News
UAE NFT Sector Expected To Grow By Over 45% Per Year
Consumers are increasingly interested in the technology, and businesses are taking notice.
The UAE has long been considered a desirable destination for doing business and is now becoming a global hub in the field of NFTs. The non-fungible token market in the United Arab Emirates is expected to grow by 45.5% annually, having already reached an estimated US$982.1 million by the end of last year. By 2028, the sector could reach a staggering $4.75 billion as the new technology continues to be championed by entrepreneurs, businesses, and celebrities.
“Consumers are interested in buying into stories, in buying into experiences. When you’re buying a product, you’re just buying the physical product. But when you are buying an NFT, you’re buying a whole lot of things that are linked with it,” says Arshad Zaheer, Senior Partner at YAAP.
NFTs sit on the blockchain network, meaning ownership and originality can be confirmed, making the technology ideal for artwork, but also relevant for the legal industry and other sectors where authenticity is required.
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The Middle East and Africa region have seen a surge in NFT-related activities. Several innovative NFT marketplaces have also emerged in MENA countries, including the UAE, making it easier for the general public to buy, sell, and trade digital assets.
“From NFT-based startups to cryptocurrency exchanges, several players are entering the UAE NFT market; the presence of several NFT marketplaces has also supported the rise in NFT trading transaction value and volume, the trend expected to gain further momentum over the next three to four years in the UAE,” says Business Wire in a recent report.
As NFTs begin to hit the mainstream, the opportunities presented by the technology are immense and could even rival the explosive rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
News
AltoVolo Opens Orders For Limited Edition Sigma eVTOLs
Early buyers can now reserve build slots for AltoVolo’s 500-mile hybrid aircraft through a new online configurator.
AltoVolo has started taking pre-orders for its first electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the Sigma, moving the startup closer to commercial rollout. Customers can now secure a build slot with a £860 deposit and customize every detail online — from paintwork to seatbelt stitching. It’s the first configurator of its kind for a civilian eVTOL, mirroring how luxury car brands let clients tailor performance models before production.
The Sigma runs on a hybrid-electric tilting jet system built for long range and low noise. It can travel up to 500 miles at a 220-mph cruise, and is over 80% quieter than a helicopter. The three-seater weighs just 980kg and can maintain stable flight even if one jet fails. Safety systems include triple-redundant controls, thrust-vectoring stability and a ballistic parachute.
“We will be delivering an ultra-refined hybrid electric aircraft,” said founder and CEO Will Wood. “We believe there are thousands of customers for this type of cutting-edge technology”.
The first 100 units will come with exclusive materials and finishes. AltoVolo is also setting up a global service and maintenance network, with early planning for overhaul schedules already underway. The company’s focus on ownership experience echoes its ambition to anchor itself alongside established aviation brands rather than pure tech ventures.
To help new owners train, the company has built a full-scale simulator that replicates the Sigma cockpit in carbon fiber and leather. Pilots can log time toward a license using the system, aligned with the new US MOSAIC rules that ease certification for powered-lift aircraft. Certification work in Europe and the UK continues in parallel, signaling growing international alignment around light sport and eVTOL regulation.
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Noise inside the cabin has become another design focus. Engineers are refining internal vibration levels and developing a responsive soundscape that shifts with each jet’s power load — part feedback, part theatre.
Urban air mobility projects across the Gulf and elsewhere are pushing regulators and manufacturers to meet in the middle. Dubai, Riyadh and Doha have each outlined plans for air taxi corridors this decade. AltoVolo’s hybrid Sigma, sitting between electric promise and aviation realism, looks built for that middle ground.
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