Economy DMCC ‘well placed’ for more trade with Ukraine and Iran Trade and enterprise freezone the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre is looking to forge closer trade ties with both Ukraine and Iran to take advantage of the countries’ growing trade appetite. “Dubai is well placed to benefit from Saudi and Iran’s recent decision to resume diplomatic relations given the large number of Iranians living in Dubai […] May 5, 2023
Real Estate Saudi next on radar as Aldar builds on Mena expansion Real estate developer Aldar Properties is scouting for development and joint venture opportunities in Saudi Arabia to help it expand in the region. Based in the UAE, Aldar has projects in Egypt in addition to its core operations in Abu Dhabi and, more recently, Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, following announcements in the past six […] May 3, 2023
Opinion Lifestyle Welcome to Marinagrad, Dubai Embraced by some and resented by others, the Russian presence is changing life in Dubai April 28, 2023
Video length: 02:35 Video Real Estate Millennial investors hiking property prices for Dubai expats Dubai is seeing a “big rise” in millennial investors looking for luxury properties. “A lot of rich people are investing in Dubai, which is why we see villas being sold for $50 million to $100 million,” said Rizwan Sajan, founder and chairman of Danube Group in an exclusive video interview with AGBI. “There are a […] April 27, 2023
Analysis Employment Saudi unemployment tumbles as more women join workforce Unemployment in Saudi Arabia has fallen to 8 percent, its lowest level for six years, as the kingdom’s non-oil economy recorded strong growth in 2022. The rate dropped by 3 percentage points in 2022, according to the General Authority for Statistics and analysts expect it to fall further this year. “As we expect higher growth […] April 20, 2023
Tourism Ramadan travel still falling short of pre-pandemic highs Ramadan travel from the GCC is up on 2022 levels in many member states, but is still lagging behind the heights enjoyed by the industry in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a sector professional. Olivier Ponti, vice president of insights at London-based global travel data and analytics firm ForwardKeys, revealed outbound flight bookings […] April 14, 2023
Economy Qatar and Bahrain to resume diplomatic ties Bahrain and Qatar have agreed to resume diplomatic relations following a meeting between leading officials in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Both state-run news agencies for the Gulf countries announced the news following a second meeting of the Bahraini-Qatari follow-up committee, held at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat. “It was decided to resume diplomatic […] April 13, 2023
Construction First phase of Sitra Mall revamp ‘ready by September’ The first phase of the renovation of Sitra Mall in Bahrain is 50 percent complete and scheduled to be finished by September this year. The $12 million, three-stage redevelopment of the mall, a subsidiary of Bahrain Development Bank, is set for completion in 2024. The mall, located on Sitra island south of Manama, is managed […] April 10, 2023
Economy Bahrain lures investments with new ‘golden licence’ Bahrain has launched a ‘golden licence’, providing incentives to foreign and local companies with large-scale investment projects in the country. The move aims to propel investments and boost job creation as part of the country’s fiscal and economic reforms. Chrissi Zamora, CEO of Europe and Middle East at Dubai-based company set-up firm Healy Consultants Group, […] April 4, 2023
Employment Professions named and shamed in UAE ‘worst reputation’ survey Recruiters have topped a list of the worst professionals to deal with in the UAE for the third year in a row, while social media influencers offering financial advice were also targeted as “infuriating”. UAE residents were asked which industries delivered the most unreliable customer service in a survey for the fifth annual “Worst Reputation” […] March 31, 2023
Economy Bahrain’s GDP grows at fastest rate in a decade Bahrain has announced its highest rate of real GDP growth in almost a decade. The kingdom’s GDP grew 4.9 percent in 2022, the fastest rate since 2013, according to the latest figures from the Ministry of Finance and National Economy. Non-oil real GDP increased by 6.2 percent last year, the highest rate since 2012 and […] March 28, 2023
Economy Bahrain and UAE ranked best places for expats to set up home Bahrain has been ranked as the best place for expats to settle, based on factors such as housing, bureaucracy, language and digitalisation. The UAE took second place in the survey by InterNations, a Munich-headquartered online community for global expats. Bahrain, the second-smallest GCC economy, scored highly for ease of administration and bureaucracy, with more than […] March 23, 2023
Tourism UAE embraces travel again as Ramadan airfares spike Airfares from the UAE to key expat locations have increased over the Ramadan period as a new report shows that residents in the Emirates have the biggest appetite for travel. A global survey of 18 countries by research firm YouGov, carried out in November last year, found that 58 percent of UAE respondents said travel […] March 21, 2023
Employment GCC firms compete for talent as they expand workforce Gulf employers, especially in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, expect to expand their workforces further this year, boosting salaries as organisations vie to hire the region’s best talent. Top recruitment agency Hays surveyed about 4,500 working professionals in the GCC in the final three months of 2022. It found that last year 67 percent of […] March 7, 2023
Tourism Red Sea Global bucks trend as Saudis take on hospitality roles Saudi nationals are flocking to the kingdom’s Red Sea Global mega-project to take up jobs in the multi-billion dollar development. One of the areas in the project, simply named The Red Sea, is on track to welcome its first guests in 2023 when the initial hotels open. Upon full completion in 2030, the project will […] March 6, 2023
Ireland’s Middle East exports grow with ‘new’ economy The Republic of Ireland is targeting the UAE and the wider Middle East as a “major growth market”, with innovation at the heart of the economic relationship. Opportunities for closer collaboration between Irish and UAE firms have been identified in the “new” economy including AI, space, fintech and entrepreneurship. Healthcare, and medtech in particular, is […] February 22, 2023
Lifestyle Middle East investors ‘need at least $5m to retire comfortably’ Most Middle East investors believe they need at least $5 million for a comfortable retirement, according to a survey. The latest MLIV Pulse survey, carried out by Bloomberg and published on Tuesday, asked more than 500 traders how big a nest egg ought to be. The global average was between $3 million and $5 million, […] February 22, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Interviews UAE’s centre stage in Bollywood blockbusters The UAE is set to become a major post-production and financing hub for the Bollywood film industry. Acclaimed filmmaker Shekhar Kapur told AGBI: “Infrastructure for filmmaking is coming up in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and more Indian filmmakers will come to the UAE to make their films. There are very good studio facilities in Dubai […] February 13, 2023
Real Estate Aldar forecasts $5.4bn by 2028 from Dubai partnership Aldar, which entered into a joint venture with Dubai Holding for the first time this month to build homes in the emirate, is looking for other opportunities in Dubai. The developer’s chief financial and sustainability officer Greg Fewer said it was likely to look at investment opportunities in commercial offices and logistics property “in the […] February 10, 2023
New marriage laws set to boost Dubai’s wedding industry Dubai hotels and wedding planners are preparing for an influx of new work following last week’s announcement that non-Muslim couples can marry in civil ceremonies run by local courts for the first time in the emirate’s history. Industry representatives told AGBI that, contrary to international reports, the new service is unlikely to open the door […] February 9, 2023
Analysis Tourism Ras Al Khaimah: the UAE’s sustainable tourism destination Early in 2022 US hotel operator Wynn Resorts announced it was partnering with the Ras Al Khaimah property developer Marjan and RAK Hospitality Holding to build a multibillion dollar integrated luxury resort in the northern emirate. Critically, this includes a gaming area, a first for the UAE, which inevitably captured the headlines. But RAK isn’t intent […] February 6, 2023
Employment Rise in UAE non-oil orders means more staff recruitment UAE non-oil businesses reported a three-month high in the growth of new domestic orders last month, leading to a continued rise in staff recruitment as companies move to clear their growing backlog. However, this was offset by a “sustained reduction” in overseas orders, which fell at the quickest rate since June 2021, according to the […] February 3, 2023
