Mohammed bin Zayed Names Abu Dhabi's Largest Housing Project ‘Riyadh City’

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presiding over the Supreme Petroleum Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presiding over the Supreme Petroleum Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Mohammed bin Zayed Names Abu Dhabi's Largest Housing Project ‘Riyadh City’

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presiding over the Supreme Petroleum Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan presiding over the Supreme Petroleum Council. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan unveiled on Monday "al-Riyadh City", the newest and largest housing project in Abu Dhabi.

Named after the Saudi capital, Sheikh Mohammed stated that relations between the Kingdom and UAE "are based on brotherhood, cooperation and common destiny."

The Crown Prince tweeted on his official account: "Based on Khalifa's vision, we are updating policies related to citizen housing system and introducing a package of residential products in Abu Dhabi."

The total area of the Riyadh City project is approximately 8,000 hectares, equivalent to 85 percent of the area of Abu Dhabi Island and approximately 45 percent of Abu Dhabi's total residential land area. It is located 30 kilometers from Abu Dhabi downtown and its capacity is expected to reach over 200,000 citizens by the completion of the project.

The Abu Dhabi Government launched the Modon Real Estate Company to design and create integrated residential communities that will meet the needs of citizens and requirements of Emirati families in line with the cabinet's policy to provide housing grants and government loans to local beneficiaries.

The company will oversee partnerships with specialist designers and construction companies to ensure construction is done within the determined time limit and budget.

The development of Riyadh City will include residential neighborhoods with controlled population densities, as well as a full range of public facilities, such as parks, schools, shops, mosques, and medical and community service centers, which will comply with the highest standards of sustainability.

In other news, UAE Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC) approved ADNOC’s plans for capital expenditure of over $108.8 billion, over the next five years. The plan includes several expansion and growth projects that will explore and appraise Abu Dhabi’s unconventional gas resources, as the company seeks to enable future value creation from its untapped gas resources.

Presided over by Sheikh Mohammed, who is also Vice Chairman of the Supreme Petroleum Council, the council approved ADNOC’s key strategic investments program and future opportunities, as the oil and gas company expands its 2030 strategy, aimed at unlocking, creating and maximizing value and ensuring smart growth in its upstream, and downstream businesses, while strengthening market access.

Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed that ADNOC has the unwavering support of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as it continues to drive the nation’s prosperity by creating long-term, sustainable value from all of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources.

Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan al-Jaber declared that SPC’s approval of ADNOC's expanded strategic investment and growth plans signals a further tangible acceleration in ADNOC’s transformation.

"It marks the next phase in delivering our 2030 strategy, which will contribute to further maximizing value from all our resources, introduce new and significant partnership opportunities and enhance our capabilities to diversify our portfolio of products, as we aim to expand into key growth markets," said Jaber.

ADNOC plans to secure additional captive crude processing capacity in growth markets, establish sector specific global businesses and enhance its global marketing activities.

In line with the 2030 strategy, ADNOC will grow its crude refining capacity by 60 percent and more than triple its petrochemical production to 14.4 mtpa by 2025 through a staged expansion plan aimed at initially optimizing its existing assets to grow and diversify its products portfolio.

In addition, an aromatics project will be launched to convert naphtha into gasoline and aromatics and a large project to enhance the crude processing flexibility of its 900,000 bpd refining system will be taken forward.

The SPC is the highest governing body of the oil and gas industry in Abu Dhabi. The council formulates, approves and oversees the implementation of Abu Dhabi's petroleum policy and follows up its implementation across all areas of the petroleum industry to ensure that the set goals are accomplished.



UAE, Palestine Sign Agreement to Boost Anti-Money Laundering Efforts, Strengthen Regulatory Systems

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Yehya Shunnar, Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority and Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee, during a meeting with officials. (WAM)
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Yehya Shunnar, Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority and Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee, during a meeting with officials. (WAM)
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UAE, Palestine Sign Agreement to Boost Anti-Money Laundering Efforts, Strengthen Regulatory Systems

Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Yehya Shunnar, Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority and Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee, during a meeting with officials. (WAM)
Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Yehya Shunnar, Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority and Chairman of the Anti-Money Laundering Committee, during a meeting with officials. (WAM)

The United Arab Emirates and the Palestinian Authority signed on Friday a cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening joint efforts to combat money laundering and enhance economic and regulatory frameworks.

The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism, and Yehya Shunnar, Governor of the Palestine Monetary Authority and Chairman of the National Anti-Money Laundering Committee.

Held at the Ministry of Economy’s headquarters in Dubai, the meeting explored ways to deepen cooperation and exchange expertise in supervisory and regulatory policies. Discussions also covered global trends in financial crime and their impact on the stability of economic systems.

According to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), both sides stressed the importance of aligning with international best practices and launching joint training initiatives to build specialized capacity. The goal is to enhance institutional readiness to address evolving financial crime threats and to reinforce investor confidence and financial integrity.

Al Marri highlighted the UAE’s strides in modernizing its legal and regulatory architecture to meet international anti-money laundering standards.

He pointed to the country’s recent achievements, including its removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list and the European Parliament’s list of high-risk jurisdictions.

The minister reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to sharing its experience with the Palestinian Authority to help bolster its economic security and advance its financial oversight systems.

The meeting also showcased the UAE’s National Economic Register project, known as “Namo,” which provides a unified, reliable digital database of all commercial licenses across the country.

Officials discussed efforts to standardize procedures for identifying beneficial ownership and to boost oversight of designated non-financial businesses and professions, including real estate brokers, precious metals dealers, accountants, and corporate service providers.

Both parties agreed to continue coordination and knowledge-sharing in this critical sector, emphasizing the importance of building sustainable economic systems and fostering stronger bilateral cooperation in transparency, governance, and financial integration.