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iFLYTEK is stepping up its engagement in the Middle East, unveiling two flagship AI products at GITEX 2025 in Dubai as part of a broader strategy to localise its offerings and anchor its presence in the region.

The company’s showcase spans three core portfolios—AI Translation, AI Infrastructure and AI Solutions—tailored for Gulf markets, with particular emphasis on Arabic dialect support and secure deployment. Among the new offerings is the AI Translation Earbuds, designed to enable seamless multilingual communication, and the e-ink AINote 2 work device, both making their global debut at the event. The debut underscores iFLYTEK’s intent to go beyond product marketing, emphasising solutions that address regional business needs.

Vincent Zhan, Vice President of iFLYTEK, asserted that the company is focused “to deliver intelligent solutions that address real business challenges” rather than merely present tech demonstrations. The firm has already placed a local team in Dubai to oversee deployment, maintenance, and customer support. It also customised algorithms to handle multiple Arabic dialects, expecting that linguistic responsiveness will differentiate it from global rivals.

iFLYTEK’s portfolio for the event includes the Spark WallEX system, designed for intelligent space management, along with Spark Smart Blackboard and Spark GuideX. The firm says these are engineered to support a range of sectors, including education, healthcare, enterprise operations and government. Its “All-in-One AI Solution” is positioned as a secure infrastructure package for organisations seeking turnkey AI adoption.

The Middle East expansion is part of a larger international push. Outside Asia, iFLYTEK is targeting Europe, as trade tensions and regulatory pressures create incentives to diversify markets. It is reportedly planning offices in France and Hungary, with growth ambitions in Spain and Italy. In March 2025, Zhan cited tariffs in the US as influencing iFLYTEK’s decision to look more aggressively into Europe and the Gulf.

China’s AI giant also faces headwinds. It was placed on a US trade blacklist in 2019, making procurement of certain high-end components dependent on US approvals. To mitigate vulnerability, iFLYTEK has shifted many of its models to Huawei’s chip platforms. It developed its Xinghuo X1 large language model in partnership with Huawei, reportedly running entirely on domestic chips. The firm claims to have pushed chip efficiency from 20 per cent to nearly 80 per cent of equivalent U. S. hardware, though Huawei leadership acknowledges that domestic chips still lag behind by a generation.

Market observers note that iFLYTEK’s shift toward the Gulf aligns with governments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia pushing AI-first national strategies. However, the company must navigate regulatory, data residency and market competition risks. In the Gulf, local AI and language processing firms are emerging, and global players like Amazon and Microsoft are pressing deeper into the region.

iFLYTEK’s presence at major global events is integral to its positioning. In July 2025, at MWC Shanghai, it launched the Spark All-in-One AI Machine and Dual-Screen Translator 2.0—capable of handling translation across dozens of languages—to reinforce its push into enterprise AI. The company has also rolled out smart products such as the AINOTE Air 2 across Asia and Gulf markets, with strong uptake in multilingual productivity segments.

Dubai has issued Law No. of 2025 to regulate the professional practice of engineering consultancy firms, forbidding unlicensed operations and introducing a tiered classification system.

Under the law, no individual or office may conduct consultancy across fields such as architectural, civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, geological or coastal engineering in the emirate without proper authorisation. Firms must hold a valid trade licence, register with Dubai Municipality, and submit detailed disclosures regarding their licensed scope, classification, and technical staff credentials.

A unified electronic platform, to be integrated with “Invest in Dubai,” will centralise firm registration, classification, issuance of competency certificates, and updates to consultancy qualifications.

A permanent “Committee for the Regulation and Development of Engineering Consultancy Activities” will be established under the law, chaired by a Dubai Municipality representative and comprising stakeholders from relevant authorities, tasked with overseeing implementation and resolving sectoral disputes.

The legislation classifies eligible firms into several categories: local Dubai-based companies; branches of UAE-based consultancies with at least three consecutive years of experience; branches of foreign consultancies with at least ten years of global experience; joint ventures between local and foreign players with at least a decade of consultancy track record; advisory offices led by registered engineers with a decade of experience; and engineering audit offices providing third-party evaluations.

Firms are barred from operating beyond their licence scope, hiring unregistered engineers or subcontracting to unlicensed entities. Violations can attract fines up to AED 100,000, stricter penalties for repeat breaches, suspension, downgrading classification, removal from the registry, licence cancellation, or revocation of professional certificates. Affected parties may file appeals within 30 days and decisions must be issued within 30 days, communicated within five working days.

Existing regulations under Local Order No. 89 of 1994 and its amendments will remain effective until new implementing regulations are issued, provided they do not conflict with the new law.

Consultancy firms and staff will have one year from the law’s effective date to regularise their status; extensions may be granted, and expired registrations can be renewed by committing to full compliance.

Dubai’s move mirrors the emirate’s broader legal recalibration of the infrastructure sector. In July 2025, Law No. 7 of 2025 was enacted to regulate contracting activities, consolidating prior laws and mandating registration, classification, subcontracting oversight and ethics codes across construction and engineering services. The new consultancy law can be seen as a complementary measure to ensure that consultancy services feeding into contracting projects meet defined quality and governance standards.

Industry stakeholders have expressed cautious optimism about the changes. Some consultancy firms believe the law will reduce unfair competition by eliminating unlicensed operators, thus raising standards overall. Others warn of compliance costs, especially for smaller local consultancies that may struggle to meet classification thresholds or hire adequately certified staff.

Regional and international firms see opportunity in the rule clarity and the potential to compete more transparently. Observers expect the new digital registry and classification framework to influence government procurement and tenders by favouring higher-ranked consultancies.

OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman is leading a high-stakes campaign across East Asia and the Middle East to secure investment and bolster chip supply for the company’s AI infrastructure push. He has held talks since late September in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan with leading hardware suppliers to prioritise OpenAI’s orders and expand capacity.

Altman has met with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and Foxconn, as well as Samsung and SK Hynix, pressing them to accelerate production and give OpenAI preferential access. In South Korea, Samsung and SK Hynix have signed letters of intent to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s data centres. Meanwhile, OpenAI plans further fundraising discussions in the United Arab Emirates.

The urgency of Altman’s mission reflects the intensifying global competition for advanced computing resources. OpenAI projects it will spend around US$16 billion this year on renting computing servers, with long-term forecasts stretching to US$400 billion by 2029 as AI models grow ever more complex.

Industry analysts note that the semiconductor supply chain remains highly constrained. TSMC dominates GPU chip production, and memory manufacturing is largely concentrated in East Asia, creating significant strategic leverage for the manufacturers approached by Altman.

As part of his tour, Altman is also pressing Japanese firms to contribute to infrastructure support. Hitachi has entered discussions to provide power transmission and distribution systems for OpenAI’s data centres, while sharing technical resources under joint development agreements.

Sources familiar with the process say Altman pushed for direct prioritisation in chip delivery schedules, asking that OpenAI receive top-tier production slots. In some cases, he proposed co-investment or co-development of next-generation AI hardware to bind partner incentives more closely.

In South Korea, early architecture proposals include planned data centres of 20 megawatts in collaboration with Samsung and SK Hynix. Altman is reportedly exploring “floating” data centre designs to manage land constraints and cooling demands.

The UAE leg of his mission is expected to involve negotiations with sovereign investment firms such as MGX and Mubadala, with the aim of funding both OpenAI’s expansion and joint infrastructure ventures in the region. In past rounds, UAE investors have already taken part in funding OpenAI operations.

Challenges remain significant. The sheer scale of chips and memory required for stacked AI model training is pushing the boundaries of global wafer fabrication capacity. Market watchers point to the high capital expenditure and long lead times in the semiconductor industry as obstacles to rapid scaling. Some of Altman’s proposals—for example, co-development of bespoke ASICs—are still in preliminary stages and face technical risk.

OpenAI’s valuation and investor backing give the company leverage. Earlier this year, it closed deals that valued it at about US$500 billion, with new capital injections from investors including SoftBank and UAE entities. Those moves have fortified its position in negotiating upstream deals with manufacturers.

World Liberty Financial, the crypto venture tied to Donald Trump’s family, has announced it will issue a debit card enabling users to spend digital assets as conventional currency, with a pilot slated next quarter and full deployment targeted by late 2025 or early 2026.

At Singapore’s TOKEN2049 conference, CEO Zach Witkoff stated that the underlying aim is to “bridge crypto assets with everyday spending,” forecasting that the card could go live in the fourth quarter or first quarter of 2026. Co-founder Donald Trump Jr. joined the presentation, underscoring the project’s ambition to integrate cryptocurrency more deeply into consumer payments.

Beyond payments, World Liberty is advancing a plan to tokenise real-world commodities, aiming to use blockchain infrastructure to trade assets like oil, gas, timber and cotton. Witkoff described these as “really interesting” domains for on-chain trading, pointing to what the company sees as excess transactional inefficiency in traditional markets. The firm also launched its governance token, WLFI, earlier this month, and has introduced USD1, a dollar-pegged stablecoin backed by U. S. Treasuries and other cash equivalents to cut dependency on conventional banking rails.

World Liberty has secured a high-profile institutional backer: the UAE-based Aqua 1 Foundation invested USD 100 million in WLFI tokens, becoming the venture’s largest public investor. The strategic pact aims to fuel World Liberty’s expansion in South America, Europe and Asia, and to jointly incubate blockchain initiatives.

The governance token WLFI currently is non-transferable, granting holders voting rights rather than direct tradeability; World Liberty has said it is “working behind the scenes” to make WLFI transferable in the future. A large portion of WLFI’s supply remains held by the Trump family and affiliated entities.

The stablecoin USD1 gained traction after a major crypto exchange deal: World Liberty was among the early adopters when the funds backed by an Abu Dhabi entity were routed through USD1 to a major crypto platform, helping to elevate USD1’s market position in the stablecoin ecosystem.

Regulatory and ethical concerns already shadow the venture. Critics argue the project blurs lines between private enterprise and public office, noting that much of the Trump family’s wealth could become entangled with policy outcomes. Donald Trump Jr. has dismissed conflict-of-interest allegations as “complete nonsense,” but scrutiny over the convergence of politics and crypto is intensifying.

WLFI has exhibited wide volatility since launch, riding speculative momentum across global exchanges. Meanwhile, competing crypto card offerings already exist, with established fintechs and digital-asset platforms offering crypto-linked cards in partnership with Visa and Mastercard. Witkoff contends World Liberty’s version will differentiate through tighter integration with its stablecoin and tokenisation strategy.

Space42 has issued its Foresight Constellation Viewpoint, a strategic dossier that underscores how Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite systems, when paired with artificial intelligence, can reshape decision making for governments and industries. The viewpoint emphasises the capacity for persistent imaging, all-weather operation and near-instant analytics — capabilities that are becoming mission-critical in an era of intensifying climate, security and infrastructure challenges.

At the heart of the Viewpoint is GIQ, Space42’s AI engine that converts raw SAR data streams into decision-grade intelligence within minutes. The report argues that the combination of high-resolution persistent coverage and AI transforms Earth observation from static imagery into a dynamic intelligence layer for monitoring, planning and emergency response. Launching Foresight-1 in August 2024 and Foresight-2 in January 2025 has already bolstered the UAE’s Earth observation capability.

Space42 frames its approach as not just a technological upgrade, but a sovereign asset: reliance on third-party satellite data leaves states vulnerable to disruptions, but a domestic SAR-analytics ecosystem offers resilience and control. The global SAR market, currently estimated around $5.8 billion, is forecast to nearly double to $9.8 billion by 2030. According to the Viewpoint, deployment of integrated SAR systems can yield cost savings — for instance, reducing predictive maintenance expenses by up to 30 per cent while improving emergency response by as much as 90 per cent.

The technical backbone of this strategy depends on both the satellite constellation and ground systems. Space42 has entered into a joint venture with ICEYE to localise manufacturing of SAR satellites in the UAE, aiming to strengthen supply chains and transfer expertise. The joint venture builds on prior collaboration: ICEYE’s technology underpins the Foresight satellites, and cooperation is intended to deepen over coming years.

Foresight-2 was successfully deployed via a rideshare launch on 14 January 2025, expanding the constellation’s capabilities and reinforcing its ability to revisit areas multiple times per day. With Foresight-1 and 2 in orbit, the full constellation is expected by 2027. The satellites exploit SAR’s unique ability to image through clouds and in darkness — a significant advantage over optical systems, especially in disaster and high-latency environments.

The Viewpoint also positions its narrative with real-world scenarios. It cites the 2023 Turkey earthquake, in which optical systems were hindered by cloud cover, while SAR satellites continued functioning — enabling assessments of a major dam’s structural integrity in crisis conditions. That example supports the argument that SAR ecosystems must be treated not as supplements but as core infrastructure for resilience and security.

Space42 positions itself as a full-stack player: not merely a satellite operator but a systems integrator combining space services, geospatial analytics and AI. Its dual business units—Space Services and Smart Solutions—serve satellite operations and downstream intelligence markets respectively. Among its touted use cases are border surveillance, maritime monitoring, infrastructure health, mobility and disaster management.

Yet challenges remain. Building sovereign SAR ecosystems demands investment in ground infrastructure, antenna networks, data processing centres and skilled personnel. Market competition is increasing: global players—commercial and governmental—are accelerating developments in miniaturised SAR payloads, hybrid optical/SAR systems and edge AI processing. Moreover, the cost dynamics of deploying dense constellations must be managed against returns from clients in defence, environment and infrastructure sectors.

Dubai’s ride-hailing landscape has shifted dramatically as the UAE-based Zed app now encompasses 10,764 taxis across the emirate—equivalent to more than four in five licensed cabs. The move was enabled through strategic partnerships with Dubai Taxi Corporation and National Taxi, folding in the fleets of three major operators.

Under the new arrangement, DTC’s entire fleet and those of National Taxi and Kabi by Al Ghurair become bookable via the Zed platform, effectively making Zed the host of Dubai’s second-largest taxi fleet. Zed executives describe the expansion as a means of enhancing coverage, cutting cancellations, and lowering wait times, especially across areas traditionally underserved.

Badr Al Ghurair, Zed’s Chief Executive, emphasised the home-grown nature of the platform and its deep knowledge of Dubai’s commuting patterns: “this collaboration … further strengthens Dubai’s mobility ecosystem while ensuring that our communities have access to reliable, everyday transport solutions” he said. Abhinav Patwa, Zed’s EVP and Head, added that the alliances provide scale and reliability without losing sight of a customer-first approach.

The accord comes amid Dubai’s broader ambition of converting 80 per cent of taxi bookings to digital platforms—a target within reach through the emirate’s Smart City 2025 programme. The integrated fleet also introduces more electric and hybrid taxis into Zed’s pool, aligning with the city’s sustainability goals.

This consolidation represents a notable realignment in Dubai’s mobility market. For years, taxis and e-hailing apps operated largely in parallel, with limited overlap in booking channels. The new model bridges that divide, bringing traditional operators into the digital fold via a single platform. Analysts say the move may accelerate the decline in usage of standalone taxi apps and push rivals to forge similar alliances or risk falling behind.

Dubai Taxi Company, now a public joint stock firm under Law No. 21 of 2023, operates more than 10,000 vehicles, of which 6,200 taxis were folded into the agreement. Kabi by Al Ghurair contributed another 3,680 vehicles under the tie-up. According to RTA data, Dubai’s taxi sector expanded by 7 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, signalling growing demand for urban mobility services.

Through the arrangement, newly commissioned taxis across the partner fleets will automatically integrate into Zed’s system—making service expansion incremental and scalable. Several of the added vehicles are electric or hybrid, helping Zed accelerate its greening efforts.

Passengers can now access all these taxis via Zed’s iOS and Android apps, with the platform continuing to offer features such as guaranteed on-time pickups for pre-booked premium rides. The enhanced capacity is expected to reduce wait times during peak hours, improve service in remote zones, and lower the incidence of ride cancellations.

The city-state’s employers have set a striking pace as they head into the final quarter of 2025: a Net Employment Outlook of 45 per cent signals that nearly three in five organisations expect to expand their workforces. That optimism comes amid shifting global headwinds, structural reforms, and a rising demand for specialised talent.

The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey canvassed 525 UAE employers across sectors to assess hiring intentions. A positive balance of 45 per cent means that those anticipating workforce increases outnumber those expecting reductions by nearly half. This figure places the UAE among the world’s more aggressive labour markets, especially given challenges such as global trade uncertainty, rising automation, and fluctuating commodity prices.

This projected hiring boom is not evenly distributed. The strongest demand lies in transport, logistics and automotive, energy and utilities, and consumer goods and services. These sectors appear ready to leverage infrastructure projects, green energy transitions, and regional consumption growth. Meanwhile, the information technology sector is showing solid demand at +48 per cent, reflecting sustained digital transformation pushes.

Driving much of this confidence is corporate expansion: 40 per cent of participating firms cited scaling operations as their primary reason for hiring. Another 28 per cent pointed to pivoting business models and growth into new areas. In addition, nearly 30 per cent of respondents acknowledged that talent shortages—and competition for specialised skills—are influencing recruitment strategies.

Yet the buoyant sentiment is tempered by caution. Roughly 10 per cent of employers still expect to trim staff, particularly in roles vulnerable to automation or in sectors facing structural disruption. Around 15 per cent responded that they will hold staffing constant, prioritising internal upskilling over external recruitment. In interviews, some HR executives noted that while they want to hire aggressively, wage inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and regulatory shifts may prompt them to phase recruitment over several quarters.

Regional and global context strengthens the UAE’s position. In the third quarter of 2025, the UAE recorded a world-leading NEO of +48 per cent. That marked a standout alignment with its long-term growth strategy, and the Q4 figure of +45 per cent suggests sustained momentum rather than a cyclical spike. Elsewhere, the global average NEO stood at +24 per cent during Q3 — placing the UAE’s outlook nearly double the global benchmark.

Analysts view this hiring optimism as part of a broader strategy to reposition the UAE as a knowledge-economy hub. Recent government initiatives have focused on advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and logistics corridors. These programs have triggered demand not only for engineers and technicians but also for data scientists, sustainability consultants, and cross-disciplinary professionals. In one corporates sector round-table, a senior UAE CEO observed that “the competition for deep tech talent is global, and we must offer not just pay but opportunity, stability and a pathway for growth.”

Labour authorities are also aligning policies with employer needs. New visa frameworks, targeted Emiratisation programmes, and regulatory incentives for R&D investment are being synchronized with workforce forecasts. At the same time, the UAE’s PMI for non-oil activity has held above the expansion threshold, underlining demand growth across private sectors and supporting hiring intent.

However, potential headwinds remain significant. Global supply chain disruptions, slowing demand in key export markets, and monetary tightening in major economies could dampen growth. Employers may delay or scale back hiring plans if external pressures intensify. Some labour economists warn of mismatches between skills supplied locally and those demanded, especially in emerging fields.

Abu Dhabi — The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security has introduced sweeping changes to the UAE’s visa regime, adding four new visit-visa categories tailored to specialists in artificial intelligence, entertainment, events, and cruise or leisure-boat tourism, while also rolling out humanitarian and widow/divorcee residence permits.

Under the new framework, the AI Specialist Visit Visa allows single or multiple entries, provided applicants submit a sponsorship letter from a recognised technology or AI institution. The Entertainment Visit Visa is intended for individuals engaging in licensed entertainment or gaming activities, while the Event Visit Visa covers attendance at festivals, exhibitions, conferences, sports, or cultural events, sponsored by public or private hosts. The Cruise & Leisure-Boat Visit Visa offers multiple-entry permits for travellers arriving via marine routes, on condition of submitting a detailed itinerary and engaging a licensed host in the tourism industry.

Alongside these targeted visit visas, the ICP now issues a Humanitarian Residence Permit, valid for one year, with possible extension under certain conditions. This permit is designed to assist individuals from countries experiencing conflict, natural disasters, or severe unrest. Notably, it can be granted without a guarantor or host, though it may be cancelled or voided if the holder departs the UAE. In exceptional cases involving relatives or in-laws, the authority may waive requirements like financial solvency or degree of kinship.

The revisions also extend protections to foreign widows and divorcees. A one-year renewable residence permit is available to foreign women whose UAE-based husband died or divorced, provided applications are submitted within six months. If the husband was a non-UAE national, eligibility depends on whether the woman held residency at the time, whether she has custody of children, and whether she was previously sponsored. Provisions for adequate housing and financial stability apply, and custody disputes will be adjudicated by a designated committee.

Revised rules for sponsoring friends or relatives now incorporate income thresholds: sponsors must earn at least AED 4,000 per month to sponsor first-degree relatives, AED 8,000 for second- or third-degree relatives, and AED 15,000 to sponsor friends. The updated system also introduces a structured schedule defining visit-visa durations and extension rules.

Other key visa reforms include tightening the Business Exploration Visa criteria and easing Truck Driver Visas—allowing single or multiple entries provided drivers are sponsored by licensed freight or transport companies and meet health, fee, and financial guarantee conditions.

In a statement, Major General Suhail Saeed Al Khaili, Director General of ICP, said the reforms emerge from “careful studies and forward-looking assessments” that considered global residency trends, client feedback, and the UAE’s strategic demands. He described the changes as intended to “meet the needs of customers while considering humanitarian and economic circumstances” and to drive technology, tourism, and economic diversification.