DUBAI, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The emirate of Dubai, home to the world's tallest mixed-use tower Burj Khalifa, delivered three new global firsts in the fields of commodities, real estate and autonomous vehicles at the start of this week, local sources said Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), the biggest industry free zone in the United Arab Emirates, said in an e-mailed statement that its member Regal Assets Inc., a U.S. gold investment company, launched the world's first deep cold storage solution for investors and traders through its subsidiary Regal RA DMCC.
"For the first time, crypto-commodities owners can now store their Bitcoin, Ethereum and other altcoins in a vault located in Almas Tower, Dubai, the headquarters of DMCC which harbours 14,100 companies from across the globe," said Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the executive chairman of DMCC.
Also on Tuesday, Gevora, the world's tallest hotel located at Dubai's artery Sheikh Zayed Road, opened its doors to guests.
The 75-storey hotel stands at 356 meters high, just one meter taller than its neighbor twin-tower JW Marriott Marquis Hotel which opened in 2012.
Earlier in the week, the Dubai roads and transport authorities RTA tested the world's first driverless pods at the three-day World Government Summit which closed here on Tuesday.
Produced by Silicon Valley-based firm Next, these pods can carry up to six sitting and four standing passengers apiece.
"The pods are scheduled to go live in Dubai in mid-2019," Tommaso Gecchelin, the founder of Next, told Xinhua.
If these new records were not enough, Dubai's biggest developer Emaar Properties is building the Dubai Creek Tower, which Emaar Chairman Mohammed Alabbar said will be "a notch higher than Burj Khalifa" once completed by 2020.