Weekly News: UAE & Qatar | UAE Central Bank Approves the Official Launch of the Dirham Stablecoin DDSC / Qatar Central Bank Launches Bilingual Virtual Assistant Service
AITO Wenjie Announces Entry into the UAE Market
On February 6th, AITO Wenjie announced a partnership with ADM in the UAE, officially entering the UAE market. This marks a crucial step in the brand's global layout. This cooperation will promote the internationalization of Wenjie's intelligent electric vehicle technology and accelerate the expansion of its overseas market. In January this year, the 1 millionth mass - produced vehicle of Wenjie rolled off the production line at the SERES Super Factory, becoming an important milestone in the company's development. This move into the Middle East is regarded as an important measure for Wenjie to accelerate its internationalization strategy and enhance its global influence. (IT Home)
WeRide Collaborates with Uber to Deploy Over a Thousand Robotaxis in the Middle East
On February 9th, WeRide and Uber announced an upgraded strategic cooperation. They plan to deploy at least 1,200 Robotaxis in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Riyadh by 2027 and connect them all to the Uber platform for public operation. This will become the largest commercial Robotaxi project in the Middle East and North Africa. Currently, the two parties have achieved fully driverless commercial operation in Abu Dhabi and launched public services in Dubai and Riyadh, with over 200 vehicles in operation in the Middle East. In the future, after obtaining regulatory approval and achieving key milestones, Uber will further increase the deployment scale. (Southern Metropolis Daily)
Luobo Kuaipao and Uber Launch Fully Driverless Ride - hailing Services in Dubai
On February 10th, Luobo Kuaipao (Apollo Go), a subsidiary of Baidu, and Uber announced a deepened cooperation. They plan to launch fully driverless ride - hailing services in Dubai in the first quarter of 2026. This will be the first fully driverless commercial autonomous driving project in Dubai and also marks the first large - scale implementation of Chinese driverless technology in a high - standard regulatory market. Previously, Luobo Kuaipao launched fully driverless commercial operation in Abu Dhabi in January 2026 and opened it to the public through the AutoGo platform. This cooperation with Uber in Dubai further consolidates its "dual - city layout" in the Middle East. (Economic Information Daily)
Aldar's Revenue Soars by 50%, with Overseas Buyers Driving Record Sales in the UAE
According to AGBI, Aldar, the largest real - estate developer in Abu Dhabi, had strong growth in 2025, with its revenue increasing by nearly 50% year - on - year. The group's sales reached 41 billion dirhams (approximately $11.2 billion), a 21% year - on - year increase. The UAE market contributed 36 billion dirhams, and overseas and expatriate buyers accounted for 75%. Aldar awarded development contracts worth 66 billion dirhams in the UAE last year and maintained sufficient cash and financing capabilities. The board of directors plans to distribute a dividend of 1.6 billion dirhams, a 11% year - on - year increase. The company continues to expand its land reserves and joint - venture layout to further consolidate its market position. (AGBI)
Dubai International Airport's Passenger Traffic Reached 95.2 Million in 2025, a Record High
According to WAM, Dubai Airports announced that Dubai International Airport (DXB) received 95.2 million passengers in 2025, a 3.1% year - on - year increase, setting a new historical record and becoming the highest annual international passenger flow record among global airports to date. The passenger flow remained at a high level throughout the year, with daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual data all hitting new highs. India, Saudi Arabia, and the UK were the top three source markets, and the passenger flow from China increased by 16.6%. As of the end of 2025, DXB had access to 291 destinations in 110 countries, further consolidating its position as a global aviation hub. (WAM)
Abu Dhabi Fund MGX to Participate in Anthropic's New Round of $20 Billion Financing
According to AGBI, Abu Dhabi investment fund MGX is in talks to participate in a new round of financing of over $20 billion for US artificial - intelligence company Anthropic. The investment amount may reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Anthropic is the developer of the large - language model Claude and its eponymous AI assistant and is one of the world's leading large - model companies. The original plan for this round of financing was to raise $10 billion, and its current valuation is expected to reach $350 billion, doubling in scale. MGX was jointly established in 2024 by G42 and Mubadala Investment Company and focuses on investments in artificial intelligence and cutting - edge technologies. It currently holds shares in OpenAI and xAI. (AGBI)
UAE Central Bank Approves the Official Launch of the Dirham - Pegged Stablecoin DDSC
According to WAM, the UAE's International Holding Company (IHC), Sirius International Holding Company, and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) announced that the UAE Central Bank has approved the official operation of the dirham - pegged stablecoin DDSC, marking a crucial step in the country's regulated digital financial system. DDSC operates on the ADI chain developed by the Abu Dhabi ADI Foundation and mainly serves institutional and government - led scenarios, covering high - value businesses such as payment and settlement, fund management, trade supply chains, and programmable finance. All parties said that the launch of DDSC will help modernize the payment and clearing system, promote the integration of traditional finance and digital assets, and consolidate the UAE's leading position in the regulated digital finance field. (WAM)
Robo.ai and DaBoss.AI Establish a Joint Venture in the UAE to Build an AI Data Center
According to Investing.com, Robo.ai announced the signing of a final joint - venture agreement with Silicon Valley - based DaBoss.AI to establish an embodied intelligence data collection and annotation center in the UAE. Robo.ai holds a 51% stake and will manage the joint venture's finances on a consolidated basis. The center will adopt a "dual - engine" model of "robot terminals + VR and wearable devices" to collect embodied and non - embodied multimodal data, solving the problems of data scale, cost, and compliance for large AI models in physical scenarios. The two parties plan to complete the initial network deployment and start commercial operation within 90 days, creating a globally collaborative data collection network and a standardized compliance framework. (Investing.com)
Qatar Central Bank Launches Bilingual Virtual Assistant Service
According to Gulf Times, the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) recently announced the official launch of an Arabic - and English - bilingual virtual assistant service on its official website. The service aims to support the public in quickly obtaining financial data, policy information, and official reports, further promoting the development of Qatar's financial market and keeping pace with regional and global fintech progress. The service is developed using advanced technologies and international standards, integrating artificial intelligence and modern digital tools, in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 to build a knowledge - based economy and improve the efficiency and transparency of government and financial services. (Gulf Times)
Qatar Chamber of Commerce and UNIDO to Co - build an Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center
According to Gulf Times, during the 6th World Entrepreneurs Investment Forum (WEIF 2026), the Qatar Chamber of Commerce signed a letter of intent with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to establish an entrepreneurship and innovation center at the chamber. This initiative aims to promote social entrepreneurship and sustainable development and strengthen the support role of the social economy in Qatar National Vision 2030. The Qatar Chamber of Commerce will continue to promote social and economic development by supporting responsible entrepreneurship, nurturing small and medium - sized enterprises with social impact, and building cooperation and communication platforms. (Gulf Times)
Qatar Investment Authority Participates in the Series A Financing of US Humanoid Robot Company Apptronik
According to The Peninsula, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) announced its participation in Apptronik's Series A financing of $520 million, joining AT&T Ventures and John Deere as new investors. The new funds will be used to accelerate the mass production of its humanoid robot Apollo, expand its global commercial deployment network, and invest in the construction of robot training and data collection facilities. Apollo is designed to collaborate with humans in physically intensive tasks in fields such as logistics and manufacturing and is planned to expand to retail, medical, and household scenarios in the future. QIA said that this investment is in line with its strategy of collaborating with top - tier technology companies, supporting the growth of transformative companies, and investing in physical applications with long - term value. (The Peninsula)
Shell Showcases Energy Digital Technology Applications at the 2026 Qatar Cyber Summit
According to The Peninsula, at the recently concluded 2026 Qatar Cyber Summit, Shell demonstrated the practical applications of artificial intelligence, data analysis, and cybersecurity in energy operations and highlighted its new immersion coolant for high - performance computing and data centers. The head of Shell Qatar said that this summit is an important platform for sharing the technology - driven energy vision and deepening relationships with key stakeholders. This summit also highlights the increasingly close integration trend between technology and energy, and Shell is actively leading this transformation process through continuous innovation and sustainable development commitments. (The Peninsula)
Qatar Investment Authority and Franklin Templeton Launch a Qatar Stock Fund
According to official sources, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and global asset management firm Franklin Templeton announced the launch of the "Franklin Templeton Qatar Stock Fund". The initial scale of the fund is $200 million, adopting a mutual - fund structure with daily subscription and redemption. It is targeted at local and international institutional investors and invests in stocks listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), providing active management services. As the cornerstone investor, QIA contributes in the form of cash and stocks, demonstrating its long - term commitment to supporting the country's capital market and enhancing market liquidity. Both parties said that this is an important progress in QIA's "Active Asset Management Plan" and also marks the deepening of their long - term strategic cooperation in the multi - asset field to jointly promote the development of Qatar's financial market. (QIA)
Upcoming Events
"Dubai Business Forum - China" to Be Held in Shenzhen in May, Registration Open
The Dubai Business Forum - China will be held in Shenzhen on May 14, 2026. With the theme of "Working Together for Success and Building a New Economic Growth", the forum will introduce the diverse development opportunities brought by the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) to the Chinese business community and explore new paths for cooperation and strategic investment between the two sides. As a high - end platform for promoting strategic economic cooperation between Chinese and Dubai business leaders, the Dubai Business Forum - China will gather core representatives from China's top multinational companies, unicorn companies, high - growth technology companies, venture capital institutions, and family businesses. A high - level delegation from Dubai will also attend. If you are interested in this Dubai Business Forum - China, welcomeclick "here" or scan the QR code below to fill out the registration form and apply for a seat.
English - Language Services
Service | KrASIA Launches New English - Language Media Services for Chinese Outbound Enterprises
In the current complex global economic landscape, English - language reporting is not only an important means of conveying value propositions to overseas customers and consumers but also a cognitive precipitation of enterprises on a global scale. The English - language media KrASIA (kr - asia.com) is committed to introducing Chinese business and culture to the world. Approximately 60% of the readers of the English - language website are business people from core Southeast Asian countries. KrASIA helps Chinese companies enhance their global brands through excellent search - engine optimization, professional English - language content, a reliable social - media matrix, and external inclusion platforms such as the Bloomberg Terminal and Dow Jones Factiva, which are top - tier global information data platforms. If your company has relevant needs for English - language communication or hopes to cooperate with KrASIA to provide outbound services, welcome to scan the QR code below or click "here" to fill out the form and obtain the media service rate card of KrASIA and the contact information of the staff.
Community | Welcome to Join the 36Kr Outbound Learning and Exchange Group
Currently, the 36Kr Outbound Learning and Exchange Group has attracted over 17,000 outbound professionals, including those from domestic and foreign startups, industry giants, and investment institutions. In the outbound community, we select and organize daily global cross - border information for members to help them keep up with the latest trends. We also regularly organize outbound exchange activities to connect the outbound ecosystem and find potential partners. Welcome to add the WeChat of the 36Kr Outbound assistant (ID: wow36krchuhai - xzs2) to apply for joining the group and go global together!
