Opinion Banking & Finance GCC banks will prosper under Trump’s presidency The Trump administration presents no threat to Gulf banks. But it will be a bumpy ride! The challenge for Gulf banks will be to keep their balance and focus in a volatile policy landscape Andrew Cunningham, Middle East banking consultant
Opinion Media & Advertising What’s in a (badly spelt) brand name? Weirdly spelt rebrands feel like a dad trying to be cool. Why do companies do it? Brands – and their branding and PR agencies – like to feel special Austyn Allison, Middle East advertising expert
Opinion Trade Uganda and UAE ramp up economic deals Uganda’s priority as an oil producer must be to lift people out of poverty, not to create a wealthy elite Kampala wants to double the size of the economy in the next five years Liz Bains, Journalist
Opinion Economy Musk in Dubai? Start queuing now Dubai's WGS is now a genuine global forum for global leaders in politics, business and academia The World Governments Summit was all abuzz with talk that Trump's right hand man might put in a show Frank Kane, Editor-at-Large, AGBI
Opinion Economy Gulf sets the bar for proposed US sovereign wealth fund Gulf engagement with a US sovereign wealth fund is likely to be more symbolic than substantive Plenty of questions remain, especially about how the entity will be funded Valentina Pasquali, Senior editor, AGBI
Opinion Aviation Aircraft shortages lead Gulf carriers to brace for disruption Aircraft delivery for 2025 is unlikely to go as planned, hitting hard Middle East carriers The global aviation industry is feeling the weight of supply chain disruptions John Grant, Partner, Midas Aviation
Opinion Telecoms Gulf telcos should ignore Europe’s fading allure Instead of expanding further in Europe, STC and Etisalat should focus on home comforts For all their foreign forays – current and historic – it is their domestic businesses that matter most Matt Smith, Senior editor, AGBI
Opinion Infrastructure Dubai’s urban masterplan to build ‘soul and identity’ It will be news to some curmudgeons in the West that Dubai has a 'soul and identity' at all The scale of the emirate's transformation is hugely ambitious Frank Kane, Editor-at-Large, AGBI
Opinion Leisure & Hospitality Sotheby’s first Saudi auction: a test of Gulf’s market potential Sotheby's auction in Saudi Arabia will be an indicator of the strength of the Gulf art market The 150 lots will feature everything from Picasso to Hermès handbags, at prices up to $1.5m Adeline Pilon, Co-founder, Elyx Foundation & Company
Opinion Trade US trade bravado hides a cautious stance on China It is clear with their minimal tariffs that Trump and Xi are trying to avoid a full-scale trade war Presidents Trump and Xi are going through the motions Matein Khalid, Investor
Opinion Trade The Gulf has a tricky path to plot between China and the West Trump's protectionist rhetoric has put GCC governments in a difficult position over China It may be clichéd to call the Gulf a crossroads between north, south, east and west, but it is undeniably true John Manners-Bell, CEO, Transport Intelligence Insight
Opinion Tech US ambitions are a fork in the road for GCC crypto GCC regulators could position themselves as crypto partners to the US, fostering collaboration If Trump follows through on deregulation, the States could be a serious competitor to the Gulf Carla Sertin, Technology Editor, AGBI
Opinion Trade GCC should target tariff-free food deals with Trump A trade war between China and the US in agriculture could create an opening for the GCC US agriculture could be looking for new export markets Martin Keulertz, Lecturer, University of the West of England
Opinion Oil & Gas Canada oil tariffs could weigh heavily on global markets Contrary to Trump’s US 'energy dominance' boasts, Canada is a very important crude trading partner Most respectable economists believe it is also bad news for the US economy Frank Kane, Editor-at-Large, AGBI
Opinion Artificial Intelligence DeepSeek shock suggests what goes up must come down DeepSeek's implications for the venture capital ecosystem in Silicon Valley will be profound GCC sovereign investors view AI as a core segment of their economic diversification strategies Matein Khalid, Investor
Opinion Artificial Intelligence Did DeepSeek cause the market crash? I ask the accused I had an early morning conversation with DeepSeek. It is my new-found best buddy The AI app evades difficult questions but proves to be congenial company Frank Kane, Editor-at-Large, AGBI
Opinion Business of Sport Neymar’s Saudi Arabia stint is an economic lesson for its football goals The numbers involved in Neymar’s fleeting stint in Saudi Arabia are mind-boggling Beset by injuries, Neymar only played seven games for his Saudi employers Gavin Gibbon, Senior editor, AGBI
Opinion Artificial Intelligence You can’t replace ChatGPT for a few million dollars China may have scored against US AI supremacy, but DeepSeek might end up being an own goal When I asked the AI tool whether it was better than DeepSeek, its response was 'It depends!' Nish Kotecha, Tech entrepreneur
Opinion Trade Trade policy will be central to Trump’s second term GCC economies do not appear to be targets of Trump beyond the message to produce more oil Many of the US president’s fresh executive orders will have substantial ramifications, including in the Gulf Tim Fox, Partner, Capital Gate Advisors
Opinion Artificial Intelligence DeepSeek sell-off gives Gulf investors plenty to think about DeepSeek's arrival has huge implications for Arabian Gulf investment strategies The arrival of a Chinese AI chatbot has implications for geopolitics, markets and Mena wealth funds Frank Kane, Editor-at-Large, AGBI
Opinion Aviation Riyadh Air’s launch delay is a blow to Vision 2030 Riyadh Air faces tough decisions: keep paying staff until operations begin or risk furloughing them Expect scrutinised focus on the broader progress towards Saudi Arabia's grand plans John Grant, Partner, Midas Aviation
Opinion Oil & Gas Expect the unexpected with Trump and the Gulf In the Gulf, Trump's 'drill, baby, drill' is likely to have prompted groans of disappointment Whatever the new administration decides, it is unlikely to happen quickly Simon Henderson, Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
