UAE Rail Expansion: Etihad Rail inaugurated Dubai Station as President Sheikh Mohamed travelled by train from Abu Dhabi, with passenger services on the Abu Dhabi–Dubai–Fujairah route set to begin Sept 30, boosting national connectivity. AI & Finance: First Abu Dhabi Bank and Temasek-linked Seviora signed an MOU for co-investments in private wealth, while Chainlink said it will connect banks to Swift’s blockchain ledger via a framework that keeps institutions in control of signing keys. Payments & Trade Tech: MoneyHash partnered with Geidea to simplify multi-market payments across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt through a single API, and Citi expanded tokenized deposit services into Japan and the UAE. Energy & Markets: Oil prices edged higher as Hormuz supply concerns persisted amid US-Iran diplomacy talks, with Qatari mediators meeting Iran’s foreign minister in New York. UAE Business & Services: The Indian embassy in the UAE issued a fresh tender for outsourcing passport services after a Supreme Court-ordered retender, affecting consular application centres nationwide. Regional Policy & Security: Abu Dhabi hosted the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, with a five-year roadmap to combat financial crime and digital-age threats.