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Dubai blockchain leadership

At ZorroSign, we are huge advocates of blockchain technology and its role in the metaverse and web3. We truly believe that the future for maintaining the highest level of security and privacy for businesses and online transactions is rooted in blockchain solutions.

Dubai is a city embracing the use of blockchain technology and wooing forward-thinking entrepreneurs. It has a history of visionary innovation, having already attracted 1,000 companies in the blockchain and metaverse space.

Recently, Dubai hosted the Future Blockchain Summit—the MENA region’s longest-running exhibition and conference connecting key stakeholders across Blockchain, crypto and Web3. “Dubai is seen as the main hub for blockchain and Metaverse,” said LandVault CEO, Sam Huber, in a recent article in the Khaleej Times. Let’s take a closer look at the blockchain initiative that is taking place in Dubai . . .

Dubai’s Blockchain Strategy 

Dubai has taken a global lead in the use of blockchain technology with the Dubai Blockchain Strategy launched in October 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum— propelling Dubai to be the first city in the world to conduct applicable government transactions via blockchain by 2020.

https://www.digitaldubai.ae/initiatives/blockchain

From that bold initiative—focused on improving government efficiency, creating new industry, and leading the world with paperless operations—Dubai has continually explored and evaluated distributed ledger technology innovations that demonstrate an opportunity to deliver more seamless, safe, efficient, and impactful city experiences.

It was from that 2016 vision that ZorroSign’s co-founder and CEO, Shamsh Hadi, drew inspiration to map his company’s emerging eSignature solution to blockchain. In the years since, ZorroSign has built a multi-chain blockchain platform uniting digital signatures, identity-as-a-service, automated compliance, and many more web3 technologies to support not only Dubai’s paperless initiatives and the vision of Sheikh Mohammed, but paperless operations for businesses, governments, and individuals around the world. Dubai’s blockchain strategy was a key beginning!

Dubai’s Metaverse Strategy

In September 2022, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, launched the Dubai Metaverse Strategy—aiming to turn Dubai into one of the world’s top ten metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the metaverse community.

“The Dubai Metaverse Strategy seeks to: 

  • “Foster innovation, enhance the metaverse’s economic contributions through research and development collaborations, and promote advanced ecosystems utilizing accelerators and incubators that attract companies and projects to Dubai;
  • “Foster talent and invest in future capabilities by providing the necessary support in metaverse education aimed at developers, content creators and users of digital platforms in the metaverse community; and,
  • “Develop web3 technology and its applications to create new governmental work models and development in vital sectors, including tourism, education, retail, remote work, healthcare and the legal sector.”
https://www.mediaoffice.ae/en/news/2022/July/18-07/Hamdan-bin-Mohammed-launches-Dubai-Metaverse-Strategy

Smart Dubai

“After the successful implementation of the strategy to transform Dubai into a Smart City by 2017, Dubai Government launched the Smart Dubai 2021 Strategy.”

With goals of customer happiness, economic growth, and resource and infrastructure resilience, the Smart Dubai 2021 Strategy presents six strategic objectives to achieve:

  • A “smart livable and resilient city” — achieving full information and communication technology (ICT) enablement of critical infrastructure, enhancing resilience and delivering an integrated, sustainable urban experience.
  • A “globally competitive economy powered by disruptive technologies” — digitally transforming economic sectors, transitioning to sustainability while fostering vibrant entrepreneurship and innovative ecosystems.
  • An “interconnected society with easily accessible social services” ­—digitizing and simplifying access to services for residents and visitors, improving the quality of life and streamlining social, cultural, education, and healthcare experiences in the emirate.
  • “Smooth transport driven by autonomous and shared mobility solutions” — pioneering mobile solutions for a seamless and safe transportation experience, harnessing autonomous transportation technologies, and reducing time spent commuting.
  • A “clean environment enabled by cutting-edge ICT innovations” — deploying technologies that ensure sustainability and quality of the emirate’s resources (water, air, energy, and land), improving resource efficiency and conserving consumption, and digitally transform utilities/manufacturing/transportation to reduce the emirate’s carbon footprint.
  • A “digital, lean connected government” — i.e., “a government with zero visits” eliminating the need to commute to and physically interact with the government via paperless, cashless government operations delivering optimized experiences and powered by world-class city-wide shared services and infrastructure.
https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/strategies-initiatives-and-awards/local-governments-strategies-and-plans/smart-dubai-2021-strategy

“The Digital Dubai initiative represents a vision to recreate the traditional top-bottom city management model into one that is representative and sustainable,” writes David Ndichu for Gulf Business. “Data is the foundation for the smart city Dubai aspires to be and the emergent digital economy the country is fostering.”

ZorroSign and Dubai

ZorroSign’s CEO and co-founder, Shamsh Hadi, is a third-generation member of the Hadi family who have called Dubai their home for the last 55 years. 

ZorroSign’s multi-chain blockchain technology supports Dubai’s blockchain strategy, metaverse strategy, Smart Dubai 2021 strategy, and paperless initiatives while helping organizations around the world move to private, secure paperless operations. Our technology was built from the ground up using private, permissioned Hyperledger Fabric blockchain—the blockchain architecture deployed by Amazon Web Services, IBM, Intel, Mastercard, Microsoft, PayPal, and more—and ZorroSign’s platform today also supports public, permissionless Provenance Blockchain.

Global ZorroSign

When privacy and security is mission critical, organizations from Dubai to Dublin, Dallas to Dhaka need ZorroSign for digital signatures, transactions, and documentation. Put ZorroSign’s blockchain platform to the test by signing up for a free trial today at https://www.zorrosign.com/new/

(Originally published in Tech Channel News)

Our CEO and co-founder, Shamsh Hadi, was recently interviewed by two technology news outlets—Tech Channel News and TahawulTech.com.

Tech Channel News helps C-level executives in India and Gulf identify technologies and strategies to empower and streamline business processes. Their portal at techchannel.news informs leaders of what’s new in tech and why it matters.

TahawulTech.com, published by CPI Media Group, is the definitive platform in the Middle East for IT content. Covering stories across enterprise technology, cybersecurity and the region’s IT channel industry, TahawulTech.com brings business leaders and technology decision makers together to share their stories of transformation.

Here are short summaries of those interviews and links to read the original pieces!

ZorroSign Making Waves in Digital Signature Space Using Blockchain Technology

In April 2022, Tech Channel News’ Naushad K. Cherrayil interviewed Mr. Hadi on how ZorroSign safeguards the privacy and security of digital documents, and provides an immutable chain of custody for digital transactions, for governments and organizations in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries.

The article notes that there are “huge players in the digital signature space, but none of them have figured out how to cost-effectively map their legacy software in technologies and evolve it into Web 3.0 and blockchain solutions today.”

“We have solved all these problems,” said Hadi. “Successfully bringing blockchain to digital signatures—unlike other competitors, big and small, who simply tried to add blockchain onto their legacy software.”

The article explores ZorroSign’s roots in Dubai with development in Sri Lanka, moving the company’s global headquarters to Phoenix, and standing out from the crowd in a competitive eSignature space.

“Our platform was invented to move documentation, digital transactions from a relationship built on trust to a relationship built on truth, providing customers the ability to positively impact the environment with sustainable practices and securely transform their paper-based workloads to digital in a bid to remove errors and increase productivity,” Hadi added.

Tech Channel News uncovers how ZorroSign leverages blockchain’s zero-trust environment to support governments in the Gulf who are looking specifically for blockchain solutions, noting “two countries that are pushing forward are the UAE and Saudi Arabia.”

You can read Mr. Cherrayil’s full piece in Tech Channel News at https://www.techchannel.news/18/04/2022/zorrosign-making-waves-in-digital-signature-space-using-blockchain-technology/

Tackling Identity Theft

In May 2022, TahawulTech.com’s Anita Joseph interviewed Mr. Hadi on how ZorroSign not only provides digital signatures built on a blockchain architecture, but also integrates identity-as-a-service (IDaaS), biometrics, KBAs, and patented Z-Forensics token to prevent fraud and address identity theft risks.

Ms. Joseph also starts with ZorroSign’s founding in Dubai and how HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Digital City Vision for Smart Dubai has been a guiding principle for ZorroSign—including his goal of a paperless life in the UAE by 2030.

The article then talks of identity theft and how ZorroSign technologies confront the issue: “Not only does our web3 platform leverage the cryptographic security capabilities of blockchain,” said Hadi. “But it also integrates Identity-as-a-Service technologies into our solution set to combat fraud, identity theft, and cyber-attacks.”

Security trends, cybercrime, and various cyber-attacks are discussed, as well as how distributed ledger technologies such as blockchain can help defend and/or recover from such attack vectors.  The article ends with ZorroSign’s plans for 2022 and early verticals benefitting from blockchain-based digital signatures.

You can read Ms. Joseph’s full piece in TahawulTech.com at https://www.tahawultech.com/industry/technology/interview-tackling-identity-theft/amp/

Learn more about how ZorroSign helps governments, companies, and individuals around the world with digital signatures and maintaining privacy and security with their digital transactions:  Contact us today or start your Free Trial.