News

Dubai Announces Plans To Become A 20-Minute City

The move aligns with the Dubai Urban Plan 2040, which aims to create the world’s most liveable city.

Published

2 years ago

December 11, 2023

Nour Nasir

dubai announces plans to become a 20-minute city

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Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has revealed an updated strategic plan for 2024-2030, which will help the emirate reach its goal of becoming the world’s most liveable city.

The Dubai “20-minute city” plan aims to make urban areas easily accessible by ensuring that 80% of regular journeys can be completed in a maximum of 20 minutes on foot or by bicycle.

The Higher Committee for Strategic Planning and Corporate Transformation at #RTA chaired by His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, endorsed an updated RTA’s Strategic Plan 2024-2030. The plan is aligned with Dubai… pic.twitter.com/6apr3JG3to

— RTA (@rta_dubai) December 10, 2023

On Sunday, December 10, 2023, Dubai’s Higher Committee for Strategic Planning and Corporate Transformation at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that it aims to achieve 5 key objectives relevant to “integrated and innovative mobility”. The goals align with the Dubai Urban Plan 2040, which aims to make the UAE the world’s most liveable destination.

The latest plan is designed to facilitate the roads and transport development, creating systems that will support the 20-minute city plan and emphasizing accessibility and “multi-modal transport integration”. Officials also aim to expand smart mobility services.

Also Read: Dubai Startup Creates Iron Man-Style Smart Contact Lens

“RTA’s future entails studying and deploying integrated and soft mobility solutions along with connected and real-time mobility systems and self-driving transport. RTA intends to operate self-driving Chevrolet Bolt autonomous electric vehicles, positioning Dubai as the first city in the world to operate American Cruise self-driving vehicles outside the USA,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Director General Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA.

Dubai’s latest objectives follow a list of ideas first revealed in 2021. Officials explained that they aimed to have around half of the population living within 800 meters of the nearest public transport hub and that space used for hotels and tourist activities would be increased by 134%. In addition, land designated for educational and health facilities would be increased by 25%.

News

Dirham-Backed Stablecoin DDSC Enters Live Phase In UAE

Central Bank approval moves the dirham-backed token into deployment, targeting regulated payments and settlement flows.

Published

4 days ago

February 13, 2026

Nour Nasir

dirham-backed stablecoin ddsc enters live phase in uae

The UAE has cleared the launch of DDSC, a dirham-backed stablecoin now entering live operation after approval from the Central Bank. The move pushes the project beyond its pilot phase and into the country’s regulated financial system.

The token is backed by a consortium led by IHC, Sirius International Holding and First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), framing it as an institutional instrument rather than a consumer crypto product. DDSC was first announced in April 2025, but regulatory clearance now allows deployment and integration across approved channels.

DDSC runs on ADI Chain, a Layer 2 blockchain built by the Abu Dhabi-based ADI Foundation. The infrastructure is designed for governance and performance requirements expected by large institutions, linking blockchain settlement with existing compliance and oversight frameworks.

The focus is practical, targeting treasury settlements, high-value payments, trade and supply-chain transactions, and programmable financial flows for regulated entities. FAB plans to offer access to the token through approved platforms for its clients, keeping the rollout inside controlled banking environments.

“DDSC marks a defining milestone in the UAE’s digital finance journey,” said Syed Basar Shueb, CEO of IHC. “With the Central Bank’s approval and our transition into live operation, we are delivering trusted, institutional-grade infrastructure that strengthens resilience, accelerates innovation, and expands what is possible in regulated digital payments”.

Also Read: Basatne Debuts ORBT Platform For Digital Refunds In UAE

FAB says the project reflects how stablecoins can sit within traditional finance when risk controls are built in from the outset. “This milestone underscores that stablecoins can be integrated responsibly into the financial system when built to meet rigorous regulatory and risk requirements,” said Futoon Hamdan AlMazrouei, Group Head of Personal, Business, Wealth and Privileged Client Banking Group at FAB.

The launch reinforces the UAE’s strategy of pushing digital finance through regulation instead of open-ended crypto experimentation. Stablecoins in this model are positioned less as trading assets and more as programmable extensions of national currency, aimed at institutional scale and government use cases.