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FINANCIAL SERVICES-
ADGM watchdog grants Liminal greenlight: Liminal Custody, a digital wallet infrastructure provider, will now be able to operate as a digital asset custodian in the Mena region after receiving a financial services permission license from Abu Dhabi Global Market’s (ADGM) regulator, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), according to a statement. The FSP license will allow Liminal to hold and manage digital assets for retail and institutional investors, hedge funds, and venture capital firms, Liminal said.
LOGISTICS-
#1-RSA cold chain JV breaks ground on Jebel Ali facility: RSA Cold Chain, a joint venture between Dubai-based RSA Global and US publicly listed temperature-controlled warehousing company Americold, began construction of its flagship facility in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Freezone (Jafza), according to a press release. Built in collaboration with Group Amana, the center will feature eight chambers and expand pallet capacity by 40k, maintaining temperatures as low as -25°C. The project is scheduled for completion in 1Q 2025, with plans to double capacity to 70,600 pallets.
#2- DP World + Einride to deploy the Middle East’s largest fleet of driverless electric cargo vehicles: DP World and autonomous and electric freight mobility outfit Einride have inked an agreement to electrify inter-terminal container flows at Jebel Ali Port, according to a press release. The agreement will see the dispatch of 100 connected electric trucks — the largest fleet of its type in the region. Deployment will begin late this year, and will ramp up to support 1.6k container movements per day. Pilot trials for autonomous trips will kick off in 2025, the statement said.
About the fleet: The fleet will be managed through Einride Sage — a digital operating system that can analyze, optimize, and increase efficiency of electric and autonomous road freight operations, according to the statement. The fleet will curb some 14.k tonnes of CO2 and 158 tonnes of nitrogen oxide emissions per day, once it reaches full capacity.
HEALTHCARE-
M42’s biobank is on track to open next year: Abu Dhabi-based G42 healthcare arm M42 is set to launch a 2 sqkm net-zero biobank in Masdar City next year, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health, M42 Senior VP Albarah Elkhani tells The National. The center will hold the largest collection of human biomaterials in the region, storing up to 5 mn biological samples and 100k stem cells. It will also feature the region’s first public cord-blood bank.
The center will serve the entire region, in a bid to address the underrepresentation of Middle Eastern and Asian communities in global clinical trials, and facilitate research efforts for novel treatments and drug discovery. It will employ local talent, with collaborations with universities currently underway to develop programmes on biobanking to ramp up local expertise.
SUSTAINABILITY-
Tadweer to build waste sorting facility in Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi waste management company Tadweer has issued tenders to establish the emirate’s first greenfield Material Recovery Facility, according to a statement. Construction on the plant, which will have the capacity to process 1.3 mn metric tons of waste annually, will start by the end of the year after the contract is awarded, with operations set to begin in 2026.
The details: The plant will sort recyclables from solid waste, reducing landfill use and producing materials for Abu Dhabi’s waste-to-energy facility, the statement adds. The project will contribute to Tadweer Group’s goal of diverting 80% of waste from landfills by 2030. The long-term plan for the facility also includes providing feedstock to produce sustainable aviation fuel.
FOOD-
Abu Dhabi-based agrofood tech company Silal has opened a 12 sqkm automated packhouse in Al Ain, the Abu Dhabi Media Office reports. The new facility, equipped with 28 precooling chambers and nine cold stores, has a daily capacity of 325 tons and is capable of producing 180k packs per day.
