News

Hydrogen Vehicle Refueling Is Coming To The Middle East

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is constructing a high-speed refueling station in Masdar City.

Published

3 years ago

July 20, 2023

Nour Nasir

hydrogen vehicle refueling is coming to the middle east

ADNOC

As the Middle East undergoes a significant transition away from oil-based energy production, new technologies are required to meet growing demands. At the forefront of this enormous task is clean hydrogen production and delivery.

In a bid to ramp up sustainable fuel distribution and aid decarbonization, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has announced plans to construct the Middle East’s first hydrogen refueling station in Masdar City. The high-speed refueling station will produce clean hydrogen from water using an electrolyzer powered by renewable electricity.

ADNOC has also entered a strategic partnership with Toyota and Al-Futtaim Motors to test the refueling station using a fleet of hydrogen-powered cars. The collaborative effort aims to assess the performance of this eco-friendly fuel and gather data to support the development of a UAE-wide hydrogen infrastructure.

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His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Managing Director and Group CEO, said: “The need to reduce carbon emissions to address climate change is clear and urgent. ADNOC is placing sustainability and decarbonization at the heart of its strategy, and while we decarbonize our operations today, we are making robust investments to be a supplier of choice for the clean energies of tomorrow”.

The pilot program will help the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company gain insights into the potential of high-speed hydrogen refueling for mobility projects, aligning well with the UAE’s National Hydrogen Strategy, which will position the Emirates as a leading global producer of clean hydrogen by 2031.

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”.

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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.