As part of the ongoing effort to implement the Dubai Blockchain Strategy launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, the Smart Dubai Office held a series of demo days to discuss the progress of 14 blockchain use cases being implemented by 12 government entities across the city.

Smart Dubai revealed that the workshops were held to review a selection of blockchain applications in a cross-section of areas, with the sessions enabling participants to assess the programme so far. The discussions at the workshops centred on how to address the challenges being encountered from the blockchain applications, how to improve their implementation and how to best learn from the overall Dubai blockchain experience.

Hosting the demo days was a crucial exercise for us, as Smart Dubai and our partners have made considerable progress in implementing blockchain technology across Dubai, particularly in the sectors of education, health, transportation, tourism, energy, real estate and the economy. Over 2017, government entities have worked on identifying the best possible blockchain use cases, which are now in the pilot or live production stage, said H.E. Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General, Smart Dubai.

SDOs workshops formed part of the citys Blockchain Strategy, which revolves around three pillars; first, increasing government efficiency by transferring 100% of applicable government transactions to blockchain; second, creating a blockchain industry and ecosystem, and third, becoming a global leader in the advancement of blockchain technology.

Various blockchain use cases have been identified for Dubai so far, including renting and buying a property, managing the lifecycle of a vehicle, obtaining commercial business licenses, licensing medical institutions and doctors, obtaining e-prescriptions, enrolling and managing students in schools, and registration of electric vehicles.

The workshops initiative demonstrates Smart Dubais overarching mission to put cutting-edge technologies at the service of the people, which aligns with directives from His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, who has promised that the Emirate of Dubai will issue its last government sector paper transaction by 2021. This, in turn, is a materialisation of the forward-thinking vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into a fully-fledged smart city and a pioneer in the smart tech sector.