GCC startups will surprise the world by building culture-first tech
Snap’s regional chief Hussein Freijeh outlines growth plans across MENA and APAC in an interview with TRENDS, highlighting startups, creators...
Interview
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...
Business
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
UAE is shifting from attracting talent to unleashing it: Sheraa vice-chairperson
With national campaigns such as The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World setting targets of training 10,000 Emiratis and...
- The most significant opportunity lies in closing the conversion gap: the space between generating knowledge and turning it into scalable enterprises.
- More than 18,000 young people have been upskilled through Sheraa, giving them the confidence and competence to navigate a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Economy
Sovereign tech: Building a regional stack, not rival silos
As Gulf states race to build sovereign AI and cloud infrastructure, the real opportunity lies in pooling capital, standards and...
- Technical and compliance challenges are pushing GCC countries toward common governance constructs and vendor frameworks
- To boost talent mobility, GCC SWFs can underwrite regional AI academies, and visa standardization for tech talent
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.
Weaker dollar creates window for international property buyers in Dubai
Dubai faces substantial supply headwinds that may absorb currency-driven demand without triggering significant price gains. Approximately 45,000-50,000 new residential units...
- A 9.88% slide in the US dollar has boosted foreign buying power in Dubai, cutting the sterling cost of a AED 5 million home by nearly £105,000 in a year
- UAE’s 1 USD–3.6725 AED currency peg means the dirham weakens with the dollar, making Dubai property cheaper for overseas investors while staying stable for locals
Economy
Battle of the Tech Hubs
The GCC is competing to build world-class technology hubs, investing heavily in AI, infrastructure, and sovereign capital to drive digital...
- The GCC smart cities and digital transformation market reached $145.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $907 billion by 2032.
- Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala, for instance, was the largest sovereign-owned investor globally in 2024, deploying $29 billion across 52 deals, a 67 percent increase from the previous year.
Economy
‘Innovation takes time—The Gulf’s economic transformation requires patience and persistence’
In an interview with TRENDS, Josh Lerner says Gulf economies pursuing diversification must recognize that transformation takes time, patience, and...
- Innovation reforms take time, strong institutions, and market-aligned policies, Josh Lerner tells TRENDS
- Funding alone is not enough; follow-on capital and a culture that rewards risk are essential, he adds
Economy
UAE Innovation Month: Why 2026 is the year of the agentic enterprise
The synergy between humans and AI agents is driving a ‘Great Redeployment’ where there is a structural shift in how...
- AI adoption is surging, but enterprises are stuck in “pilot purgatory”, failing to scale isolated AI experiments into orchestrated, ROI-driven systems
- The shift to an Agentic Enterprise requires multi-agent orchestration, shared enterprise context, and strong governance, especially as GCC regulations tighten
Economy
The great tech reset: How the gulf turned sovereign capital into a tech ecosystem
The GCC has quickly moved from passive capital allocation into active ecosystem building, spurred on by heavy sovereign capital and...
- Heavy bets on cloud, AI infrastructure, and data centers are reshaping the region’s tech base
- The UAE and Saudi Arabia are fast closing the infrastructure gap with global tech leaders
Economy
Jobs and investment top MENA expectations from multinational firms, Ipsos finds
As geopolitical turbulence grows, companies are increasingly at the mercy of forces beyond corporate leadership’s control.
- American multinationals now face the strongest global skepticism, with “Brand America” increasingly linked to ethical, environmental, and economic concerns
- A company’s country of origin has become a reputational “passport,” shaping trust as much as corporate behavior itself
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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
GCC startups will surprise the world by building culture-first tech
Snap’s regional chief Hussein Freijeh outlines growth plans across MENA and APAC in an interview with TRENDS, highlighting startups, creators...
Interview
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Saudi Arabia to create 40,000 jobs for its nationals
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Sovereign tech: Building a regional stack, not rival silos
As Gulf states race to build sovereign AI and cloud infrastructure, the real opportunity lies in pooling capital, standards and...
Economy
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...
Interview
Weaker dollar creates window for international property buyers in Dubai
Dubai faces substantial supply headwinds that may absorb currency-driven demand without triggering significant price gains. Approximately 45,000-50,000 new residential units...
Most Read
Economy
‘Innovation takes time—The Gulf’s economic transformation requires patience and persistence’
In an interview with TRENDS, Josh Lerner says Gulf economies pursuing diversification must recognize that transformation takes time, patience, and...
- Innovation reforms take time, strong institutions, and market-aligned policies, Josh Lerner tells TRENDS
- Funding alone is not enough; follow-on capital and a culture that rewards risk are essential, he adds
Economy
UAE Innovation Month: Why 2026 is the year of the agentic enterprise
The synergy between humans and AI agents is driving a ‘Great Redeployment’ where there is a structural shift in how...
- AI adoption is surging, but enterprises are stuck in “pilot purgatory”, failing to scale isolated AI experiments into orchestrated, ROI-driven systems
- The shift to an Agentic Enterprise requires multi-agent orchestration, shared enterprise context, and strong governance, especially as GCC regulations tighten
Economy
The great tech reset: How the gulf turned sovereign capital into a tech ecosystem
The GCC has quickly moved from passive capital allocation into active ecosystem building, spurred on by heavy sovereign capital and...
- Heavy bets on cloud, AI infrastructure, and data centers are reshaping the region’s tech base
- The UAE and Saudi Arabia are fast closing the infrastructure gap with global tech leaders