UAE consumers embrace AI shopping but remain wary of autonomous purchases
Visa's latest Stay Secure study also highlighted the rapid rise of social commerce, with 69% of UAE consumers reporting purchases...
Business
Dubai economic zones post highest-ever trade performance in 2025
Dubai, UAE -- Dubai's integrated economic zones recorded their strongest-ever trade performance in 2025, with total trade rising 46% year-on-year...
Business
Business
UAE launches first 7-year Islamic Treasury Sukuk worth $150 million
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE Ministry of Finance said on Sunday it had launched its first-ever seven-year tranche of...
- The new tranche attracted strong demand amounting to approximately 3.1 billion dirhams, nearly six times the issuance size.
- Total bids reached 5.88 billion dirhams, representing an oversubscription ratio of 5.3 times.
Business
Abu Dhabi records real estate deals worth $38.7 billion in 2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Abu Dhabi’s real estate market recorded transactions worth a record AED 142 billion ($38.7 billion) in...
- Sales and purchase transactions totalled $27.1 billion from 25,604 deals, while mortgage activity accounted for $11.6 billion across 17,210 transactions.
- Foreign direct investment in Abu Dhabi’s real estate sector reached $2.2 billion in 2025, up 13 percent from the previous year.
Interview
Startups need more than funding: they need an ecosystem
Drew Propson, Head of Technology and Innovation in Financial Services at the World Economic Forum, explains how sustainable growth, AI...
- The UAE’s Vision 2031 and Saudi Vision 2030 are clear calls to action that outline not just ambition, but execution.
- The third quarter 2025 marked the fourth consecutive quarter with over $90 billion in funding, something not seen since early 2022.
Interview
Gulf startup hubs: Converging strategies, diverging ambitions
Despite fierce branding as rivals, Gulf startup hubs share capital, policy, and talent structures that are quietly shaping distinct, globally...
- Shared infrastructure, capital flows, and policy choices bind these ecosystems together more than they divide them.
- The critical question for Gulf ecosystems is not whether they have capital or talent, but whether both are organized toward genuinely global ambition.
Interview
Professional events are becoming West Africa’s new innovation engine
Innovation doesn’t happen by decree. It happens when people collide, when ideas rub up against each other, when unlikely conversations...
- What happens after the expo is just as important as what happens on stage.
- These gatherings give birth to cross-border communities of engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers.
Geostrategy
Citizen-consumers are redefining the global reputation of multinationals: Ipsos study
The report, Impacts of Multinational Corporations: What Citizen-Consumers Want from Foreign Companies Doing Business in Their Country, draws on a...
- Despite regional differences, one expectation stands out globally: people want multinational corporations to contribute to local economies.
- This economic focus was particularly pronounced in developing and emerging markets, including many countries in the Middle East, North Africa, and Latin America.
Economy
Gaming, esports GCC’s new growth play
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the gaming surge with world-class ecosystems and youth-driven expansion. Across the region, governments...
- Flagship events such as the Dubai Esports Festival and the BLAST Premier World Final, hosted by AD Gaming, have elevated the UAE’s global standing.
- With nearly 71 percent of the population under the age of 35, Saudi Arabia’s youth form the foundation of its gaming transformation.
Business
From awareness to action: How Amazon Ads is helping GCC startups scale smarter
Amazon Ads is evolving from a marketing channel into a business-building engine, helping GCC startups use full-funnel advertising, retail media...
- Amazon Ads is positioning itself as a platform for GCC startups, helping them link brand building with measurable growth across the full funnel, Rayan Karaky told TRENDS
- MENA startups can leapfrog legacy markets by adopting AI-driven Retail Media 3.0 from the outset, using commerce data to scale smarter and faster, he adds
How Sensodyne’s 5th Sense is turning oral care into experience
Haleon delivers better everyday health with humanity, as Sensodyne drives trusted innovation through The 5th Sense, Murtaza Mahfouz tells TRENDS
- 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
Business
CAMB.AI unveils a new vision for a ‘truly borderless internet’: Avneesh Prakash
CAMB.AI founder Avneesh Prakash explains how on-device, real-time AI translation—powered by its MARS and BOLI models—is poised to dismantle language...
- CAMB.AI is shifting voice AI from the cloud to the chip, enabling devices to be “born multilingual” through real-time, on-device translation, Avneesh Prakash tells TRENDS
- Founded on lived experiences of linguistic exclusion, CAMB.AI aims to ensure language never determines access, opportunity, or identity., he adds
Most Read
Revenue from Saudi cinema may exceed $1bn by 2030KSA, UAE play well as e-gaming trends across GCCExclusive: Middle East’s retail sector rides on AR and hybrid shopping to become $600bn digital economyTECOM Group profit soars 13%UAE startups eye Saudi Arabia for growth, expansionSaudi Arabia leads GCC AI healthcare raceDisparity remains as Saudis, Emiratis see wealth gains
UAE consumers embrace AI shopping but remain wary of autonomous purchases
Visa's latest Stay Secure study also highlighted the rapid rise of social commerce, with 69% of UAE consumers reporting purchases...
Business
Company News
Latest News
ADNOC-led partnership targets $30 billion infrastructure investments
The partnership will raise a combination of equity and debt capital to target an investment portfolio that aims to generate...
Business
UAE executives face growing accountability over AI strategies
A new Dataiku study shows UAE CEOs increasingly view AI performance, governance and accountability as defining measures of leadership success.
Business
Mubadala, Tubacex operationalise TBX Nexxia platform in Abu Dhabi
Mubadala Investment Company and Tubacex Group have announced the full operational launch of their joint venture in Abu Dhabi, activating...
Business
Most Read
Business
Mashreq Q1 profit rises
Total revenue increased 10% year-on-year.
- Mashreq posted first-quarter net profit growth as revenue, lending and deposits expanded strongly year-on-year.
- Non-interest income rose sharply, highlighting diversification as regional geopolitical uncertainty weighed on operating conditions.
Business
TECOM profit climbs
High occupancy across assets boosts earnings.
- TECOM lifted recurring profit as occupancy, rental rates and cost discipline strengthened margins.
- Commercial and industrial portfolios remained nearly full, supporting resilient cash flow and customer retention.
Business
Emirates Stallions Q1 revenue up 11%
The rise helped by strong demand in real estate
- Rotana Residences sold out before launch, underscoring strong demand for branded Abu Dhabi housing.
- Operating profit before tax jumped 32% to 79 million dirhams, reflecting efficiency gains across the group's core businesses.