Category: Business

PureHealth’s insurance arm, The National Insurance Company – Daman, has secured an A1 Insurance Financial Strength Rating from Moody’s Ratings with a stable outlook, marking a major credit milestone for Abu Dhabi’s expanding healthcare and insurance platform.The rating is the highest Insurance Financial Strength Rating assigned by Moody’s to a UAE insurer and the highest across the GCC among life, property and casualty, and reinsurance companies. It places Daman in a stronger position as PureHealth accelerates its strategy of combining

Private foreign investment in Saudi Arabia’s private markets reached SR20 billion in 2025, making overseas capital a dominant force in the Kingdom’s fast-expanding private investment landscape as reforms, larger deal pipelines and stronger exit prospects draw more global fund managers to Riyadh.The Saudi Venture Capital Company said foreign inflows accounted for about 60 per cent of total private investments last year, putting the overall market near SR33 billion. The figure marks a significant step in the Kingdom’s push to convert

Donald Trump reported at least $1.4 billion in 2025 earnings from cryptocurrency and memecoin-linked ventures, a federal filing shows, putting digital assets at the centre of the president’s personal finances during his second term.The 927-page annual financial disclosure, released by the US Office of Government Ethics, details a sharp expansion of income from family-linked crypto businesses, licensing deals, token sales and related partnerships. The scale of the earnings places crypto ahead of hotels, golf resorts, real estate licensing and merchandising

Cincinnati has long been recognized as one of Ohio's most dynamic cities, blending a strong business community with historic neighborhoods, growing startups, major healthcare systems, and family-owned enterprises. As the city continues to evolve, legal needs have expanded in areas such as estate planning, family law, business formation, criminal defense, employment disputes, and personal injury.The city's legal community includes firms that have spent decades serving local families, entrepreneurs, nonprofit organizations, and corporations. While each practice focuses on different areas of

Charleston, South Carolina, is known for its rich history, thriving business community, and welcoming neighborhoods. As one of the state's fastest-growing cities, Charleston is also home to a diverse legal community serving individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and organizations across a wide range of legal matters.Whether you're navigating a real estate transaction, planning your estate, resolving a family dispute, launching a business, or recovering after an accident, finding the right legal representation can make all the difference. The best law firms combine

There is a particular kind of conversation happening in Munich, Vienna, and Zurich right now. A founder runs the numbers on another year of operating at home, looks at the tax line, the energy bill, and the months lost to permits and paperwork, and starts asking a question that would have seemed exotic a decade ago: what would it actually take to run this from Dubai?In 2026, more of them are not just asking. They are going. The flow of

[caption id="attachment_118938" align="alignnone" width="1000"] New York-based iSwiss Hedge Fund announces a major hospitality and real estate development in Salalah. The project highlights growing international investor confidence in Oman and its long-term potential within the luxury tourism sector.[/caption]DUBAI – The Gulf region continues to rank among the world's most dynamic destinations for tourism and hospitality investment. Against this backdrop, Christopher Aleo, Chief Executive Officer of iSwiss Hedge Fund, has announced a significant new project in the Sultanate of Oman.The New York-headquartered

Varenne Capital Partners has opened a Dubai International Financial Centre office, giving the Paris-based investment manager a regulated foothold in the Emirates as global asset managers deepen their presence in the Gulf’s expanding financial hub.The new entity, Varenne Capital Ltd, is a wholly owned UAE subsidiary regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The move marks the firm’s first regional base after building its business across Europe and positions it closer to institutional investors, private wealth networks and family offices

Emirates SkyCargo has expanded its freighter network across East and Southeast Asia, adding capacity on key manufacturing corridors as exporters seek faster links to markets across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas.The Dubai-based carrier said it moved more than 439,000 tonnes of cargo on freighter and passenger flights from 12 markets in East and Southeast Asia during FY2025/26, an increase of about 5 per cent over the previous financial year. The expansion reflects rising demand from manufacturers, e-commerce

Electric Way has broken ground on a 125,000 sq ft expansion of its distribution centre at National Industries Park in Dubai, a move aimed at more than doubling its operating capacity as demand rises from construction, utilities, manufacturing and data centre projects across the region.The extension is designed to strengthen the company’s bulk order fulfilment, warehousing, kitting and supply chain operations for electrical products including cables, lighting, industrial wires and electrical distribution systems. The project comes as Dubai’s industrial and

Standard Chartered is exploring the sale of its wealth and retail banking business in Bahrain, extending a wider reshaping of its consumer operations as the London-headquartered lender concentrates capital on larger cross-border and affluent-client franchises.The review applies only to the bank’s wealth and retail banking operations in the kingdom. Its corporate and investment banking business in Bahrain will continue unchanged, preserving the group’s institutional presence in a market it has long used as a regional financial hub.The bank said any

Leonardo and Abu Dhabi’s EDGE Group have set a target of more than €4 billion in orders over five years for a new defence sensors and systems joint venture, signalling a deeper industrial push by the UAE into high-end military technology and a wider export drive by Europe’s defence manufacturers.The venture, detailed at a Paris event on Wednesday, is expected to begin operations with contracts already secured worth several hundred million euros. EDGE will hold 51 per cent of the

Dubai’s latest trophy land sale has come under scrutiny after public property records indicated that the Dh560 million beachfront acquisition announced by Dubai Sotheby’s International Realty may have been assembled through four separate land transactions rather than recorded as a single deal.The brokerage said this month that it had completed the UAE’s largest land acquisition, involving a European buyer and a beachfront estate of more than 80,000 square feet on Naïa Island, the private coastal development being built off Jumeirah.

How Iqoniko and Van Sterling Capital Are Enabling Private Investors to Participate in a Growth Story via the Innovative Platform Intokia.com Lehmann Hotel und Gaststätten Holding GmbH is leveraging an innovative Capital Roadshow for digitized profit participation rights—a modern investment vehicle—as it begins its Taco Bell rollout in Bavaria, Germany. In collaboration with Iqoniko and Van Sterling, the group is establishing a model that provides both professional and retail investors access to an extraordinary expansion journey.Bavaria, Germany as the Starting Point

Abu Dhabi’s L’IMAD Holding has deepened its grip on TAQA after its subsidiary Abu Dhabi Power Corporation bought a further 8.09 per cent stake in the listed power and water utility, lifting its holding to 98.12 per cent.The transaction, disclosed on Wednesday, involved the acquisition of 9.1 billion TAQA shares from Two Point Zero Group. Based on TAQA’s closing share price that day, the stake was worth about AED21.56 billion, or $5.87 billion, making it one of the more significant

Dubai Islamic Bank has raised $1 billion through a perpetual non-call six-year Additional Tier 1 sukuk, reinforcing investor appetite for Gulf bank capital instruments despite a higher-for-longer global rates environment and periodic volatility across emerging-market debt.The benchmark Regulation S transaction was priced with a 6.250 per cent profit rate after initial price thoughts were circulated in the 6.625 per cent area. The orderbook rose above $1.85 billion, excluding joint lead manager interest, allowing the lender to tighten pricing and complete

Europe’s largest airline groups have warned Brussels that extending carbon charges to long-haul international flights would lift fares, raise cargo costs and deepen a dispute over how aviation should pay for its climate impact.Chief executives from major carriers including Air France-KLM, IAG, Lufthansa, Ryanair, easyJet, TUI and AirBaltic have urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen not to widen the European Union’s Emissions Trading System to cover flights departing the bloc for destinations outside Europe. The intervention comes as

The idea of being self employed is often an appealing one. No boss hovering nearby while you work. No office politics that become divisive or horrific to work in. The added freedom of building a business based on your own goals and interests - it’s all very appealing and sounds excellent on paper, right? But is it actually easy?The honest answer isn't as straightforward as a yes or no unfortunately. It can be challenging and rewarding, frustrating and exhilarating all

First Abu Dhabi Bank has entered a strategic partnership with Water. org and WaterEquity, placing capital behind an impact fund aimed at expanding access to safe water and sanitation across emerging markets.The Abu Dhabi lender has invested in the WaterEquity Everspring Fund, an open-ended vehicle designed to channel private capital into financial institutions and enterprises that serve low-income households and small businesses needing affordable water and sanitation finance. The partnership makes FAB the first commercial financial institution in the Middle

Parcel-locker group InPost will invest a further €500 million in France by 2030, strengthening its out-of-home delivery network as e-commerce growth and consumer demand for flexible collection points reshape Europe’s parcel market.The commitment adds fresh weight to the expansion strategy of the Poland-based logistics company, which has been building France into one of its most important markets outside its home base. The investment is intended to support organic growth rather than acquisition-led expansion, with funds expected to go into lockers,

Dubai motorists will pay more to use toll gates and public parking from June 1, with Salik and Parkin applying 5 per cent value-added tax to their services under the UAE’s federal tax framework.The change will add VAT to Salik toll gate use and tag activation charges, while Parkin will apply the tax across its public parking services, including on-street and off-street parking, seasonal cards, permits and reservations. The amounts collected will be remitted to the Federal Tax Authority, making

Emirates NBD has extended a AED367.3 million loan facility to Luxembourg-based CPI Property Group, giving the European real estate investor funding cover for deferred payments on a portfolio of ultra-luxury residential units in Dubai through 2026 and 2027.The transaction, equivalent to about $100 million or €86 million, is secured against 19 high-end residences owned by CPI Property Group, including 15 units still under construction. The assets are spread across some of Dubai’s most expensive branded and waterfront addresses, including Bvlgari

Air Arabia’s first-quarter profit fell 22 per cent as regional conflict disrupted flying, closed airspace and forced temporary operational limits, even as the Sharjah-based low-cost carrier kept revenue broadly stable and filled a higher share of available seats.The carrier reported net profit of AED278 million for the three months ended 31 March 2026, down from AED355 million a year earlier. Turnover edged up 1 per cent to AED1.8 billion from AED1.779 billion, underlining the resilience of fares and ancillary revenue

Standard Chartered Capital Saudi Arabia has secured regulatory clearance to manage investments and operate funds in the kingdom, giving the London-listed banking group a wider platform in one of the Gulf’s fastest-expanding capital markets.The approval from the Capital Market Authority allows the company to run discretionary portfolios and establish investment funds under Saudi securities rules. The clearance follows completion of commencement-of-business requirements tied to an approval dated 5 May 2025, marking a formal step from authorisation to active operations in

UAE property developers are expected to keep construction programmes moving and meet debt obligations over the next 12 months, as strong cash reserves and positive operating cash flow provide a buffer against softer sales, wider payment plans and geopolitical uncertainty.Moody’s assessment points to a market under pressure but not in distress. Sales momentum has cooled as conflict across the Middle East unsettles investor sentiment, yet there is no evidence so far of a sharp freeze in demand. Developers have

Mubadala Investment Company and Tubacex Group have launched operations at their Abu Dhabi joint venture, bringing a specialised manufacturing platform for advanced Oil Country Tubular Goods into service as the UAE accelerates efforts to localise critical energy supply chains.The venture, operating under the TBX Nexxia brand, is focused on corrosion-resistant alloy tubular products used in demanding oil and gas infrastructure, particularly wells and production systems exposed to high pressure, high temperature and corrosive environments. The launch was announced during Make

 Dubai South is pressing ahead with its 2026 property delivery programme, signalling that long-term housing demand around Al Maktoum International Airport remains strong despite short-term regional uncertainty.The master-planned city and free zone has placed one of its largest residential construction packages of the year, awarding an AED2 billion contract to Mohammed Abdulmohsin Al Kharafi & Sons for multiple phases of Hayat by Dubai South. The move keeps the developer’s flagship community on track for construction to begin in the second

Kuala Lumpur-based International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation has raised $1.475 billion through a US dollar-denominated short-term sukuk auction, marking its largest single issuance since its first auction in August 2013 and underscoring the continuing depth of demand for high-quality Islamic liquidity instruments.The auction was 2.07 times oversubscribed, with bids reaching $3.05 billion even as investors weighed geopolitical tensions, shifting expectations on US interest rates and uneven liquidity across global debt markets. The sale also marked the first time IILM offered

Dubai food group IFFCO is poised for provisional liquidation after months of debt restructuring talks failed to produce agreement, pushing a major Gulf consumer-goods business into a court-led process as creditors seek to protect assets and stabilise operations.A lender group led by HSBC Holdings has initiated legal proceedings to take control from the owners, with FTI Consulting nominated to act as provisional liquidator. The move follows a prolonged stand-off over roughly $2 billion in borrowings and marks a significant escalation

 UAE aviation fuel supply chains are set for tighter coordination after ENOC Group and Emirates Petroleum Company, Emarat, signed an agreement to build a joint business continuity planning framework for Jet A-1 operations.The memorandum of understanding is designed to protect fuel availability at key aviation hubs during operational disruption, supply pressure or logistics constraints. It sets out a structured mechanism for cooperation between the two energy companies, covering pipeline transfers, truck loading operations, fuel supply management and response procedures aimed

The QRNW Global Ranking of Transnational Universities 2027 has placed Swiss International University (SIU) in third position among all transnational universities worldwide. The recognition was awarded to the university because it operates extensive international programs while offering flexible academic options and worldwide educational access for all its students.The ranking reflects SIU’s continuous efforts to build an inclusive learning environment for students from diverse countries and backgrounds. The university increases its international presence through its dedication to cross-border education and development

Kingdom Holding Company has agreed to buy a 70% stake in Al Hilal from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, in a transaction that marks a new phase in the Kingdom’s football privatisation drive and puts one of the country’s highest-profile clubs under the control of Prince Al Waleed bin Talal’s investment group. The binding agreement, announced on Thursday, values Al Hilal at an implied enterprise value of 1.4 billion Saudi riyals, with an equity valuation of 1.2 billion riyals and

Bain Capital has opened an office in Abu Dhabi Global Market, expanding its Middle East presence as the private investment firm seeks closer ties with regional investors, broader support for portfolio companies and a stronger position in sectors that match Abu Dhabi’s economic agenda. The firm said the new base will focus on aviation, healthcare, digital infrastructure and financial technology, and will serve as a regional hub for deeper engagement across the Middle East. Bain Capital says it manages about

Al Habtoor Group said on 9 April it will invest more than AED 5 billion in a new commercial tower at Al Habtoor City on Sheikh Zayed Road, a move that adds fresh weight to Dubai’s office-led development pipeline at a time when demand for premium business space remains firm and developers are racing to capture it. The company described the scheme as a landmark addition to the city’s skyline and said it would be the first in a wider