13 March 2017

HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has attended RTA’s Innovation Lab, which debated digital transactions known as Blockchain Technology and its impact on the strategy of RTA. Attendees of the lab included CEOs and 46 leaders of RTA, representatives of Smart Dubai, Dubai Future Foundation in addition to experts from international firms specialized in Blockchain Technology (IBM, and Spain’s Banco Santander).

“Holding this lab is in line with Dubai Digital Strategy (Blockchain) launched by HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council; the first of its kind worldwide. The strategy aims at bringing about a quantum shift in uplifting the efficiency of government transactions & traditional economic sectors, and generating new economic sectors rendering Dubai the first government in the world to run all transactions through this futuristic network or the so-called Transactions Internet by 2020,” said Al Tayer.

“This lab defined the Blockchain for all RTA leaders and linked the technology with RTA’s projects & services, and touched on the impact of Dubai Digital Transactions Strategy on RTA’s strategy & Smart City projects. The lab focused on four key aspects: people happiness, management of digital governance, safe & smooth mobility, and transport sustainability. About 80 ideas & initiatives have been discussed and will be assessed in order to select the most viable ones. A business plan has been developed to undertake these ideas in collaboration with RTA sectors and agencies,” he continued.

Amr Refaat, General Manager of IBM Middle East & Pakistan, said, “The Blockchain Technology would bring about a revolution in the processing of transactions at a scale not less than the data revolution triggered by the internet. Dubai is endeavoring to endorse this revolutionary technology in response to the need of its public and private organizations for a joint ledger characterized by high levels of security, transparency and control besides easing the processes of various transactions.”

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© Press Release 2017