We've all heard of drive-thru wedding ceremonies, drive-thru burger joints and even drive-thru funeral parlours. Now, Dubai has its very own drive-thru bank. Al Hilal, an Abu-Dhabi based Islamic bank, launched the Middle East's first "money-station" this week at its new Jumeirah bank on Dubai's Al Wasl Road. The customer simply drives into a lane, speaks to the teller onscreen and then inserts cash, application forms or cheques into a specially designed plastic capsule and presses send. The transparent capsule then shoots - sci-fi style - up a transparent tube to the teller. You can then bop along to the radio while your transaction is dealt with and wait until the capsule shoots back down the tube with your receipts, cash or new bank card in it. Crazy, but true. It's the first service of it's kind in the Middle East, with the tube-banking concept inspired by similar services in the US, but is Dubai, or even the UAE, ready for such a concept? "Dubai is a city that has always been at the forefront of innovation and this is another innovation that fits very well within its DNA " says Mohamed Berro, the group chief executive of Al Hilal bank. "Customers can carry out complete banking transactions without getting out of the car. With three drive-thru lanes to choose from and the option to still go into the bank if you want a face-to-face meeting, this should avoid any queues. And for those worried about security, Mr Berro says the risk of having your transaction interrupted by a hardened criminal are about as high as they would be at any ATM, plus there will be security on hand outside the bank. As someone with two young children, I can certainly see huge advantages with something like this. Imagine not having to unload and then reload the children while you pay in cheques or apply for a car loan. Sounds like bliss to me. And, of course, in a very competitive consumer banking market, it makes sense for Al Hilal to have a gimmick like this up its sleeve.
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
More from Tom Fletcher
While you're here
Company%20profile
COMPANY%20PROFILE
The%20specs
Zayed Sustainability Prize
• Remittance charges will be tackled by blockchain
• UAE's monumental and risky Mars Mission to inspire future generations, says minister
• Could the UAE drive India's economy?
• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it
• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture
• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
More coverage from the Future Forum
• Remittance charges will be tackled by blockchain
• UAE's monumental and risky Mars Mission to inspire future generations, says minister
• Could the UAE drive India's economy?
• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it
• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture
• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
COMPANY%20PROFILE
The%20stats%20and%20facts
The%20Letter%20Writer
COMPANY%20PROFILE
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
Company%20Profile
Seven%20Winters%20in%20Tehran
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
The Saudi Cup race card
1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000
4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000
6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000
7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000
8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000
Company%20profile
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
On Women's Day
Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action
Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality
The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?
Justin Thomas: Challenge the notion that 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus'