Saudi startups soar amid surge in venture investments
Saudi Arabia, which secured over 50 percent of MENA's total venture investments in 2023, strategically focuses on financial technology to...
Economy
Arab region faces soaring youth unemployment crisis
The region, with the world's highest youth unemployment rate, requires the creation of 33.3 million jobs by 2030 to accommodate...
Economy
Analysis
Value via sustainability gives firms an edge
A sustainability-focused company strategy boosts brand value and efficiency, matches customer demands, attracts top personnel, and opens new doors.
- A McKinsey Global Survey reveals that organizations can become sustainable simply by adopting a set of management strategies
- As per the respondents, organizations are now also likelier to prioritize sustainability and define specific goals and objectives
Analysis
Zero-carbon not the end of oil and gas
Some people conflate the target of zero carbon emissions with the notion that the era of oil, gas, coal, and...
- Carbon emission targets are sometimes misunderstood with the end of oil, gas, and coal
- Oil and gas are still the primary drivers of the global economy, and will continue to be so for decades
Interview
What are the most recent retail trends?
With the retail sector rebounding in the UAE, Cyrille Fabre, a partner and director with the Middle East arm of...
- Retailers are thriving in the areas of omnichannel and customer experience.
- Unlike carbon-intensive industries, retail can easily achieve sustainability
Economy
Urban management can benefit from blockchain
Blockchain may be able to solve quite a few of the problems in the planning and implementation of a smart...
- While smart cities are a key trend, today's hurdle is high competition and complex device integration
- Blockchain technology may be able to take care of not only these but also security and other issues
Economy
Arab nations’ pledge bolsters COP26 message
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have made some strong climate-action pledges at or before COP26.
- The summit may not achieve its target of reducing carbon emissions by 45 percent by 2030
- COP26 wants governments to adopt carbon emission targets through 2030
Analysis
Experts weigh in on Facebook rebranding to Meta
Facebook is currently facing a lot of flak for accusations of bias, and leaked internal documents back them up.
- Facebook has a long history of criticism about users' privacy the content it views
- Today's scandals differ from past instances in the papers leaked from within the corporation
Interview
Despite hurdles, interest in 5G high in MENA
As GCC shifts away from dependence on oil and gas revenues, 5G is set to fuel tech growth and ease...
- 5G subscriptions in the MENA have exceeded 1 million at the end of 2020
- The deployment of a 5G network faces several challenges
Investigation
Iran intensifies cyber espionage in Middle East
Cyberattacks by Iranian spies have become more sophisticated and have intensified against Arab countries, say industry experts.
- Iranian espionage targeted aerospace and telecommunications companies in the Middle East, the US, Russia, and Europe
- Cybereason identified 10 companies impacted during their three-month investigation
Economy
Strong ties help UAE-China trade surge
According to the Chinese statistics, there are over 4,000 Chinese-funded enterprises in the UAE. In 2020, the bilateral trade reached...
- The UAE is an important part of China's Belt and Road initiative with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi referring to the gulf country as a "shining pearl."
- The China-UAE Industrial Capacity Cooperation Demonstration Zone is a major cooperation project to translate the vision of the leaders of the two countries into action
Interview
Sharjah Sustainable City builds on green concept
The project, which covers 7.2 million square feet of land in Al Rahmaniyah area, builds on the concept of future...
- The project extends over an area of 7.2 million square feet of land in the Al Rahmaniyah area of Sharjah, supporting the urban development of the Emirate
- The city is designed to cover all three elements of sustainability - social, economic, and environmental
Saudi startups soar amid surge in venture investments
Saudi Arabia, which secured over 50 percent of MENA's total venture investments in 2023, strategically focuses on financial technology to...
Economy
Company News
Latest News
Dubai leads as GCC real estate transactions soar in H1
Gulf real estate hit $90.7 billion in the first half of 2023, a 9.9% rise y-o-y, as Dubai led the...
Business
Saudi Arabia turns to maritime to diversify revenues
Saudi Aramco's King Salman Complex, set to be the largest marine industry hub in the Middle East, is expected to...
Economy
Eastward shift: GCC builds strategic ties with ASEAN
Trade between GCC and ASEAN doubles, marking a new economic collaboration era as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and UAE enhance...
Geostrategy
Most Read
Business
$1.3trn mineral reserves shift Saudi focus to mining
The Kingdom, leveraging its significant copper reserves across the nation, seeks to address the global shortage, particularly crucial amid the...
- The Kingdom, leveraging its significant copper reserves across the nation, seeks to address the global shortage, particularly crucial amid the transition towards clean energy
- The Kingdom, despite facing challenges in logistics and water provision at mining sites, is harnessing technology and collaborations to improve production quality
Business
Arab SWFs accelerate dealmaking amid scarce funding
Joint investments by sovereign funds hit a record $17.2 billion in H1 this year as Gulf states fund global equity...
- Joint investments by sovereign funds hit a record $17.2 billion in H1 this year as Gulf states fund global equity firms, including KKR & Co., EQT AB, and Brookfield
- Middle Eastern investors, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company, are planning to invest billions in high-profile acquisitions
Economy
Gulf economies pivot towards China: Multi-billion dollar investments strengthen relations
Economic ties between China and the Gulf region's largest economies, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have surged since President Xi...
- The value of Gulf companies' acquisitions and investments in China this year increased by more than 1,000 percent yearly to $5.3 billion
- Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund, the "Mubadala Investment Company," is expanding its operations in China to attract investments