Connect with us

Business

UAE’s 1st drone delivery service provider ‘BARQ EV’ breaks two Guinness World Records

DUBAI, 1st December, 2021 (WAM) — BARQ EV, a smart mobility solutions company, broke two Guinness World Records, by executing the longest flight of a drone for the delivery service at 13.584 km, and the longest non-stop return flight for a drone at 18.065 km, which is one of the longest distances for a drone.

The achievement of BARQ EV is a testament to the technical infrastructure of the UAE, which makes it a centre of innovation and provides a launchpad for start-ups specialising in innovation and technology, said a press release issued by the company on Wednesday. BARQ EV is the first licensed Drone delivery service provider in the UAE.

Ahmad Al Mazrui and Abdullah Abu Sheikh, founders of BARQ EV, said, "We are at the very nascent stage of the company, and we have already broken two Guinness World Records. It is an extremely proud moment for all of us. This achievement is a testimony to our readiness to launch the drone delivery service in the country."

They added, "Earlier, H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), has launched the Dubai programme to enable drone transportation. The programme seeks to improve people’s lives by reducing carbon emissions generated by traditional shipping and transportation methods and facilitating the movement of goods and materials. This way, it will contribute to positioning Dubai as one of the smartest cities in the world."

Al Mazrui and Abu Sheikh pointed at the latest global trend in developing innovative services in the transportation and logistics sector, which ranked fourth among the most funded industries in the MENA region and recorded a growth of 122 percent in 2021, with several leading companies based in UAE and Egypt.

"BARQ EV is expected to achieve remarkable success in the transportation and logistics sector in the region due to its unique services," they added.

BARQ EV will be launched in early 2022, backed by three ambitious entrepreneurs in the advanced technology sector. The company is spearheaded by three dynamic individuals who have achieved great success in the technology and investments space: CEO and Co-Founder Abdallah Abu Sheikh, a serial entrepreneur armed with the experience of developing and launching technology projects in the region, who launched Rizek – a service marketplace in the UAE and Egypt.

Also, Ahmed Al Mazrouei, technology investor in the UAE, has worked in the Abu Dhabi Investment Council and as Director of Al Mazoon Investments. Finally, Mazen Al-Jubeir, an early investor in technology projects, has made successful investments in the mobility sector with Careem & Mrsool to meet the increasing demand for efficient and effective operations that provide safe, convenient and more advanced methods of operation.

The three entrepreneurs aim to make the transport and logistics sector more sustainable through sustainable, environmentally friendly complexes and to achieve the company’s vision of supporting service providers to achieve economic success based on providing innovative integrated solutions and charting a new path for service providers by implementing a comprehensive system focused on smart solutions.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Business

Swiss government suspends forms of variable remuneration at Credit Suisse


Switzerland's finance department has issued an order to Credit Suisse to temporarily suspend certain forms of variable pay for the bank's employees, the Swiss government said.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

“This measure relates to already granted but deferred remuneration for the financial years up to 2022, for example in the form of share awards,” the Swiss Federal Council said in a statement.

The government said that deferred payments that were already in the process of being paid out were exempt from the order.

The Swiss government also instructed its finance department to propose further measures on variable remuneration for Credit Suisse.

Read more:
Saudi National Bank growth unaffected by Credit Suisse hit

Saudi Arabia’s fintech Tamara secures $150 mln facility from Goldman Sachs

Timeline: How Credit Suisse has evolved over 167 years

Continue Reading

Business

Yellen vows to safeguard US bank deposits, may need more interventions


The US banking system is stabilizing after strong actions from regulators, but further steps to protect bank depositors may be needed if smaller institutions suffer deposit runs that threaten more contagion, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told bankers on Tuesday.

In prepared remarks to an American Bankers Association conference, Yellen said government steps taken in recent days to protect uninsured deposits in two failed banks and create new Federal Reserve liquidity facilities have shown a “resolute commitment to take the necessary steps to ensure that depositors’ savings and the banking system remain safe.”

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Yellen, speaking more than a week after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) closed the failing Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, said the “decisive and forceful” actions were strengthening public confidence in the US banking system and protecting the American economy.

“The steps we took were not focused on aiding specific banks or classes of banks. Our intervention was necessary to protect the broader US banking system,” Yellen said in the remarks released by the Treasury.

“And similar actions could be warranted if smaller institutions suffer deposit runs that pose the risk of contagion,” she added.

She said she believed the actions by the FDIC, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury had reduced the risk of further bank failures that would have imposed losses on the bank-funded Deposit Insurance Fund.

Yellen did not provide details on what further actions may be warranted.

Some banking groups have called for temporary universal guarantees on all US bank deposits, a step that requires approval by Congress under expedited procedures. However, the conservative Republican House Freedom Caucus opposes expanding deposit guarantees beyond the FDIC’s current $250,000 limit per depositor, a major roadblock to swift action aimed at stemming a deeper crisis.

Guarantees for uninsured deposits in specific troubled banks would require Yellen, President Joe Biden and “supermajorities” of the Fed and FDIC board to determine that the bank qualifies for a “systemic risk exception” – actions taken in the SVB and Signature cases.

Yellen said the Fed’s new Bank Term Funding facility and discount window lending were working as intended to provide liquidity to the banking system and aggregate deposit outflows from regional banks have stabilized.

A move by large banks to deposit $30 billion into troubled First Republic Bank last week “represents a vote of confidence in our banking system,” Yellen added.

She also said it was important to maintain a “dynamic and diverse banking system” to support the U.S. economy, with large, mid-sized and small banks all playing a role to support households, small businesses and increasing competition in financial services.

Yellen said she was keeping in close contact with bankers, state and federal regulators, market participants and international counterparts about the banking situation.

She added that the situation was “very different” from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, when subprime mortgage assets put many banks under stress.

“We do not see that situation in the banking system today. Our financial system is also significantly stronger than it was 15 years ago.”

The Treasury chief said that in coming weeks, regulators will examine the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, “but we will need to reexamine our current regulatory and supervisory regimes and consider whether they are appropriate for the risks that banks face today.”

Read more:

US banking sector ‘stabilizing’ after recent turmoil: Yellen

Continue Reading

Business

Google suspends Chinese shopping app amid security concerns


Google has suspended the Chinese shopping app Pinduoduo on its app store after malware was discovered in versions of the app from other sources.

Google said in a statement Tuesday that it suspended the Pinduoduo app on the Google Play app store out of “security concerns” and that it was investigating the matter.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

The suspension of the Pinduoduo app –- mainly used in China –- comes amid heightened US-China tensions over Chinese-owned apps such as TikTok, which some US lawmakers say could be a national security threat. They allege that such apps could be used to spy on American users.

Pinduoduo is a popular e-commerce app in China which often offers discounts if users team up to buy multiples of an item. Google warned users Tuesday to uninstall any Pinduoduo app not downloaded from its own Play store.

“Google Play Protect enforcement has been set to block installation attempts of these identified malicious apps,” Google said in its statement. “Users that have malicious versions of the app downloaded to their devices are warned and prompted to uninstall the app.”

It was unclear if there are similar security concerns around the Pinduoduo app for Apple users, and Pinduoduo was still available to download from Apple’s iOS store Tuesday.

PDD Holdings Inc, which operates Pinduoduo, did not immediately comment. Hong Kong traded shares in the company tumbled 14.2 percent on Tuesday.

Read more:

Chinese data from COVID-19 early days gives crucial information on origins

India plans new security testing for smartphones, crackdown on pre-installed apps

New Zealand latest country to ban TikTok on devices linked to parliament

Continue Reading

Trending