Abu Dhabi and Dubai are set to become the first locations globally to host a Machine Economy Free Zone (MEFZ), establishing a groundbreaking initiative within the UAE.
The free zone is being launched through a collaboration between the blockchain platform peaq and the Abu Dhabi-based venture studio Pulsar Group.
The MEFZ aims to transform how humans and machines jointly create value in a decentralised environment driven by artificial intelligence, robotics, and Web3 technologies.
The initiative is expected to expedite the adoption of emerging technologies, attract international investment, and stimulate a new wave of innovation through decentralised physical infrastructure (DePIN) projects developed by communities.
The MEFZ will operate on four foundational areas. It will focus on developing regulatory frameworks to support tokenisation and compliant investment in autonomous machines. It will also provide physical and virtual environments where founders can launch and scale machine-based applications and smart city innovations. Furthermore, the zone will connect top DePIN projects on the peaq platform with forward-thinking institutional investors in the region. A regional innovation hub will promote DePIN research and development, facilitate ecosystem growth, and enable direct collaboration with organisations on the demand side.
