The Central Bank of the UAE has directed all banks and licensed financial institutions in the country to immediately stop using instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp for financial services and customer data handling, in a move aimed at strengthening consumer protection and tightening data security standards.

Several local media reported that the directive, issued through a supervisory notice circulated to the sector, requires institutions to comply by April 30, 2026, or face potential regulatory action.

Under the new rules, banks are prohibited from using messaging platforms for a wide range of activities, including customer communication, transaction processing and data exchange. Specifically, institutions must not use such apps to request or share customer information, initiate or confirm transactions, or transmit authentication credentials such as passwords or one-time passwords.

The directive also extends to the exchange of documents containing personal or financial data, effectively shutting down any operational use of consumer messaging apps in banking workflows.

The regulator said the move follows growing concerns over the increasing use of messaging applications as informal service channels, which expose customers and institutions to multiple risks.

These include fraud, impersonation, account takeovers and social engineering attacks, as well as the potential unauthorised disclosure of sensitive information.

The central bank also flagged data residency concerns, noting that information shared via such platforms could be stored or processed outside the UAE, potentially breaching local regulations that require customer and transaction data to remain within the country.

As part of the directive, financial institutions have been instructed to discontinue existing use cases involving messaging apps and transition customers to approved channels, including mobile banking applications, online platforms, call centres and physical branches.

Banks must also strengthen internal controls, including staff training and monitoring mechanisms, to prevent further use of unregulated communication channels.

Institutions are required to confirm compliance and outline corrective actions by the end of April 2026. Failure to comply could result in supervisory action, financial penalties or other regulatory measures.

Dubai has unveiled plans for a major expansion of its public transport infrastructure, with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announcing the launch of the Dubai Metro Gold Line project, a 42-kilometre fully integrated underground metro corridor with an investment of Dhs34bn.

The new line, described as the largest transportation project in the emirate, will pass through 15 strategic areas and is expected to serve around 1.5 million residents. It will also enhance connectivity to 55 major real estate developments currently under construction, reinforcing the role of transit infrastructure in supporting Dubai’s urban expansion and property market growth.

Scheduled to open on September 9, 2032, the Gold Line is set to increase the overall length of the Dubai Metro network by 25 per cent, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the city’s mass transit system.

In a post on X, Sheikh Mohammed highlighted the strategic importance of the project in shaping Dubai’s long-term development trajectory, stating that landmark infrastructure initiatives remain central to positioning the emirate as one of the world’s most liveable cities.

The scale of the investment and the timeline underscore Dubai’s continued commitment to long-term infrastructure planning, even as the city manages rapid population growth and rising demand for integrated mobility solutions. By linking key residential and commercial hubs, the Gold Line is expected to reduce congestion, improve accessibility, and drive economic activity across multiple sectors, particularly real estate and construction.

The project aligns with broader government efforts to future-proof urban mobility, expand public transport adoption, and support sustainable city planning. It also signals continued momentum in Dubai’s infrastructure pipeline, with large-scale developments playing a central role in enabling economic diversification and enhancing the emirate’s global competitiveness.

Sheikh Mohammed added that Dubai’s development agenda remains firmly on track, emphasising that future initiatives will accelerate as part of a broader vision to build a better future for millions of residents and businesses.

DMCC has announced the launch of One Uptown Place and Two Uptown Place, two new Grade A commercial towers within its flagship Uptown Dubai, as the business district expands its commercial and financial ecosystem.

The twin-tower development will add more than 560,000 square feet of premium office space, pushing Uptown Dubai’s total commercial footprint beyond 1 million square feet. Leasing is set to open in the second half of 2026, with project completion targeted for the first quarter of 2028.

Comprising 21 and 15 storeys respectively, the towers are designed to cater to a wide range of occupiers, from multinational corporations to high-growth firms. Office sizes will range between 2,100 and 17,600 square feet, with select floors offering multi-level configurations connected via private staircases to support larger tenants.

Mixed-use positioning with retail integration

In addition to office space, the development will incorporate approximately 82,000 square feet of retail, reinforcing Uptown Dubai’s positioning as an integrated mixed-use destination combining commercial, retail and lifestyle components.

The project is being delivered amid rising demand for high-quality office space in well-connected districts, particularly as Dubai continues to attract global firms across finance, trade and technology sectors.

The expansion aligns with DMCC’s broader strategy to build specialised ecosystems, including FinX, the Wealth Hub and the Maritime Centre, aimed at attracting financial institutions, fintech companies, alternative lenders and digital asset firms.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and chief executive officer of DMCC, said: “Businesses are increasingly prioritising environments that combine connectivity, flexibility and access to capital and markets. With One Uptown Place and Two Uptown Place, we are adding over 560,000 square feet of Grade A office space, taking Uptown Dubai’s total commercial capacity beyond 1 million square feet. The towers are designed to accommodate a wide range of occupiers, featuring office configurations from 2,100 to 17,600 square feet, including integrated multi-level layouts. This reflects the scale and sophistication of demand we are seeing across trade, finance and technology. As we continue to build out ecosystems for the next generation of businesses, including DMCC Wealth Hub, FinX and the Maritime Centre, Uptown Dubai is evolving into a fully integrated district, offering companies a premium and connected platform to grow and operate globally.”

Design, connectivity and sustainability features

Designed by Brewer Smith Brewer Group, the towers will feature amenities such as in-building dining, retail outlets and a swimming pool, alongside more than 1,600 parking spaces with valet services and a dedicated shuttle link to the Dubai Metro.

Additional features include floor-to-ceiling glazing for panoramic views, 13 destination-controlled elevators and inter-floor connectivity designed to improve operational efficiency for larger occupiers.

Both buildings are targeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, incorporating energy- and water-efficient systems, solar-controlled glazing and enhanced indoor environmental standards.

DMCC is currently accepting expressions of interest from prospective tenants ahead of formal leasing, as it continues to position Uptown Dubai as a next-generation hub for global trade, finance and emerging technologies.

India’s central bank is in talks with global regulators, Indian lenders and government officials to understand the potential risks posed by Anthropic’s new artificial intelligence model Mythos, three sources said.

The Reserve Bank of India’s preliminary assessment – just like that of global regulators – suggests Mythos could pose cybersecurity risks by accelerating the discovery and exploitation of software vulnerabilities, the sources, all familiar with the central bank’s thinking, said.

Regulators in Asia, Europe and the United States have warned banks to review defences and preparedness. In Japan, the financial watchdog will meet banks this week, while the Australian central bank said it is monitoring Mythos-related developments.

RBI officials have over the past fortnight held consultations on Mythos-related risks with counterparts at the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England in particular, according to one of the sources.

The RBI may seek direct engagement with Anthropic, the sources said.

“Globally, we are discussing with other countries and other regulators on what are the developments and what safeguards need to be taken,” one of the sources said.

India’s payment authority, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is trying to secure early access to Mythos alongside a small number of banks, to identify vulnerabilities and “day‑zero” cyber risks ahead of any broader rollout, this source said.

However, such access may not be forthcoming as Anthropic’s Mythos systems is hosted on strictly-controlled servers in the US and running tests on local data in foreign jurisdictions could prove challenging, said a fourth source aware of the matter.

Access to Mythos has been limited to a small number of organisations involved in maintaining key digital infrastructure in the US Anthropic plans to provide Mythos access to European banks soon, Reuters reported earlier this week.

Email requests for comment sent to RBI and NPCI were not immediately answered.

The RBI is preparing broader guidelines for banks entering enterprise partnerships with advanced AI models, including Mythos and Anthropic’s Claude family, as part of a longer‑term strategy on AI adoption, according to two of the sources.

The discussions are at an early stage but the central bank will insist that all analytics based on data of Indian customers complies with RBI’s domestic data localisation, the sources said.

The RBI data localisation rule, issued in 2018, requires all payment system providers in India to store end-to-end transaction data, including user information and payment messages, exclusively on servers located within India.