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Abu Dhabi Rolls Out Barq Ultra-Fast EV Chargers
The new 360 kW network will feature 50 charging stations with the aim of speeding EV uptake as the UAE pushes toward Net Zero.
Abu Dhabi is deploying an ultra-fast electric vehicle charging network branded Barq, in a move by the Department of Energy (DoE) and TAQA Distribution to hasten the shift to cleaner transport.
More than 50 stations rated at 360 kW will be installed at busy sites across the emirate. Locations include Manarat Al Saadiyat, Mina Market, Burjeel Hospital in Mohammed Bin Zayed City, several spots in Al Ain — UAE University, Tawam Hospital, Al Jimi Mall — and City Mall in Madinat Zayed (Al Dhafra).
The first phase of the project goes live on January 13 during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, where charging will be free for visitors.
Speed is the main promise of the Barq network: Drivers will be able to add roughly 100 kilometers of range in about three minutes. TAQA will grant a free charge after every three paid sessions to nudge adoption, a tactic aimed at early EV owners as well as fleet operators.
Officials are framing Barq as part of a sustainable mobility ecosystem backed by advanced infrastructure. “This is a strategic step in Abu Dhabi’s sustainable mobility journey, providing an advanced charging network that combines speed and reliability,” said Abdulla Humaid Al Jarwan, Chairman of the DoE, who tied the rollout to the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 pledge. TAQA Distribution CEO Omar Al Hashmi said the project reinforces the emirate’s positioning in smart energy and sustainable mobility.
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The push fits into national EV policies and air quality goals that target roughly half the vehicle fleet being electric or hybrid by mid-century. It also dovetails with planning through the Department of Municipalities and Transport, which is coordinating sites and grid upgrades. Battery-electric uptake remains modest across the region, but governments are investing in hardware ahead of mass-market demand.
For the Gulf, the Barq buildout shows climate and diversification agendas moving from targets to infrastructure. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have rolled out EV incentives, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar are setting similar transport targets under economic overhauls tied to their national visions.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
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The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
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