UAE Housing & Tax Relief: The Federal Tax Authority says VAT refund approvals for UAE nationals building new residences jumped in H1 2026 to about 4,000 applications worth AED353.5m, up 27.5% in count, with the FTA pointing to faster processing via its digital refund platform and an expanded list of eligible expenses under the “Year of Family.” Payments Modernisation: Al Etihad Payments (Jaywan) and Mastercard have launched the first Jaywan–Mastercard co-badged credit card and set up UAE-based switching and processing infrastructure, aiming to boost global acceptance and strengthen the UAE’s role as a payments hub. Renewables & Grid Stability: Masdar secured a combined $6.1bn financing package for its Abu Dhabi round-the-clock solar-plus-storage project (5.2GW solar with 19GWh BESS), positioning it as a major baseload solution for data-centre and summer demand. Energy Security Watch: ADNOC greenlit the $6.2bn Umm Shaif gas cap development, expected to unlock 600+ million scfd and support LNG growth, while regional conflict continues to raise pressure on Gulf water and energy assets. Food & Agriculture: Abu Dhabi’s “Mikhrafah” date Zakat initiative returned for its third edition, helping farmers calculate and deliver date Zakat through official channels. Mobility & Industry Tech: GreenRoad appointed Andy Bottrill as Chief Revenue Officer to scale its predictive fleet-safety platform globally, and UAE meteorology won an AI-for-Good award for satellite super-resolution that improves weather monitoring.