UAE delegation offers support for AI capacity building

Explores potential for collaboration in financial sector reforms, digital transformation

ISLAMABAD:

Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday held a meeting with a Sajwani business delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), led by Syed Zeeshan Shah, Chairman One Group.

The meeting focused on emerging global trends in tokenisation, artificial intelligence, blockchain and digital infrastructure, and the potential for collaboration in support of Pakistan's ongoing financial sector reforms and digital transformation agenda.

The delegation expressed strong interest in partnering with the government of Pakistan. It offered technical expertise, advisory support and capacity building in areas such as tokenisation of real-world assets, blockchain-based platforms, AI-driven solutions and modern digital infrastructure.

It highlighted global best practices and private sector innovation that could support Pakistan in enhancing transparency, efficiency, investor access and financial inclusion, while fully respecting the country's legal and regulatory framework.

The discussions took place against the backdrop of Pakistan's recent initiatives to explore responsible adoption of emerging financial technologies, including the government's efforts to assess compliant blockchain infrastructure for sovereign and real-world assets. Both sides noted that such technologies, if deployed prudently, could help deepen capital markets, attract international investment and support sustainable economic growth.

Muhammad Aurangzeb emphasised the government's commitment to responsible innovation, strong governance, and regulatory compliance, and noted that Pakistan was actively engaging with credible international partners to evaluate new technologies that could strengthen its financial ecosystem. He emphasised that any future collaboration would be guided by national priorities, transparency and applicable laws and policies. The visiting delegation also included Amira Hussain Sajwani, Co-Managing Director Damac Group and Co-Founder & CEO Prypco; Aqib Hassan, Chief Commercial Officer One Homes; Alp Ozenalp, Chief of Staff and Joseph El Am, General Manager Tokenisation, Prypco.

Meeting with IT minister

Separately, the delegation of Dubai's renowned real estate company Damac Properties, led by Sajwani, met Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja to explore the potential of collaboration in Pakistan's growing digital and technology ecosystem.

The IT minister underscored that the Digital Pakistan vision formed the foundation of the government's digital policies and reforms, aimed at building an inclusive, innovation-driven digital economy. The delegation was given a comprehensive briefing on Pakistan's digitisation vision, with particular emphasis on women's digital and financial inclusion. Shaza Fatima noted that under the Ramazan Package, 500,000 women were digitally connected through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) by opening digital wallets in just one month, marking a major step towards financial inclusion.

She reaffirmed the commitment to facilitating global partnerships, enabling innovation and creating a conducive digital environment to attract international investment and accelerate Pakistan's digital transformation.

Moreover, both sides held in-depth discussions on outsourcing opportunities, recognition and deployment of Pakistan's tech talent, and the role of property technology (PropTech) and tokenisation in unlocking savings, improving efficiency and increasing liquidity across the real estate and financial sectors.

The Sajwani delegation praised the talent of Pakistani youth and the country's digitisation framework, and expressed confidence in Pakistan's vast potential for PropTech, tokenisation and technology-led investment.