Metaverse, Web3 developments in the pipeline for Dubai, says Marwan Al Zarouni

From blockchain to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Dubai is in full force to embrace emerging technology such as the metaverse and virtual reality experience, according to Dubai Blockchain Center CEO Dr. Marwan Al Zarouni.

Speaking during a fireside chat with Draper Goren Holm founder Josef Holm at the AIBC Eurasia happening at the Intercontinental Hotel Festival City in Dubai, Al Zarouni said a lot of other initiatives will be coming out as well.

“Since 2012, we have grown Dubai to be the number one destination worldwide for blockchain and crypto technology,” Al Zarouni said. “And, it’s also one of the key players worldwide when it comes to AI, and also the metaverse.”

Experience Dubai through technology

“So the metaverse, Web3, and all of these kinds of aspects of gaming, which is not only limited to entertainment but also tied into government services [and] user experiences across Dubai, which is augmented and enhanced by virtual reality experiences,” Al Zarouni detailed.

“People who cannot even come to Dubai or the UAE can experience how Dubai is through the metaverse as well,” he said.

Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’

Last year, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, unveiled the Emirate’s new economic agenda called ‘D33’. 

The key goal of D33 is to double the size of Dubai’s economy over the next decade and Al Zarouni said blockchain and emerging technology will play a role in that.

“Dubai is always pushing the envelope, trying to push the boundaries, and trying to really make you think outside the box when it comes to technologies,” he said.

Dubai plans to be a developer’s haven with incubator, accelerator programs

Meanwhile, Holm raised the importance of harnessing developers’ community in Dubai.

“There is no crypto without community, right? And there is also no scale-up without the possibility of hiring talent locally, which frankly has been a bit of a bottleneck here in Dubai,” Holm said.

In response, Al Zarouni said Dubai has lined up events to harness the developer community in the Emirate.

“We’ll create a lot of incubators [and] accelerators as well to attract more developers to come to Dubai,” he said.

“But not only that, a lot of developers have already moved to Dubai and do not have visibility over what is happening in the community, so we’ll create central websites that have a repository of all these kinds of events and happenings in Dubai to maximise their presence here,” the Dubai Blockchain Center CEO said.

Al Zarouni said he hopes developers will choose to stay in Dubai, which offers handholding for entrepreneurs and companies who want to set up offices in the Emirate.