The UAE government’s adoption of blockchain technology for its legal notary services builds on its ambitions to go completely digital.
The government of the United Arab Emirates will employ blockchain technology for use in its judicial notarization and authentication services, it announced on April 19, according to the Emirates News Agency.
The adoption of blockchain tech is expected to cut down on the time, effort and expenditure spent by the UAE’s Ministry of Justice in authenticating and verifying contracts and documentation, while building on the government’s plan to transfer half of its transactions onto the blockchain by the end of this year.
The UAE’s deployment of blockchain technology forms part of its plans to create a remote digital framework for all of its internal operations, something it refers to as a “unified digital government platform.”
The UAE’s ongoing digital transformation will reportedly include the creation of a digital ID dubbed the “UAE PASS” which will enable users to interact with aspects of the legal process from remote locations.
Along with its ambitions to have half of its transactions take place on the blockchain by the end of 2021, the country has also announced plans to transform Dubai into the first city in the world to be powered entirely by blockchain technology. The UAE hopes to attract talent and innovation by being one of the first to create an attractive digital, legal landscape for budding tech companies.
The country also recently established the Global Blockchain Council, made up of 46 global finance and tech companies, to help explore possible blockchain applications in various business sectors of the country.