Banking & Finance US banks buy Dubai gold to counter potential tariffs Dubai is among several global gold centres benefiting from fears among US banks that President Donald Trump might impose duties on the precious metal, analysts say. A backlog at refining facilities in Switzerland has added to US banks’ concerns about the availability of bullion. “There is now a real concern about the tariffs being imposed […] February 13, 2025
Analysis Energy Oman advances liquefied hydrogen export project While countries in the Gulf have big ambitions for hydrogen projects, they are still trying to work out how to export it. Oman, however, is advancing plans to establish what it says is the world’s first commercial scale liquid hydrogen “corridor” to export to Europe green hydrogen produced domestically. Usually, producers think about transforming it […] February 13, 2025
Transport Dubai signs deal for Tesla underground ‘Loop’ Dubai has signed a deal with Tesla, Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker, to build an underground road system in the emirate. Under a partnership agreement with Dubai authorities, a network of tunnels will be constructed under the city. Known as the Dubai Loop, the road system is intended to alleviate to some extent the increasing […] February 13, 2025
Opinionbanking & financeThe Trump administration presents no threat to Gulf banks. But it will be a bumpy ride!Andrew Cunningham, Middle East banking consultant
OpinionmediaWeirdly spelt rebrands feel like a dad trying to be cool. Why do companies do it?Austyn Allison, Editorial consultant
OpiniontradeUganda’s priority as an oil producer must be to lift people out of poverty, not to create a wealthy eliteLiz Bains, Business journalist
Analysis Trade $600bn Saudi-US trade pledge ‘unlikely to be achieved’ Saudi Arabia’s pledge to increase trade and investment with the US to at least $600 billion over President Trump’s four-year term is “very optimistic” and “unlikely to be achieved,” according to a Washington-based think tank. Instead the kingdom is prioritising domestic projects and faces lower oil revenue. The commitment was made by Crown Prince Mohammed […]
Analysis Tourism Gulf water park market risks saturation as numbers grow With the Grand Hyatt Dubai due to open a new onsite water park this year, the UAE and wider Gulf region will add to an already vast collection of slides, lazy rivers, splash parks and other water-based leisure facilities. There being so many is perhaps not surprising given near year-round sunshine and heat in the […]
Analysis Industry Gulf aluminium supplies to US to continue despite tariffs Short-term supplies of aluminium from the Gulf to the US are set to continue despite new tariffs planned by President Trump, according to experts. The new US president announced tariffs of 25 percent on all supplies of aluminium into the US on Sunday. In 2024 the Gulf made up over 16 percent of US aluminium […]
Exclusive Energy Adnoc Distribution to spend billions on M&A deals Adnoc Distribution, the UAE’s largest fuel and convenience retailer, is looking to deploy $2 billion in potential mergers and acquisitions in the Middle East and beyond, a senior executive has told AGBI. Athmane Benzerroug, Adnoc Distribution’s chief strategy, transformation & sustainability officer, said on Tuesday that with a free cash flow of more than $700 […]
Exclusive Sustainability Mashreq calls for state help to push green financing The UAE needs to introduce new incentives, subsidies and tax rebates to increase financing for sustainability projects in the country, a senior executive at Mashreq Bank has told AGBI. “We need the government to introduce incentives and subsidies to create the momentum, the tsunami of sustainable finance,” said Faisal Al Shimmari, Mashreq Bank’s head of […]
Trade Indonesia and UAE plan to double bilateral trade Trade between the UAE and Indonesia is set to double in the coming years, following discussions held this week at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Airlangga Hartarto, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for economic affairs, said the countries had agreed to work towards increasing bilateral trade to $10 billion per year, following a meeting with Abdulla […] February 13, 2025
Banking & Finance US banks buy Dubai gold to counter potential tariffs Dubai is among several global gold centres benefiting from fears among US banks that President Donald Trump might impose duties on the precious metal, analysts say. A backlog at refining facilities in Switzerland has added to US banks’ concerns about the availability of bullion. “There is now a real concern about the tariffs being imposed […] February 13, 2025
Oil & Gas Adnoc Drilling proposes higher dividend after profit growth The board of directors of Adnoc Drilling has recommended raising the 2024 cash dividend by 10 percent year on year to $788 million after revenues rose 32 percent to $4.03 billion last year. The payout is subject to shareholders’ approval, and if approved, Adnoc Drilling’s dividend will amount to 18.1 fils per share (100 fils […] February 13, 2025
Aviation Abu Dhabi-backed Archer to develop hybrid defence aircraft Archer Aviation, the California-based air taxi operator, has raised $300 million in a new funding round that involved institutional investors including funds and accounts managed by BlackRock. Archer, which describes itself as an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer, said the capital raise will accelerate the development of its aircraft and a new defence […] February 13, 2025
Health NMC confirms no buyers so far have matched valuation The UAE’s troubled hospital operator NMC Healthcare confirmed that it has no buyers yet for the company, with differences around valuation cited as one of the reasons. Earlier this week, two people familiar with discussions around a possible sale said that Abu Dhabi-based PureHealth Holding, the UAE’s biggest healthcare group by number of facilities, had […] February 13, 2025
Transport Saudi homegrown Ceer to produce first EVs in 2026 Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle manufacturer, plans to roll the first vehicle off its production line in late 2026, the company’s CEO Jim DeLuca said. It signed 11 deals worth SAR5.5 billion ($1.4 billion) at the Public Investment Fund (PIF) Public Sector Forum in Riyadh, 80 percent of which involved Saudi businesses. This is […] February 13, 2025
Lifestyle One in five Saudis look for their Valentine on dating apps Saudi Arabia tops a survey of four Arab countries in the share of people using online dating sites to find love, with 21 percent of respondents surveyed by the market researcher Euromonitor International saying they use a dating website as much as twice a week. The UAE came in second, at 19 percent, Egypt third […] February 13, 2025
Analysis Trade $600bn Saudi-US trade pledge ‘unlikely to be achieved’ Saudi Arabia’s pledge to increase trade and investment with the US to at least $600 billion over President Trump’s four-year term is “very optimistic” and “unlikely to be achieved,” according to a Washington-based think tank. Instead the kingdom is prioritising domestic projects and faces lower oil revenue. The commitment was made by Crown Prince Mohammed […] February 13, 2025
Mining Ma’aden aims to be world’s most valuable mining company Saudi Arabia’s majority state-owned Ma’aden aims to grow ten-fold by 2040 to become the world’s most valuable mining company by market capitalisation, its CEO said. The country is accelerating development of its copper and other mineral resources, estimated to be worth as much as $2.5 trillion. “I can tell you, the minerals are here,” Ma’aden […] February 12, 2025
Tech Saudi pension fund invests in Tabby as valuation tops $3bn Buy now, pay later (BNPL) operator Tabby has raised $160 million through a new funding round, more than doubling its valuation to $3.3 billion. The Series E financing round was led by Hong Kong-based investor Blue Pool Capital and Saudi pension company Hassana Investment Company, in addition to Saudi Technology Ventures and Wellington Management. Founded […] February 12, 2025
Analysis Energy Oman advances liquefied hydrogen export project While countries in the Gulf have big ambitions for hydrogen projects, they are still trying to work out how to export it. Oman, however, is advancing plans to establish what it says is the world’s first commercial scale liquid hydrogen “corridor” to export to Europe green hydrogen produced domestically. Usually, producers think about transforming it […] February 13, 2025
Manufacturing Bahrain space agency explores satellite manufacturing Bahrain’s National Space Science Agency (NSSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Hong Kong-listed industrial satellite manufacturer to cooperate in satellite manufacturing. In addition, NSSA will work Uspace Technology Group in satellite telemetry, tracking and controlling, and data application activities, according to a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Uspace plans to […] February 13, 2025
Oil & Gas Trans-Sahara gas pipeline project back on the table A multi-billion dollar trans-Sahara gas pipeline project dating back more than half a century has been revived after a meeting between the oil ministers of Algeria, Nigeria and Niger. The ministers held talks in the Algerian capital, Algiers, on Tuesday to discuss the resurrection of the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline. This involves the construction of a […] February 13, 2025
Oil & Gas Iraq-Turkmenistan gas deal unlikely to happen A gas supply agreement signed by Iraq and Turkmenistan in 2023 may never begin because of challenges with transiting the gas through neighbouring Iran, Iraqi analysts say. The deal was for nearly 20 million cubic metres of natural gas per day to supply Iraq’s power facilities, but Iraq and Turkmenistan do not share a border. […] February 13, 2025
Logistics AD Ports to operate customs centre in Jordan Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group has won a contract to manage and operate a new customs centre in Amman, Jordan, the company said in a statement. The company aims to increase cross-border trade, reduce clearance times, and enhance supply chain efficiency at the 1.3 million sq m Al Madouneh Customs Centre, which opened last June. […] February 13, 2025
Food & Drink Americana Restaurants profit rises as Gaza boycott eases Americana Restaurants, the largest food service business in the Middle East and North Africa, said profit rose in the fourth quarter as a consumer boycott that is related to the Gaza conflict eased. Net income in the three months to December 31 rose 26 percent to $41 million, compared with $32 million in the same […] February 12, 2025
Energy Kuwait plans new power projects to avert supply gap Kuwait is planning a series of new power projects to avert an electricity supply crisis during the hot summer months when demand peaks, the Opec member’s minister of electricity, water and renewable energy has said. Minister Mahmoud Abdulaziz Mahmoud Bushehri, quoted by the Kuwaiti daily Alseyassah on Tuesday, said power consumption next summer will surpass […] February 12, 2025
Trade Turkey lifts Syria trade barriers to spur growth Turkey has lifted trade and transit restrictions on Syria at the countries’ border, the trade ministry said on Tuesday, progressing with plans to expand trade after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad. Goods exported or imported between the two neighbours or transited through Syrian border crossings will now be subject to the same conditions as those […] February 12, 2025
Agriculture Tech incubator aims to refresh Turkish farming The average age of a Turkish farmer is more than 58, according to data from the Union of Chambers of Agriculture of Türkiye, a problem aggravated by the rising tide of young Turks abandoning rural life for the big cities. The İzmir Agricultural Technology Centre (İTTM), based in Turkey’s western Aegean region, aims to change […] February 13, 2025
Manufacturing Top Turkish defence firm to build drones in Indonesia Baykar, a leading defence supplier based in Turkey, has signed a deal with the Jakarta-based defence company Republikorp to build a drone manufacturing plant in Indonesia, according to a local newspaper. The deal was among several agreements signed during President Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Indonesia, media reports said. Baykar, a private Turkish defence company chaired […] February 13, 2025
Trade Turkey lifts Syria trade barriers to spur growth Turkey has lifted trade and transit restrictions on Syria at the countries’ border, the trade ministry said on Tuesday, progressing with plans to expand trade after the fall of Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad. Goods exported or imported between the two neighbours or transited through Syrian border crossings will now be subject to the same conditions as those […] February 12, 2025
Trade Jewellery crowns Turkish exports in January The Turkish jewellery industry reported a more than twofold increase in overseas sales in January, with the United Arab Emirates proving to be by far the biggest buyer. Jewellery exports for the first month of the year came to over $1 billion, according to data issued by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM). This is up […] February 11, 2025
Manufacturing What Trump’s steel tariffs mean to the Middle East Donald Trump’s proposed US steel tariffs will put Turkish producers most at risk in the Middle East, while Gulf steel exporters will be sheltered from the worst of the damage, experts have told AGBI. On Sunday Mr Trump, the newly elected US president, said he would soon unveil 25 percent import taxes on all steel […] February 11, 2025
Logistics DP World nears opening of $80m logistics hub in Egypt Global ports operator and logistics company DP World has completed nearly two-thirds of the work on the first phase of a $80 million logistics hub in Egypt’s Suez Canal Economic Zone. The 300,000 sq m complex is due for completion in June. It aims to reduce logistics costs and strengthen connections between Egypt, the Middle East […] February 12, 2025
Real Estate Egyptian contractor to build houses in Equatorial Guinea Egypt-based Arab Contractors Company will build 100,000 housing units in Equatorial Guinea as part of a cooperation agreement signed between the two governments. The mega project will be under the direct supervision of Egypt’s housing ministry. Financial details of the project were not disclosed. The ministry is currently supervising the Tanzanian dam project, which is […] February 11, 2025
Economy Egypt raises minimum wage in private sector by 17% Egypt’s private sector minimum wage will increase by 17 percent to EGP7,000 ($139) a month from EGP6,000, effective March 1, following directives from president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. A minimum wage for part-time workers will also be introduced for the first time, providing a net hourly wage of at least EGP28 ($0.56), the state-run National Wages […] February 10, 2025
Infrastructure Egypt and Spain sign Cairo metro extension study Egypt and Spain have signed a development financing agreement worth over $1 million for a preliminary feasibility study on extending Cairo Metro’s Line 1. The project involves extending the oldest of the city’s three metro lines from New Marg to Shibin El Qanater, north of Cairo. The 19km extension features 14 stations. Spanish company Typsa […] February 6, 2025
Oil & Gas Algeria and Egypt lead Arab LNG export decline Total Arab exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) fell last year, led by drops in Algeria and Egypt. Algeria was doing maintenance work on gas facilities and Egypt was diverting gas to meet domestic summer demand. Arab exports of the gas declined by 3 percent from 112 million tonnes in 2023 to 108.6 million tonnes […] February 5, 2025
Video length: 04:42 VIDEO Banking & Finance Why KBW Ventures is focusing its funds closer to home Saudi investor Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed’s KBW Ventures has invested 90 percent of its funds in US companies such as Colossal Biosciences, but now it is keen to invest closer to home, its chief investment officer tells AGBI. CIO Ekta Tolani says KBW Ventures now wants to invest at least 30 percent of its funds […]
Analysis Mining Canada’s Barrick seeks to tap $2trn of Saudi minerals A year ago Saudi Arabia almost doubled the estimated value of its mineral resources, from $1.3 trillion to $2.5 trillion, primarily on higher prices for strategic minerals. Now the country has the fastest-growing mining sector in the world, mining minister Bandar Alkhorayef said, speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh last month. Production rates are […]
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Analysis Infrastructure Turkey’s rebuilding goes on two years after devastating quakes Two years since twin earthquakes devastated much of Turkey’s southern region, the country is still picking up the pieces. Fewer than one-third of the 680,000 homes lost have been rebuilt so far and 600,000 people are still living in converted shipping containers. More than 53,000 people lost their lives in the February 6 earthquakes, which […]
LUNCH WITH FRANK KANE Media & Advertising Nayla Tueni: ‘I am a journalist, a journalist, a journalist’ Nayla Tueni is as close as you get in the Middle East to media aristocracy. She is the fourth generation of a family that, for the best part of a century – through wars, assassinations, man-made disasters and economic crises – has kept publishing Annahar, a Lebanese broadsheet described by Time magazine as “the newspaper […]
Analysis Health Tech specialists tap into Gulf’s market of the sleep deprived People in the Gulf are among the worst sleepers in the world, research has found – and that makes the region a rousing proposition for sleep-aid businesses such as the US pair Whoop and Eight Sleep. A survey of 2,727 people across the GCC, published last month, found that only half manage to sleep for […]
Analysis Real Estate Dubai WFH push unlikely to curb strong office space demand Dubai’s policy of encouraging people to work from home to help curb the city’s growing traffic congestion is unlikely to dent the high demand for office space and rising commercial rental rates, real estate experts say. “Remote work is here to stay, let us it embrace together,” Omar Al Olama, UAE minister of state for […]
Employment Saudi fund helps 17% more citizens join private sector The Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) contributed to the employment of 437,000 Saudi citizens in the private sector in 2024, 17 percent more than the year before, the fund has announced. The fund said it also provided training and guidance services to 2 million people last year in support of the kingdom’s “Saudisation” efforts to […]
Opinion People & Lifestyle The top hotspots for millionaire migrants Dubai, Australia and Singapore are expected to emerge as the biggest beneficiaries
Analysis Media & Advertising The million-dirham draw of digital billboards Revenues for billboard operators have grown as much as eightfold in the past few years as digitalisation has given out-of-home (OOH) advertising a notable boost. Sometimes seen as a bellwether for the local economy, billboards get plenty of viewing time in places such as Dubai during morning and evening traffic rush hours when cars are […]
Opinion Media & Advertising Television: Who watches the watchers? Saudi Arabia is taking a long-awaited step forward in audience measurement
Economy Turkey faces $3bn payout for pensioners and wage support Turkey will have to pay out an estimated TL110.8 billion ($3.12 billion) after increasing minimum pension payments and wage support to companies. Vedat Isıkhan, the labour minister, announced on January 7 that the minimum monthly state pension would be increased by 15.75 percent, taking the base rate payment to TL14,469 ($409). Nearly 3.87 million pensioners will benefit […]
Analysis Employment UAE and Kuwait companies struggling to hire staff Companies in the UAE and Kuwait are struggling to afford new staff as a result of squeezed margins, according to the latest business sentiment survey. For the third successive month, non-oil companies operating in the UAE highlighted a reduction in prices charged, with discounting used to support sales amid a highly competitive market. This was […]
Oil & Gas Opec+ to take joint stance on Trump oil policy The Opec+ group of leading oil producers is set to discuss President Donald Trump’s efforts to raise US oil production and take a joint stance on the matter, Kazakhstan said on Wednesday. Trump last week laid out a sweeping plan to help maximise oil and gas production, including by declaring a national energy emergency to speed up permitting […]
Economy EU’s $3bn to back Jordan’s economy amid challenges The European Union (EU) will provide a €3 billion ($3.13 billion) financial package to Jordan to support its growth, as it manages the impact of regional geopolitical challenges. The 2025-2027 financial package will include €640 million in grants, €1.4 billion in investments, and €1 billion in macro-financial assistance. “Jordan is a key partner for Europe in the Middle […]
Banking & Finance Adia-backed bidders close in on Malaysia Airports buy-out A $4.2 billion bid to buy out Malaysia Airports backed by the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), the emirate’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, has moved a step closer. Shareholder acceptance of the bid is above 95 percent. The offer is by a consortium called the Gateway Development Alliance (GDA), which is led by Malaysia’s sovereign […]
Real Estate London tower project announced by Abu Dhabi’s Modon A joint venture with property developer British Land and the Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC to develop a dual high-rise office-led tower project in central London has been announced by Abu Dhabi’s Modon Holding. The partnership will deliver a 750,000 square feet mixed-use project at an office-led campus in Broadgate in the City of London. It […]
