UAE In-Focus — DEWA launches DEWAVerse platform on metaverse

DEWA will implement and develop its current and future projects through metaverse technology. (Dubai Media Office)
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Updated 09 October 2022
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UAE In-Focus — DEWA launches DEWAVerse platform on metaverse

DUBAI: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority has launched its ‘DEWAVerse’ platform on the metaverse for its customers, employees, and members of society, becoming the first local government organization to do so, according to Dubai Media Office.

DEWA will implement and develop its current and future projects through metaverse technology, contributing to stakeholder happiness, business development, increasing efficiency, and reducing costs.

As part of DEWA’s digital transformation steering committee meeting, McKinsey presented the Digital Quotient Assessment 2022 report, highlighting DEWA’s position as a global digital leader in utilities.

Managing Director and CEO of DEWA Saeed Mohammed Al-Tayer said: “This also boosts the Dubai Metaverse Strategy launched by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai.

“It aims to turn Dubai into one of the world’s top 10 metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community, to enhance its success in this field.”

Al-Futtaim Toyota launches new Yaris 2023

Toyota’s exclusive distributor in the UAE, Al-Futtaim Toyota, recently launched the new Yaris 2023.

Chief Engineer of the all-new Toyota Yaris Hideyuki Kamino said: “With the all-new Yaris, we set out to ensure that the vehicle is not only functional but also represents the lifestyle and values of our customers.”

Toyota said it maintains its safety standards with the all-new Yaris. Toyota Safety Sense, an advanced safety technology package containing a pre-collision system, adaptive cruise control, lane departure alert, lane departure prevention, and automatic high beams, is also a part of the car’s safety system.

As a result of a new front departure alert feature, drivers are warned visually and audibly when a stationary vehicle in front begins to move forward.

DP World adds new trade routes to ease supply chain congestion

The UAE-based global logistics company DP World said it had created more than 23,000 nautical miles of new trade routes between India, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as connections between Latin America, Europe, and Asia between January and September of this year.

The new routes, which also included multiple new routes connecting smaller ports with Rotterdam in Europe, have enabled the opening up of new trading opportunities for cargo owners.

They also led to improved access to goods and services for underserved populations, and provided alternative routes and ports to congested global routes, according to Emirates News Agency WAM.

A new route connecting Ecuador’s fruit and cocoa producers to Asia is also part of DP World’s route expansions this year.

CMA CGM launched a new service in August from DP World Posorja at Guayaquil port connecting the country to Asia.

A new direct route to Asia uses 11 vessels on rotation, reducing transit times.

With the new service, Guayaquil and Ecuador will become key hubs not only for the west coast of South America but also for the South Pacific.

This route expansion is part of DP World’s effort to provide end-to-end logistics solutions, it said.

It includes innovative technology and global intermodal transportation services across shipping, rail, and road, which enable the seamless movement of goods from production to consumer, it added.


The Family Office to host global investment summit in Saudi Arabia

Updated 18 January 2026
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The Family Office to host global investment summit in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: The Family Office, one of the Gulf’s leading wealth management firms, will host its exclusive investment summit, “Investing Is a Sea,” from Jan. 29 to 31 on Shura Island along Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast.

The event comes as part of the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 initiative, reflecting efforts to position Saudi Arabia as a global hub for investment dialogue and strategic economic development.

The summit is designed to offer participants an immersive environment for exploring global investment trends and assessing emerging opportunities and challenges in a rapidly changing financial landscape.

Discussions will cover key themes including shifts in the global economy, the role of private markets in portfolio management, long-term investment strategies, and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies on investment decision-making and risk management, according to a press release issued on Sunday.

Abdulmohsin Al-Omran, founder and CEO of The Family Office, will deliver the opening remarks, with keynote addresses from Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman and Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.

The press release said the event reflects the firm’s commitment to institutional discipline, selective investment strategies, and long-term planning that anticipates economic cycles.

The summit will bring together prominent international and regional figures, including former UK Treasury Commercial Secretary Lord Jim O’Neill, Mohamed El-Erian, chairman of Gramercy Fund Management, Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, chairman of the editorial board at Al Arabiya, Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Dr. Amer Bisat, economist Nouriel Roubini of NYU Stern School of Business, Naim Yazbeck, president of Microsoft Middle East and Africa, John Pagano, CEO of Red Sea Global, Dr. Anne-Marie Imafidon, MBE, co-founder of Stemettes, SRMG CEO Jomana R. Alrashed and other leaders in finance, technology, and investment.

With offices in Bahrain, Dubai, Riyadh, and Kuwait, and through its Zurich-based sister company Petiole Asset Management AG with a presence in New York and Hong Kong, The Family Office has established a reputation for combining institutional rigor with innovative, long-term investment strategies.

The “Investing Is a Sea” summit underscores Saudi Arabia’s growing role as a global center for financial dialogue and strategic investment, reinforcing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 objective of fostering economic diversification and sustainable development.