Good morning, everyone, and happy FRIDAY. There’s plenty of trade and logistics-related news this morning, with copper set to flow in from the Democratic Republic of Congo, dissonance in the US potentially threatening our chip imports, and AD Ports dropping anchor in Aqaba.

On the broader transport front: Dubai looks set to roll out autonomous taxis next month, and Etihad Rail awards USD 8 bn+ in contracts for the Abu Dhabi-Dubai railway.

We also have more data on Dubai’s property market, as well as more signs of traction for tokenization and proptech startups, and news of a potential expansion of Dubai’s first-time home buyer program.

And finally, we have confirmation that 2025 was the year of the data center, with the sub-segment boosting the comms sector’s FDI inflows to USD 320 bn.

Happening today

WEATHER- We’re in for a partly cloudy day, with a high of 26°C in Dubai and 27°C in Abu Dhabi, and a low of 16°C in Dubai and 15°C in the capital.

The International Arab Actuarial Conference is running until Friday in Dubai, bringing together actuaries, insurers, regulators, and banks from across MENA. Sessions will focus on AI, health ins., cyber risk, catastrophe modeling, and pension sustainability.

Happening next week

The Forbes Middle East Top Advisors & Investors Summit is taking place on Tuesday, 10 February and Wednesday, 11 February at the Conrad Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi, convening investors and advisors to examine global capital flows, wealth management, and financial innovation.

AIBC Eurasia is happening next Monday, 9 February until Wednesday, 11 February at Dubai Festival City, focusing on emerging sectors including blockchain, AI, fintech, loT, and big data. Ahead of its Rome summit in November, the two-day conference connects international crypto companies, policymakers, and investors, for exhibitions and keynote speeches.

The World Health Expo is taking place this Monday, 9 February until Thursday, 12 February at the Dubai Exhibition Center. The four-day event convenes industry leaders to showcase the latest healthcare advancements, including technology and research solutions to improve the global healthcare sector.

The AVCJ Private Equity Forum is happening on Tuesday, 10 February at the Four Seasons Hotel in Abu Dhabi. The investment summit will include discussion and networking sessions for international and regional fund managers as well as private equity players, focusing on core trends in the industry.

The Family Office Summit is happening on Wednesday, 11 February at Park Hyatt Dubai, convening principals, CIOs, and advisors to focus on governance, succession planning, alternative investments, and portfolio resilience.

Watch this space

TRADE — The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is set to ship 50k tons of copper to the UAE and Saudi Arabia via a US-backed JV between state miner Gecamines and Swiss commodities group Mercuria, the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) said in a statement. This comes after Gecamines agreed to ship 100k tons to the US last month.

The US is looking to secure its foothold in the DRC’s China-dominated supply chain — and its allies are included. “Growing cooperation between the US and the DRC ensures valuable critical minerals are directed to the US and our allies, and strengthens the economic viability of our African partners,” DFC CEO Ben Black said in an emailed statement to Bloomberg. China heavily leads as the DRC’s major importer, bringing in USD 21.6 bn worth of goods — out of USD 29.6 bn exported in 2024 — followed by South Korea, India, Saudi Arabia, and Spain.

In context: The UAE and the US have recently been expanding their cooperation in the sector, after the UAE joined Pax Silica, a US-led framework designed to secure the supply chains underpinning artificial intelligence.

BACKGROUND- The DFC backed and expressed interest in taking up an equity share in the JV between Gecamines and Mercuria to market copper and cobalt back in December. It aims to expand into germanium and gallium — key minerals for semiconductors and solar panels.

AI — US Senator Elizabeth Warren has reportedly brought to the senate the topic of the US’ exports of some 500k in advanced chips to the UAE, calling for the condemnation and reversal of the planned shipment due to concerns over a conflict of interest between officials in the two countries, CNBC reports. This comes after word came out that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan allegedly acquired a 49% stake in US President Donald Trump’s crypto venture World Liberty Financial shortly after Trump’s inauguration. Trump has so far claimed he knew nothing about the transaction.

What’s next: The senator was planning to bring the issue to the table yesterday, but she would require zero objections from the rest of the senate to take it forward.

RAIL — Etihad Rail awarded over USD 8 bn in design-and-build contracts for the Abu Dhabi-Dubai high-speed railway, Meed reports. Construction will focus on the 150-km first phase stretching from Abu Dhabi’s Al Zahiyah to Dubai’s Al Jaddaf, with a target to be operational by 2030.

This project plans to create a new commuting and logistics spine for the UAE, with trains designed to run at 320 km/h — slashing the journey time between major hubs like Al Jaddaf and Al Zahiyah to just 30 minutes. The railway is expected to contribute AED 145 bn to GDP over 50 years.

What’s next? The four-phase project will scale up to include a 10-station inner-city network in Abu Dhabi in the second phase, before extending to Al Ain and Sharjah in the final phases.

Meet the players: National Projects Construction will head the Abu Dhabi side of the project, joined by Trojan Tunelling, Turkey’s Kalyon, and China State Construction Engineering — with US-based firm Jacobs leading design. The Dubai side went to a group led by India’s Larsen & Toubro, alongside China Harbour Engineering and local firm Wade Adams, with French firm Egis and Singapore-based Surbana Jurong as designers.

REAL ESTATE — Tourists might soon swap souvenirs for title deeds: Dubai Land Department (DLD) is studying whether to open its first-time home buyer program to non-residents and visitors, Majid Al Marri, CEO of real estate registration at DLD, told Emarat Al Youm.

REFRESHER- Launched in July 2025 with the Economy and Tourism Department, the program offers first-time buyers early access to off-plan projects, DLD fee waivers, and preferential mortgage rates. Currently, eligibility is restricted to UAE residents aged 18 and above who hold an Emirates ID and have never owned property in Dubai.

The track record: Since its launch, over 2k residents have bought homes through the scheme, generating nearly AED 3.3 bn in sales, DLD’s Mohamed Yahya previously told Dubai Eye (watch, runtime: 11:31). Most transactions averaged around AED 2 mn.

What to watch: The infrastructure to scale is already in place, with 40k people on the waitlist and eight developers joining the second phase, Al Marri said. The final hurdle is the verification mechanics for international buyers, which he expects to finalize later this year.

TRANSPORT — Dubai has launched operations of fully autonomous RT6 taxis developed by Baidu’s Apollo Go, marking the emirate’s first deployment of driverless vehicles on city roads, state news agency Wam reports. The vehicles are built for fleet-scale deployment and are scheduled for public rollout in March, Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum said, according to Khaleej Times.

REMEMBER- Autonomous driving has been all the rage, with Abu Dhabi having already rolled out licensed Level 4 robotaxis on Yas Island in December and preparing to expand across core districts, after WeRide received federal approval to operate its robotaxi services in October.

Data point

1.9k — that’s the number of new companies that registered with DIFC last year, up 28% y-o-y, Bloomberg reports, citing a statement. The increase, driven by international hedge funds and wealth managers — with the hub now home to over 500 wealth and asset management firms — brings DIFC’s total registration roster to 8.8k active firms. This helped hike up revenues 20% to AED 2.1 bn, with net income rising 28% y-o-y.

This year is expected to see a similar influx rate, DIFC Governor Essa Kazim told reporters.

The financial center is preparing for the new firms: Dubai recently approved an AED 100 bn expansion for DIFC, which will make space for another 42k companies and 125k workers when completed in 2040.

IN CONTEXT- The expansion is trying to address the rising space crunch, as occupancy rates hit 99.8%. However, the actual effect of the 17.7 mn sq ft expansion is still up for debate, as Knight Frank’s Adam Wynne told us most of the new space has already been pre-leased. On the upside, more space could help tamp down on further rental growth, Knight Frank’s Faisal Durrani said.

PSA

Abu Dhabi opens the door to self-supply solar, starting with farms + rest houses: Abu Dhabi Energy Department has rolled out a solar self-supply policy that lets customers generate and consume their own power during the day instead of fully relying on the grid.

The how: The policy operates through an opt-in framework — customers can either stick with grid electricity or install rooftop solar, solar water heaters, and batteries to cover evening demand. Those signing up will be able to legally self-consume PV power on-site, pair it with storage options, and reduce grid pressure at peak hours.

What to watch: The policy launches first for the agricultural sector and owners of rest houses and ranches. More policies are slated for rollout throughout this year, along with an energy efficiency guidance manual for households and companies, the department said.

The big story abroad

The broad selloff hitting AI stocks, crypto, and even safe havens like silver and gold, is capturing everyone’s attention this Friday morning. The S&P 500 fell 1.2% yesterday, marking its third straight decline, while the Nasdaq saw its deepest decline since last April. Meanwhile, crypto had its worst day in years, falling to its lowest point at USD 63.2k since the crash in 2022 and wiping all of the gains it had made since US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Even after markets closed, Amazon plunged 8% on news that it plans to invest USD 200 bn this year alone on data centers, chips, and other equipment.

Concerns that the rout is also extending to debt markets are also starting to mount, with the prices of loans issued by some software firms falling in recent weeks.

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