Dubai Government Looks to Blockchain Amid 'Smart Cities' Drive

Among the groups working toward this tomorrow today is the Museum of the Future, an ambitious project backed by the government of Dubai with the mandate to highlight how new tech breakthroughs are making these innovations possible.

If recent efforts progress as expected, bitcoin and blockchain could come to play a key role in driving the group's work.

According to Museum of the Future Foundation chief operating officer Noah Raford, blockchain is now benefiting from a broader emphasis in Dubai and the UAE on how the delivery of government services could be revolutionized by new technologies.

Under the oversight of CEO Saif Al Aleeli, Museum of the Future recently unveiled the Global Blockchain Council, a 32-member initiative designed to test and accelerate blockchain tech that he described as one of the most ambitious private-public sector collaborations.

In an interview, he sought to stress the scale of the group, which includes participation from Smart Dubai Office and Dubai Smart Government, similar efforts designed to pursue strategies for smart government.

"Dubai has a massive investment in the smart city, to find out what does it take to run a 21st century government. There's a larger story around this in the medium term, around just the digital transfer of assets. The potential is quite profound for smart contracts. That's where we see the longer-term impact."

Among the GBC's goals, Raford said, is to build a series of case studies that look at how blockchain tech can be applied to different industries from real estate to remittances.

To date, one case study has already been completed by local bitcoin startup BitOasis and the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, a regional commodities marketplace technology provider, that focused on blockchain identity.

It wasn't until one year later, he said, when future Bitcoin Foundation executive director Bruce Fenton would host the Dubai Bitcoin Conference, that he was compelled to seek out how the government may be able to support blockchain tech.

CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.