Grovy Developers has broken ground on Ramada Residences by Wyndham at Dubai Islands, marking the start of main construction on the boutique branded residential development as activity gathers pace on one of Dubai’s emerging waterfront destinations.

The project, being developed in partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and USquare Luxe Properties, has moved into the structural construction phase following the completion of enabling works. The groundbreaking comes months after Grovy signed its branding agreement with Wyndham and unveiled the project’s show apartment.

As part of the next phase, Grovy has appointed Jaseera Building Contracting as the main contractor. The Dubai-based firm will oversee construction through to completion, covering civil, structural, MEP and fit-out works.

Abhishek Jalan, CEO of Grovy Developers, said: “Breaking ground is the point at which commitments become physical. When we signed with Wyndham, we committed to delivering the project to a high standard, and today, the development is progressing well against that commitment. Appointing Jaseera Building Contracting LLC gives us a delivery partner with the capacity and the site experience to hold that schedule, and we will be measuring progress against it every month.

“Grovy has built its reputation in the UAE since 2015 on delivering what we commit to, and our completed projects in Jumeirah Village Circle are the evidence of that. We are applying the same discipline to Ramada Residences. Our ambition is to create homes that deliver value beyond the physical asset. By bringing a globally recognised hospitality brand like Ramada into the development, we are adding an established layer of brand credibility, exceptional service standards, and hospitality expertise that strengthens the overall proposition for both residents and investors. This partnership is designed not only to elevate the living experience but also to enhance the asset’s long-term appeal, marketability, and value.”

The development will comprise fully furnished one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, together with four-bedroom penthouses. Residents will have access to hotel-style services managed under the Ramada brand, alongside more than 20 lifestyle amenities including a temperature-controlled infinity pool, aqua gym, golf simulator and open-air theatre.

Grovy said the project is among a limited number of developments on Dubai Islands approved for short-term leasing, providing owners with additional rental flexibility and income opportunities.

Dubai Islands is being developed as a mixed-use waterfront destination featuring residential communities, hotels, retail, leisure attractions and public beaches, forming part of Dubai’s broader strategy to expand its premium coastal real estate offering.

Standard Chartered has expanded its institutional digital assets business in the UAE by launching Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) entity, becoming the first global systemically important bank (G-SIB) to offer the capability in the market.

The move broadens the bank’s regulated digital asset offering in the UAE by combining spot trading with its existing digital asset custody services, which launched in September 2024.

Eligible institutional clients will be able to trade deliverable Bitcoin (BTC/USD) and Ether (ETH/USD) through Standard Chartered’s existing electronic trading platforms, allowing them to access digital assets using familiar foreign exchange (FX) interfaces. Clients can also settle trades with a custodian of their choice, including the bank’s own digital asset custody platform.

Rola Abu Manneh, chief executive officer for UAE, Middle East and Pakistan at Standard Chartered, said: “The UAE has developed a clear digital assets regulatory framework that supports institutional participation and innovation. Extending our Bitcoin and Ether spot trading capability to institutional clients is a significant step in broadening our regulated digital asset proposition in the market.

“By combining execution with secure custody, governance and the connectivity of a global bank, we are providing clients with a more integrated way to participate in digital asset markets.”

Christopher Parsons, senior executive officer at Standard Chartered DIFC, said the launch demonstrates how the financial centre enables global institutions to deploy regulated digital asset services across the region.

“DIFC provides an established platform for international financial institutions to deploy global capabilities across markets. Extending our institutional digital asset trading capability through the Centre demonstrates the strength of that model, combining Standard Chartered’s global markets expertise and network with a regulated base from which we can serve clients across the region,” he said.

Standard Chartered first launched institutional Bitcoin and Ether spot trading through its UK branch in July 2025, becoming the first G-SIB to offer deliverable spot crypto-asset trading to institutional clients. The UAE rollout extends that capability into one of the world’s fastest-growing regulated digital asset markets.

The expansion forms part of the bank’s broader digital assets strategy, which spans custody, trading and tokenisation services through its Corporate and Investment Bank, alongside ventures including Zodia Markets and Libeara, aimed at supporting institutional demand for regulated digital asset infrastructure.

The UAE is set to introduce an artificial intelligence curriculum across all public and private schools while expanding AI-powered decision-making at the highest levels of government, as the country accelerates efforts to prepare its institutions, workforce and economy for a technology-driven future.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired a UAE Cabinet meeting in Abu Dhabi as the government began a new phase of work focused on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, economic resilience and long-term national development.

Read more: Changes coming to Dubai schools: KHDA rolls out new rules for age limits, admissions

The meeting outlined a broad agenda for the UAE Government, with AI emerging as a central pillar of efforts to accelerate decision-making, modernise public services and prepare the country’s workforce and institutions for technological change, a WAM report said.

AI Curriculum set for schools nationwide

The cabinet approved the implementation of an AI curriculum across all public and private schools in the UAE. A pilot programme and evaluation of the curriculum had already delivered positive results in public schools.

The curriculum is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate an AI-driven future. It covers the technical foundations of AI, ethical applications, data, algorithms, practical applications and potential risks.

The government said the initiative reflects the UAE’s drive to develop a generation capable of using emerging technologies while understanding their wider implications. Under an approved international-sharing mechanism, the curriculum and its components will also be made available to the global educational community.

22,000 teachers to receive AI training

Education was a major focus of the Cabinet’s AI agenda, with the government moving to embed AI learning across the UAE’s education system while strengthening teachers’ ability to use the technology.

Sheikh Mohammed said the meeting reviewed the “programme of teachers’ and educators’ capabilities development using artificial intelligence tools,” which aims to train 22,000 teachers and educators to use AI as a support tool in teaching, assessment, curriculum analysis, lesson planning and fostering innovation among students.

“The huge technological transformations of our era will change the reality, processes, and tools of education,” he said.

“To fulfil their new role, teachers will have to become lifelong learners… because if we teach our children today using the same methods of yesterday, we are depriving them of their future.”

UAE seeks global role in AI education

The UAE is among the countries that have developed integrated curricula for teaching AI to students across educational levels, Sheikh Mohammed said.

The Cabinet also approved a mechanism to make the AI curriculum available to ministries of education worldwide, allowing other countries to benefit from the UAE’s experience.

The latest measures underscore the UAE’s broader strategy of integrating AI into education, government and the wider economy as it seeks to build technological capabilities and strengthen its position as a global hub for innovation and digital transformation.

Yango Ride has reported a sharp decline in serious traffic violations and reckless driving incidents across its global operations, as the ride-hailing platform highlighted the impact of its AI-powered safety technologies and anti-fraud systems in its first Safety Report.

The report, covering 2024 and 2025, showed that reported grave traffic violations fell 31 per cent globally, from 9.83 to 6.76 incidents per million trips. Reports of reckless driving also declined across every reporting region, dropping 47 per cent in the Middle East and South Asia, 38 per cent in Africa and 24 per cent in Latin America.

Operating in more than 25 countries across the Middle East and North Africa, Africa, Latin America and South Asia, Yango Ride said an incident or near miss is now reported on average once every 64,000 kilometres travelled.

The company also highlighted the impact of privacy-focused communication tools. In markets where number masking and protected in-app calling have been introduced, post-trip contact between passengers and drivers—a metric linked to off-platform disputes—fell by 81 per cent in Peru, 78 per cent in Colombia and 31 per cent in Pakistan during early 2026.

Yango Ride said its fraud prevention systems blocked 17,275 passenger accounts globally during 2024–2025 after detecting signs of potentially fraudulent or harmful activity, helping protect partner drivers.

Roman Karlash, chief executive of Yango Ride, said: “Yango Ride is a technology service built to make every connection between a passenger and a partner driver safer and more accountable. The results from 2024–2025 show that consistently applied technology—supported by human expertise and local knowledge—can deliver measurable improvements.

“Reported grave traffic violations dropped by 31 per cent globally. Post-trip contacts decreased sharply in markets where we rolled out protected communication. These are not isolated results: they reflect a framework that operates before, during, and after every ride, across every market where we work.”

According to the report, the company’s safety framework begins before a trip through identity verification, driver’s licence checks, recurring selfie verification and anti-fraud systems. During the journey, passengers and drivers can access a Safety Centre featuring route sharing, emergency support and SOS functionality, while AI analyses driving behaviour and GPS data to identify repeated unsafe practices.

Following each trip, both passengers and drivers can submit feedback that contributes to user ratings and helps identify potential safety issues.

Beyond technology, Yango Ride said it continues to work with governments and road safety organisations to strengthen transport safety. In Pakistan, the company has integrated its platform with the Punjab Safe Cities Authority to automatically transmit trip information to police during emergencies. Similar partnerships are in place in Angola, while in Zambia the company has supported school road safety initiatives reaching around 8,000 students.

Yango Ride said it continues to operate a 24/7 urgent support service across all markets, with trained specialists aiming to make first contact within five minutes in 90 per cent of urgent cases globally.

Mars Gulf has partnered with supermarket retailer Choithrams to launch a UAE-wide competition inviting young people to redesign the future of grocery retail, with the winning concept set to be piloted in select stores.

The initiative, titled “It’s MY Z-Store”, challenges UAE residents aged 18 to 24 to develop new retail concepts tailored to Generation Z, covering areas such as store layout, digital experiences, sustainability and community-focused design.

Open to teams of three to four participants, the competition aims to give young innovators hands-on exposure to solving real commercial challenges while working alongside industry leaders.

Ahmed Abdel Wahab, general manager of Mars Gulf, said the initiative recognises the changing expectations of younger consumers.

“The future of retail will be shaped by a generation with very different expectations of how, where and why they shop. Rather than trying to predict what Gen Z wants, we want to give them a seat at the table and the opportunity to show us,” he said.

“Together with our partner Choithrams, we’re creating a platform where fresh thinking can translate into real-world retail innovation, while giving our youth valuable exposure to how ideas move from concept to execution.”

Himani Maharshi, people and organisation director for Mars Middle East & Africa, said the programme is designed to help participants develop workplace skills while contributing ideas for the future of retail.

“This generation doesn’t just want to be marketed to. They want to be involved in shaping what comes next,” she said. “With ‘It’s MY Z-Store,’ we are inviting the next generation to co-create a retail experience that reflects their expectations today, while building the skills and confidence that will support them in the workplace tomorrow.”

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, more than 60 per cent of the Middle East’s population is under the age of 30, while nearly half of UAE residents are between 15 and 35 years old. Mars Gulf said the competition supports the UAE’s We the UAE Vision 2031 by encouraging youth innovation and future-ready skills.

The competition will run through four themed stages linked to Mars brands—Kellogg’s Knockout, Pringles Power-up, Snickers Strategy and the M&M’s Mega Finale—with shortlisted teams receiving mentorship from Mars Gulf and Choithrams executives.

Participants will also compete for bonus “Bounty Coins” through additional challenges before presenting their final concepts to a panel of senior industry leaders.

Unlike a traditional innovation contest, the winning proposal will be refined with support from Mars Gulf and Choithrams before elements are implemented at selected Choithrams stores across the UAE.

The winning team will also receive an all-expenses-paid visit to Mars’ London office, including a factory tour and meetings with the company’s global business teams.

Applications are open until 21 September, with the competition running from September to December 2026.