UAE Ministry of Economy sets up a new Metaverse headquarters

By: Michael Wilson

September 29, 2022 10:57 AM

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Economy has announced a "third address" in a metaverse virtual world, marking the next stage of the country's expansion into cyberspace.

The new home of the UAE Ministry of Economy is the universally accessible Metaverse.

The UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri reportedly made the announcement on September 28 at the Dubai Metaverse Assembly, declaring, "this is not a proof of concept, this is our third address" before giving a live tour of the virtual headquarters.

The headquarters building will feature multiple stories, with each level serving as the new home of a specific division. With a ticket in hand, a "customer happiness center employee" can join the user in the Metaverse for a chat.

Video was shot at the Dubai Metaverse Assembly. Source: Gulf News

The UAE government has ordered the ministry to digitize more of its operations, and the new Abu Dhabi headquarters will join the ministry's two existing offices in Dubai to better facilitate this.

Instead of physically traveling to one of their locations, visitors to the virtual headquarters can e-sign legally binding documents.

The headquarters also has a conference room equipped for screen sharing as well as an auditorium for holding virtual conferences and other events.

This comes after the government of Dubai unveiled its Metaverse strategy on July 18; the plan aims to create 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030 and supports the country's vision of increasing the number of blockchain firms by five.