The first 50 pence coin to enter circulation in commemoration of a royal event will be released via post offices across Britain in February to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
The design, from company Osborne Ross, features a number 70 engraved on the tails side of the coin, with the monarch’s cipher and dates of reign framed inside the zero.
Its maximum mintage is fixed at 5,000,070 in a further nod to the monarch’s 70 years on the throne, the Royal Mint has announced.
About 1.3 million coins will become available on limited release at UK post offices from February 7, with striking already under way at a rate of up to 850 pieces a minute.
It is one of two special edition 50 pence coins to be released as part of a Royal Mint collection celebrating the unprecedented anniversary.
The second coin, by artist John Bergdahl and depicting the queen on horseback on its heads side, will not enter circulation.
The Platinum Jubilee is the first royal event to be commemorated by a 50 pence coin, the Royal Mint said.
They will only be available to customers making transactions at UK post offices and cannot be swapped for other 50 pence coins.
“Coins tell the story of our nation and we are delighted to be working with the Post Office to mark this special royal occasion,” said Mark Loveridge, director of UK currency.
“This special 50 pence features an elegant and bold number 70 in celebration of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year, and we expect it to become one of the nation’s most collectable coins.”
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Queen Elizabeth at the 2021 Trooping the Colour parade. The year has been one of loss and sorrow for the British monarch, capped by the cancelled plans for an extended family lunch to celebrate Christmas at Windsor Castle. All photos: Getty Images -

Queen Elizabeth recording the video message broadcast to attendees at an evening reception to mark the opening day of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow on November 1, 2021. -

Queen Elizabeth attends the Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot Racecourse in October. -

The British monarch on a screen via video link from Windsor Castle during a virtual audience at Buckingham Palace in October. -

Children from Crathie Primary School present Queen Elizabeth with a card at the Balmoral Estate in October, where she and Prince Charles planted a tree to mark the start of the official planting season for the Queen's Green Canopy, near Crathie, Scotland. -

The queen during an inspection in August of Balaklava Company, 5 Battalion the Royal Regiment of Scotland, at the gates of Balmoral as she takes up summer residence at the castle. -

Actors wait to meet Queen Elizabeth during a visit to the set of the long-running television series 'Coronation Street' in July in Manchester. -

Queen Elizabeth receives the Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany during an audience at Windsor Castle in July. -

Queen Elizabeth greets Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the first in-person weekly audience with the prime minister since the start of the coronavirus pandemic at Buckingham Palace in June. -

Queen Elizabeth with US President Joe Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, in the Grand Corridor during their visit to Windsor Castle in June. -

Queen Elizabeth attends a military ceremony in the quadrangle of Windsor Castle to mark her official birthday in June. -

Queen Elizbeth with world leaders at The Eden Project during the G7 Summit in June in St Austell, Cornwall. -

Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, arrive for a reception at The Eden Project during the G7 Summit in June. -

Queen Elizabeth, escorted by Prince Charles, follows the imperial state crown along the royal gallery during the state opening of Parliament at the House of Lords in May. -

Capt Angus Essenhigh, Queen Elizabeth and Commodore Steve Moorhouse during a visit to 'HMS Queen Elizabeth' before the ship's maiden deployment in May in Portsmouth. -

Queen Elizabeth watches pallbearers carry the coffin of her late husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, into St George’s Chapel during the funeral at Windsor Castle in April. -

Pallbearers with the coffin of Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in April. -

Queen Elizabeth signs her annual Commonwealth Day Message in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle to mark Commonwealth Day in March.
“We are thrilled to be part of the celebrations for Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee year and that our 11,500 post offices across the whole of the United Kingdom will exclusively start the circulation of this special 50p coin,” said Nick Read, chief executive at the Post Office.
“Postmasters are at the heart of their local communities and have been throughout our 360-year history. I have no doubt that this will be a real honour and privilege for postmasters and their teams.”
Emergency
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
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Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
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Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
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MATCH INFO
France 3
Umtiti (8'), Griezmann (29' pen), Dembele (63')
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About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
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5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Hisham Al Khalediah II, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
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COMPANY PROFILE
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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