News

QFZA Announces Qatar’s First Laptop Manufacturing Facility

Once operational, it will become Qatar’s first laptop manufacturing facility and ship out over 350,000 products every year.

Published

5 years ago

May 21, 2021

Joanna Melki

qfza announces qatar's first laptop manufacturing facility

Unsplash

The global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent swift transition toward remote work has tested the production capacity of virtually every laptop manufacturer. In the Middle East, the laptop and desktop market grew more than 12 percent during the pandemic, with shipments going up by 23 percent. Now, Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZA) has announced its plan to establish a state-of-the-art production facility in Umm Alhoul Free Zone. Once operational, it will become Qatar’s first laptop manufacturing facility and ship out over 350,000 products every year.

The task of building the facility has been appointed to iLife Digital, a leading intelligent robotics and electronics company based in Florida, US, and Prime Technologies, a subsidiary of Ali Bin Ali Holding. The two companies will use it to produce everything from laptops to desktop computers to smartwatches.

“We are proud to host this partnership between iLife Digital and Prime Technologies at Umm Alhoul Free Zone. It is the latest example of our close collaboration with the Qatari private sector to foster growth and innovation for the country and the broader region,” said H.E. Ahmad Al-Sayed, Minister of State and Chairman of QFZA.

In addition to becoming the region’s manufacturing powerhouse, the new facility will also support logistics and R&D activities and become home to a consumer solutions center. In total, it’s expected to create 160 jobs in the region, including 144 skilled opportunities.

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“Our Group has always been known for pioneering efforts and supporting innovations to get the best for the people of Qatar. The new facility, with its state-of-the-art production and R&D facility along with a logistics and customer solutions center, is a reiteration of such efforts,” commented Vice-Chairman & EVP of Ali Bin Ali Holding Mr. Nabeel Ali Bin Ali.

The construction of Qatar’s first laptop manufacturing facility is an important step toward achieving the country’s National Vision 2030, whose goal is to create a knowledge-based economy and promote economic diversification.

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.