French artificial intelligence startup Mistral unveiled its new model, Mistral Large 4, at an event in Abu Dhabi on October 6, 2026. Mistral CEO Arthur Mensch stated the open-weight system surpasses Chinese competitors in specific areas, including cybersecurity. The announcement follows Mistral's move in August 2026 to offer Beijing-based Z.ai's GLM 5.3 model to its customers.
Payward, the parent company of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, has secured full regulatory approval from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority. The licence permits the platform to prepare services for retail, professional, and institutional investors in the UAE, including direct dirham trading and deposits. Payward expects to roll out local operations in the coming weeks following preliminary approval received in May.
Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects has awarded a AED 10 billion ($2.7 billion) contract for the West Terminal substructure at Al Maktoum International Airport to a joint venture of China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Abu Dhabi-based Tristar Engineering & Construction. The 800,000-square-metre facility will span seven levels and accommodate 45 million passengers annually once complete. The project transitions the airport's $35 billion initial expansion phase into its core construction stage.
Non-oil trade between Dubai and China reached AED 363.5 billion in 2025, marking a 172-fold increase over 35 years. The announcement comes ahead of the Dubai Business Forum in Shenzhen, where Dubai Chambers is leading an economic delegation.
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