ALTÉRRA, the leading private investment platform for climate finance, and global bank BBVA have inked a strategic partnership, under which BBVA will commit $250m as a proposed strategic limited partner (LP) to a climate-focused co-investment vehicle ALTÉRRA intends to launch, subject to regulatory approvals.

The fund, once approved, will be domiciled in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and consolidate existing co-investments from ALTÉRRA Acceleration into a dedicated structure managed by ALTÉRRA.

The fund aims to mobilise capital for climate-aligned infrastructure, private equity, and private credit.

“The fund marks a new chapter for ALTÉRRA as we move into our next stage of growth and deepen our ability to mobilise and deploy global capital toward high-impact investments,” said Dr Sultan Al Jaber, ALTÉRRA’s chairman. “Our partnership with BBVA strengthens global collaboration in clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and technology investments, allowing us to continue to back high-quality opportunities delivering long-term value.”

Carlos Torres Vila, chair of BBVA, said the collaboration “aligns with BBVA’s strategy to make sustainability a key driver of differential growth globally and to deepen our presence in fast-growing climate finance hubs such as Abu Dhabi.”

ALTÉRRA Opportunity Fund to pursue a diversified strategy

The ALTÉRRA Opportunity Fund will pursue a diversified global strategy, investing in energy transition, industrial decarbonisation, climate technology, and sustainable living. Its portfolio will target North America, Latin America, Europe, and other growth markets.

BBVA, which has maintained a representative office in Abu Dhabi since 2013, recently received in-principle approval from ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority to open a branch in the emirate, allowing it to expand its wholesale banking services and strengthen its support for corporate and institutional clients in the region.

By becoming an anchor investor in ALTÉRRA’s new climate fund, BBVA is deepening its relationship with one of the Middle East’s most influential investors and advancing its sustainability ambitions.

The bank aims to channel EUR700bn into sustainable business between 2025 and 2029, following early achievement of its previous EUR300bn target.

In addition to the $250m commitment in ALTÉRRA, BBVA has invested approximately EUR300m in climate funds focused on decarbonisation as part of its ongoing global climate strategy.

The partnership was announced during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week by Dr Al Jaber and Vila.

Sharjah Asset Management has unveiled its new 2026–2028 corporate strategy, outlining a roadmap to support the emirate’s economic and social development while strengthening the organisation’s role in sustainable growth and responsible investment.

The strategy was launched during an internal ceremony at SAM’s headquarters, attended by group CEO Waleed Al Sayegh, the leadership team, and employees, underscoring the organisation’s focus on execution, alignment, and human capital.

“Our new strategy stems from a firm conviction that our employees are the true drivers of achievement,” Al Sayegh said. He noted that the plan is designed to be action-oriented, placing people at its core and supported by a work environment that links incentives, benefits and rewards directly to performance.

The 2026–2028 strategy is structured around maximising the financial value of SAM’s investment portfolio to support Sharjah’s long-term, sustainable economic growth. It prioritises profitability and operational efficiency, while reinforcing governance and responsible investment principles across all asset classes.

Key pillars of the strategy include diversifying revenue streams, enhancing stakeholder satisfaction, and expanding SAM’s local and international footprint through targeted partnerships. The plan also aims to strengthen institutional capabilities and improve operational performance across the portfolio to ensure long-term resilience and value creation.

By aligning investment performance with social and economic outcomes, Sharjah Asset Management’s new strategy reflects the emirate’s broader vision of balanced development, positioning SAM as a central enabler of sustainable growth over the next phase of Sharjah’s economic journey.

Read: Sharjah power outage resolved after emergency network fault

Dubai has launched a pilot shared school transport service that aims to modernise the daily school commute through technology-enabled operations and shared mobility.

The initiative, led by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in partnership with global tech company Yango Group, introduces luxury SUVs that transport students from multiple schools along the same route.

Read more-School traffic jams in Dubai: How is RTA trying to solve the problem in 2026

Rolled out on January 14, 2026, the pilot is designed to offer families a safer, more affordable, and more efficient alternative to private car journeys and traditional school transport. By combining shared mobility with real-time technology, the service reflects Dubai’s broader push toward smarter and more sustainable transport solutions.

The pilot aligns with RTA’s school transport safety standards, providing parents with greater reassurance around daily travel. Yango Group’s technological solutions enable continuous monitoring of vehicle operations, transparent trip management, and live tracking of each journey. These smart systems are intended to support consistent service quality, clear operational oversight, and reliable day-to-day performance, while also allowing for ongoing improvements based on real-time data.

Cost-conscious shared mobility model

Available to students aged 14 and above, the service will launch with a special rate of Dhs1,000 per month, with online payments only. Each journey is designed to deliver students from home to school within a maximum travel time of 60 minutes. By grouping students from the same neighbourhoods, the model helps reduce individual transport costs while lowering dependence on private vehicles for school drop-offs.

This shared approach is also expected to ease traffic congestion around school zones during peak hours, contributing to safer, quicker, and more organised pick-up and drop-off environments. The benefits are particularly significant for households with multiple children or longer daily commutes.

Initial schools and future outlook

The pilot will initially serve students attending Bloom Academy, Brighton College, GEMS Founders School, GEMS Al Barsha National School, Dubai American Academy, and the American School of Dubai, with coverage across surrounding residential areas. Pick-up and drop-off schedules will align with individual school timings, and parents will receive advance notification of assigned schedules.

As the pilot progresses, feedback from families and participating schools will be used to evaluate performance and inform potential expansion. The initiative could evolve into a long-term transport option across Dubai, supporting safer roads, reduced costs for families, and a more efficient daily commute.

Parents can register interest here.

Lunate, the Abu Dhabi‑based global investment management firm, has launched its Boreas range of UCITS thematic exchange‑traded funds (ETFs) on Deutsche Börse Xetra, becoming the first provider from the Middle East to offer a suite of ETFs on a European exchange.

The move highlights growing financial links between Middle Eastern and European capital markets and gives global investors access to a new suite of innovative thematic and speciality ETFs, the firm said, with products designed to capture long‑term themes expected to drive future economic value and support diversified portfolios.

The first fund in the range, the Boreas S&P AI Data, Power & Infrastructure UCITS ETF, began trading on Xetra under the tickers POWR in euros and POWA in US dollars.

A concurrent listing of the Boreas S&P Absolute Luxury UCITS ETF on both Xetra and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) is planned for January 27.

Lunate said additional products, including the Boreas Solactive Quantum Computing UCITS ETF, are expected later this year.

Lunate’s Boreas ETFs target AI, luxury and emerging technology themes

The Absolute Luxury ETF aims to provide targeted exposure to Europe’s luxury sector by tracking the S&P Europe Luxury 35/20 Capped Index, with holdings including companies such as Hermès, Ferrari, Burberry, LVMH and Richemont.

The fund will have a total expense ratio of 49 basis points, and UAE investors can subscribe through six authorised participants or via the ADX eIPO portal between January 15 and January 21.

The Boreas thematic ETFs are intended for both traditional institutional investors and a new generation of savers and investors using digital platforms, offering transparent, liquid and cost‑efficient exposure to specific growth themes.

The range is managed by Lunate, with product development and research support from Northwind, which acts as the exclusive consultant on ETF strategy, the firm said.

Jane Street serves as the dedicated market maker for the European‑listed ETFs, AHP Capital/NTree Deutschland has been appointed distributor, and Euroclear Bank will act as the international central securities depository, Lunate added.

Sherif Salem, partner and head of public markets at Lunate, said the launch marks a “historic milestone” as the firm becomes the first from the region to list its ETFs on a European exchange and helps global investors access differentiated thematic and specialist strategies.

Geir Espeskog, chief executive officer of Northwind, said global innovation across technology, energy and security is accelerating and creating compelling opportunities for thematic investing.

Lunate’s suite of thematic ETFs in Europe and the UAE links capital from the Middle East with specialised exposures such as data infrastructure, luxury brands and emerging technologies, the firm said.

Read: Blackstone, Abu Dhabi’s Lunate form $5bn logistics platform for GCC expansion

Lean Technologies and Ziina have launched the UAE’s first live, customer-initiated Open Finance payment experience under the Central Bank of the UAE’s Open Finance framework, marking a key milestone in the country’s financial infrastructure evolution.

With this launch, Ziina, a licensed financial institution operating under a Stored Value Facility (SVF) authorisation, becomes the first entity in the UAE to execute live Open Finance payments initiated directly by customers. Ziina users can now make instant, account-to-account bank payments within the app through regulated Open Finance APIs that connect securely to their bank accounts, eliminating the need for manual transfers or channel switching.

Lean Technologies provides the regulated Open Finance infrastructure underpinning the solution, including secure connectivity, compliant payment initiation and enterprise-grade resilience. Ziina delivers the customer-facing experience, designing a seamless payment flow aligned with local consumer expectations around speed, predictability and trust.

The launch represents a shift in the UAE’s Open Finance journey from technical readiness to real-world, production-grade deployment. Enabled by the UAE’s Open Finance Regulation, Nebras—the national Open Finance platform—and Al Tareq, the Central Bank’s API framework, the ecosystem provides a secure, consent-based foundation for licensed providers to deliver innovative financial services at scale.

Faisal Toukan, co-founder and CEO of Ziina, said: “Delivering the UAE’s first customer-initiated Open Finance payment marks an important step for the country’s financial ecosystem. Regulated, API-driven payments, now operating at production scale, are beginning to influence expectations around speed, transparency and trust. Enabling customers to complete a bank payment directly inside the Ziina app through Open Finance reflects how forward-thinking policy can shape everyday financial behaviour. We are proud to partner with Lean Technologies to bring the vision to life.”

Hisham Al-Falih, CEO of Lean Technologies, commented: “Seeing Open Finance payments live in the UAE is a meaningful moment for the market. This milestone reflects the Central Bank’s vision for modern, secure financial infrastructure and shows what becomes possible when strong connectivity meets thoughtful product execution. Ziina has been an exceptional partner, and we are proud to enable the country’s first live Open Finance payment experience.”

Lean has played a foundational role in building Open Finance infrastructure across the UAE, working closely with regulators, banks and fintechs to enable secure, scalable payment and data connectivity aligned with the Central Bank’s Financial Infrastructure Transformation programme. Its platform has been tested across production-grade use cases and is designed to support national-scale adoption.

Ziina’s participation in this milestone reflects its broader role in the UAE’s payments landscape. The company operates a unified platform serving consumers and SMEs, integrating account transfers, card payments and invoicing into a single interface. By introducing the country’s first customer-initiated Open Finance payment, Ziina demonstrates how regulated connectivity can be translated into simple, reliable payment experiences suited to a rapidly digitising economy.

Read: UnionPay and Amazon Payment Services expand digital payments across MENA