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UAE Accelerates Urban, Customs, and Financial Reforms as It Deepens Strategic Ties

The latest steps move flagship initiatives into delivery to reinforce Dubai’s global standing.

Overview

  • Dubai Municipality’s Urban Planning and Design Lab reported a 100‑day rollout with 13 partners, 35 innovation workshops, 45 design concepts, and 25 urban projects now in development.
  • Crown Prince Hamdan directed Dubai Customs to set a global benchmark, backing a 2026–2030 strategy and the AI‑driven Coordinator 2.0 that cuts goods classification from a day to two seconds, with 86% adoption and downloads in 117 countries.
  • Emirates NBD introduced the first UAE bank‑branded gold bar, offered via redeemable gold certificates in 10g, 50g, and 100g denominations with unique authenticity verification.
  • The UAE and India co‑chaired the 16th Joint Committee and Strategic Dialogue, reviewing CEPA progress and advancing UPI–AANI payment connectivity with broader card‑scheme interoperability.
  • President Mohamed bin Zayed and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched negotiations for a UAE–EU Strategic Partnership Agreement and reaffirmed support for a two‑state solution.