botim money launched in-app digital silver investing, allowing UAE users to buy fractional silver from Dhs10. This expands botim's precious metals offering after a successful gold investment feature launch in 2023, with over 128,000 trades and Dhs100m volume. The move democratizes access to silver, aligning with growing global demand and botim's broader financial services push.
botim money, the financial services arm of botim, has launched digital silver investing within its in-app ‘Invest’ feature, enabling eligible users in the UAE to buy, sell and manage fractional silver holdings starting from Dhs10.
The rollout follows the introduction of in-app gold investing in partnership with OGold and expands botim’s precious metals offering as part of its broader push into accessible, digital-first financial tools.
The new silver feature is designed to remove traditional barriers associated with bulk purchases and offline storage, providing users with a regulated, fully in-app experience. It forms part of botim’s wider financial services build-out, complementing existing payments and remittance functionalities.
Since its launch in August 2025, botim money’s gold investment feature has recorded 128,000 in-app gold trades, with total transaction volumes exceeding Dhs100m. The uptake, the company said, highlights sustained demand to extend its ‘Invest’ suite beyond gold into additional asset classes such as silver.
Sacha Haider, chief operating officer of Astra Tech – botim, said: “We were the first fintech platform to announce plans for a digital gold investment portfolio within botim’s fintech ecosystem in 2023, in partnership with OGold.
“Since launch, fractional investing has removed traditional minimum investment thresholds that historically limited participation and driven notable growth in usage. Extended to silver and bombined with botim’s ease of use and scale, this creates a seamless and inclusive pathway for users to begin investing with confidence.”
Bandar Alothman, chairman and founder at OGold, added: “As an Emirati company, our goal at OGold is to make precious metal ownership simple, accessible, and secure for everyone. Partnering with a platform as widely used as botim allows us to extend these innovative silver earning solutions to millions of users.”
Alothman added that this would be a game-changer for “democratising access to timeless assets through Silver Wakalah”, which ensures silver is not a stagnant investment.
“Instead of just sitting in a vault, your silver is put to work to grow your wealth with just a few taps.”
The launch comes amid renewed global interest in silver, driven both by its role as a store-of-value asset and its industrial applications. The global silver market is expected to record a sixth consecutive annual deficit in 2026, with a projected shortfall of around 67 million ounces, even as retail investment demand is forecast to rise.
By adding silver to its investment suite, botim is positioning itself to broaden asset diversification options for everyday users, supporting the UAE’s ambition to build a mature, digital-first financial ecosystem.
Why Saudi’s giga projects are changing how cities are built
Saudi Arabia’s giga projects are frequently discussed in terms of sheer scale, but Campbell Gray, CEO of AtkinsRéalis, Middle East, argues their real impact lies in how they are redefining city-making
AtkinsRéalis CEO highlights the Gulf's infrastructure shift from landmark projects to integrated systems supporting long-term economic transformation. Key changes include focus on sustainability, digital integration, measurable outcomes, and localization. Projects prioritize whole-life value, urban planning considers dynamic systems, and sustainability emphasizes long-term resilience. Digital tools and collaborative approaches are crucial for efficient, value-driven development.
The Gulf is undergoing one of the most ambitious infrastructure investment cycles globally. But according to Campbell Gray, CEO of AtkinsRéalis Middle East, the real story is not scale — it is structural maturity.
Over the past five years, the region has shifted from delivering landmark projects to building integrated systems designed to support long-term economic transformation.
“In recent years, the region has shifted from delivering individual projects to building fully integrated systems and approaches that support long-term economic transformation,” Gray explains. “National visions now provide a clear sense of direction, aligning investment, delivery models, and expected outcomes.”
That shift is redefining everything from design briefs to procurement frameworks.
From projects to interconnected ecosystems
Giga projects across Saudi Arabia and the UAE are no longer conceived as standalone developments. They are designed as interconnected ecosystems, raising expectations for integration, governance and delivery discipline.
“Sustainability has become a standard requirement, and digital tools now sit at the centre of how risk, sequencing and performance are managed,” Gray says. “The key difference now though, is the necessity for clearly defined brief and basis of design leading to a development investment that provides a demonstrable and tangible return.”
This focus on measurable outcomes marks a departure from earlier phases of rapid growth. Governments and developers are placing greater emphasis on front-end clarity, lifecycle performance, and return on investment rather than simply project completion.
“The region’s accelerated localisation agenda is reshaping procurement and supply chains, creating clearer pathways for national participation,” he adds. “Collectively, these changes signal a more mature development environment; one increasingly focused on measurable results rather than activity alone.”
Campbell Gray, CEO of AtkinsRéalis Middle East
Saudi Arabia’s urban reset
Saudi Arabia’s giga projects are frequently discussed in terms of sheer scale, but Gray argues their real impact lies in how they are redefining city-making.
“These programmes reflect a deeper understanding that cities are dynamic systems that have evolved over decades. Planning now begins with how people will move, live, work, and interact with their environment, as well as how places will perform socially and environmentally over time.”
This systemic approach is influencing mixed-use design, mobility integration and long-term asset stewardship. Development companies are increasingly structured as long-term custodians rather than short-term delivery entities.
“Digital integration has become essential, enabling thousands of decisions and interfaces to be managed with clarity and consistency,” Gray notes. “Once operational, these cities rely on real time data to optimise energy use, transport and public services, creating urban environments that can adapt to changing needs and continue to generate value long after construction is complete.”
Industrialised construction methods, local manufacturing investment, and performance-driven commercial frameworks are also becoming standard features of delivery models.
Economic diversification across the Gulf is creating new asset classes, from cultural districts to innovation hubs. That, in turn, is reshaping demand for engineering and advisory services.
“Diversification is driving a clear shift toward integrated and multidisciplinary thinking,” Gray says. “Cultural districts, innovation hubs and creative clusters need planning, engineering, mobility, landscape, digital and ESG considerations to be shaped as a single coherent strategy rather than separate workstreams.”
He highlights the growing importance of upstream advisory work. “The difference now is the clear need for up front technical advisory expertise, to ensure the vision can be matched in delivery, ultimately around return on investment, quality, cost and of course programme.”
Saudi Arabia’s SAR81bn commitment to cultural infrastructure underscores this shift, with culture targeted to contribute around 3 per cent to GDP. Consultants are increasingly expected to stay engaged across the full asset lifecycle, connecting policy ambition with delivery discipline.
Sustainability in the Gulf is no longer a differentiator — it is a baseline expectation. But the definition has evolved.
“Sustainability is now viewed through the lens of long-term resilience,” Gray explains. “Clients want assets that reduce emissions, manage climate risks, and maintain strong performance over many decades.”
Whole-life carbon analysis, circularity, water efficiency and extreme heat adaptation are now embedded in project briefs from the outset. Nature-based solutions are gaining traction alongside engineered resilience measures.
“Importantly, performance is increasingly evaluated during operation, not just at handover,” he says. “This shift shows how deeply sustainability is now embedded in everyday decision making.”
Speed versus value
The Gulf remains known for pace. However, Gray believes the narrative has shifted from speed at any cost to speed with discipline.
“The region has moved beyond the mentality of building fast at any cost. The prevailing approach now is to build fast while safeguarding long-term value.”
Front-end planning, scenario modelling and closer contractor collaboration are becoming essential.
“A key part for us is a much closer working relationship with the contractor as well as the clients. Very much a joint problem-solving approach.”
Yet challenges remain. “Governments are increasingly assessing projects based on whole-life value rather than upfront cost or delivery timelines alone. This is however very immature, and whilst the rhetoric is improving, lowest cost still wins, and this rarely creates value for money.”
Digital assurance tools are playing a crucial role in managing complexity at scale, offering real-time risk visibility while maintaining quality and resilience.
Across the built environment, digital tools are reshaping decision-making.
“Digital technology is fundamentally reshaping how decisions are made and how assets are managed,” Gray says. “Digital twins and advanced modeling enable teams to test scenarios and understand impacts well before construction begins.”
AI-enabled delivery tools are enhancing predictability and productivity, while integrated data platforms allow urban systems — energy, mobility and public services — to be managed proactively.
“This shift from project-level decision-making to system-level planning is creating more resilient, efficient cities and enabling governments to allocate resources with far greater confidence.”
Global lessons, regional benchmarks
Gulf cities continue to draw on global best practices, particularly in transit-oriented development and low-carbon planning. However, the region is increasingly setting its own benchmarks through the pace and scale of implementation.
“The focus has shifted from iconic individual assets to integrated citywide strategies that connect land use, mobility, climate resilience, and quality of life,” Gray notes.
Major waterfront regeneration projects, heritage districts and large-scale public realm initiatives demonstrate how global expertise can be adapted to local ambition.
Looking ahead, Gray believes the next phase of growth will centre on systems that support diversified, knowledge-based economies.
“Green and resilient infrastructure will be essential as populations expand, and climate pressures intensify. Social infrastructure and mixed-use districts will play a central role in developing talent and strengthening quality of life.”
Mass transit will play a defining role. “With rapid population growth, mass transit and how we move around cities will significantly impact how we work, play and live in the future; and fundamental for regional developers. For the first time, commuter times will play a much bigger part in where and how we spend our time.”
Logistics, industrial and digital infrastructure will reinforce the Gulf’s role as a global trade and innovation hub. Meanwhile, experience-led cultural destinations are emerging as critical pillars of diversification.
Across all sectors, Gray sees a consistent theme emerging.
“Across all sectors, the focus will be on long-term performance, integration, and value creation rather than short-term delivery milestones.”
For the Gulf’s built environment, scale remains impressive. But maturity, not magnitude, is increasingly the defining characteristic of this infrastructure cycle.
Yas Island offers a limited-time "Stay and Play" Ramadan package, driving tourism with free iftar, daily breakfast, and theme park access with hotel stays. Bookings are valid until March 16 for stays between February 17 and March 16. This promotion aims to boost occupancy during Ramadan by bundling accommodation, dining, and attractions.
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island has launched a Ramadan-focused “Stay and Play” package, bundling complimentary iftar with hotel stays as part of a wider strategy to drive domestic and regional tourism during the Holy Month.
The limited-time promotion includes free iftar for every night of a guest’s stay at participating hotels on Yas Island and selected Yas Neighbour properties. The package also incorporates daily breakfast and access to the island’s theme parks, positioning the offer as a value-led family staycation product.
The campaign is valid for bookings made until March 16, covering stays between February 17 and March 16, and is subject to terms and conditions.
The offer integrates access to Yas Island’s flagship attractions, including Ferrari World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, Warner Bros. World Yas Island, Abu Dhabi and SeaWorld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Additional paid add-ons include experiences such as CLYMB and karting at Yas Marina Circuit.
The Ramadan bundle reflects a broader trend across the UAE’s hospitality and leisure sector, where operators are increasingly packaging accommodation, dining and attractions into integrated offers to stimulate occupancy and ancillary spend during a period traditionally characterised by shorter daytime trading hours and stronger evening demand.
Dubai's KHDA announced reduced school hours (max 5 hours weekdays, ending by 11:30 AM Fridays) for private schools during Ramadan 2026, exempting fasting students from PE and considering parental feedback on schedules. The UAE Ministry of Human Resources also declared a two-hour reduction in daily working hours for private sector employees.
As the Holy Month of Ramadan approaches, Dubai authorities have unveiled revised school timings to ensure a balanced learning environment that reflects the spirit of the season.
In a statement, Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) extended greetings to students and the wider educational community, wishing them a month filled with “goodness and blessings.”
The authority outlined new attendance guidelines for private schools in Dubai, emphasising that the school day on weekdays must not exceed five hours. Schools are also encouraged to consider parents’ feedback when setting start and end times and to exempt fasting students from participating in physical education classes.
Additionally, schools are required to conclude classes by 11:30am on Fridays to allow students and staff to attend congregational prayers.
Private sector work hours reduced
Meanwhile, on February 12, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) announced a two-hour reduction in daily working hours for private sector employees across the UAE during Ramadan.
Private companies may implement flexible or remote working arrangements within the reduced hours, depending on business needs and the nature of their operations, according to a report by Emirates News Agency (WAM).
The decision aligns with the Implementing Regulations of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 regarding the Regulation of Employment Relationships and its amendments.
An Iraqi-Emirati consortium plans a $700M subsea data cable, WorldLink, from the UAE to Turkey via Iraq, aiming to reduce congestion on east-west data routes. This project, privately funded and targeting hyperscalers, follows a similar Saudi-backed initiative in Syria. Both projects highlight Gulf states' competition to capitalize on regional connectivity demand and attract data center investment.
An Iraqi-Emirati consortium plans a $700m subsea-and-terrestrial data cable linking the United Arab Emirates to Turkey via Iraq, one of the backers said, just over a week after announcement of a Saudi-backed fibre-optic project in Syria.
Gulf neighbours Saudi Arabia and the UAE are racing to tap into the demand for connectivity in the region and to attract investment into data centres.
The Iraqi-UAE project, branded WorldLink, would comprise an undersea cable from Fujairah in the UAE to Iraq’s Faw peninsula on the Gulf which will then run overland north to the Turkish border, Ali El Ekabi, head of Iraq’s Tech 964 – one of the three members of the consortium – told Reuters.
El Ekabi said the project would be privately funded, take four to five years to complete and target “hyperscalers, international carriers, and AI applications”. It aims to ease congestion on existing east-west data routes and reduce transit times versus paths that run through the Suez Canal.
The Emirati foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
It is the second such new project planned in the region. Saudi Arabia and Syria announced on February 7 plans to set up a fibre-optic network under a wider investment package. The project was described as a roughly $1 billion push to rehabilitate Syria’s infrastructure and position it as a data route between Asia and Europe.
Besides Tech 964, WorldLink’s sponsors include Iraq-Kurdish DIL Technologies and UAE-based Breeze Investments, according to El Ekabi, who is the son of Iraqi real estate billionaire Namir El Ekabi.
Iraq, which is trying to market itself as a stable transit corridor after decades of conflict, launched a $17bn “Development Road” rail-and-road plan in 2023 to connect Faw to Turkey.
Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) launched facial recognition for notary transactions, a regional first, replacing digital signatures. Initially for powers of attorney, it uses encrypted biometric data for instant identity verification, streamlining authentication. ADJD aims to expand the technology to other services, enhancing efficiency and simplifying the customer journey in line with a vision for future-ready judicial services.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department (ADJD) has rolled out the first phase of a facial recognition project for notary transactions, becoming the first judicial authority in the region to adopt the technology as an alternative to digital signatures.
The initiative is designed to strengthen the notarial authentication system and enhance service efficiency, in line with the highest standards of accuracy and reliability.
In its initial phase, the system will apply to powers of attorney for lawyers, allowing documents to be authenticated in record time using smart devices. The technology relies on encrypted biometric data and instant matching with official records to verify identity, eliminating the need for digital signatures.
Counsellor Yousef Saeed Al Abri, ADJD Undersecretary, said the move reflects the vision and directives of Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court and Chairman of ADJD.
He explained that introducing facial recognition for notary transactions represents a strategic step towards future-ready judicial services, focused on simplifying the customer journey and reducing time and effort through proactive and flexible digital solutions that enable faster completion of official procedures.
The department said it plans to expand the use of facial recognition to additional notary and authentication services in the next phase.
