In the aftermath of a chaotic economic scenario in which US-led tariffs upended stock markets and riled economic projections, gold has shone brightly, reinforcing its safe haven status.
Also falling victim to the tariff mayhem were cryptocurrencies, although they seem to have held their ground pretty well, having been able to recover following a brief dip.
As such, crypto proponents are touting digital assets as the new-age safe haven. Though cryptocurrencies are still flawed, they do not have physical limitations and are potentially higher-yield, and executives believe placing your money on them is a safer bet than physical commodities that are harder to move around and whose supply can be limited.
The National spoke to them at the Token2049 Dubai summit on Wednesday to find out if gold has met its match.
Golden opportunity?
The purpose of cryptocurrencies has always been to be an alternative investment asset that is safe, at least according to how it's built – even though its biggest weakness might be its unpredictable and highly volatile nature.
Economic volatility has traditionally lifted safe haven assets such as gold. The precious metal, considered a hedge against inflation, has been on a tear recently: it soared past $3,500 an ounce last week and is up by nearly a quarter in 2025.
That was in response to economic and investor uncertainty stemming from tariffs introduced by the US, its subsequent trade war most notably with China and concerns over a global recession.
Cryptos, meanwhile, after a record run triggered by US President Donald Trump's promise to embrace and "fight like hell" for the asset, wobbled amid his tariff episode, but has largely maintained their strength.
The view whether or not cryptos are a safe asset will then largely depend on fundamentals and preferences.
Gold and cryptos are "two considerably different things", but the latter, Bitcoin in particular, as "digital gold" is a narrative that's "really strong", said Kean Gilbert, Head of Institutional Relations of Lido Finance, the largest liquid staking solution for Ethereum.
"The idea of having Bitcoin as digital gold and being able to transact with it and send it globally around the world without having to go through an intermediary is a really powerful use case," he told The National.
That's compared with gold and "the physical narrative and carrying that in vaults for a younger generation, that might not be as appealing compared to an older generation that likes physical gold".
Vincent Chok, the founder and chief executive of First Digital, which is the issuer of the world's fifth-biggest stablecoin by market capitalisation, agrees with the "digital gold" pitch.
"Bitcoin ... is a lot easier than storing gold. You can see gold prices going well, but the reason why is because there's still a lot of people who are not familiar and do not know Bitcoin, so what they fall back [to] is gold," the told The National
Dollar doldrums
The dollar has also slumped in the wake of the economic chaos. That has highlighted, especially to those outside of the world's largest economy, "the realisation that the US economy or printed dollars are not as safe" as perceived, said Vugar Usi Zade, chief operating officer of crypto exchange Bitget.
"In most of the developing world, the dollar was the way you save your money and whenever you have an unstable economy, huge inflation or weaker currency, you would turn into dollars," he told The National.
"But now people realise that dollars are losing value," he added, noting that, comparatively, the same situation applies to gold.
Bitcoin, the world's first and biggest cryptocurrency, will be the "anchor", having proven itself over the past 10 years despite several crypto winters and industry scandals.
It is also viewed as the "most important payment method" for artificial intelligence, the technology seen to shape the future society, said Ryan Chow, chief executive of Solv Protocol, the first on-chain Bitcoin reserve.
Simply put, it's because "AI cannot take [physical assets such as] gold for payments", he told The National. The same could be said for dollars.
'Born for the moment'
In the early days of cryptocurrencies, people did not pay much attention to it, but its growth – and the wealth it generates – has legitimised its existence.
While its utility is still both in its infancy and highly debated owing to the lack of oversight, it may be turning out that it might be built for unprecedented economic situations – not to mention in line with the future of digital finance.
"It was born precisely for this moment that we have in time, where between tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty, you need to have something that you can sort of have as a backup," Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Hong Kong-based venture capital fund Animoca Brands, told The National.
"When you think about something like crypto, you have to think of it as something that is uncorrelated from the rest of the world. It's an asset class that is a growth asset class that sits in this belief that the world is going to become."
That means any uncertainty in the global economy can cement crypto use, as currencies that can be transferred freely and used as a store of value.
Still, as with any asset, caution is the top priority; investors are urged to "stick to fundamentals", as there is no magic bullet or formula, said Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of the world's biggest crypto exchange, Binance.
"Don't get too excited. What happens in traditional investing markets, the same thing that happens here [in crypto]. Don't follow or buy just because you saw somebody tweet about it," he told an audience at Token2049.
"Don't just follow blindly. Don't invest in a large number of tokens or coins. If you don't understand, don't invest ... if it doesn't work, pivot; if it works, then scale."
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The%20specs
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
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'Champions'
Director: Manuel Calvo
Stars: Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi
Rating: 2/5
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
The%20Last%20White%20Man
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Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
Eibar v Athletic Bilbao (8.15pm)
Getafe v Sevilla (10.15pm)
Real Madrid v Valencia (10.15pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
