, the initiative

aims to boost innovation, support

local talent, and drive growth across

Abu Dhabi’s digital economy.

Space42 has expanded its Foresight

satellite constellation to enhance

Earth observation and geospatial

intelligence capabilities. The upgraded

network will provide more frequent

imaging, improved data collection, and

faster access to actionable insights for

government and commercial customers.

The expansion supports applications

across environmental monitoring,

agriculture, infrastructure management,

disaster response, maritime

operations, and national security. By

strengthening coverage and operational

responsiveness, Space42 aims

to deliver higher-resolution data and

more reliable intelligence services.

The initiative reinforces UAE space

ambitions as Space42 expands satellite

intelligence capabilities, supporting

data-driven decisions, geospatial innovation,

operational efficiency, and

digital transformation across industries.

38 \ July 2026

DEWA Launches

Smart Grid

Restoration System

Across Dubai

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

has deployed the Automatic Smart

Grid Restoration System (ASGR) to

improve the reliability and resilience of

Dubai’s electricity distribution network.

The fully automated system detects

faults, isolates affected sections, and

restores power to unaffected customers

with minimal disruption. Using intelligent

electronic devices, real-time monitoring,

and advanced analytics, ASGR enables

faster fault detection and restoration

while improving operational efficiency.

The technology also strengthens grid

resilience, enhances workforce safety,

and supports business continuity through

automated decision-making. Dubai’s

energy system is advancing toward

smart, self-healing electricity networks,

supporting sustainable infrastructure,

smarter grid management, improved

service quality, and stronger energy

resilience.

Revolut Secures

UAE Licenses to

Accelerate Regional

Growth

du Launches $50

Million Fund for Tech

Startups

du has launched du Ventures, a

$50 million corporate venture

capital fund aimed at supporting

technology startups and accelerating

innovation across the UAE. The fund

will invest in high-growth companies

focused on artificial intelligence, fintech,

cybersecurity, digital infrastructure,

and enterprise technology. Along with

funding, startups will gain access to

industry expertise, strategic partnerships,

and opportunities to scale within

regional and global markets.


Hub71 Selects 27

Global Startups for

Cohort 18

Hub71 has selected 27 startups

from a record 2,453 applications

across 112 countries to join its

Access Program under Cohort 18. The

startups have collectively raised nearly

$230 million and represent sectors

including digital assets, climate technology,

and life sciences. For the first

time, all selected companies are headquartered

outside the UAE, highlighting

Abu Dhabi’s growing appeal as a global

hub for international businesses and

investment opportunities.

Revolut has secured two licenses

from the Central Bank of the UAE,

including a Stored Value Facilities

license and a Retail Payment Services

license. The approvals complete the

company’s regulatory process and

strengthen its position in the UAE

market. Following the licenses, Revolut

plans to expand its local operations and

prepare for a full product launch. The

platform will enable users to manage

multiple currencies, make payments

using physical and virtual cards, and

transfer money locally and internationally

through a single app. The move

supports Revolut’s broader Middle East

expansion strategy while contributing

to the UAE’s growing digital finance and

innovation ecosystem. The company

has also invested in local infrastructure,

governance frameworks, technology

capabilities, and talent development to

support long-term growth in the region.

Dubai Launches SME in a Box for Entrepreneurs

Dubai has launched SME in a

Box, a new platform that helps

entrepreneurs start and manage

businesses through a single access

point. The service combines licensing,

banking, payments, logistics, and

telecommunications solutions while

connecting users with private-sector

partners. Designed to reduce administrative

burdens and save time, the

platform supports businesses with

streamlined onboarding, discounted

services, and faster access to essential

business tools.

July 2026 / 39

BUSINESS SETUP & GROWTH

INVESTORS | FOUNDERS | INNOVATORS

The second edition of She Innovates, presented

by Finance World Magazine in partnership

with Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus

(DTEC), continued the momentum of this yearlong

initiative by bringing together investors,

founders and innovators to explore the future

of business, leadership, and technology.

Designed as a dynamic platform for collaboration

and knowledge sharing, the event

welcomed founders, CEOs, industry experts,

and aspiring entrepreneurs for engaging discussions

on entrepreneurship, innovation,

business growth and marketing strategies.

Hosted within the thriving DTEC ecosystem

in Dubai Silicon Oasis, the second edition reinforced

the UAE’s commitment to fostering

innovation, empowering businesses, and cultivating

meaningful connections that inspire

the next generation of leaders.

Empowering the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

The second edition of She Innovates spotlighted Entrepreneurship and Business

Growth, bringing together founders, business leaders, and marketing experts to explore

what it takes to transform ideas into successful ventures. Through practical conversations,

the event unpacked the realities of building businesses from the ground up and navigating

the challenges of sustainable growth.

At its core, She Innovates continued to champion entrepreneurial leadership and

knowledge-sharing, creating a platform where experienced founders and industry

experts shared real-world insights on business strategy, leadership, innovation, and

resilience. From validating ideas and building high-performing teams to overcoming earlystage

challenges, the discussions inspired aspiring entrepreneurs to take confident steps

toward building their own ventures.

The audience reflected this entrepreneurial

spirit, with a diverse mix of aspiring

founders, startup entrepreneurs, marketing

professionals, business leaders, and

innovation enthusiasts, fostering an

environment of collaboration, practical learning,

and meaningful networking. Through engaging

conversations on entrepreneurship and effective

marketing strategies, the second edition

reinforced She Innovates’ mission to empower

individuals with the knowledge, connections,

and confidence to build businesses that create

lasting impact.

Panel 1: From Idea to Execution:

Building a Business From the Ground

Up

The first panel of the day explored the

entrepreneurial journey from concept to

execution, bringing together accomplished

founders and business leaders to share honest

insights on building, growing, and sustaining a

successful business. The discussion highlighted

the realities of entrepreneurship, from validating

ideas and overcoming early challenges to

securing resources, building strong teams, and

creating businesses designed for long-term

success.

Moderator: Dr. Ghenwa Habbal, Founder & Chief Executive

Architect, Dr. Ghenwa Habbal Advisory Institute

Panelists:

Zeyneb Larabi, Global Travel Retail Leader & Entrepreneur, LAB

HUB STUDIOS

Esha D’Souza, CEO & Partner, Corporate Group

Aureen Reddy, Founder & CEO, AURRIA Real Estate

Nisreen Shocair, Founder & CEO, Shocase and Art of Guitar

Panel 2: Building Buzz: Marketing

Strategies That Actually Work for New

Businesses

The second panel of the day focused on the

marketing strategies that help startups and

emerging businesses stand out in a competitive

landscape. Industry experts shared practical

insights on building strong brands, creating

meaningful customer connections, and leveraging

content, social media, and personal branding

to drive sustainable business growth. The

discussion also explored common marketing

pitfalls, measuring success, and scaling efforts as

businesses evolve.

Moderator: Insiya Shahna, Marketing Consultant and

Entrepreneur, The Kind Crew

Panelists:

Dana El Majzoub, Senior Corporate Communications and Brand

Manager, Bosch Middle East

Kelly Lundberg, Global Personal Brand Strategist & Storyteller,

Brand YOU Creators

Grishma Apte, General Manager, myAlfred LLC

Marilena Hadgianni, Co-founder & CMO, Yaya Middle East

Nikita Phulwani, Founder & CEO, Mumkin Marketing Management

An Inspiring Close to the Second

Edition

The event concluded with a vibrant networking

session, where founders, industry leaders,

aspiring entrepreneurs, and marketing

professionals continued conversations beyond

the stage. The collaborative atmosphere

reflected the essence of She Innovates, bringing

together diverse perspectives, fostering

meaningful connections, and empowering the

next generation of business leaders. The second

edition reinforced the platform’s commitment to

creating a community where ideas evolve into

opportunities, partnerships, and lasting impact.

AI Ethics & Governance

AI Redefines Investment

Strategy Markets

How AI and new UAE rules are quietly reshaping investment

strategy, risk oversight, and market structure

Across the UAE, predictive analytics

and AI-driven supervision are moving

from pilot projects to core market

infrastructure, forcing boards, regulators,

and investors to rethink how

portfolios are built, monitored, and

governed.

Over the past decade, the UAE

has moved from viewing

algorithms as a niche tool to

treating artificial intelligence as a

strategic capability in banking and

capital markets. Predictive models

now support order routing, liquidity

management, and credit decisions,

and they increasingly sit inside

regulatory tools that watch the same

markets they help shape. This is not

yet a fully automated market, but it

is one where model outputs have become

a routine input into investment

and supervisory judgment.

46 \ July 2026


From Signals To Systems

For investment firms, the first

practical impact of AI has been the

shift from static rule sets to adaptive

systems that read market microstructure

in real time. Quantitative

and systematic strategies on Abu

Dhabi Securities Exchange and

Dubai Financial Market increasingly

rely on machine learning models

that detect intraday patterns, cluster

market regimes, and adjust exposures

across equities, sukuk, and

exchange-traded products without

constant manual tuning.

Robo-advisory is the more visible

expression of the same trend for

retail investors. In 2025, the Securities

and Commodities Authority

approved a dedicated regulatory

framework for robo-advisor services

as part of its digital transformation

Program. Under that framework,

licensed portfolio management

firms may offer robo-advisory only

through digital platforms that use

artificial intelligence and advanced

algorithms to provide automated

investment recommendations, within

existing discretionary or non-discretionary

portfolio mandates. The

rules insist on independent IT audits,

strong cybersecurity, regular algorithm

reviews, and full disclosure of

risks and fees, signaling that AI-driven

advice is welcome, but only inside

a strict governance perimeter.

These developments fit within a

broader macro narrative. The UAE’s

national AI strategy, anchored in the

objectives of UAE Centennial 2071,

explicitly highlights financial services

as a priority application sector

alongside transport, health, and

government services. Programs such

as Emirates Development Bank’s AI

Wave initiative, which aims to embed

AI across credit, risk and operations,

underline that banks are expected to

build internal capability, not simply

buy tools off the shelf.

Supervisors As Model Users

The regulatory architecture has

evolved in parallel with industry

experimentation. On 1 January 2026,


on the Capital Market Authority and


on the Regulation of the Capital

Market came into force, replacing the

Regulating the Robo-Advisor

service

clearly reflects our

strategic vision

to develop a forward-thinking

regulatory

framework

that keeps pace with

significant shifts in

the global financial

landscape.”

— Waleed Saeed Al Awadhi,

Chief Executive Officer, Securities

and Commodities Authority

Securities and Commodities Authority

and overhauling the federal

capital markets framework. The new

Capital Market Authority inherits

SCA’s rights and obligations, while

gaining clearer objectives and wider

supervisory powers over financial

products and activities, including

cross-border offerings into the UAE.

For AI-enabled business models, the

message is that experimentation

must sit within a more assertive and

coherent rulebook.

The Central Bank of the UAE has

taken a similarly structured approach.

In early 2026 it issued a

Guidance Note on Consumer Protection

and the Responsible Adoption

of AI in financial services, requiring

licensed financial institutions to

maintain an inventory of AI systems,

classify risks, ensure board-level

accountability, and embed human

oversight tiers for automated decisions.

The guidance highlights fairness,

transparency, data protection,

and the ability to deactivate systems

rapidly as non-negotiable controls,

even where third-party vendors provide

the technology.

Within the free zones, regulators

are also positioning themselves

as sophisticated users of AI. In the

Dubai International Financial Center,

guidance on AI under the Data

Protection Law stresses accountability

for automated decision making,

requires assessments for high-risk

AI uses, and anticipates additional

governance roles for some autonomous

systems. The Dubai Financial

Services Authority has run AI

surveys and roundtables with banks

and other regulators to understand

adoption patterns and governance

gaps, signalling that AI is now part

of mainstream supervisory dialogue

rather than a peripheral topic.

Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial

Services Regulatory Authority

has moved further, partnering with

Mohamed bin Zayed University of

Artificial Intelligence to apply advanced

analytics to regulatory data

through its Risk Analyser platform.

This reflects a broader supervisory

trend: the same types of pattern

recognition models used by trading

firms are being adapted to monitor

conduct, detect outliers in firm

submissions, and strengthen market

abuse detection.

Trust, Governance, and Strategy

Predictive markets in the UAE will

depend on trust, governance, and

transparency alongside technical

capability. Regulators emphasize

AI oversight, audits, and risk management

as institutions adopt AI

for investments, compliance, and

decision-making. Industry initiatives

highlight growing adoption across

financial services, while boards must

ensure responsible AI use, accountability,

and regulatory alignment.

Firms balancing innovation with governance

will benefit from AI-driven

financial transformation.

July 2026 / 47

investment News

Alphabet Raises $80B to

Expand AI Infrastructure

Capacity

Alphabet has announced an

$80 billion equity raise to

accelerate expansion of its

artificial intelligence infrastructure,

marking one of the largest tech offerings

ever. It includes a $10 billion

Berkshire Hathaway private placement

and a mix of public offering and

at-the-market share sales. Capital

will fund AI data center expansion

for Alphabet’s cloud and AI services,

though investors remain cautious

about potential share dilution.

NVIDIA Acquires Predictive

AI Startup to Boost

Enterprise Growth

NVIDIA has acquired a predictive

AI startup to strengthen its

enterprise artificial intelligence

offerings, expanding beyond hardware

into advanced forecasting and

decision-making capabilities. It also

reflects rising demand for predictive

intelligence across industries, positioning

NVIDIA to deliver deeper insights

and more accurate forecasting tools

for organizations undergoing digital

transformation. NVIDIA Strengthens

Predictive AI Ecosystem.

OpenAI Launches

Partner Network with

$150M Enterprise AI

Push

OpenAI has introduced its Partner

Network, a formal program

designed to expand enterprise

adoption of its AI technologies, backed

by a $150 million investment. The initiative

targets certification of 300,000

consultants by the end of 2026 and

launches in July. It aims to build a

global ecosystem of system integrators,

managed service providers, and

consultants capable of large-scale AI

deployment. The program is structured

into three tiers—Select, Advanced, and

Elite—based on performance, expertise,

and co-selling success. It also includes

specializations in Codex, cybersecurity,

APIs, and agent transformation, along

with a Forward Deployed Experts initiative

for top partners receiving training

from OpenAI engineers. Investment

supports AI training, delivery, market

development, and enterprise expansion

amid competition.

Salesforce Acquires

Fin AI Customer

Service Firm

for $3.6B

XPeng Invests $500 Million Annually in AI

Development

XPeng is investing around $500

million annually in artificial intelligence

to accelerate smart

mobility and autonomous driving

development. The company aims to

enhance vehicle intelligence, improve

user experience, and strengthen its

position in the competitive electric

vehicle market. It is expanding AI

research and integrating advanced

systems for navigation, safety, and

decision-making across its vehicles,

driving long-term innovation in intelligent

transportation systems.

Salesforce has signed a definitive

agreement to acquire Fin, the

AI customer service company

formerly known as Intercom, for $3.6

billion in cash. The deal strengthens

Salesforce’s position in the fast-growing

AI agent market and expands the

capabilities of its Agentforce platform.

Fin’s autonomous AI agent handles

customer support across chat, email,

WhatsApp, SMS, phone, and Slack.

It resolves about 76% of support requests

end to end and brings more

than 30,000 customers along with an

experienced AI engineering team. The

acquisition complements Agentforce,

supporting recurring revenue growth

within Salesforce’s enterprise AI strategy.

Following recent AI acquisitions,

the transaction is expected to close

later this year, pending regulatory

approval, as competition intensifies

across enterprise automation markets.

48 \ July 2026

DeepSeek

Raises $7.4B in

Landmark AI Funding

Round

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek

has completed its first external

funding round, raising more

than 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion) at a

valuation exceeding $50 billion. The

deal introduced an unusual structure

designed to preserve founder control.

Investors must channel funds through

a limited partnership managed by CEO

Liang Wenfeng and face a five-year

lock-up period with no voting rights.

DeepSeek attracted major backers

including Tencent, CATL, NetEase,

JD.com, IDG Capital, and Monolith Capital.

Founder Liang Wenfeng invested

heavily to maintain strong control over

the company. The new capital will support

computing infrastructure, model

training, and commercial expansion.

The funding strengthens DeepSeek’s

role in China’s AI ambitions, supporting

growth, financial flexibility, and global

competitiveness.

Manus Investors

Seek $2B Buyback

After Meta Deal

Reversal

Investcorp Launches AI

Investment Framework

for Strategic Growth

Investcorp has launched a new

artificial intelligence investment

framework to identify and evaluate

opportunities across rapidly growing AI

markets. The approach covers the full

AI ecosystem, including infrastructure,

software, semiconductors, and cloud

platforms. It emphasizes long-term

value creation, strong fundamentals, and

sustainable growth. Strategy reflects

rising demand for AI transformation

across technology, finance, healthcare,

and manufacturing industries globally.


Amazon Secures $17.5B

Loan for AI Infrastructure

Expansion Push

Amazon has secured a $17.5

billion delayed draw term loan

from a Citibank-led syndicate

to support its massive $200 billion

capital expenditure plan for 2026.

The funding strengthens AI and cloud

infrastructure expansion while offering

financial flexibility. The loan enables

staged borrowing, supporting AWS

data centers and accelerating artificial

intelligence investments as tech firms

increase debt financing for large-scale

infrastructure growth.

Investors in AI startup Manus are

exploring a plan to repurchase the

company from Meta at the $2 billion

valuation used in the original deal. The

move follows a Beijing order reversing

the acquisition over national security

concerns. Meta acquired Manus, a

Singapore-based AI firm, in December

2025 for $2 billion. China’s NDRC

launched an investigation citing export

control and national security rules.

Buyback talks involve Tencent, Zhen-

Fund, Benchmark, and the founders;

a Hong Kong listing is possible, and

the Meta separation continues under

a firewall arrangement. Manus remains

operational while investors consider $1

billion in financing to restructure the

deal. Founders may invest, reinforcing

local control, amid projected $1 billion

annual revenue. Employee transfers

to Meta’s Singapore offices complicate

separation and asset division.

Bezos’ Prometheus Reaches $41B Valuation

After Massive Funding Round

Jeff Bezos’ industrial AI startup

Project Prometheus has raised $12

billion in Series B funding, pushing

its valuation to $41 billion. The company

focuses on building an “artificial general

engineer” to accelerate the design of

complex physical products. Backed by

major global investors, Prometheus aims

to transform engineering processes

and expand AI applications across

industries like aerospace, healthcare,

and manufacturing, driving innovation,

efficiency, scalability, and future

industrial growth.

July 2026 / 49

STARTUP Spotlight

ZINIT

Zinit is a Dubai-headquartered,

AI-native procurement platform

built to modernize the way enterprises

source indirect spend and tail

spend categories that are still dominated

by email and spreadsheets. Co-founders

Andrey Chernogorov and Anton

Buzdalin bring more than a decade of

procurement and marketplace experience,

having previously built platforms

that processed over $100 billion in GMV

and connected thousands of enterprise

buyers and suppliers. Their mission with

Zinit is to create a transparent, outcome-driven

procurement ecosystem

that delivers measurable savings and

faster sourcing cycles for large private

businesses worldwide.

At the product level, Zinit deploys a

coordinated “workforce” of AI agents

across the entire sourcing workflow,

from RFx drafting and supplier discovery

to multi-round negotiations and

compliance monitoring. The platform

automates discovery across tens of

millions of suppliers, ranks offers on

total cost of ownership, and streamlines

communication so that RFPs can

be published and negotiated in minutes

rather than weeks. This AI-first approach

is designed to plug into existing ERPs

or run standalone, allowing procurement

teams to see savings of 15–30%

in indirect categories without complex

integration projects.

Commercially, Zinit stands out through

an outcome-based and supplier-funded

pricing model, aligning fees directly

with realized savings instead of large

upfront SaaS subscriptions. In 2025,

the startup raised an $8 million seed

round at a $48 million valuation to scale

its AI negotiation engines, autonomous

purchasing workflows, and global expansion

into markets such as Brazil, the US,

India, and Southeast Asia. With offices

across MENA, APAC, and the Americas,

and a growing base of enterprise

customers, Zinit is positioning itself as

a next-generation procurement layer

for organizations seeking both rapid

digitization and guaranteed financial

impact.

CO-FOUNDERS:

ANDREY CHERNOGOROV,

ANTON BUZDALIN

STAGE:

SEED STAGE (RAISED

$8M SEED ROUND)

FOUNDED:

2023

INDUSTRY:

AI-POWERED B2B

PROCUREMENT AND

E-SOURCING SAAS

50 \ July 2026


REMOTEPASS

CO-FOUNDERS:

KAMAL REGGAD, KA-

RIM NADI, AZEDDINE

AJEBLI

STAGE:

SERIES B (RAISED

$17.4M SERIES B IN

2026)

FOUNDED:

2020

INDUSTRY:

GLOBAL EMPLOY-

MENT, HR-TECH, PAY-

ROLL AND SPEND

MANAGEMENT PLAT-

FORM

RemotePass is a UAE-based

global employment and payroll

platform that helps companies

hire, onboard, manage, and pay remote

employees and contractors in emerging

markets and beyond. Founded by Kamal

Reggad and Karim Nadi, later joined by

co-founder and CTO Azeddine Ajebli,

the company emerged from a pivot of

their pre-COVID business travel SaaS

product after they experienced firsthand

the complexities of paying distributed

teams. RemotePass set out to build an

infrastructure that lets any company

compliantly employ talent anywhere,

with access to local benefits, financial

services, and reliable cross-border

payouts.

The platform centralizes the full remote

work lifecycle: employers can issue

compliant contracts, onboard global

hires, manage time-off and expenses,

and run multi-currency payroll from a

single interface. For workers, Remote-

Pass offers localized benefits, digital

wallets, and financial tools tailored to

the realities of talent in underbanked

or complex regulatory markets. By abstracting

away local entity setup, compliance

risk, and fragmented banking

relationships, the startup enables scaling

teams to focus on growth rather than

operational friction.

RemotePass has attracted backing

from global investors, including 212vc

and development-focused institutions,

reflecting confidence in its role as an HRtech

and fintech bridge for remote-first

organizations. In May 2026, the company

raised a $17.4 million Series B

round led by EBRD Venture Capital to

accelerate product development and

international expansion, building on

earlier funding rounds totaling around

$5.5 million. Recognized among the

fastest-growing software companies

worldwide, RemotePass is increasingly

seen as a regional champion from the

UAE that is redefining how distributed

teams are supported and paid at scale.

July 2026 / 51

AI Ethics & Governance

Governing Artificial

General Intelligence

Why the UAE is building standards, oversight and ethics to

steer increasingly autonomous AI towards public benefit

As AI systems grow more general and autonomous, the

UAE is experimenting with management standards,

regulatory guidance and international partnerships to

keep powerful models safe, accountable and aligned

with national priorities.

52 \ July 2026

Artificial general intelligence,

usually described as AI that

can flexibly perform a wide

range of cognitive tasks, is still a

theoretical horizon rather than a

deployed product. Yet many of the

models now used for language, decision

support and code generation

already show general-purpose behavior

compared with earlier narrow

systems. That is why the UAE is not

waiting for a formal AGI threshold.

It is building governance tools now

that can scale from today’s advanced

models to tomorrow’s more autonomous

systems.

From Principle To Practice

The UAE’s National Strategy for

Artificial Intelligence 2031 sets the

initial direction, linking AI to the

broader UAE Centennial 2071 goals

of economic diversification, government

efficiency and high-value

digital markets. It frames AI as an

engine for sectors such as finance,

transport and government services,

while calling for responsible

deployment and capacity building.


Ethical responsibility stands as a foundational

pillar in the UAE’s approach to

emerging technologies and artificial intelligence,

and we support standards that ensure

the fair, secure, and responsible use

of future technologies.”

— H.E. Omar Sultan Al Olama,

Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence,

UAE Government

This principle-based vision is now

being translated into management

systems, regulatory guidance and

specialized training for officials

who will have to govern more

powerful AI.

A visible example is the program

launched by the UAE Government

with Oxford University to train

public officials to govern and audit

AI systems and to understand

where regulation should focus.

The Minister of State for Artificial

Intelligence, Digital Economy and

Remote Work Applications has

stressed that regulators must first

understand AI deeply and that

international collaboration is necessary,

because no single country

can regulate borderless technologies

in isolation. That philosophy

is directly relevant to any future

AGI scenario, where global spillovers

and cross-border risks would

be even stronger.

The UAE is also using AI inside

government decision-making.

The We the UAE 2031 Strategic

Intelligence platform, developed

with the World Economic Forum,

uses an AI powered design model

to help officials track trends and

test policy ideas across seventy-eight

priority areas. It aggregates

knowledge from hundreds

of sources and thousands of

experts to support decisions under

the Vision 2031 pillars of economy,

society, diplomacy and ecosystem.

In effect, the state is already experimenting

with trusted, AI-augmented

governance, which creates

practical experience in supervising

complex AI systems.

Standards For Safe Autonomy

If AGI is about general-purpose

capability. Here, management

system standards are emerging

as a central tool. ISO or IEC 42001,

issued in 2023, is the first international

standard for AI management

systems, setting requirements

for establishing, running

and improving an AI management

system inside any organization

that develops or uses AI. It

emphasises lifecycle governance,

risk assessment, transparency

and continuous monitoring, all of

which become critical as systems

grow more autonomous.

Several UAE entities have

already begun to implement AI

management systems aligned

with ISO 42001. The Dubai Department

of Finance has adopted

an Artificial Intelligence Management

System policy explicitly

aligned with ISO or IEC 42001,

committing to clear AI objectives,

comprehensive risk management,

lifecycle controls and regular audits

for AI used in public financial

management. Sharjah Economic

Development Department reports

that it has obtained ISO 42001

certification for its AI management

system, describing it as the first

of its type among government

entities and highlighting that the

standard is meant to increase the

reliability and ethical alignment of

intelligent systems. Dubai Digital

Authority has also partnered with

an international certification body

to implement ISO 42001, framing

it as a way to strengthen governance

and trust in large-scale

adoption of AI across government

services. These moves matter for

future AGI because they treat AI

not only as code, but as an organizational

system that requires

documented governance, defined

responsibilities and independent

assurance. A government that

already runs AI under a structured

management standard will find it

easier to impose similar expectations

on private firms that deploy

highly autonomous systems in

finance, healthcare or mobility.

Trust Architecture For General AI

UAE builds AI trust through governance,

regulation, oversight, and

training, preparing institutions for

increasingly autonomous systems

with responsible adoption frameworks.

July 2026 / 53

Trend Line

THE AI READINESS GAP

AI in professional services

Adoption is high. Delivery isn’t. And it’s starting to

cost firms clients and talent.

What’s at stake

New research puts a number on

what’s at stake: $143 billion in

U.S. client revenue now sits in

active reconsideration, as clients grow

impatient waiting for AI-driven results.

Nearly a quarter of professionals say

they’d consider leaving their firm within

two years if it fails to deliver on its AI

promises. And under the surface, a third

of lawyers, accountants, and compliance

staff have already turned to AI tools their

own organizations haven’t approved —

creating risk no one is tracking.

$143B

US client revenue in active reconsideration

The numbers behind the gap

The problem isn’t adoption — most professionals

are already using AI weekly.

It’s translation: turning day-to-day AI

use into real, measurable value. The

vast majority of professionals say their

organizations are falling short of what

the technology can actually deliver, and

that gap is now visible to clients and

employees alike.

74%

91%

24%

use AI tools every week

say their organization falls short of AI’s potential

would consider leaving their firm within two years

A clear divide is emerging among professional services firms. Those putting AI into daily workflows are pulling ahead,

while firms that haven’t operationalized it are falling behind — facing exposure across talent retention, client relationships,

and revenue. Closing that execution gap has become a business-critical priority, not a nice-to-have.

54 \ July 2026


Where the gap shows up

AI quality essential

Weekly AI use

leaders’ “3+ years away”

view

Expectation

78%

74%

50%

Not every AI tool meets the bar required

in high-liability professions. When outputs

feed into legal judgments, regulatory

filings, or client advice, “mostly

33%

41%

96%

90%

The $143 billion figure comes from a

simple chain: roughly a third of corporate

clients say they’ll reconsider their

provider relationships within the next

Vs

The risk nobody’s tracking

use unsanctioned (“shadow”) AI tools

How we calculated it

Reality

accurate” isn’t good enough — errors

carry real consequences. Under the

surface, a third of professionals have

already turned to AI tools their firms

Delivered

value delivered

talent attrition risk

among professionals at firms seen as too slow to adopt AI

need AI that safeguards confidential data

need outputs that are explainable and defensible

WHAT “FIDUCIARY-GRADE” AI MEANS

Industry language is shifting toward

what’s being described as “fiduciary-grade”

AI — tools built on verified,

domain-specific content, strong data

year. Of those, a third say more than

$1 million in annual work is on the line.

Scaled across the U.S. legal and accounting

markets, that adds up to an

6%

9%

24%

security, and outputs that are explainable

and defensible, rather than generic

AI bolted onto professional workflows.

haven’t approved, rising to over 40%

at organizations seen as moving too

slowly.

estimated $143 billion in client revenue

now under active review.

Source: Thomson Reuters, 2026 Future of Professionals report — global survey of 1,800 legal, tax, audit and risk professionals, June 2026.

July 2026 / 55

DRIVE TO THE FUTURE

TELLURIDE

A Mature Second Act

7.6 s

0-100 km/h

274 hp

Horsepower

approx

422 Nm

Torque

56 \ July 2026


The 2027 Kia Telluride represents the first full redesign

of Kia’s acclaimed three‐row SUV, pairing

a more refined driving experience with a clear focus

on space, safety and long‐distance comfort. At its

core is a new 2.5‐liter turbocharged four‐cylinder engine

that produces 274 hp and 311 lb‐ft of torque, replacing

the earlier 3.8‐liter V6 while delivering stronger

low‐rpm response and improved efficiency.

Kia does not publish an official 0–100 km/h figure,

but independent testing by Car and Driver records

0–60 mph in 7.4 seconds for an all‐wheel drive model,

which translates to roughly 7.6 seconds to 100 km/h.

This places the Telluride comfortably within the performance

expectations of family‐oriented midsize SUVs

while preserving smooth, unhurried power delivery

that suits its touring brief.

One of the defining changes for 2027 is the availability

of a hybrid powertrain that combines a 2.5‐liter

turbo engine with electric motors to deliver a higher

combined output and lower fuel consumption, a notable

step for buyers who cover long distances but wish

to reduce running costs. Alongside this, suspension

tuning and sound insulation have been revised to give

the cabin a calmer ambience on poor surfaces and at

highway speeds.

Inside, the Telluride adopts a more technical, horizontal

dashboard design anchored by a 12.3‐inch central

touchscreen and available 12.3‐inch digital instrument

cluster, with wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto

and an optional 14‐speaker Meridian audio system

on higher trims. The three‐row layout continues to be

a strength, with increased wheelbase, marginally improved

third‐row legroom and generous luggage capacity

making it well suited to family and chauffeur

duties alike.

Extensive standard safety equipment, including Kia’s

latest Drive Wise driver‐assistance suite with adaptive

cruise control, lane‐keeping assistance and automatic

emergency braking, underlines the Telluride’s positioning

as a practical yet sophisticated long‐distance family

vehicle rather than a purely utilitarian SUV.

July 2026 / 57

Generational Wealth

Digital Inheritance And

Tokenized Wealth

How UAE legal structures are adapting to crypto assets, custody

rules, and cross-generational transfer of digital value

As digital assets move from speculative holdings into

family portfolios, the UAE is building the legal and

regulatory tools needed to manage succession, custody,

and control across generations.

58 \ July 2026

The UAE’s digital asset story

began with trading, payments,

and regulatory experimentation.

It is now entering a more mature

phase, where the question is no longer

only how to buy or hold crypto,

but how to preserve it, document it,

and transfer it lawfully when wealth

passes from one generation to the

next. This matters because digital

wealth behaves differently from conventional

property. A lost private key

can erase access, a poorly structured

wallet can defeat the intent of a will,

and assets held across exchanges

or token platforms can fall under

different legal and custody rules. In

the UAE, that challenge is becoming

more urgent as tokenized real

estate, regulated virtual assets,s and

digitally structured investment products

begin to sit alongside property,

company shares, and bank accounts

in private wealth portfolios.

Law Meets Digital Control

The clearest formal step has come

from the Dubai International Financial

Center. The DIFC Courts


In our digital age, tokenization complements

information-based technology as a

decentralized way of capital allocation. The

UAE is putting regulations into gear to open

our economy for tokenization.”

— H.E. Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri,

Minister of Economy,

UAE Government

Wills Service now offers a Digital

Assets Will, designed to let eligible

testators distribute digital assets

through a recognised probate

structure rather than leaving

heirs to navigate an informal trail

of passwords and devices. The

service is linked to a non-custodial

wallet model and digital vault

infrastructure, allowing the individual

to retain control during life

while organising instructions and

records for later administration.

This is important because DIFC’s

wider Digital Assets Law No. 2

of 2024 helps clarify how digital

assets can be recognised, controlled,

transferred, and treated in

events such as death, incapacity,

or insolvency. That does not mean

every inheritance dispute involving

crypto has been settled. It does

mean that one of the UAE’s most

developed financial jurisdictions

has created a more coherent legal

basis for treating digital assets as

part of structured wealth planning

rather than as a grey area outside

conventional estate practice.

Outside DIFC, the position is

broader but less unified. The UAE

does not yet have one single

national inheritance law written

specifically for crypto assets and

tokenized wealth. Instead, digital

inheritance planning sits at the

intersection of succession law,

custody arrangements, exchange

terms, property recognition,n and

the regulatory status of the asset

itself.

Regulators Shape The Path

That wider framework is still

highly relevant to family wealth. In

Dubai, Law No. 4 of 2022 established

the Virtual Assets Regulatory

Authority, with the stated

aim of protecting investors and

setting governance standards for

the virtual asset sector across the

emirate outside DIFC. The related

regulations and rulebooks govern

activities such as custody, broker-dealer

services, and management,

which matters because

many investors no longer hold digital

wealth only in self-managed

wallets. As more assets move into

licensed custody or supervised

platforms, the process of identifying

holdings and documenting

ownership for succession becomes

more manageable, even if it is not

automatic.

Abu Dhabi Global Market has

also built one of the region’s most

detailed frameworks for digital

assets. Its Financial Services Regulatory

Authority has updated rules

on accepted virtual assets, capital

standards,s and product suitability,

while continuing to refine how

authorised firms handle digital

asset business. These measures

do not create inheritance rights

by themselves. They do shape

the environment in which wealth

is stored, valued, and governed,

which directly affects executors,

heirs,s and family offices trying to

map a deceased person’s digital

holdings.

At the federal level, the landscape

has become more structured,

though still not inheritance-specific.

Official UAE

guidance points to Cabinet Resolution

No. 111 of 2022 and related

measures as part of the national

framework for virtual asset activities,

while later reforms expanded

federal oversight of approved

virtual-asset investment activity

and recognised VARA’s role within

tax administration. For families,

the practical lesson is clear. Succession

planning for digital wealth

in the UAE depends not only on

inheritance documents, but also

on where the asset sits, who regulates

the platform, and whether

the holding is direct, custodial, al or

tokenized through an underlying

real-world asset structure.

Families Need New Protocols

UAE digital inheritance requires legal

planning, secure custody, and

structured strategies to protect

digital wealth.

July 2026 / 59

GADGET REVIEWs

AMAZFIT BALANCE 3

HYBRID TRAINING GPS POWERHOUSE

Amazfit Balance 3 is a premium

sport-focused smartwatch that

pushes the Balance line firmly

into endurance and hybrid training territory,

pairing rugged hardware with

serious long-distance tracking tools.

It sits below the Balance Ultra in price

but shares flagship ideas: long battery

life, dual-band GPS, and deep training

metrics for runners and outdoor athletes.

Design and build

Balance 3 uses a 51.4mm case with a

1.5-inch AMOLED display, protected by

sapphire glass and capable of up to

3,000 nits peak brightness. The stainless

steel body (titanium option coming later)

is rated to 10 ATM, suitable for open-water

swimming and free diving down to

45m. Amazfit added four physical controls

– a rotating crown and button on

the right plus two extra buttons on the

left – improving usability with gloves

and in wet conditions. At around 55–62

grams depending on material, it leans

toward the “serious sports watch” end

rather than lifestyle wearables.

Training and features

A 658mAh battery, dual-band GPS, and

six satellite systems underpin Balance

3’s positioning as an outdoor and raceready

watch. Amazfit’s Hybrid Training

System combines BioCharge (recovery),

LifeLoad (stress), and Training Load (intensity)

into one dashboard suggesting

when to push and rest. The watch offers

180+ sports modes, HYROX-specific

tools, offline maps with turn-by-turn

navigation, and 64GB onboard storage. A

BioTracker 6.0 sensor stack covers 24/7

heart rate, HRV, SpO₂, skin temperature,

stress, respiration, and advanced sleep

tracking, with smart alerts for abnormal

readings.

Battery and software

Amazfit rates Balance 3 for up to 21

days of typical use, or around 7 days

with always-on display, and up to 41

hours of GPS in high-accuracy mode.

It runs Zepp OS 6 with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

5.2, NFC payments, an onboard speaker

and microphone for calls, and tight integration

with the Zepp app for training

analytics and recovery insights.

Price and availability

Amazfit Balance 3 launched in early June

2026 at $369.99 for stainless steel, with

a titanium variant at $449.99 “coming

soon.” Global availability is rolling out

via Amazfit’s online store and regional

retail partners through June and early

July 2026.

60 \ July 2026


HONOR MAGIC V6

ULTRA‐THIN FLAGSHIP FOLDABLE

Honor has trimmed the Magic V6 down to about 8.75

mm thick when folded and around 219 g, while still

meeting IP68 and IP69 ratings for dust and water

resistance, a first for a foldable phone. The inner 7.95‐inch

LTPO AMOLED display offers a 2172 x 2352 resolution, 120

Hz refresh rate, very high peak brightness and a 4320 Hz

PWM dimming system, paired with a 6.52‐inch LTPO OLED

cover screen that matches the refresh rate and adds strong

anti‐reflection coatings on both panels. Honor also uses an

anti‐scratch NanoCrystal Shield and a high‐strength “Super

Steel” hinge that reduces the crease depth and improves

long‐term durability.

Performance and battery

The Magic V6 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8

Elite Gen 5 platform, combined with LPDDR5X RAM and

UFS 4.1 storage in configurations up to 16 GB RAM and 1 TB

storage. Global units carry a 6660 mAh silicon‐rich battery,

supporting 80 W wired and 66 W wireless charging, with

reverse wired and reverse wireless charging also available.

In China, higher‐capacity versions reach 6850 mAh and

7150 mAh, pushing foldable battery sizes beyond many

rivals while keeping the chassis thin.

Cameras, software and availability

On the rear, the Magic V6 uses a triple camera system with

a 50 MP main sensor, 64 MP 3x periscope telephoto and

50 MP ultra‐wide camera, while both the inner and outer

displays host 20 MP selfie cameras. The phone ships with

Android 16 and MagicOS 10, with Honor promising up to

seven major Android version upgrades plus new AI features

and cross‐device integration with Windows and Apple ecosystems.

The Magic V6 was unveiled at MWC Barcelona

on March 1, 2026, launched first in China, and has since

rolled out to markets such as Malaysia and parts of Europe

and the Middle East, while an official India release has not

been announced yet.

July 2026 / 61

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