INS.-

Rating agency Fitch gave Dubai Ins. its first Insurer Financial Strength (IFS) “A” rating with a stable outlook, indicating ‘strong’ IFS, according to a press release. Fitch backed its score with nods to Dubai Ins.’ “extremely strong” capitalization in 2022 (with a ratio of 180%), “very strong” profitability surpassing AED 78 mn in 2022, “consistently strong” return on equity (with a five-year average of 12.3%), and a “strong reinsurance panel.” Fitch also lauded the firm’sgross written premiums in 2022, which totaled AED 1.5 bn, marking it the fourth-largest publicly listed insurer in the country.

FINTECH-

Customers of fintech company Qashio can now convert Qashio points into skyward miles after the company signed an agreement with Emirates Skywards, according to a press release. Qashio points can be earned by using Qashio business expense cards for business-related purchases and transactions, which will automatically be converted to skyward miles if you already have an Emirates Skywards account.

ENERGY-

Empower to collaborate with Ashrae on district cooling: Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower) has partnered with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (Ashrae) to develop strategies and action plans to improve energy efficiency within the district cooling industry, Empower said in a press release (pdf). The two companies are set to officially ink the partnership and finalize their joint District Cooling Guide in a second meeting during the Ashrae annual conference, held between 20-24 January 2024.

TRANSPORT-

Dubai’s RTA + UN ❤️ data-driven transport transformation: Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) is teaming up with the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science to enhance its data collection efforts, reports Wam. The RTA will split into nine teams to address data-gathering challenges and serve as an active member of the UN Committee to explore using consumer mobile phone data for transportation statistics.

ENVIRONMENT-

Abu Dhabi's Environment Agency completed its first atmospheric research expedition, cruising through the waters of 25 countries on a state-of-the art ship named Jaywun, a 10k km journey from Spain to Abu Dhabi, Wam reports. The study investigated the airborne movement of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, exploring how pollution in the Arabian Gulf travels to other regions and influences ozone formation in the UAE. The results of the study will be available in 2024.