Abu Dhabi Chamber enhances digital Effortless Certificate of Origin service

• The Abu Dhabi Program for Effortless Customer Experience supports Abu Dhabi’s human-centric approach.
• It enables everyone living and working in the emirate and visitors to carry out tasks quickly, seamlessly and effortlessly.

Investcorp set to invest $1bn in GCC real estate over next five years

Saudi ministry signs hospitality, catering MoUs with 3 firms

• The MoUs were signed with Kadana Company, Lifestyle Development Company and Jusoor Al-Khaleej Company.
• The investment ministry is keen to attract investments and enhance their flow into the national economy in various sectors, SPA reported.

UK data shows retailers boosted by higher Christmas prices

• In December, revenue jumped almost seven percent from a year earlier largely thanks to surging food prices
• UK inflation dipped last month to 10.7 percent but remains close to 40-year highs, forcing consumers to switch to cheaper products

DIFC hosts over 250 companies managing assets worth $450bn

• The contribution of financial companies operating from DIFC to the financial services sector in the country exceeded 13% of the nominal GDP of Dubai during 2021, Amiri said
• The DIFC has already been ranked first in the Middle East and among the top 20 globally on the Global Financial Centres Index for 2022

MENA IPO Summit to attract top industry experts

• The inaugural summit will shed light on the strong impetus and promising prospects of the initial public offerings (IPOs) sector in Dubai.
• It will also showcase a roadmap for startups and SMEs in Dubai, including expertise around its regulatory environment, business culture and capital opportunities

Top US court backs WhatsApp suit over Pegasus spyware

• Pegasus gives its government customers -- which have allegedly included Mexico, Hungary, Morocco and India -- near-complete access to a target's device
• WhatsApp sued Pegasus in 2019, accusing it of targeting approximately 1,400 devices with spyware to steal information from people using the app

Rolls-Royce sells record cars

• "2022 has been a momentous year for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars," said chief executive Torsten Muller-Otvos.
• Orders for Spectre, its first all-electric car that launches later this year, beat expectations, the company reported.

European wages to increase at ‘very strong’ rate, says ECB

• Wage growth over the next few quarters is expected to be very strong compared with historical patterns, the ECB said.
• In December, inflation in the eurozone dipped under the symbolic figure of 10 percent, after 18 months of uninterrupted increase

Ronaldo to earn $214 million to promote Saudi World Cup bid

• The arrival of the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player came just weeks after neighbouring Qatar became the first Arab nation to host the World Cup.
• Al Nassr has nine Saudi league titles but never won the Asian Champions League, unlike four-time winners Al Hilal and Al Ittihad, who have lifted the trophy.