Web Summit Qatar 2026 in Doha draws 30,000 participants, global tech leaders

The GCC must deploy its ‘strategic advantages’ to lead the transition

• Across the region, business leaders are confronting a reality already transforming global markets.
• Instead of funding isolated projects, Gulf institutions can help build ecosystems such as agritech clusters, circular-economy value chains,

How Sensodyne’s 5th Sense is turning oral care into experience

• Nearly half the population experiences tooth sensitivity, but two-thirds do not seek treatment, pointing to a major awareness gap, Murtaza Mahfouz told TRENDS
• Sensodyne’s ‘5th Sense’ uses immersive technologies like VR and multi-sensory design to position tooth sensitivity as a treatable condition, he adds

To build a knowledge economy, the GCC must bet on its young minds

• This generational shift has been accelerated by national visions across the GCC, from Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 to Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030.
• The dynamic, which combines wisdom and creativity, is precisely what national visions need to scale.

Who has been invited to be on Trump’s Gaza boards?

• BOARD OF PEACE - The White House says this body will focus on issues such as "governance capacity-building, regional relations, reconstruction, investment attraction.
• NATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF GAZA - This body, made up of technocrats, will "oversee the restoration of core public services, the rebuilding of civil institutions.

Global economy set for “sturdy growth” in 2026, MENA growth to outpace global economy

• Goldman Sachs Research has projected that the world economy will expand faster than widely expected next year, saying its economists expect sturdy global growth of 2.8%
• The Middle East and North Africa region is expected to outperform the global economy in 2026, with GDP projected to grow by 3.6% year on year compared to global growth of 3.1%

MENA emerges as fast-growing global e-trading hub, UAE leads with over half-trillion dollars in volume

• The study, Trading’s New Horizon: How Access, Innovation and Ambition Are Fuelling MENA’s E-Trading Boom, draws on two years of data from 62,850 verified traders across the region
• The report notes that MENA traders are young, digitally savvy and highly educated, and nearly 86% are aged 18–44, and 64% hold a university degree—far higher than Europe’s 39%

UAE’s AI Office announces Google Gemini as top model in ‘AI in the Ring’ Index

• Gemini earned the top ranking following a review of over 400 questions and 5,200 generated responses from 11 major language models
• A Committee of Emirati experts evaluated the outputs to identify which models demonstrated the strongest cultural understanding

GCC countries attract $523.4bn in foreign investment in 2023

• Intra-GCC investments rise to $130 billion, aided by infrastructure, technology improvements, and modern legislation boosting regional business attractiveness.
• Capital markets grow to $4.2 trillion as corporate profits improve and institutional investments continue despite global economic uncertainties.

Riyadh, Washington seal major defense agreement amid Saudi push for two-state roadmap before Israel normalization

• The agreement comes within the framework of the long-standing strategic partnership and the deep-rooted ties that have united the two countries for more than ninety years
• It affirms that Saudi Arabia and the United States are capable security partners, able to work together to confront regional and international challenges and threats.