Success in this environment requires more than just skilled labor and heavy machinery; it demands seamless operational control and real-time financial insight. This is where a robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system becomes indispensable.

For construction firms seeking a proven solution designed for the unique demands of the Kingdom, implementing a dedicated ERP KSA platform is not just an IT upgrade — it’s a strategic business decision.

The Critical Challenges in KSA Construction

The complexity of modern construction projects in Saudi Arabia exposes businesses to several key risks:

Fragmented Project Visibility: Using disparate systems for estimating, procurement, and site management creates data silos, making it impossible to have a unified, real-time view of project health, profitability, and resource allocation.

Profitability Erosion: Inaccurate project estimation, uncontrolled procurement against budgets, and inefficient subcontractor management can swiftly turn a promising project into a financial loss.

Compliance and Reporting Burden: Navigating ZATCA’s e-invoicing (Fatoora) requirements, KSA labor laws for payroll, and complex phased revenue recognition for long-term contracts manually is time-consuming and fraught with risk for errors and penalties.

FirstBit ERP: An Industry-Specific Command Center

FirstBit addresses these challenges head-on with an ERP solution built specifically for the construction sector. It functions as a central command center, integrating every critical process from the initial lead to the final invoice. The platform offers deep, industry-tailored functionality that goes far beyond generic accounting software.

Key Functional Modules for Operational Excellence

Precise Project Estimation & Bidding: Leverage past project data and customizable templates to create accurate Bills of Quantities (BOQ) and estimates, securing more profitable contracts from the start.

End-to-End Procurement Control: Streamline the entire flow from site requisition to purchase order approval and supplier tracking. The system automatically updates project budgets with any variations, preventing costly overruns.

Real-Time Site and Resource Management: Track material inventory across sites, schedule equipment maintenance, and monitor subcontractor performance and payments — all integrated directly with project timelines and budgets.

Integrated Financial Compliance: Automate payroll in line with KSA regulations and ensure seamless ZATCA Phase 2 e-invoicing compliance with direct integration to the Fatoora portal, generating and submitting validated VAT invoices automatically.

Why FirstBit Stands Out in the Saudi Market

Choosing the right ERP partner is as crucial as the software itself. FirstBit’s value proposition is rooted in its deep local understanding combined with robust global expertise.

Local Market Mastery: The platform is configured for the specific regulatory and business environment of Saudi Arabia, ensuring compliance is built-in, not an afterthought.

Construction-First Design: Unlike adapted generic systems, FirstBit’s workflows and features — from phased revenue recognition to equipment tracking — are designed by experts specifically for contracting and construction companies.

Comprehensive Support Journey: The company emphasizes a smooth, guided implementation process followed by dedicated customer service, ensuring businesses across Riyadh and the wider KSA can adopt and benefit from the system effectively.

The Path to Streamlined Growth

For construction business leaders in Saudi Arabia, the question is no longer if they need an integrated system, but which one will truly deliver. A specialized ERP solution transforms operations from a series of reactive tasks into a streamlined, data-driven enterprise. It empowers teams to control margins, accelerate project delivery, and grow with confidence in a competitive market.

Ready to transform your construction business operations and build a foundation for sustainable growth? Discover how a purpose-built system can become the digital backbone of your success. Explore the proven capabilities of a dedicated erp ksa solution with FirstBit.

The article Conquering Complexity: How a Specialized ERP for KSA’s Construction Industry Drives Growth and Compliance appeared first on Arabian Post.

EcoEnergySol, an organization supporting the development of renewable energy in Ukraine, expects 2026 to be a strong year for continued work across the energy sector, according to Mykhailo Pyrtko, project manager and active member of the organization. Mykhailo Pyrtko noted that sustained professional involvement, cooperation with industry stakeholders, and practical sector initiatives remain central to EcoEnergySol’s direction moving forward.

Founded in the Lviv region in 2020, EcoEnergySol unites specialists and partner companies connected to renewable energy projects and solar generation initiatives. The organization focuses on strengthening the role of clean energy in Ukraine through educational outreach, information initiatives, and the promotion of environmentally responsible solutions. Its long-term mission supports broader national priorities such as energy security, gradual decarbonization, and the expansion of local renewable generation capacity.

Within EcoEnergySol, Mykhailo Pyrtko contributes to project coordination, sector engagement, and the support of initiatives aimed at improving technical and practical knowledge in renewable energy. He emphasized that consistent work in the energy field is essential for strengthening the sector – especially during periods when infrastructure resilience and long-term energy planning remain critical for Ukraine.

“2026 will be a strong year for EcoEnergySol, as we continue working in the energy sector and supporting initiatives that contribute to Ukraine’s long-term renewable development,” said Mykhailo Pyrtko. “Our priority remains the same: to combine expertise, cooperation, and education to help advance modern energy solutions.”

EcoEnergySol representatives have previously participated in professional visits, conferences, and international discussions focused on renewable energy best practices and solar technology development. These activities have helped the organization exchange knowledge with industry stakeholders and remain connected to modern trends shaping the European and global energy transition.

In addition to educational and coordination efforts, EcoEnergySol’s members have been involved in supporting operational renewable energy activity in the region. Looking ahead, EcoEnergySol reaffirmed its intention to maintain transparent, constructive, and environmentally focused work in the energy sector. According to Mykhailo Pyrtko, 2026 will be defined by continued cooperation with partners, ongoing educational outreach, and practical actions aimed at strengthening renewable energy development in Ukraine.

The article Mykhailo Pyrtko On the Outlook of EcoEnergySol work in 2026 appeared first on Arabian Post.

Taraf, the real estate arm of Yas Holding, has entered a strategic development partnership with Masdar City to deliver Fay Hills, a 153-acre residential masterplan positioned at the centre of Abu Dhabi’s flagship sustainable urban district. The project reflects a broader shift in the capital’s property market towards low-carbon living, wellness-focused design and long-term community planning.

Located within Masdar City, Fay Hills is planned as four interconnected residential villages, each linked by shaded green corridors, landscaped public parks and integrated water features. The layout prioritises walkability and climate-responsive urban design, aligning with Masdar City’s long-established framework for energy efficiency, reduced emissions and smart infrastructure. Developers involved say the emphasis is on creating a calm, balanced environment rather than high-density residential clusters.

The development blends Taraf’s design-led residential strategy with Masdar City’s sustainability standards, which include renewable energy integration, reduced water consumption and district-wide mobility planning. Homes are expected to be designed around human-centred living principles, with careful attention to natural light, outdoor connectivity and community spaces intended to support physical and mental wellbeing.

Fay Hills also underscores the changing priorities of buyers in Abu Dhabi’s residential market, where demand has been growing for masterplanned communities that combine lifestyle amenities with measurable sustainability credentials. Industry analysts note that projects within Masdar City have increasingly attracted interest from professionals, families and international residents seeking future-ready neighbourhoods aligned with environmental goals.

While detailed unit specifications and pricing have yet to be disclosed, the masterplan is positioned to complement Masdar City’s wider ecosystem, which already hosts global clean-energy firms, research institutions and mixed-use developments. The integration of residential villages into this ecosystem is expected to strengthen Masdar City’s role as both a living and working urban district.

From a strategic perspective, the partnership allows Taraf to anchor its residential portfolio within one of Abu Dhabi’s most recognisable sustainable developments, while Masdar City gains a large-scale housing project designed to extend its original vision beyond commercial and institutional uses. The collaboration reflects a wider pattern in the emirate’s real estate sector, where developers are aligning with sustainability-focused districts to future-proof assets and meet evolving regulatory and market expectations.

The article Taraf and Masdar City unveil Fay Hills project appeared first on Arabian Post.

The Digital Transformation of UAE’s Tax Landscape

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on a fast track toward digital transformation, especially in taxation. The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has introduced mandatory e-invoicing through EmaraTax, pushing companies to modernize their invoicing processes. This initiative is part of a broader global trend where countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Italy, and Poland are implementing their e-invoicing frameworks. For businesses in the UAE, this shift is not just about compliance; it’s an opportunity to accelerate digital transformation and position for international growth.

Limitations of ERP Systems for E-Invoicing Compliance

ERP systems are the backbone of many organizations, handling core business functions like finance, supply chain, and operations. While these systems are robust in managing internal processes, they fall short when it comes to e-invoicing compliance. ERPs are not designed to handle country-specific legal requirements, real-time validation with government platforms, or long-term compliant archiving. Extending ERP capabilities to meet these needs often leads to costly customizations, reliance on third-party plugins, and frequent updates to keep pace with regulatory changes. This approach increases costs, delays projects, and elevates compliance risks.

Infinite GIP: The Compliance-Ready Solution

Infinite Global Invoicing Platform (GIP) offers a specialized solution for e-invoicing compliance that outshines ERP systems. Designed to handle the complexities of regulatory requirements, Infinite GIP focuses on ensuring that businesses can meet compliance standards without overburdening their ERP systems. By using Infinite GIP, companies can keep their ERPs focused on managing core business processes while leveraging a platform built specifically for e-invoicing compliance.

Regulatory Readiness and Seamless Integration

One of the standout features of Infinite GIP is its regulatory readiness. The platform is continuously updated to meet FTA and regional requirements, including structured invoice formats, real-time clearance, and archiving rules. This ensures that businesses remain compliant without the need for constant ERP customizations. Infinite GIP also offers seamless integration with existing ERP systems, including SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics. This means businesses can connect once with Infinite GIP, and the platform handles all communication with EmaraTax, eliminating the need for heavy ERP custom coding.

Scalability Across Multiple Jurisdictions

For multinational companies, scalability is crucial. As businesses expand across borders, they must comply with various e-invoicing regulations. Infinite GIP supports multi-jurisdiction compliance through a single hub, whether it’s EmaraTax in the UAE, ZATCA in Saudi Arabia, or EU-compliant formats via PEPPOL. This scalability ensures that businesses can easily adapt to new markets and regulatory environments without investing in separate infrastructures for each jurisdiction.

Reducing Costs and Risks with Infinite GIP

Using Infinite GIP significantly reduces costs and risks associated with e-invoicing compliance. Clients using the platform have reported up to 25% lower operating costs through automation, 40% faster implementation times compared to ERP-only customizations, and up to 90% fewer human errors due to standardized, automated processing. Additionally, Infinite GIP provides peace of mind by ensuring that invoicing is secure, compliant, and up to date with local laws. This reduces the need for constant hiring of additional specialists and minimizes the risk of non-compliance penalties.

In summary, as the UAE progresses toward fully digital VAT compliance, the gap between “ERP-only” setups and compliance-ready platforms like Infinite GIP will widen. Companies that rely solely on ERP systems may find themselves constantly chasing updates and managing costly customizations. In contrast, businesses that adopt Infinite GIP will be better positioned to stay compliant, agile, and cost-efficient. By choosing a platform designed for multi-jurisdiction compliance, businesses can strategically position themselves for global expansion while navigating the complexities of the evolving regulatory landscape.

Ready to simplify UAE e-invoicing compliance and future-proof your business? Get in touch with Infinite today and discover how Infinite GIP can accelerate your digital transformation.

The article UAE E-invoicing Made Easy: Infinite GIP’s Advantage Over ERP appeared first on Arabian Post.

Abu Dhabi – Fakih Fertility Group has achieved a historic milestone in reproductive medicine by launching the UAE’s first accredited fellowship program in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. This pioneering initiative sets a new standard in medical education and training, providing obstetricians and gynecologists with advanced expertise in assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

The fellowship program, accredited by the National Institute for Health Specialties (NIHS), was officially inaugurated by Dr. Mohammed Al-Houqani, Secretary General of NIHS, during a ceremony attended by senior officials from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Al-Houqani highlighted the importance of this achievement, stating, “The Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship Program represents a significant advancement aligned with the UAE’s vision to elevate medical education and healthcare training to world-class standards.”

Elevating Standards in Reproductive Medicine

This three-year fellowship offers a comprehensive curriculum, integrating clinical practice, surgical management, research, and leadership development in reproductive medicine. Participants will gain hands-on experience at the state-of-the-art Fakih Fertility Center in Abu Dhabi, alongside personalized mentorship, structured teaching, and access to cutting-edge technologies.

Graduates of the program will emerge as highly skilled specialists in fertility and ART. In addition to mastering advanced medical and surgical techniques, they will develop expertise in quality management, innovation, and governance within fertility services. Upon completion, fellows will receive a license to practice as specialists in reproductive medicine and infertility in the UAE.

A Landmark Achievement

As the first program of its kind in the UAE, the fellowship underscores Fakih Fertility Group’s leadership in medical innovation.

Dr. Michael Fakih, Founder of Fakih Fertility Group and Chairman of Academic Affairs, commented, “Becoming the first private IVF center in Abu Dhabi to introduce an accredited fellowship program reflects our commitment to advancing medical education and training in assisted reproduction. This initiative is a testament to our dedication to providing world-class therapeutic services and building strategic partnerships with key healthcare authorities.”

Dr. Fakih also praised the Abu Dhabi Department of Health for its visionary approach to enhancing healthcare standards across the UAE. “Their innovative policies have positioned the UAE as a global leader in specialized medical education and healthcare excellence,” he added.

Shaping the Future of Reproductive Healthcare

This fellowship program is part of a collaborative effort with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, designed to align with the UAE’s strategy of building a future-ready healthcare system. It supports the development of the next generation of leaders in reproductive medicine, equipping them with the skills to address complex fertility challenges and advance the field through innovation.

Dr. Yasmine Sajjad, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Fakih Fertility Center, acknowledged Dr. Fakih’s visionary leadership in bringing this initiative to life. “This milestone would not have been possible without his unwavering dedication to medical education and patient care,” she said, inviting obstetricians and gynecologists to join the fellowship and further their expertise and careers.

A Bold Step Forward

With the launch of this accredited fellowship program, Fakih IVF Group solidifies its position as a trailblazer in reproductive medicine, driving excellence in education, research, and patient care across the region.

The article Fakih IVF Group Launches UAE’s First Accredited IVF Fellowship Program appeared first on Arabian Post.

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai

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incebreaker

The universal nuclear-powered icebreaker Chukotka will soon receive one of the two RITM-200 reactor units required for its operation. The second reactor will be shipped by the end of 2023.

‘We continue to work on the renewal of the nuclear icebreaker fleet. Chukotka will be the fourth serial icebreaker of Project 22220. The head icebreaker of this project – Arktika – and two serial icebreakers Sibir and Ural successfully tackle multiplied tasks in the harsh conditions of the Northern Sea Route. The RITM-200 reactors installed on them have shown excellent performance,’ Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom State Corporation, said.

The RITM-200 is the most modern and productive ship reactor unit in the world. The reactor weighs 147.5 tons and has a thermal capacity of 175 MW. It is twice lighter, 1.5 times more compact and 25 MW more powerful than previously used ship reactors. This has improved the nuclear-powered ships’ speed and ice-crossing characteristics – the new-generation universal icebreakers are capable of conquering ice thickness up to 3 meters.

‘The development and mastering of production of the RITM new generation reactors was carried out with the participation of the entire machine-building division. The high professionalism of designers and machine builders, their team work skills allowed us to create a product that today is of key importance not only for the icebreaker fleet, but also for the nuclear power industry as a whole. In addition to the development of the Northern Sea Route, their use will make it possible to effectively solve the problems of power supply to remote and hard-to-reach areas,’ Igor Kotov, Atomenergomash Director General, commented.

Since 2013, Rosatom (supports the operation of nuclear-powered icebreakers) has shipped nine new-generation marine reactor units for universal nuclear icebreakers. The tenth RITM-200 is scheduled to be shipped to the shipyard by the end of 2023.

The Chukotka icebreaker is the fourth serial universal nuclear-powered icebreaker of the ‘22220’ project. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned in 2026. The ship itself is being assembled at a specialized site in St. Petersburg.

The Project 22220 icebreakers are the most powerful and modern in the world, and due to their increased width (34 meters), the vessels are capable of carrying tankers with a displacement of up to 100,000 tons alone in the Arctic. This series’s ships are able to change in draft so they sail both offshore and in shallow water. Two other nuclear powered ships’ projects are ‘Taymyr’ and ‘Arktika’ that together with ‘22220’ make up the only nuclear-powered fleet in the world.

These vessels successfully operate on the NSR due to their unique characteristics and ensure safe navigation along this Arctic route. This new corridor provides such advantages as shorter length (vs traditional southern logistics corridors), safety of cargo transportation, absence of bottlenecks and queues when passing the route. It allows to shorten the way between ports of Northern Europe and Asia by almost 40% in comparison to other routes. This visible benefit influences the total volume of consumed fuel and carbon emissions of maritime transport. As a result, the use of the NSR may positively contribute to the global supply chain sustainability and the world trade as a whole.

RITM

The article Newest nuclear-powered icebreaker is one step closer to launch appeared first on Arabian Post.

Let us understand the benefits and process of obtaining an e-commerce license in Dubai, highlighting how it can be a game-changer for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Key Benefits of Obtaining an E-Commerce License in Dubai, UAE

• One compelling advantage is the favorable tax environment in the UAE. Unlike many other countries, Dubai provides a range of tax incentives and holidays, including the absence of personal income tax, capital gains tax, and withholding tax. The 0% VAT rate extends to product and service exports, further enhancing your profitability.
• Dubai’s strategic location is another critical factor. The UAE is a gateway to thriving markets beyond geographical barriers, situated at the crossroads of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Within an eight-hour flight, you can access two-thirds of the global population. Dubai’s exceptional connectivity through its renowned Dubai International Airport and well-developed sea transport network reinforces its position as a strategic hub in the MENA logistics index.
• Infrastructure plays a pivotal role in Dubai’s allure as an e-commerce hub. The region attracts significant investments in infrastructure development, offering benefits such as high-standard manufacturing units and warehouses, extensive office space options, a robust road network connecting neighboring countries like Oman and Saudi Arabia, and a flourishing maritime sector.
• Finally, another advantage of an e-commerce license in Dubai is reliable and secure banking services. The UAE’s banks have demonstrated resilience during global crises, and a diverse range of payment providers, including Stripe, PayTabs, and HyperPay, cater to businesses of all sizes. Additionally, Dubai boasts the world’s highest-speed broadband coverage, reaching over 93% of households, ensuring seamless online operations for your e-commerce enterprise.

Process of Launching Your E-Commerce Business Activities in the UAE

Embarking on establishing your e-commerce business activities in the UAE and obtaining an e-commerce license may initially seem daunting. However, professional business setup services like Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone (SPC Free Zone) allow you to navigate the process smoothly and efficiently while obtaining your e-commerce license in Dubai.

Step 1: Document Submission

The first crucial step involves organizing and submitting the required documents for your e-commerce business activities to the relevant authorities. With the assistance of business setup services, you can ensure that your paperwork is in order, expediting the approval process. These expert advisors specialize in handling the intricacies of setting up your business activities, saving you valuable time and effort.

 Step 2: E-Channel Application

To proceed further, you must complete the e-channel application, which is pivotal in obtaining the entry permit—a temporary visa valid for 60 days. Business setup services can handle this application process on your behalf, ensuring a seamless and accurate submission and minimizing delays and complications.

 Step 3: Status Change

Upon receiving the entry permit, the authorities will facilitate the necessary status change to solidify your transition into a registered e-commerce business in Dubai, UAE. Relying on professional business setup services enables you to navigate this process smoothly, ensuring all requirements are met, and

potential obstacles are promptly addressed.

 Step 4: Emirates ID 

Obtaining an Emirates ID is crucial for various business activities, such as opening a bank account, securing property rentals, and acquiring mobile phone contracts. The process involves a mandatory medical test. By leveraging the expertise of business setup services, you can receive guidance on the medical test process and ensure a seamless transition toward obtaining your Emirates ID.

 Cost of E-commerce License in the UAE

The cost of obtaining an e-commerce license in the UAE starts at AED 5,750. However, it’s important to note that there are additional expenses beyond this base cost. These expenses may include eligibility for a resident visa, office space, facilities, and fees imposed by the registering authority.

By entrusting experienced business advisors, you can streamline the setup process, eliminate potential roadblocks, and lay a solid foundation for success.

 Final Words

If you’re looking for a low-cost business venture, Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone, SPC Free Zone, can provide a quick business setup in the UAE with an effective e-commerce license in Sharjah Cost. Their expert business advisors offer guidance throughout the process, allowing you to obtain your business license in just 45 minutes.

The article Harnessing the power of an ecommerce license for a low-cost business in the UAE appeared first on Arabian Post.

Running a business means being active not only on the local market, but also available through the web. When the company starts to develop, you immediately spread your wings and try to do your best to optimize inner processes. This is where Infinite IT Solutions steps in. Find out about innovative IT systems offered to your business.

In search for technological change

The company has been established in 2002 with a strong vision of collaboration with business clients from all over the world. So far, Infinite IT Solutions has managed to cooperate with companies from Poland, Romania, Hungary and The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, providing successful technological solutions for over 10 000 clients. Making a difference is one of the company’s priorities. This is mainly provided by understanding of customer’s needs, effective communication and a strong determination to shape the future – all followed by experience and professional approach.

Infinite IT Solution sectors

There is a wide range of IT solutions dedicated to each industry. Infinite, as a professional business partner, offers its services in such sectors as banking, retail, pharma, aviation, exchange houses, insurance and mobile. You will cooperate with a team of qualified people that perfectly cope with your expectations. Versatile skills accompanied by well-organized action plan will surely contribute to your success.

What’s in the offer?

Choose from numerous solutions that suit your business the best. Do you want to sign business papers electronically? Are you searching for paperless B2B transactions that are safe for you, your receivers and suppliers? Or maybe you aim for e-invoicing or e-storage options? With Infinite IT Solutions you can easily handle all transactions digitally, saving lots of money and speeding up document-related processes. All solutions are gathered in suites that are well-designed for your company’s needs. Here, in Infinite, in fact, is the point, where you start to save up!

Manage your business effectively

There are many key factors that can make your business successful. IT solutions is one of them, as it plays a crucial role in your business’ optimization. What are the benefits? Decreased maintenance costs, error reduction – especially in documents, compliance with standards, fluent flow of documents with quick access to each invoice, and no more archiving costs – this is only a fraction of multiple advantages.

Trust the ones that give full measure

Infinite IT Solutions is a company with reliable team that exceeds the barriers. Their work has been noticed and awarded in various prestigious competitions, such as Forbes Ranking or Business Gazelles, that ranks the most dynamically developing small and medium companies. In 2004 Infinite won the award of Reliable Company, and a Quality International in 2007. This clearly proves that their members know what they are doing by improving its IT services day by day. Do you want to implement IT solutions into your company? Infinite is a trustworthy partner on your way to success.

The article Infinite IT Solutions – your reliable business partner appeared first on Arabian Post.

You may have heard reference to the oldest index dating back to 1896, which tracks the value of the thirty largest US stocks and gives traders access to a wide part of the market. Below, we discuss in detail the Dow Jones Index and its Year-to-date (YTD) performance.

Fundamentals of the Dow

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has long been a favorite index with traders and investors. Most sectors are represented on the DJIA, the majority being energy, financial institutions, technology, and industry. The last significant change was in 2020 when Exxon Mobil was replaced by Salesforce.com, Amgen replaced Pfizer, and Honeywell International replaced Raytheon Technologies. Other household names included on the Dow Index are Apple, McDonald’s, and NIKE.
On The Dow 30, the stocks with the highest share prices have more significant importance on the index, in contrast to other indices, such as the S&P 500, which weighs by market capitalization. Due to its volatility, the DJIA is popular for contract for difference (CFD) trading. When investors trade Dow Jones CFD, it works by trading leverage, which means they can use a small amount of money in both directions. This style of trading means you don’t trade the underlying stock, and instead you speculate on how the price moves. Some of the notable stocks are Chevron, Travelers, American Express and Apple. Other popular instruments for trading on the Dow Jones Industrial Average are future contracts and ETFs.

Source: Pixabay

Understand Sectors

Firstly, it is essential to understand that there are many indexes owned by Dow Jones Company, including the Dow Jones Transportation Average, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Dow Jones Utility Index. These focus on particular sectors, as indicated by their names. Dow Jones Industrial Average always includes just the 30 most traded companies from various sectors.
Although this is a comparatively small index, it covers a broad spectrum of sectors, so analyzing and fully understanding each one may not be realistic. Understanding and focusing on one particular industry is a logical approach. The last few years have seen significant growth in the technology industry. For example, Apple Inc reported revenue of $365.8 billion for the financial year 2021, up by 33.26% from the previous year.

Focus on understanding progression and projections for the tech industry, taking into consideration technical analysis, price to earnings ratio, profits, losses, etc. Investors not only consider the US economy’s influence on the DJIA but also on its trading partners and other international economies. Often, the popular approach is top-down, looking at the entire index rather than focusing on individual stocks on the index.

Source: Pixabay

Indexes & YTD Performance

Understanding the fundamental differences between the DJIA, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq is important. Even though they all refer to US stock market indexes, there are some key differences between each index.
Firstly, the Nasdaq is far larger than the DJIA and includes over 3,000 stocks, largely made up of technology, biotech, and internet companies. The Nasdaq is an electronic exchange where you can purchase and trade stocks but also refers to the index. Like the DJIA, several indexes are included in the Nasdaq, the biggest one being the Nasdaq composite Index.
The S&P 500 consists of the 500 largest publicly traded companies, including all 30 Dow Jones Industrial Average. The S&P works by weighing companies by total market capitalization, meaning that the largest companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple dominate the index.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average YTD return for 2022 sits at -12.27% and is currently experiencing its longest bad run since 1923. The DJIA losses in 2022 reflect the current trend in all financial markets, including the S&P 500, reporting its biggest losses since 2001, thanks to high inflation and worldwide supply chain issues. However, many believe that this latest inflation crisis is transitory and will be short-lived.

The article Dow Jones & YTD Performance appeared first on Arabian Post.

Lean is a popular method for reducing waste and increasing efficiency in organisations. It has been used extensively in manufacturing settings but can be applied to any type of business.

Image Credit

There are many different ways to implement Lean, but all share some common principles. In general, Lean involves identifying and eliminating waste, streamlining processes, and improving communication and collaboration.

The following are 15 steps that you can use to implement Lean in your organisation:

1. Define the problem you are trying to solve.
2. Identify the value stream for the process you are trying to improve.
3. Map out the current process.
4. Identify areas of waste in the current process.
5. Eliminate the waste.
6. Simplify the process.
7. Standardise the process.
8. Introducing Visual Management.
9. Implement Pull Systems.
10. Use Kanban to Control Workflow.
11. Encourage Continuous Improvement.
12. Empower employees to make changes.
13. Foster a culture of continuous improvement.
14. Measure progress and results regularly.
15. Make improvements an ongoing part of your organisation’s culture.

Before we go into each step, let’s first take a look at Lean principles and the benefits it brings to an organisation.

What are Lean Principles?

Lean is a set of tools and principles that can be used to streamline any process and make it more efficient. Lean has its roots in the manufacturing industry, but it can be applied to any type of business.

There are many different ways to implement Lean, but all share some common principles. In general, Lean involves identifying and eliminating waste, streamlining processes, and improving communication and collaboration.

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits of implementing Lean principles in your organisation. Some of the most common benefits include:

Reducing waste and increasing efficiency

This is the most obvious benefit of Lean. By identifying and eliminating waste, you can make your processes more efficient and save time and money.

Improving communication and collaboration

Lean principles emphasise the importance of communication and collaboration. By improving communication, you can make it easier for employees to work together and identify problems.

Fostering a culture of continuous improvement

Lean principles encourage a culture of continuous improvement. This means that employees are constantly looking for ways to improve the process and make it more efficient. This can lead to increased innovation and creativity.

Improving quality

One of the goals of Lean is to improve quality. By streamlining processes and eliminating waste, you can make it easier to catch mistakes and produce a higher-quality product.

Reducing costs

Another goal of Lean is to reduce costs. By eliminating waste and streamlining processes, you can save money on resources and labour.

Increasing customer satisfaction

The ultimate goal of Lean is to increase customer satisfaction. By improving quality and reducing waste, you can make your products and services more appealing to customers.

What are the drawbacks?

There are some potential drawbacks to implementing Lean principles. Some of the most common drawbacks include:

It can be difficult to change organisational culture

One of the goals of Lean is to change the organisational culture. This can be difficult to do, especially in large organisations. It takes time and effort to convince employees to adopt new ways of working.

It can be disruptive.

Another potential drawback of Lean is that it can be disruptive. This is because it often involves changing the way work is done. This can lead to confusion and frustration among employees so it is paramount for employee retention to address their concerns.

It takes time to see results.

Finally, it should be noted that Lean is not a quick fix. It takes time to implement and see results. This can be frustrating for organisations that are under pressure to improve quickly.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of Lean let’s take a look at how to implement it in your organisation.

How to Implement Lean in Your Organisation In 15 Steps

1. Define the problem you are trying to solve.

The first step in implementing Lean is to define the problem you are trying to solve. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to be specific about what you want to improve. Trying to improve everything at once is usually not successful.

2. Identify the value stream for the process you are trying to improve.

The value stream is the sequence of steps that a product or service goes through from conception to delivery to the customer. In order to streamline a process, you need to understand the value stream and identify where there is a waste.

3. Map out the current process.

Once you have identified the value stream, the next step is to map out the current process. This will help you to see where there are bottlenecks or areas of waste.

4. Identify areas of waste in the current process.

There are seven types of waste that are commonly identified in Lean: overproduction, inventory, motion, defects, waiting, transportation, and processing. Once you have mapped out the process, it should be relatively easy to identify which of these wastes are present.

5. Eliminate the waste.

The goal of Lean is to eliminate waste, so this is an important step in the process. There are many ways to eliminate waste, but it often involves streamlining processes and improving communication and collaboration.

6. Simplify the process.

One of the goals of Lean is to simplify processes. This may involve eliminating unnecessary steps, consolidating tasks, or automating repetitive tasks.

7. Standardise the process.

Standardising a process helps to ensure that everyone is doing things the same way and that there is less room for error. It also makes it easier to train new employees on the process.

8. Introducing visual management.

Visual management is a Lean tool that involves using visuals to communicate information about a process. This could include using charts, graphs, or other visual aids to track progress or identify areas of improvement.

9. Implement pull systems.

Pull systems are a type of inventory control system that only produces or delivers products when there is a demand for them. This helps to avoid overproduction and the associated waste.

10. Use Kanban to control workflow.

Kanban is a type of visual management tool that uses cards to signal when a task needs to be performed. It is often used in conjunction with pull systems to help control workflow and avoid overproduction.

11. Encourage improvement.

One of the goals of Lean is continuous improvement, so it’s important to encourage employees to find ways to improve the process. This could involve implementing new technologies or processes or simply finding ways to do things better.

12. Empower employees to make changes.

In order for continuous improvement to be successful, employees need to be empowered to make changes. This means giving them the authority to suggest and implement improvements.

13. Foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Continuous improvement should be an ongoing part of your organisation’s culture. This means creating an environment where employees are encouraged to find ways to improve the process.

14. Measure progress and results regularly.

Measuring progress and results is important in order to gauge the success of the Lean implementation. It also allows you to identify areas that need further improvement.

15. Make improvements an ongoing part of your organisation’s culture.

As mentioned above, making improvements an ongoing part of your organisation’s culture is vital to the success of the Lean implementation. This means that even after the initial implementation is complete, you should continue to find ways to improve the process.

The Bottom Line

Implementing Lean in your organisation can help to improve efficiency and eliminate waste. However, it is important to remember that Lean is an ongoing process, not a one-time event. To be successful, you need to make continuous improvement an integral part of your organisation’s culture. By following the steps outlined above, you can make Lean a part of your organisation’s culture and reap the benefits for years to come.

The article How To Implement Lean In Your Organisation In 15 Steps appeared first on Arabian Post.

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A stock exchange is a market for trading assets such as stocks, bonds, and commodities. During business days, the stock exchange serves as a platform for financial instrument players such as buyers and sellers to conduct transactions (i.e., the buying and selling of securities). Lots of companies are looking for a great stock to buy, but very few of us are aware of the benefits of stock exchange listing, which is a great idea if you are willing to go above and beyond to get more exposure than your current unlisted exchange. As well as providing a demonstrable adherence to well-recognised standards of transparency and governance, a stock exchange listing might just be the appropriate and effective next step to take in order to stimulate the liquidity of your stock. Sound useful? Read on to uncover some more benefits of this listing. 

Exposure For A Higher-Ranking Profile

The companies which are listed on the stock exchange give investors the opportunity and the choice to buy or sell the securities at a given time and price. Inevitably, these are the same companies which will receive bountiful benefits from an increased number of clients and exposure. They will also gain a higher capacity to uphold control within an inevitably higher-ranking company profile.

Access To Capital Growth

You will find that these companies will be able to more rapidly and effectively increase capital by releasing more shares for investor purposes. In addition to this, the raise could be utilised for the company’s growth and other needs. Indeed, some investors can only invest or are required to invest, a particular amount of their assets in listed goods because they know the firm in which they are investing adheres to defined transparency and governance criteria. 

These conditions imply that owners should have considered whether or not they anticipate an exchange listing playing a role in the development of their firm well before they reach that point. By taking this into account early in the life of the firm, business owners and directors may begin to make the necessary preparations for an exchange listing, putting them in the best possible position to satisfy the needed requirements at the time they seek to be allowed. 

Increased Accountability

More often than not, companies listed on the stock exchange list have greater financial accountability. With this in mind, it is essential that each listed company needs to follow the exchange rules in a strict manner. You must thus endeavour in a transparent manner of business that deals with financial data reporting. In turn, it lets listed companies promote accountability for the actions of all company managers, leaders, and insiders. Additionally, a company that follows the requirements of upholding transparency and financial accountability might find greater success than that which can be otherwise found in a privately-held stock exchange. For instance, a case study like the US dollar slump might help inform your overall decision, but it is a good idea to keep in mind all the potential outcomes of your company’s next step

The article The Benefits of Listing on A Stock Exchange appeared first on Arabian Post.

Is there something wrong with your business? Have you noticed that you are getting less customers lately? Have you noticed that your employees aren’t working quite as well as they used to? Why are these things happening and what can you do to stop them? Of course, we’re not going to be able to give you a definitive answer for your specific situation because we don’t know what that is beyond the fact that things aren’t going well. But, we can give you a general idea of why these things might be happening. In this article, that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing, so keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Lack Of Funding

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The first thing that you are going to need to think about is how the funding situation is right now. What is it like? Are you struggling for money? What has happened to your budget and why hasn’t it been followed? These are all things that you are going to need to consider when it comes to the funding situation of your business. The reason that this is so important is as simple as this: the more money you have, the easier a lot of things are going to be. You have to spend money to make money meaning that you actually have to have money in the first place.

It’s not the easiest thing in the world to manage money, but you’ve got to do your best. If you are struggling for money right now, then ask your investor if they can give a little cash injection to the company. If not, then you need to look at alternatives such as bank loans. Do whatever you have to in order to get the money flowing through the business again.

Employees Not Working

It might be the case that your employees simply aren’t working as well as they used to. This could be for a number of reasons, so you need to look at a range of explanations. It could be because you have not provided them with the right tech to be able to work as well as they used to, when compared to how well the competition is working right now. Or, it could be true that the team isn’t working well together now there is a new addition? It could be anything, but you need to work it out sooner rather than later so that you can start taking action.

If it’s a new person that is causing the problems, you need to find out if they are causing problems themselves or if your current employees are being cold to them. Either way, this behavior needs to be nipped in the bud asap.

Too Crowded On The Market

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All of the markets right now are extremely competitive. It’s not easy to have a successful business, especially in the wake of the global pandemic, which still isn’t completely over. It could be the case that it is just too crowded on the market right now, and your business is simply being passed over by potential customers. This has a lot to do with marketing which we are going to talk about in just a moment, but there are other things that you can do as well. For example, creating market research is one of those things that should be done regularly when you own a business anyway. If you’re not doing this, you’re missing out on valuable information that could take you to the top.

Use the information that you have gathered to come up with a plan on how to move your business up on the ladder. This should fix your problem if it’s related to an overcrowded market.

Slacking On Marketing

Are you slacking when it comes to marketing? Is your business not putting out amazing marketing campaigns and materials to try and entice people to the business? If the answer is no, then you need to completely rethink the way that you have decided to run your business. Marketing is one of the most important parts, next to the actual product or service itself. While we know that marketing can be tough because you’ve got to make sure that you don’t offend anyone, and make sure that it will appeal to everyone, it’s still got to get done. Focus on impressing your target audience first, because everyone else can come second.

Hire a professional if you don’t see this getting much better if you keep the same marketing team. Getting someone new into the team could shake things up in the best possible way, bringing new ideas and breathing a new lease of life into the team.

You

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The final thing that we are going to say is that the problem could be you. If you are not managing your business as well as you could be, then you are going to be the problem. There are effective management styles and then there are lazy management styles, and if you’re not involved in the business that much then you know which one you fall under. You have got to be constantly up to date with the things that are going on, taking an active interest in all parts of the business. 

It seems pointless to spend so much time building up a business, only to give up down the line because you think everyone else should carry the entire load of the business. It’s YOUR business, and you need to be the one who is leading the way, not sitting back and leaving everyone else to struggle.

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that could be wrong with your business, and also how you can try to fix them. The important thing is that you know now there is a problem, and you can start putting in place plans that will make things better for the business as a whole. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that this works out well for you. 

The article Is Something Wrong In Your Business? If So, How Can It Be Fixed? appeared first on Arabian Post.

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As companies start expanding their efforts, they can become somewhat risk-averse. It’s important to build an organisation where everybody is able to consider risk and build it into every single decision. This is vital to long-term success, but how do you start to create a risk-aware culture within your company? 

Educate Your Employees About Risk

If you want your employees to learn how to manage threats, you have to give them the basic knowledge. Depending on the industry you operate in, there are appropriate parameters to adhere to. Many construction training services can provide relevant training in terms of overall health and safety, but also how to spot certain issues and assess the impact of risk. When you start to cultivate an awareness of risk it will be easier for the stakeholders to see that reducing risk is not just in the best interests of the company, but in the best interests of the workers as well. 

Incorporate Clear Communication

Communication is vital, but when it comes to risk communication is not just about it being a one-sided approach but about making sure that it can be reported easily. This is where technology can be a very important component. As far as risk is concerned, if you provide more options for employees to report risks in a timely fashion, it makes it easier for the business to address the concerns and navigate the issues while also coming up with solutions to avoid the problem again. Because if the process of reporting risks is needlessly complex, there will be less likelihood of compliance. 

Assign Responsibility for Risk Management

Within a larger organisation, it’s important to identify individuals that are connected to certain risks. For example, in a manufacturing setting, the line manager is more likely able to see the issues on the shop floor and assess the appropriate health and safety risks. When everybody knows who is responsible for what aspect, there is less likelihood of something falling through the cracks. One of the biggest problems is passing the buck, not willingly, but because the assumption is that handling a certain risk is someone else’s responsibility. By assigning responsibilities for these specific risks, it will encourage autonomy and cover every base. 

Bring in Incentives

If you want to get people to think more about risk, you will need to think about appropriate incentives to get people thinking regularly about the risks and what they can do to mitigate the risks within their control. For example, you could tie in annual bonuses to achieving certain risk-related targets. 

Encourage Compliance from the Top Brass

Leading by example is important if the senior leaders of a company are making decisions that incorporate an awareness of risk; this means people will naturally start to follow their lead. Because organisations, where the leaders are operating with a flagrant disregard, only communicate to the people below that risk is not worth addressing. 

If you want to improve risk awareness in your business, these are some key components to consider.

The article 5 Ways To Improve Risk-Awareness in Your Company appeared first on Arabian Post.

Arabian Post Staff

CARS24, India’s e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles, announced the closing of a $400 million round of funding, including a $300 million Series G equity round alongside $100 million debt from diversified financial institutions.

This is CARS24’s third round of fund raising in over a year and values the used cars e-commerce player at $3.3 billion, about double the valuation from its previous round in September 2021. The company has already sold close to 3000 cars in the UAE market since commencing its operations in May this year.

The Series G equity round was led by return investor Alpha Wave Global (formerly known as Falcon Edge Capital) along with participation from other existing investors. CARS24 also raised a cumulative debt-funding of $100 million across the UAE, India, and Australia.

The investment will be utilized to fuel the brand’s global expansion in the Middle East, Australia and Southeast Asia, and to further strengthen its foothold in the Indian market. In addition, CARS24 will continue to enhance its superior technology and build a gold standard for quality used cars globally. In this pursuit, CARS24 recently announced the launch of seven Mega Refurbishment Labs (MRLs) in India – an industry first, and one MRL in the UAE which is amongst Dubai’s largest ever commercial leasing deals.

Even amid rapid growth, CARS24’s global opportunity remains massive. The accelerated adoption of CARS24 across the UAE, Australia and Thailand has illustrated the significance of a used car e-commerce platform experience and is a powerful indication of its future impact on the US$100B industry.

Founded in 2015, CARS24 claims to transform the way consumers buy, sell and finance used cars by leveraging technology at every leg of the consumer journey to solve genuine pain points and deliver a seamless buying experience. The company’s international market covers, besides the UAE, Australia and Thaiand.

According to the company, the growth of online retail around the world remains strong and continues to see increased support from consumers.

The article Indian pre-owned car platform closes $400m funding appeared first on Arabian Post.

The MENA region has seen a paradigm shift when it comes to online shopping and its delivery network—and the supply chain is now being asked to rise to the occasion. According to Christine Harb from the Global Brand Council at Visa, about 80% of consumers in the UAE have changed their spending habits and shifted towards online purchasing.

MENA has seen an average eCommerce annual growth rate of 25%—ahead of the already accelerated global average. As a set of continually developing nations, however, there is still some infrastructure missing to allow the region to truly embrace its new online delivery culture.

Let’s take a look at how the MENA region can adapt through AI to manage its skyrocketing supply chain.

The Current Reality of eCommerce in MENA

Although MENA is gungho about eCommerce, there are many caveats when it comes to the execution of deliveries. In general, the region is about 10 years behind the EU in eCommerce culture, and keeping this in mind can help understand the current state of operations in the supply chain.

MENA is just getting its footing in door delivery because of its limited infrastructure, with one of the most significant roadblocks being that there are no real addresses. Without zip codes, even in very well-known parts of town, delivery drivers have to approximate your address by the name of the building or a description.

This makes for a haphazard delivery system where drivers have to call recipients several times to ensure that they have the right details such as item, person, location, and time. Overall, incorrect addresses could affect more than $7.42 billion of eCommerce revenue in the region. This demonstrates a need for digitization in the MENA supply chain to make online trade feasible.

The East’s Open-Mindedness Towards Innovation

To its advantage, however, MENA is a region that not only accepts innovation but embraces it on a higher level than the more rigid Western world. Many companies have had to hit the ground running digitally, with only 8% of SMEs and 1.5% of retailers online in the wider MENA region before COVID-19, compared to 80% in the US.

For companies in the supply chain, this has meant moving from extremely antiquated methods at warp speed—starting with pen and paper as little as three years ago, to Microsoft Excel two years ago, to implementing AI into the whole system of operations within the past year. Although this is a drastic shift, MENA has demonstrated its capacity for adaptability—integrating digital innovations in a fragment of what took Western nations 2-3x’s the amount of time to implement.

MENA’s adaptive system of legislation helps to accelerate these efforts. The governments are generally receptive to strategically implementing change—tuning into the business world to know when to adapt laws and adopt new policies to bolster the economy. This includes monthly decision-making rounds with an advisory board of experts from the industry to keep a finger on the pulse. Allowing the region to embrace new initiatives in business quickly is a considerable advantage for constantly changing innovation that is high demand for the supply chain.

MENA’s Digitization to Help Manage Supply Chain

Digitization’s call to action in MENA needs to be broad because the infrastructure is still catching up. MENA has recognized this, and UAE appointed its first minister of AI after estimating that the technology might add $182 billion to the economy by 2035.

AI can fill in the gaps where information is lacking, mitigating the number of contact points that delivery drivers in the region must make and employing information already available. For example, let’s say a driver has the dimensions and pick-up date but doesn’t know the weight of an item for delivery. AI can glean context from different factors, drawing highly intelligent conclusions and helping to fill in the blanks.

This can ensure that delivery is of the utmost efficiency in terms of utilizing space in delivery trucks, optimizing routes, and ultimately evolving the efficiency of the supply chain and delivery in MENA as a whole.

Arabian eCommerce is here to stay, with analysts saying 50% of consumers surveyed will be sticking to their newly acquired habit of digital spending. Organizations such as Transmetrics,  a company that optimizes cargo transport planning by leveraging the power of predictive analytics and AI, can help the industry smoothly transition into a new age. This will allow MENA to not only catch up to the Western world but also blaze past them in the international supply chain.

Transmetrics is a company that optimizes cargo transport planning by leveraging the power of predictive analytics and artificial intelligence.

The article Why artificial intelligence is the way forward for MENA’s supply chain appeared first on Arabian Post.

Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE National Rail Network, has announced signing a strategic partnership with Herrenknecht, one of the oldest and largest companies specialised in tunnelling solutions, to develop new tunnel design and construction technologies.

The agreement, which took place on the sideline of Expo 2020 Dubai, was signed by Shadi Malak, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Rail, and Martin Herrenknecht, Founder and Chairman of Herrenknecht. The agreement comes in line with Etihad Rail’s commitment to foster a culture of innovation and adopt the best international practices in various fields.

Under this agreement, Etihad Rail will send young Emirati engineers to undergo training at the Herrenknecht Academy, at its headquarters in Germany, to exchange knowledge, acquire the necessary expertise, enhance their skills and capabilities and gain first-hand experience in the field of tunnelling.

In addition, the two companies will cooperate to explore areas of optimising the design and construction of the UAE National Rail Network’s tunnels, and exchange technical information and standards to assess the feasibility of tunnelling projects and mechanised tunnelling technologies.

Etihad Rail  network will link the principal centres of population and industry of the UAE, and will form a vital part of the planned railway network across the GCC. It has successfully completed Stage One of the network. Stage One is fully operational and was delivered on schedule and within budget. The route spans 264 km, transporting granulated sulphur from sources at Shah and Habshan to the export point at Ruwais.

Stage Two links the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia from Fujairah Port to Ghuweifat through Mussafah, Khalifa Port and Jebel Ali Port. Built to international standards, Etihad Rail’s state-of-the-art network will span approximately 1,200 km, acting as a catalyst for economic growth and sustained social development. Upon completion, the railway will redefine logistics and mobility in the region, providing a modern, safe, efficient and sustainable mode of transport that will connect all regions of the UAE to its neighbouring GCC countries.

The article Etihad Rail deal with tunnel specialist appeared first on Arabian Post.

TOKHIT, the first gamified social network that allows cost-effective and fast production of native NFTs, enables Digital Content Creators to produce various streams of Automated Income with the use of of NFT and Blockchain Technologies.

Successfully launched in Switzerland in 2020, Welthee is a disruptive zero commission, variable risk wealth creation platform, empowering users to have multiple streams of income in a smarter and safer way.

Andrei Ureche, Founder and CEO said: “Dubai is a city of the future which is becoming a global hub for creativity and the Blockchain Industry. Our solutions are aimed at creative, innovative, and digitally savvy audiences that we know are prominently present in the UAE.

“This country appreciates and supports safe innovation and we are looking forward to partnering with like-minded innovators who understand the market and can contribute to a mutual growth, in the UAE and beyond.”

While the two platforms are available for UAE-based Digital creators and Blockchain enthusiasts, the official launch of TOKHIT and Welthee will be announced in the first quarter of 2022 through a spectacular show on Burj Khalifa’s façade.

TOKHIT users in the UAE will be able to enjoy a 100% Organic Reach AI Algorithm that helps them reach millions of people and build their community faster and smarter. The platform features five different monetisation systems that help creators boost their content business with the help of NFTs.

With a Zero Risk methodology for investment in volatile markets, Welthee is a Blockchain-powered descentralised iinvestment fund will help UAE-based innovators create various passive income streams in a safe environment.

The article Blockchain start-ups pick UAE for Middle East debut appeared first on Arabian Post.

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Running a business is no simple task. Sure, there are countless benefits that come hand in hand with being your own boss and running your own company. You get to choose your working style. This includes choosing your working hours, choosing when you want to take breaks and choosing when you want time off. You get to choose what kind of industry you specialise and work in. You can choose anything from selling t-shirts to scientific and medical equipment to frozen ready meals. You get to choose who you work with. You can choose your business partners and take control of the recruitment process, hiring positive and amiable individuals who fit well into the working style and workplace culture you’d like to cultivate. You get to choose where you base yourself, setting your business up somewhere you can lead a comfortable and happy life. However, it’s important to remember that running a business is also extremely hard work. It takes so much more than simply coming up with a product idea, bringing it to life and selling it. You’re going to have to learn the ins and outs of countless areas of business operations to make sure that your business succeeds, not only making sales but creating a brand, becoming recognisable, maintaining a positive reputation and generating sufficient profits to continue expanding and progressing. So, what areas should you make sure that you really focus on when getting things up and off the ground? Here are a few to consider!

Software

Now, you may be thinking that your business doesn’t sell software, so you can skip this section. But don’t be too hasty. We’re talking about software from the perspective that every business uses it. Nowadays, we’re living in a digital society and technology has progressed to a point that the majority of us use it in our day to day lives to make things easier and more convenient for ourselves. Things are no different in the workplace, with the vast majority of people using software in their day to day roles. No matter what you and your staff do, chances are, software will be involved at some point in the process. Going to send an email to a team member, client, partner or customer? You’ll use software to do this. Want to update your website? You’ll use software for this too. Editing product photographs? Software. Storing data? Software. Organising your work? Software. The list goes on. So, you need to make sure that you’re choosing the right software for each and every task. Some forms of software can be bought outright. Some are subscriptions. What’s important is that you browse your options and find the right ones to tick your business’ boxes at the right cost to suit your budget. Nowadays, there’s software out there for practically any task, from helping with predictive analytics insurance to editing videos for your website. If you can’t find software that does exactly what you specifically need, there’s also always the option of getting in touch with software developers and asking them to create custom software for you!

Profitability

Of course, you can have a perfect product, but it’s priced too high, you’re not going to make any sales. On the other hand, if you have a perfect product and you price it too low, your going to make losses or only just break even, and your business is going to suffer and fail. So, profitability is just as important for your business as affordability. You’re going to have to put work into determining how much your products make and how much you can actually charge for them while maintaining sales. The gap between these prices will be your profit margin and the higher this is, the better for your business.

Figure Out the Costs of Your Raw Materials, Components or Ingredients

When you develop the products that you intend to sell, you need to consider two main areas. The first is the cost of the raw materials, components or ingredients used in your product’s production. Make sure to total up the entire cost of all the raw materials, components or ingredients that are required for your product to become a reality and then bear in mind that the costs of these items could potentially fluctuate over time for a variety of reasons. Demand could drop elsewhere, causing a drop in prices, but equally, a rise in demand could result in prices increasing. Make sure to come up with a total cost, but make sure to also add in room for predicted price fluctuations to make sure that your products have longevity to them. Your profit margin needs to be sufficient to accommodate fluctuations.

Figure Out the Costs of Manufacturing and Production

Next, you’re going to need to add on the costs of manufacturing and production. It’s all good and well having the elements you need for your products ready to go, but they’re going to have to be combined or built to create your final product and someone’s going to have to be paid to do this. The two most common choices businesses opt for when organising this are outsourcing and building an in-house manufacturing team. Outsourcing is commonly chosen by smaller businesses. It is a practice where you will distribute certain aspects of your work to an independent third party or agency – in this case, manufacturing. This is beneficial for smaller businesses, as you won’t have to invest in factories, machinery or other major costs that are required to create products. You also don’t have to train or recruit your own manufacturing staff. If your products don’t sell, you simply stop manufacturing them and don’t have to worry about as many losses, factory leases, selling machinery and making staff redundant. Instead, you can choose to sell another product and switch to a different manufacturer who can make it for you. However, outsourcing means paying for your products to be made and paying a cost that ensures that the third party you’re using makes a profit too. As your business grows and expands, with your products experiencing higher levels of demand, it may be cheaper for you to start bringing things in-house. The cost of the machinery you invest in will quickly cover itself with profit from products that you have sold.

These are just two areas to focus on, and they’re pretty complex in and of themselves! Hopefully, however, they’ll give you a starting point to work from!

The article Getting Started in Business? Make Sure to Consider These Key Areas appeared first on Arabian Post.

Middle East consumers are rapidly shifting from mass-market fragrances to upmarket, home-grown brands. As a result, the Middle East’s fragrances market is set to post 52 percent growth from $2.9 billion in 2019 to $ 4.4 billion by 2027, according to a recent report by Allied Market Research.

Founded in 1951, Ajmal Perfumes hosts a 150,000 square foot state-of-the-art factory that manufactures 100,000 bottles of perfume per day. Worldwide, Ajmal Perfumes counts more than 1,000 dealerships and distributors, 240 retail stores in 45 countries, and 30 Duty-Free locations and international airlines.

Supporting innovation in the perfume market, Ajmal Perfumes is working with the channel partner Accely to digitally transform its operations. Ajmal Perfumes will run on the SAP S/4HANA real-time business suite on the RISE with SAP platform, and enhance employee experiences with the SAP SuccessFactors human experience management suite. 

“As the Middle East’s fragrances market continues to grow, Ajmal Perfumes needed full visibility on our operations to enhance our standing as a globally-recognized brand,” said Abdulla Ajmal, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Ajmal Perfumes. “Thanks to our digital transformation with SAP, Ajmal Perfumes will have the real-time insights needed to enrich our customers’ lifestyles through creativity, innovation, and continual improvement.”

In its digital transformation roadmap, Ajmal Perfumes is also exploring SAP’s innovative solutions to further integrate digital marketing, customer experiences, and loyalty programs.

“Ajmal Perfumes, by joining together its marketing, retail, and e-commerce operations in real-time, shows how digital transformation can enable an Intelligent Enterprise,” said Zakaria Haltout, Managing Director SAP UAE. “We are exchanging global best practices in manufacturing and retail to support Ajmal Perfumes in scaling up on the cloud and using real-time technologies to enhance customer and employee experiences.”

“Ajmal Perfumes is a pioneer in its field, and we are extremely excited to become an integral part of this journey they have chosen towards excellence through SAP for digital transformation. We will ensure that we become partners in all their future endeavours in this area through our dedication, delivery excellence and the embedded value of customer commitment that is now part of our DNA over the past 20 years of our existence.” said Nilesh Shah, the Accely Group CEO.”

The article Ajmal Perfumes goes digital appeared first on Arabian Post.

The Indxx US Clean Energy Tech Index (Ticker: IUCETI) seeks to accurately and comprehensively measure the performance of companies that provide goods and/or services towards clean energy and related technologies that enable clean and/or low-carbon emissions.

“With global emissions of greenhouse gases continuing to rise and countries around the world making pledges to enact sharp cuts to those emissions, clean energy technologies are scaling up rapidly,”  said Rahul Sen Sharma, Managing Partner at Indxx. “Our Index provides exposure to companies that are actively involved in bringing about this clean-energy technology revolution. We are excited to partner with KSM Mutual Funds to bring this sustainability focused strategy to the Israel market.”

Added Vaibhav Agarwal, Chief Revenue Officer at Indxx, “Clean energy technology is extremely crucial in combatting problems affecting our planet. Our US Clean Energy Tech Index captures the performance of the companies primarily involved in providing clean technology services such as renewable energy, storage cells, smart vehicles, etc. With a global energy crisis looming around the corner, we believe that the shift to clean energy is an absolute necessity.”

As of August 10, 2021, the index has 47 constituents. The index has been back tested to March 31, 2016 and has a live calculation date of April 23, 2021

The article Indxx clean energy index trading fund licensed appeared first on Arabian Post.

CARS24, one of the fastest-growing e-commerce platforms for pre-owned cars, has embarked upon a digital campaign by unveiling its brand story on Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower. The company aims to make a paradigm shift in the UAE by taking a consumer’s car buying experience completely online. CARS24 has already sold close to 400,000 cars in other international markets.

“With this campaign on the majestic architectural masterpiece, we wanted to inform our audience in the UAE that CARS24 has arrived. This is one of the most prestigious campaigns for us and with this, we believe that CARS24 has not only made a strong statement in the UAE but also across the world,” stated Abhinav Gupta, CEO, Gulf Region, CARS24 after launching its brand campaign on the iconic Burj Khalifa.

“With innovation at its heart, CARS24 business model is designed to challenge the traditional norms of car buying. In the 21^st century consumers can buy clothes, shoes, furniture, groceries online then why buy cars like in the 1980s. We are here to question and shift that thought process. CARS24 is the new-age way of buying pre-owned cars where a customer can select their favourite car, complete the entire payment and documentation processes, and get the car home delivered all with a click of a few buttons,” added Abhinav.

Cars on the CARS24 platform undergo a 150+ point inspection check, are refurbished thoroughly, and go through the stringent RTA test before they are listed online. Every car bought from CARS24 comes with a 7 days return policy and 2 years warranty.

Founded in 2015, CARS24 facilitates a seamless experience for UAE customers looking to buy cars by providing end-to-end solutions on the backbone of strong technology. The company is backed by marquee investors like Sequoia India, Exor Seeds, DST Global, Kingsway Capital, Unbound, Moore Strategic Ventures, and KCK. The company has raised a funding of US$400 million till date. CARS24 aims to enter the other Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets later this year.

The company’s exponential growth and expansion was made possible by using the product, technology, and data science to fuel growth in the pre-owned cars sector. This vision and framework further enabled the highest quality experience for customers, who were able to buy the car online right from the comfort of their homes.

The article CARS24 story on Burj Khalifa appeared first on Arabian Post.

Arabian Post Staff

CARS24, one of the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce platforms for pre-owned vehicles, has  entered the UAE.

The company has invested heavily on its technology framework and has become one of the first companies in the UAE to provide a seamless car buying experience entirely online. A customer can browse through thousands of cars, identify and book their favourite car, complete the full payment and documentation process, and get the car home delivered. CARS24 has made car buying as easy and simple as shopping for groceries online.

All cars listed on the CARS24 platform go through a 150+ point inspection check, are refurbished thoroughly, and undergo the stringent RTA test before they are listed online. Every car bought from CARS24 comes with a 7 days return policy and 2 years warranty. CARS24 aims to enter the other Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets later this year. The company has already sold close to 400,000 cars in other international markets.

“UAE is known across the globe for its appetite for cars, and for early adoption of technology across industries. The growing population, and the fact that most UAE families have an average of two cars, makes this market an interesting playground for CARS24. We are here to cater to the needs of car lovers and have invested heavily in technology to ensure that they can buy cars with a click of a button. We aim to offer our customers an easy, seamless, and transparent car buying experience,” said Abhinav Gupta, CEO, Gulf Region, CARS24.

CARS24 has earmarked an investment of over AED400 million for international markets in 2021. These funds will be utilised to build the brand in these new international markets, coupled with a strong supply of cars for the platform and building a state-of-the-art workshop to recondition cars to ensure top quality.

“Our expansion into markets such as UAE, Australia, and Southeast Asia marks a milestone moment in the growth of CARS24 as we introduce a whole new world of cars to our new audiences. We strongly believe that CARS24 is well-poised to scale an explosive growth trajectory internationally and we will continue to offer our burgeoning roster of offerings to newer markets,” added Abhinav.

Founded in 2015, CARS24 facilitates a seamless experience for UAE customers looking to buy cars by providing end-to-end solutions on the backbone of strong technology. The company’s rapid growth and expansion was made possible by using the product, technology, and data science to fuel growth in the pre-owned cars sector. This framework further enabled the highest quality experience for customers, who were able to buy the car online right from the comfort of their homes.

The company has raised a funding of US$400 million till date. CARS24 is backed by marquee investors like Sequoia India, Exor Seeds, DST Global, Kingsway Capital, Unbound, Moore Strategic Ventures, and KCK.

“Leading with ‘clicks over bricks’ culture across its markets, our company makes pre-owned car buying simple and convenient by providing a wide assortment to choose from. In this pursuit, the company already has thousands of cars available for sale in its international markets, which are just a click away and will be home delivered,” concluded Abhinav.

The article Pre-owned vehicle platform CARS24 enters UAE appeared first on Arabian Post.

CouponzGuru has finally announced its launch in the UAE; so any online shopper can now access the benefits of the website, like the recent launches and latest deals in UAE too.

On the eve of the launch, CouponzGuru website’s founder, Mr. Vikash Khetan, said “It is a proud moment for us to announce our arrival in the UAE and other Middle Eastern countries. We started the website with a motive to provide utmost shopping experience to our customers and it feels great to see our customer base expanding”.

Started in 2011, CouponzGuru is one of the leading coupons and daily deals websites in India. “We do not just find the right deal and save money of users, but also go through the whole process of finding a genuine and relevant coupon code that makes the deal simple. The work is about making it easier for the customer so that they do not have to go to different websites to find a great deal and then shop,” the company said.

CouponzGuru.com saves time, money and, of course, energy for the shoppers. The starting was a bit challenging just as it is for every newcomer in the e-commerce market. The company used to have just 10-15 merchants, like Makemytrip, Yatra, Myntra, Snapdeal and few more. But with time, the Indian e-commerce market has grown, and so has the company. Today, new merchants are added on the CouponzGuru website almost daily. What is of utmost importance to the company is the customers and their shopping experience at the site. The UAE website has been launched with the same motive and enthusiasm.

It currently has 500 listed merchants, some of the prominent names being Amazon UAE, Noon, Voga Closet, Ontime, Aliexpress, 6th Street, Ounass, Gap, H&M. The list goes on. The full list of merchants is given clearly on the website.

About CouponzGuru UAE

CouponzGuru UAE features coupons codes in all kinds of products/services category that one can think of. As online shoppers, it is just impossible to keep tab on every website that provides deals; so the website sorts them altogether in one place so that the purchase becomes hassle-free and time saving for the customers.

The company offers a lot of services, like Mobiles and Electronics, Fashion, Accessories, Travel, Medicine and Food. In addition, CouponzGuru also features stores that cater to a variety of categories on website like Online Education, Web Hosting, Books, Baby Products, Restaurants and more. Both deals and coupons are provided on the website, enabling shoppers to buy from the above mentioned categories. It can be noted that both of them work differently. The website validates and checks every coupon by itself to make sure that it is working. Also, it keeps sending the latest discount codes and deals to the subscribers so that they can avail of the continuous benefits.

CouponzGuru has come a long way in the journey. Today, it has a lot of merchants across the world. And with the motive to serve more and more customers, the company aims to expand further. It is never the money or the profit that makes a business succeed, but the loyal customers that help it to grow throughout the journey. “We believe that the sky is not the limit, it is just the beginning and we strive to work accordingly,” says the company.

The article CouponzGuru announces UAE launch appeared first on Arabian Post.

Public Services Company Serco Middle East has appointed Wallace Weatherill as its new Managing Director, a role in which he will spearhead the operations of the largest automated transport system in the region the Dubai Metro as well as the Dubai Tram in collaboration with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Serco Middle East operates and maintains the Dubai Metro and operates the Dubai Tram on behalf of the RTA. Wallace has worked in the Middle East rail industry for over 6 years, firstly mobilising the North-South high-speed passenger Railway in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Wallace re-joins the public services company having previously served as Serco’s Director for Rail in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. With almost 20 years dedicated experience in the operations of critical rail systems in both the UK and the Middle East, Wallace brings with him the knowledge and expertise required to successfully continue the award-winning Dubai Metro operations both Serco and the RTA are known for.

Prior to his overseas appointments, Wallace led passenger railway businesses in the UK such as Southeastern, London Commuter Railway and London Midland. Wallace also brings his infrastructure management experience gained with the UK infrastructure operator Network Rail from 1999-2006.

Wallace’s appointment with Serco and the Dubai Metro and Tram will play a pivotal role in ensuring a timely and sufficient operation on behalf of both Serco and the RTA.

Serco provides a full spectrum of transport systems in the Middle East and across the globe, ranging from air and sea to road and rail. In the Middle East, Serco brings global expertise in the design, operation and maintenance of heavy rail, light rail, and trams; and provides airport operations, facilities management and air navigation services. Serco is also the largest non-government operator of civilian air traffic control in the world and offers a range of airside fire and rescue services.

The article Dubai Metro company appoints new MD appeared first on Arabian Post.

As companies worldwide continue laying-off workers, Atkins has unveiled a new business structure for their business in Africa and the Middle East. The new business structure is set to start taking effect from July 1^st, 2020, based around two main markets of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This structure will also allow Atkins to align their services with client projects and country priorities.

According to the company, providing a more straightforward and more focused structure will ensure they remain responsive to their customers’ needs. As such, the new structure will also apply to Atkins Acuity brands and Faithful+Gould in Africa and the Middle East.

Speaking to the press, Atkins MEA CEO Cris Dedigama said that offering a focused and straightforward structure will ensure the company is responsive and agile towards customer needs. That will ensure their service delivery model is more responsive to the evolving local market dynamics.

Africa and Middle East regions offer excellent opportunities to the company, and the new structure is set to help them remain laser-focused towards service delivery. Even better, the new business structure is essential for the company to achieve a more future-focused growth. That will only be achieved through a robust presence in these key markets.

According to Dedigama, this market-facing structure was inspired by over half a century of regional track record and strong client relationships. Over the last 50 years, the company has also managed to gain a robust global network through innovation and technology-enabled service delivery.

Johan Hesselsoe will be spearheading the implementation of the new structure as the UAE managing director, while Ian Redmayne will manage the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Hesselsoe has over ten years of working experience in the region, recently working as Faithful+Gould managing director for the Middle East and Africa region.

Previously, Hesselsoe held the role of a managing director at Atkins Acuity for over three years, growing the business tremendously while working with other Atkins business lines. The new UAE region managing director is an MSc holder from the London School of Economics, and his track record at Atkins speaks for itself.

On the other side, Redmayne has been with the company for over three decades, spearheading different projects. During this time, he has worked in transport, infrastructure, aviation, and mixed-use developments in the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and the UK. Over the last nine years, he has shown his expertise in leading critical projects in Saudi Arabia, making him the right man for this task.

Redmayne is mainly praised for leading key projects like the Riyadh Metro and King Abdulaziz International Airport. The charted civil engineer holds an MBA from the Imperial College Business School, and he’s expected to continue showing his expertise in managing Atkins’ business growth strategy.

Over the last 50 years, Atkins has managed several flagship projects in the Middle East. Currently, the company is currently supporting clients like Modon and Miral and UAE’s Roads and Transport Authority. The company is also highly cited in their work on the Riyadh Metro and King Abdulaziz International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

The article Atkins sets up a new structure for Middle East business appeared first on Arabian Post.

Arabian Post Staff

AstraZeneca has launched its GCC Health Innovation Hub, a culmination of digital innovation efforts by the Company to make diagnosis and treatment easier for diabetic patients, in conjunction with UK medtech start-up Gendius, which specialises in remote disease management.

As a result of this partnership, HealthGATE – an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform and app to support diabetic patient care in the GCC – will be launched later this year. The HealthGATE app will work as a gateway between healthcare professionals and patients, enabling collaboration for personalised care and the use of AI for better disease management.

With Intellin, Gendius’ application service, HealthGATE will use AI to actively monitor patients’ diabetes management and uses their clinical history to highlight their risk for developing diabetes-related complications, such as cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, amputation and blindness. Its algorithms analyse users’ health and wellbeing data to provide individually tailored, clinically validated educational content and guidance, to help people with diabetes manage their condition more effectively.

Gendius CEO, Rory Cameron, said: “Diabetes is an increasing health and economic burden across the Gulf region, but effective diabetes management has huge scope for reducing that burden. Our Intellin technology platform is going to sit at the centre of this programme, and we are hugely excited to be bringing our innovative technology directly to GCC healthcare professionals and patients.”

HealthGATE builds on the success of AstraZeneca EduGATE; launched in Saudi Arabia in March 2019, this platform proved to be an instant success with HCPs, with more than 9,500 medical professionals registering within the first few months. EduGATE provides an accessible service to share patient materials, medical guidelines, live streaming events, online accreditations and more, creating an education and enrichment experience for physicians across the country. EduGATE is now expanding to the wider GCC region.

The partnership between AstraZeneca and Gendius in the GCC is part of AstraZeneca’s broader initiative to create integrated science ecosystems through local bio-hubs across the world. The Emerging Market Health Innovation Hubs improve local capacity for R&D to address local needs and reinforce AstraZeneca’s commitment to create and strengthen partnerships across emerging biomedical clusters to accelerate innovation, increase healthcare access and improve outcomes for patients and society.

The article AstraZeneca launches GCC innovation hub appeared first on Arabian Post.

The article New food delivery app launched in Dubai appeared first on Arabian Post.

By Arabian Post Staff

After two decades of successful operations in the GCC, UAE’s home-grown brand Nikai has commenced operations in Egypt by setting up facility for the production of television sets. The company believes that fast-growing economy with a high value-based consumer demand will help build on its existing market in Cairo.

Nikai chairman Paras Shahdadpuri said the expansion marks a new era for the company. Despite the global economic slowdown, the consumer electronics industry has remained steady, he added. He said that the Egypt expansion was on the radar for quite some time and the company has been  actively working on it for a few years.

“We believe that the Egypt market offers potential for growth across our category and we expect the new region to significantly contribute to Nikai’s revenue in the coming years. The expansion process will continue throughout the year with markets in CIS and East Europe being our next destination,” he added.

He added “All major business houses across the GCC market keep looking for avenues that enhance its contribution to the society around. Keeping this spirit in mind, Nikai’s business set up in Egypt will look at contributing to the economy through active employment of the local workforce which in turn will also help the brand imbibe the regional understanding.”

The brand is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year.

The article Nikai sets up production unit in Egypt appeared first on Arabian Post.

Dubai-based Finalrentals makes it possible to rent a car globally 

By Arabian Post Staff

When traveling abroad, people often try to search for a car online from unknown platforms, resulting in situations where customers feel they didn’t get the service they’d hoped for. But Finalrentals has changed all that.

Finalrentals is a startup born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. After creating the best online car rental experience for tourists and residents in the UAE for short-term and monthly rentals, Finalrentals has now gone global, making it possible to rent a car anywhere in the world with the same level of comfort and ease.

“People who travel outside the UAE often complain and raise concerns that it is very hard for them to trust unknown services. I don’t want that to happen to any of our UAE residents and expats and I would like to tell them that now they can book with ease and our support team will help them with their international car rentals just like how we have helped them in the UAE. Now you have your very own local brand with global connections and you can drive anywhere in the world with Finalrentals customer support backing you every step of the way,” said Ammar Akhtar, Founder, and CEO of Finalrentals on the launch of their global portal.

“We are committed to making car rentals very easy for the users and allow them freedom of choice not just in the UAE but around the world. Our dream is to become the biggest, UAE-made car rental portal around the world,” he added.

The Finalrentals portal allows visitors to search, compare and book from more than 40,000 locations around the world, covering all the airports and downtowns in all major cities. The Finalrentals website and mobile app provide access to more than 1.2 million cars worldwide, which makes Finalrentals one of the largest portals to search, compare and rent a car.
Founders say Finalrentals is not all about technology and the number of cars and deals as it is also about creating value for people. The startup has won the Gulf Capital Meed Award for the best “digital business of the 2018” and is also ranked as one of the top 5 disruptive companies in the UAE 2019 by SME10X SME Advisor Middle East.

The global foray marks the next level of Finalrentals, whose founders had a dream of making car rentals as easy as possible not just in the UAE but also worldwide.
Travelers to Europe can rent a car starting from as low as 3 EUR per day depending on the vehicle category. Vehicles can be picked up from airport locations in all European cities as well as downtown locations that are near the main central station and it is very easy for the car renters to spot the location and collect their cars.
Another useful feature of Finalrentals is that customers can also buy insurance while booking the car. The company provides comprehensive insurance, which will take care of fretting excess and damages as well.

To rent a car with Finalrentals, log on to https://www.finalrentals.com and click on the option of ‘international bookings’ to rent a car. Users who would like to access it directly can go to https://www.finalrentals.eu. The mobile app ‘Finalrentals’ is also available for download for iOS and at Android App Stores.

Got a question? The Finalrentals call center is well-equipped to answer all local and international car rental queries. So no worries on that front.

The article Local Startup, Global Ambitions appeared first on Arabian Post.

Miral, Abu Dhabi’s creator of destinations entered into a partnership with Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, to secure exclusive naming rights of Yas Bay Arena. As part of the agreement, Abu Dhabi’s first-of-its-kind multi-purpose, indoor entertainment venue will officially be named Etihad Arena.

With Etihad Airways’ track record for connecting Abu Dhabi to the world and promoting the UAE as a vibrant and growing hub for culture, business and tourism, the airline is the perfect partner to help further raise the profile of this unique venue and Yas Island as a destination. With both companies playing a key role in the Emirate’s economic diversification and development strategy, the new partnership will help position the Etihad Arena as one of the leading entertainment venues in the region and an important addition to Yas Island and Abu Dhabi’s entertainment and tourism offering.

The Etihad Arena, which will be operated by Flash Entertainment, has been designed to accommodate large-scale and private events, offering unique flexibility with a capacity ranging from 200 to 18,000 people. Once open, the venue will host an eclectic variety of events including sporting competitions, corporate events, cultural performances, concerts, and many other appealing activities throughout the year.

Etihad Arena is part of Yas Bay, an iconic mixed-use development located on the southern end of Yas Island. Yas Bay encompasses three distinct but integrated areas: Yas Bay Waterfront, the Residences at Yas Bay and twofour54. The Etihad Arena will be an integral and iconic part of the Yas Bay Waterfront, which will also include the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island, a beach club as well as a pier that boasts 12 licensed cafes and restaurants, and 19 retail outlets.

The article Etihad, Miral in Yas entertainment deal appeared first on Arabian Post.

DUBAI: Internet has changed the way the health sector in some of the African countries operates. Better internet and mobile connectivity have brought huge benefits to hospitals and health professionals. For instance, doctors and health care workers in the region are now able to exchange information in real-time, thereby improving disease diagnosis and patient management. Similarly, medical staff can now use video conferencing to consult with other colleagues and disease specialists based in the capital.

This has been made possible by companies such as Hargeisa-based Somcable Ltd, whose terrestrial fibre optic cable infrastructure covers a total distance of 2,600 km in the Horn of Africa.

Somcable is part of the Dubai-based MSG Group of Companies, which has interest in a number of sectors such as trading, manufacturing, telecommunications, petroleum & gas exploration, energy distribution, shipping & transit services, logistics management and construction.

“Somcable is driven by a vision to improve the lives of the citizens of countries in the Horn of Africa with the most robust and innovative telecommunications services,” says Mohamed Said Guedi, chairman of MSG group. It has been found that every time a fibre optic cable is connected to a country its GDP goes up, he added.

The company started construction works in 2009 with a 25-year licence for the rollout of Somaliland’s first fibre-optic infrastructure. It has deployed a terrestrial fibre-optic network to allow Somaliland to interconnect to the region’s submarine cables. The concession also included individual operating and spectrum licences for last-mile access deployments.

Somcable works with over two dozen telecommunication providers, bringing customised solutions for clients. The partners include operators from neighbouring countries including Djibouti Telecom (Djibouti) and Ethio Telecom (Ethiopia), apart from global giants such as Google and Facebook.

Somcable through its retail outlet company SO! Ltd in 2015 has officially launched 4G LTE technology in the Somaliland region in collaboration with US-based network and IT software solution providers and broadband wireless equipment suppliers. The LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) platform has been launched alongside a fibre-optic Gigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON), enabling the company to offer high speed fixed and mobile broadband services to commercial and residential customers.

The retailer SO! Ltd provides subscription plans for all market segmentation and supports low income families with a tailored solution as it’s the company’s philosophy to ensure that everybody should have internet access.

SO! Ltd enjoys a proven, end-to-end full 4G LTE solution that supports current business needs and future services as they evolve.

Somcable is now working on creating a gateway in Berbera, Somaliland, which has great potential of becoming an international submarine cable hub, strategically located on the Gulf of Aden, allowing cross connectivity to Europe/Asia. Plans are already underway for the landing of international submarine cables in Berbera.

Somcable has built and constructed a unified fibre network across the Horn of Africa, which connects Somaliland to Djibouti, Ethiopia and Puntland State of Somalia with the latter under progress.

The company has a fully redundant network with multiple connection points to ensure services are uninterrupted on the connections that runs between Djibouti to Somaliland via a terrestrial long-haul fibre optic network that connects the two points on land. The idea is that if one fails, the other serves as a back-up, ensuring uninterrupted redundant service.

The article Somcable engineers a communication revolution across Horn of Africa appeared first on Arabian Post.

Mirabaud, the banking and finance group founded in Geneva in 1819, in partnership with SBK Holding, has officially opened its Abu Dhabi office operations.

The newly opened subsidiary, Mirabaud (Abu Dhabi) Ltd, will offer domestic and international wealth management advisory, business development, succession planning support as well as other investment services to its clientele in Abu Dhabi and wider UAE focusing on local families, their networks, and partners.

Mirabaud has been present in the United Arab Emirates since 2007, where nearly 40 employees work at Mirabaud (Middle East) Ltd in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Half a dozen employees will be based in Abu Dhabi, managed by Ronald Tamer, the CEO of Mirabaud Abu Dhabi, supported by Alain Baron, Head of Middle East North Africa Wealth Management Market at Mirabaud, and Olivier Honsberger, CEO of Mirabaud Middle East Ltd.

Alain Baron, a newly appointed Limited Partner of the Mirabaud Group and Head of MENA at Mirabaud, commented: “We are a family-owned business and we focus on serving individuals and their family business activities. We are developing niche services and products that meet the expectations of our local clients using our global expertise reinforced by the bank’s 200-year legacy. We have always believed in the Middle East region and our Abu Dhabi office expansion is the great next step in further growing our international presence. We will be closer to our friends and clients to support them through any new challenges”.

With the opening of the new office in the UAE, Mirabaud is committed to contributing to the growth of the SBK Holding foundation and helping other local family businesses to flourish. Mirabaud’s operations will not only include investment services (discretionary management and advisory) but will also cover diversified aspects of the wealth management, such as structuring and facilitating the transmission of private wealth, consolidating and reporting assets, and advising on acquisition, merger or sale of investments.

Abu Dhabi customers will have access to a multi-disciplinary team that includes financial experts and investment specialists from the Mirabaud Group as well as an Investment Committee and an active risk management team dedicated to ensuring conformity to client specified investment objectives.

The article Swiss private bank opens Abu Dhabi subsidiary appeared first on Arabian Post.

Mohamed Said Guedi

By Arabian Post Staff

DUBAI: Mohamed Said Guedi, a Somaliland-Djibouti dual national, has been running successful businesses in East Africa, the Middle East and Europe. He is an entrepreneur who grew several businesses from start-ups to millions in annual sales through effective business planning, quality of products, creative sales techniques and innovative marketing.

Recognized by clients and colleagues as a consummate professional with a high degree of personal integrity, he has received numerous certificates of recognition, including Certificate of Appreciation Recognition Award from Democratic of Republic of Somaliland in 2016, Honorary Recognition Certificate from Governor of Gabiley and Honorary Recognition Certificate from Danwadaag Social Development Organization in 2019.

He has also received Certificate of Outstanding Contribution to Amoud University and Certificate of Appreciation from The House of Representatives, Republic of Somaliland.

Businesses

Mohamed Said Guedi is the founder and Chairman of MSG Trading ETS, which has been in export and import business in the Horn of Africa since 1981. Beginning with this trading company, he established and become chairman of Independent Tobacco FZE, Dubai in 2004, and chairman of Somcable LTD, Somaliland in 2009 among other companies which have grown today to form the MSG Group of Companies.

The MSG Group of Companies is a composite organization with subsidiaries specializing in manufacturing of tobacco products, telecommunications, oil and gas exploration, energy distribution, shipping and transit services, logistics management and construction.

Independent Tobacco is a growing international tobacco company engaged in manufacturing, marketing and distribution of cigarettes in the UAE. The company manufactures a variety of brands specially created to appeal to a diverse number of consumers, aligning with their needs and tastes across the globe. With exports across Africa, the Middle East and South East Asia, it aims at expanding its presence in central Asia and European markets.

Somcable is a carrier-to-carrier services telecommunication business deploying a terrestrial fiber optic cable network with coverage of more than 1,400 km connecting Djibouti to Somaliland. Somcable aims to extend the fiber optic cable infrastructure to Ethiopia and neighbouring countries. The business delivers high speed internet via many modern access networks. It enables other telecom operators, including mobile operators, ISP and cable TV operators to use its high capacity infrastructure.

Through funding, volunteering work and community involvement, Somcable directly contributes to the development of sustainable communities by supporting local projects and initiatives.

Powered by Somcable, SO! Ltd is an internet service provider with a range of products and services, providing affordable communication and entertainment options. Through Somcable’s fiber network it offers higher bandwidths and delivers a reliable and consistent user experience. So! Provides quality services to individuals and businesses in most parts of Hargeisa and other regions. Through GEPON (Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Networks), it can deliver guaranteed broadband internet.

Through its stake investment in SomPower; one of the Somaliland’s main energy providers – Independent Energy provides households and businesses with safe, secure and renewable energy solutions. Independent Energy, which consists of Hargeisa Electric and Independent Energy Capital, is also active in oil and gas explorations in the region in partnership with UAE’s RAK Gas.

Guedi Transit has offices in Djibouti, Somaliland, and Ethiopia. Guedi provides logistics services to a wide range of clients with focus on their requirements and at competitive rates. This company can serve as a single source to manage sea, air and road freight services worldwide.

MSC Construction and Contracting Company has been involved in civil construction and highway development projects for governmental and commercial customers for over 40 years. Some of its services include: Grave pit operations, concrete and asphalt demolition, mass excavation, embankment construction, water, sewer and drain utilities and infrastructure, and construction survey.

EACS comprises of Aramex franchise in Djibouti, Somaliland offering courier services for worldwide shipping solutions at a competitive price.

It also operates the Dunya VIP Lounge in Djibouti airport which provides services and support in processing of legal documents, arranging meetings with key companies, travel and accommodation services, and office space from one night to one year with all requirements, including security.

MSG Group’s vision is to be recognized internationally through its variety of activities. And its mission is to manage its impact on society and environment whilst continuing to play a vital role in development and growth of regions where it operates.

Philanthropy

As a part of his many charitable contributions in the region of the Horn of Africa, Mohamed Said Guedi has funded various road projects such as Dawga Camuud and Dawga Caad, maintenance of Hargeisa Airport road, maintenance of Hargeisa local government roads, rehabilitation of Doobo mountain road, and reconstruction of roads in the district of Dar es-salam outside Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Guedi has also set up an education fund within the MSG Foundation for less fortunate students in Somaliland and Djibouti. The MSG education fund helps at least 20 students every year in graduating from the local and international universities there.

He has also funded water projects across Somaliland including construction of water reservoir and water crossings for Zeilac, water well repairs in Ceel Gaal, construction of water dams, water reservoirs and water crossings at Aw-Barkhadle, Bandar Wanaag, Balay Ahmed, Haro Sheikh, Ceel Xume, Ceel Bilcinle and Burco.

MSG has also played an effective role at the time of calamities and national disasters, such as food and water donations to over 500 families when Odhweyne was affected by drought. Supporting construction of mosques in Djibouti and Somaliland is another charitable work he has taken part in.

The article Mohamed Said Guedi: Businessman with a Midas touch appeared first on Arabian Post.

Zoutons, one of India’s largest marketplace for deals and offers, in order to expand its business portfolio, has recently launched itself in UAE. The website, which has so far successfully established itself amongst the Indian and USA customer base, is now unleashing a whole new “online shopping “experience for UAE consumers.

The website has been actively initiating as a portal which ensures smooth online shopping experience with the availability of an extensive collection of coupons and offers. It is the innovative idea and persisting approach which is proving to be outlasting for the establishment in the market. Zoutons, as a team, is consistently working to deliver most comprehensive services to online shopping audience with ease in coupon search and automated application process.

Over the last 5 years, Zoutons has grown considerably with over 2-million monthly traffic recorded in 2019. The United Arab Emirates is witnessing a rapid growth in the number of online shoppers which is leading to the emergence of e-commerce as a major contributor in its economy. There are different ecommerce websites offering products and services to the users. According to recent reports, more than 60% of the population in UAE prefers to shop online. Keeping the growing numbers in mind, entering the UAE market is certainly an impressive plan.

Zoutons says that while interests around the online shopping has risen over the period, it is going to be very benefiting for the users to indulge into different methods of shopping as well as saving. And this is where the coupon aggregator comes on-stage. The UAE website would entail Zoutons’ users to access a wide range of trending, additional discounts from top e-commerce stores. It has already accumulated more than 100 shopping stores and approximately 75 categories with a vision of advantaging the target audience.

The tagline of the company- The Loot is On! Is aptly revealing in itself indicating that the customers can always get amazing deals, discounts and vouchers thus rendering them with great discounts on their shopping bills. Renowned UAE brands like Talabat, Tajawal, Careem, Musafir and many more are made available on Zoutons UAE from where the consumer will be able to access active and regularly updated coupons in one go. The users can also filter the deals according to their shopping preferences as the website offers categorized deals such as coupons for Footwear, Food, Entertainment, Electronics, Books, Clothing and a lot more.

Moreover, a profound percentage of population is still clueless about the extra savings on the bills which the use of coupon codes offers. A platform with consolidated coupon codes from popular online stores will provide the consumer with ease and ensure that every user is able to save a certain amount on the overall shopping expenses.

Features

Zoutons is equipped with best deals, discounts and voucher codes and aims at not only providing products and services at cost-effective prices but also works towards enhancing the user experience. Gauge through the list of Zoutons features below:

• Edifying Home Page

The home page comprises of all the imperative information which includes some of featured stores and categories. The main objective of the featured stores and categories is to provide you with best set of preferences. Apart from that the home screen also specifies some of the best and credible offers in order to cut down on your search process.

• Relevant Offer Suggestions

Once you begin surfing a particular store, Zoutons not only provides you peculiarly, the offers of that store, but along with that you will be able to spot all the relevant discounts and codes from related stores as well.

• Reviews

Augmenting the user experience, Zoutons also bring to you the reviews of any store you choose to shop from. The reviews are authentically written by users which will help you make an informed decision.

• Easy to access Deals and Discounts

The deals and offers are very easy to find and avail. You just have to search for the preferred store and you will be able the witness a list of offers instantly for that particular store.

Zoutons is already a celebrated provider of vouchers in the USA and India. Its USP of consumer satisfaction and provision of genuine services is apparently going to get great results in the next venture too. Indubitably, the strategy of flourishing the services in UAE market is going to facilitate the user and prosper the website throughout with increased access to Zoutons (as a coupon aggregator), global promotions and consequent growth.

The article Zoutons all set to strike the UAE market with enhanced features  appeared first on Arabian Post.

Starzplay, the Dubai-based subscription video on demand (SVOD) start-up, has now higher subscribers than Netflix – the global SVOD leader – in the Middle East and North Africa, a top official claimed.

“In January 2019, we have reached 1 million subscribers in the Middle East – higher than Netflix,” Maaz Sheikh, CEO of Starzplay, told The Arabian Post, on the sidelines of a press briefing on Monday evening. “We are now the largest SVOD service provider in the Middle East.”

The company has entered into a strategic alliance with Sharaf DG, one of the region’s most successful electronic retailers, to offer a free annual subscription to DG Member Programme members. The DG Member Programme is an annual subscription that comes with a renewable one-year validity and offers discounted shopping across Sharaf DG’s stores in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Egypt as well as its online shopping portal. This programme would soon be available through online portal in Saudi Arabia.

In this latest partnership, DG Members will now be able to access the best of online entertainment including Hollywood, Bollywood and Arabic favourites via Starzplay.

“With this, we expect to add 200,000 new subscribers who are Sharaf DG Members, by the end of the year,” he said.

SVOD revenues in the Mena region are predicted to reach $2.1 billion by 2024. The overall value of the global video on demand market stood at US$43.9 billion in 2017. However, progressing at a compound annual growth rate of (CAGR) of 9 percent the market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 87.1 billion by the end of 2025, according to a latest research report.

Sharaf DG is offering its membership of discounted shopping benefits and a free annual Starzplay subscription at a price of Dh239. The annual subscription of Starzplay costs Dh480.

Nilesh Khalkho, CEO at Sharaf DG, said: “We sell 55,000 screens every month – that include any device that has a screen, such as TV, tablets, etc. We also have 85,000 loyal customers and we add 5,000 paid members to our list of loyal customers, who are constantly looking for new contents. By the end of 2019, we expect to have 150,000 paid members – who would enjoy video contents on Starzplay platform.

“Unlimited entertainment and unmatched discounts are now the two key offerings of DG Member Programme. We are excited to have partnered with Starzplay, as the DG Member Programme has become a more delightful experience that takes shopping at Sharaf DG to the next level.”

Maaz Sheikhadded: “Our latest strategic partnership makes perfect sense – as leaders in our own respective fields, Starzplay and Sharaf DG share a customer-centric approach that drives benefits and enhances value for our customers. DG Members can now enjoy access to Starzplay’s content as we continue to expand and diversify our viewing options for subscribers according to regional demand.”

The news represents the latest move in Starzplay’s growth story as it continues to expand its regional footprint and product offering to its expanding customer base. Starzplay made a multimillion-dollar investment in programming content during the first quarter of 2019, curating series and movies tailored to its demographically diverse viewer base.

 Starzplay is a subscription video on demand service that streams Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, kids’ entertainment and same-day-as-the-US series – plus dedicated Arabic and Bollywood content – to 20 countries across MENA and Pakistan. The service carries thousands of premium titles including exclusive STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen.

Starzplay allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on more than three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.

Starz, a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) and State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) are the lead investors along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Capital Partners and Delta Partners.

Sharaf DG is one of the leading powerhouse retailers and UAE’s first ever big-box concept. The brand currently has 30 stores in United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman & Egypt today and a significant online presence. With over 25,000 electronic products and accessories to choose from reputed international brands, Sharaf DG’s distinctive style of enhancing customer lifestyle has left an indelible mark on the consumers mind. The company prides itself with their exemplary service and product knowledge at store level, coupled with the widest range of electronics available at the best value.

The article Netflix loses out to Starzplay in MENA with 1 million subscriptions appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff| International Holdings Company, one of the UAE’s foremost holding companies with investments in diversified operating businesses, signed today an Implementation agreement to acquire PAL Cooling Holding LLC (PAL) – subject to final shareholders and regulatory approval – which allows International Holdings Company to enter into the utilities market. The acquisition will see the two companies conduct a share-swap arrangement, with IHC acquiring PAL’s entire share capital in exchange for PAL’s shareholders receiving 1,311,428,571 of IHC’s newly issued ordinary shares as a strategic investor
The acquisition represents a move into a new strategic area for IHC, strengthening the organization’s position as a well-diversified holding company with a portfolio of high-quality investments. The arrangement also marks another step in IHC’s long-term strategy to create and sustain long-term value for its shareholders.
Following the acquisition, IHC’s business interests will include one of UAE’s core district cooling assets, in addition to industrial aquaculture, agricultural, and real estate projects. The utilities space is one of the GCC’s most promising growth sectors, and by acquiring PAL’s portfolio, IHC will gain a number of advantages. These include a higher certainty of continuous cash flow, enhanced profitability, and various cost efficiencies across the company’s current pool of assets. Also, the acquisition also spells good news for IHC’s shareholders. As an ‘accretive acquisition’, the agreement will increase IHC’s earnings per share, while also seeing the combined value of the two companies rise higher than the sum of IHC and PAL as separate entities.
For PAL and its shareholders, the transaction will accelerate PAL’s strategy as a provider of cleaner, more cost-effective cooling in the GCC’s growing district cooling sector, which today makes a significant contribution to the UAE’s diversification agenda.

The article International Holdings acquires PAL Cooling appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff| Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), popularly known as du,  announced the resignation of its chief financial officer, Amer Kazim, who is leaving to take up a position with a Dubai government-owned organization. Amer Kazim will remain with EITC till the end of the first quarter of 2019 to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities and to supervise the full year 2018 financial results.

Mohamed Al Hussaini, Chairman, EITC, said: “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank Amer Kazim for the substantial contribution he has made to the company. Amer has been instrumental in driving an important phase of growth for EITC through proven financial governance capabilities. We wish him well in his future career and appreciate his dedication and efforts.”

Osman Sultan, CEO, EITC added, “Since joining EITC five years ago, Amer Kazim has been a valued member of the senior management team and a key contributor to the execution of the company’s strategy. His strong financial acumen has meant that he has been fundamental to the continued successful delivery of shareholder value creation. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to Amer and I wish him every success in the years to come.

The article Du CFO leaves to take up Dubai govt job appeared first on Arabian Post.

Hosts offering lodgings in the Middle East, travelers and tourists can now connect with each other on a new online platform, Baitoka.com.

The Middle East saw $224 billion spent on tourism and travel in 2017. It is expected to reach $234 billion by the end of 2018, and forecast to rise by 4.6% pa to $365 billion by 2028.  Coupled with a vacation rental market, also known as the VR industry, flourishing at a rapid pace at $100 billion in 2016, the global vacation rental market is projected at $170 billion by 2019. That is a huge market that has not been tapped yet.

Basel Qabouq, the company’s founder and owner, is confident that Baitoka.com is positioned on the cusp of a bourgeoning market in the Middle East. The website went live on the 20^th   November 2018.

“It is the only website within the industry in the Arabic language, a place that speaks their language.”  According to Qabouq, Baitoka.com is not just a simple portal for accommodation; it encapsulates the beauty of Arabic hospitality in a website. A site that converts homes to 5-star hotels.

The portal is currently testing with the first clients, to ensure the guest receives a sustainable service and product level.

Baitoka.com is designed to be easy for the Arabian homeowner to connect with the world. And with the current real estate market situation with a lot of new home owners not sure how to pay back the back, it comes in at a perfect timing. A leading regional house-keeping service will also be available to the homeowner in the future, taking the headache out of cleaning while leaving the lodging in hotel room comfort.

For the guest, one of the region’s leading food delivery companies will be available to provide a traditional breakfast, serving the taste and sophistication of Arabian culture to their table. It is future innovation that will prove Baitoka a leader in the market. “Middle east travel market is hungry for innovative services,” says Basal.

The article Arabic portal Baitoka connects lodging owners and travellers appeared first on Arabian Post.

Emerging Markets Property Group (EMPG), the parent company of vastly successful property portals in the MENA and South Asia regions, has announced that it has wrapped up a first close of $50 million as part of a substantially larger investment round.

In addition to Bayut.com in the UAE, EMPG owns and operates  Zameen.com in Pakistan,  Bproperty.com in Bangladesh, and recently announced its acquisition of Mubawab in Morocco. The Pakistan, Bangladesh and Morocco portals are clear leaders in their respective markets, and Bayut.com, one of the top portals in the UAE with a lead in some geographies, is well on its way to achieving clear leadership by December 2019.

Haider Ali Khan, the CEO of Bayut.com, said $25 million of these funds would be deployed in the Emirates with a focus on further consolidation. “The remaining funds will be used to further strengthen EMPG’s leading position in its other markets,” he added.

Together, these portals generate over 2 million leads for their clients every month.

“EMPG’s growth has been comprehensive across all metrics, on the back of some of the world’s most advanced digital real estate platforms developed by our R&D teams,” said Group CEO Imran Ali Khan.

“With a compounded annual revenue growth rate of over 100% over the last five years, more than 15,000 real estate agencies, and 8 million plus monthly visits across our portals, EMPG is ideally positioned for regional dominance,” he added.

EMPG has raised a total of $60 million in its four previous rounds, and the current round is its largest yet, bringing up the grand total to $110 million. The Group has presence in 40 cities across the UAE, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Morocco, Spain and Romania with over 1,500 employees.

The article Bayut parent raises $50m funding appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff| UAE-based multinational company, Crescent Enterprises, has announced the successful closing of its investment in ColubrisMX and XCath, two next-generation micro-robotic medical device companies through its newly launched corporate venture arm, Crescent Enterprises Venture Capital (CE-VC).

Developed at the University of Texas Medical School’s Microsurgical Robotics Laboratory and incorporated in Texas, USA, both companies design and develop next-generation robotic technologies that are expected to revolutionise healthcare development in their respective fields.

Leading the Series A round of funding with a total of US$16 million, CE-VC shall be funding the manufacturing of prototypes of the medical devices under development by ColubrisMX and XCath in conjunction with co-investors. The funding will also aid in testing and clinical studies outside the United States.

ColubrisMX is developing a state-of-the-art, minimally invasive, microsurgical robotic device that can treat life-threatening conditions such as fetal malformations and brain abnormalities through microsurgery. XCath, on the other hand, is developing next-generation steerable robotic microcatheters for treating endovascular conditions such as cerebral strokes. With microsurgical robotic devices, patients can be treated remotely, especially those who live in parts of the world where special surgical procedures are not otherwise readily accessible.

The founder of ColubrisMX and XCath, Daniel H Kim, MD, is a distinguished professor of neurosurgery at the University of Texas in Houston, United States. Under his proven leadership, both as a doctor and inventor, a team of highly qualified computer scientists, robotics engineers and health practitioners have come together to work on devices that push the boundaries in medical science technology.

Badr Jafar, CEO of Crescent Enterprises, said: “At Crescent Enterprises, our operating and investment history in healthcare demonstrates our commitment to technological advancement and innovation. The launch of CE-VC, which is committed to supporting early-to-later stage start-ups validates this priority. In addition to ColubrisMX and XCath, CE-VC has invested in a wide-range of technology-driven start-ups over the last two years.”

Our latest investment in these two disruptive microrobotic medtech companies validates this priority. The cutting-edge medical devices being developed by ColubrisMX and XCath have immense potential as they are less invasive and more flexible than the current robotic assisted surgery technology available globally. These technologies will not only create value for both companies but also advance the field of medical science and benefit the lives of people.

“We are excited to enter the healthcare technology market, and to work with Dr Kim and his brilliant team to set new benchmarks for innovation in medical technology. Through this investment we hope to build an ecosystem that encourages similar levels of research and development in the field of medical science in the region. The healthcare industry across the GCC has witnessed substantial growth as well as a shift toward medical technological innovation. and we look forward to collaborating with medical practitioners and technologists in the region to identify new avenues for growth.”

For his part, Dr Daniel H. Kim said: “We are delighted to welcome Crescent Enterprises into our fold. Crescent’s investment into ColubrisMX and XCath at a critical time of the development of the prototypes will help take it to the next level of manufacturing the devices and accelerate their entry into the market. The faith shown by Crescent and other investors in ColubrisMX and XCath demonstrates not only the commercial potential of the products but also the business model that we have in place. Going forward, our collaboration will help establish the two companies as leaders in the field, pushing the frontiers of cutting edge medical technology.”

Crescent Enterprises has a strong track record in the healthcare sector. Earlier this year, the company successfully sold its stake in Clinical Pathology Services (CPS) to MenaLabs, a division of the prestigious international network of medical biology laboratories, Cerba HealthCare. Furthermore, the company holds a strategic investment relationship with the leading healthcare focused private equity firm TVM Capital Healthcare Partners that includes a representation on the firm’s advisory board. As the majority investor in ColubrisMX and XCath, Crescent Enterprises will also have representation on the board of both companies.

Crescent Enterprises has been active in the corporate venture capital space, which it views as critical to its long-term business strategy. In November 2017, the company launched CE-VC, which plans to invest US$ 150 million over the next three years, making it one of the largest corporate venture units in the Middle East and North Africa.

The article Crescent enters med tech business appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff|Destination management company Alpha Destination Management has signed an exclusive agreement with Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company, to operate the Expedia Local Expert® program in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 

 Dubai and Abu Dhabi will thus become the first destinations in the world outside North America to offer this  program. Expedia is an internationally trusted brand and Expedia Local Expert allows the company to build the perfect activity itinerary for travelers with an insider’s perspective and local know-how following a face-to-face conversation with a local on arrival at a destination, a company release said. This includes organizing of a wide range of activities such as ground services, tours and excursions, restaurant bookings, attraction tickets and promotion of retail outlets.The company hopes to serve  over 600,000 passengers generating more than AED 50 million worth of business in one year.

Eric David, VP and General Manager, Expedia Local Expert at Expedia, said his company has been conducting business with Alpha Destination Management, the market leader in the tourism sector in the Gulf for the last eight years and believe they are the right partner to run this program in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

The article Alpha, Expedia in Dubai, Abu Dhabi tourism deal appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Ppost Staff| DP World Limited claimed that its nine-months performance exceeded projections handling 52.3 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) across its global portfolio of container terminals, with gross container volumes growing 9.6% on a like-for-like basis, with the third quarter growth rates accelerating to 13.5% year-on-year. This is against Drewry Maritime’s upgraded industry estimate of 5.5% throughput growth in 2017.
Global trade outlook improved significantly in 2017 with the World Trade Organization recently upgrading trade growth from 2.4% to 3.6% in 2017 and all three DP World regions saw third quarter growth rates accelerate even more than the second quarter of 2017, particularly our terminals in Middle East & Africa, Europe and the Americas. The UAE handled 11.6 million TEU in 9M2017, growing 4.6% year-on-year.
At a consolidated level, the group’s terminals handled 27.3 million TEU during the first nine months of 2017, a 24.2% improvement in performance on a reported basis and up 6.2% year-on-year on a like-for-like basis. Reported consolidated volume in the Asia Pacific and Indian Subcontinent region was boosted by the consolidation of Pusan (South Korea) at the end of 2016.
According to Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DP World Group Chairman and CEO, the recovery of global trade in 2017 has outperformed previous expectations. Benefitting from the improved trading environment and market share gains from the new shipping alliances, the company’s global portfolio continues to deliver ahead-of-market growth and this across all three regions, he added.
“We are pleased to see 3Q2017 UAE volumes continue to grow despite uncertainty in the region and the performance across our terminals in the Middle East & Africa, Americas and Europe remains strong,” he said.
“During the third quarter, we added 1.5 million TEU of new capacity in Jebel Ali (UAE) Terminal 3 (T3) and 0.5 million TEU in Prince Rupert (Canada) which provides us room for continued growth in these key markets. We continue to seek growth opportunities in Latin America, Africa and Indian subcontinent where there remains significant structural growth potential.
“We expect our portfolio’s volume growth to continue to outperform the market and given the encouraging performance so far, we remain well placed to meet full year 2017 market expectations.”

The article DP World reports improved performance appeared first on Arabian Post.

NCB Chairman Mansour Al-Maimanv stated that the net special commission income reached SAR 10,283 million compared to SAR 10,226 million for the same period of the previous year, an increase of 0.6%. NCB’s operating expenses decreased compared to the same period of the previous year.

Al-Maiman added that the bank’s total assets reached SAR 445 billion compared to SAR 439 billion at the end of the same period of the previous year. Earnings per share reached 3.51 riyals compared to 3.41 riyals at the end of the same period of the previous year.

Loans and advances amounted to SAR 257 billion compared to SAR 260 billion at the end of the same period last year. Customers deposits totaled to SAR 303 billion compared to SAR 311 billion at the end of the same period of the previous year.

Al-Maiman concluded by expressing his deep gratitude to the Bank’s clients and shareholders for their trust in the Bank and to the Board of Directors and staff for their contribution and support to help achieve these results.

The article NCB 9-month net income AR 7.2 billion appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff| Dubai-based Azizi Developments has announced the launch of a new mega community project in the heart of Dubai at an estimated cost of AED25 billion.
The new mega project, whose name is yet to be announced, will have a distinctly British feel, with themes and elements influenced by contemporary British culture and way of living, thge company announced. The development will comprise residential, commercial and retail space, with 105 mid-rise and high-rise residential buildings boasting 30,000 apartments.
Mirwais Azizi, Azizi Group Chairman, said: “When we arrived in Dubai 20 years ago, I always had the desire to be part of this city’s success story. The new project announcement comes as part of Azizi Developments’ commitment toward developing a city which has given us many opportunities, including secure investments and business environment, as well as excellent standard of living and education, and a world-class healthcare system.”
The new Azizi Developments project will be located in central Dubai with a construction area of 33 million square feet – twice the size of Azizi Riviera in Meydan One – and will include all facilities needed for its residents to enjoy a happy lifestyle. The development will include education facilities, retail outlets, hospitality, a shopping area and outdoor recreation spaces. Construction of the project is scheduled to begin in November and be completed before Expo 2020.
“The rules and regulations in Dubai have provided an ideal environment for business growth, establishing the city as a preferred destination for trade and property investments. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision for the emirate to emerge as one of the top destinations in the world to reside in has set the benchmark for Azizi Developments’ unique projects across Dubai,” Azizi added.
The announcement comes on the back of the developer’s success at this year’s Cityscape Global and the sellout of Azizi Riviera Phase one and two canal-facing projects in Meydan One.

The article Azizi to launch AED25 billion Dubai mega project appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff| ABB has won an order worth around $45 million from Dubai Hills Estate, a joint venture between Emaar Properties PJSC and Meraas Holding, to construct a substation that will boost distribution capacity and feed power to a new integrated lifestyle project being constructed in Dubai. The order was booked in the third quarter of 2017.
Dubai consumes over 37,000 gigawatt hours of electricity per annum – half of which is attributable to the commercial sector and another third to residential usage. Most of this power is generated from natural gas with an increasing focus on renewable energy. The Dubai Clean Energy Strategy aims to provide 7 per cent of Dubai’s energy from clean energy sources by 2020 with the aim of increasing this to 25 per cent by 2030 and 75 per cent by 2050.
The 11 million square meters Dubai Hills Estate development, incorporating an 18-hole championship golf course, includes residential, commercial and leisure areas, supporting the country’s objective of boosting family tourism. It is expected to make a significant contribution to economic and social development and is designed to meet high sustainability standards. Set on prime land, it features vast stretches of landscaped parks and gardens, walkways and extensive open areas, serving as a green oasis in the heart of the city.
ABB is responsible for the design, installation and commissioning of the distribution substation which will supply electricity to the community. Key product supplies include 132 kilovolt (kV) switchgear, reactors, power transformers, the automation, protection, control system, as well as surveillance and communication technologies. The substation will also be IEC 61850 enabled, to support open and seamless communication with all intelligent devices.
“ABB will help deliver electricity to this prestigious development, ensuring the safety, reliability and security of power supplies to residents and visitors”, said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division. ”The project reiterates our commitment to serving the building and infrastructure sector and reinforces our position as a partner of choice for enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid

The article ABB wins $45m Dubai power deal appeared first on Arabian Post.

|By Arabian Post Staff| Japanese retailer Daiso opened at Bawabat Al Sharq Mall in Abu Dhabi this week. The newly opened store is the 11th store in Abu Dhabi and the 32nd in the UAE, bringing the total count in the GCC region to 49. The store is located on the first floor of the mall, opposite the Food Court, and boasts of 4,500 square feet. Daiso Japan operates in Middle East under the joint franchise ownership of Lals Group and Damas Group.
Commenting on the new store opening Mr Manu Mulchandani (COO, Daiso Japan, GCC) said, “We are thrilled to join the Bawabat Al Sharq community and offer customers benefits of the Daiso shopping experience. Abu Dhabi is an affluent and thriving emirate and we want to be conveniently located for our growing customer base and the local population who love the Daiso brand. The Bawabat Al Sharq Mall with its increasing popularity is an ideal location for a Daiso Japan store.”
Daiso Japan carries 70,000 quality products with most items priced at an astonishing AED 7, ranging from kitchenware, stationary and wrapping paper to electronic accessories and useful, everyday sundries.
“Our high-quality products and everyday low prices make for a combination our competitors just can’t match. We ensure to stock the stores with must-have items, as well as unique novelties that keep customers coming back to create memorable shopping experiences. We’re looking forward to trading strongly in the last quarter of the year with a huge range of seasonal products on their way” said Manu Mulchandani.
As part of the company’s effort to evolve and grow in the fiercely competitive local market, the brand will strengthen its presence by opening at least 3 new stores across the UAE in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ajman.
The worldwide the brand has more than 4,000 stores, with 49 stores currently in the GCC region and 32 in the United Arab Emirates; the remaining seventeen located across Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The first GCC store was opened in 2004, and there are exciting growth plans to take the store count beyond the half-century mark before the end of this year.

The article Daiso opens 11th store in Abu Dhabi appeared first on Arabian Post.

The move is a reflection of the economic reality marked by lower oil price and lower growth outlook that is encouraging governments to consolidate their state-owned businesses to cut costs by creating synergies. It is however, unclear if mega merger of both the entities are on the cards. The statement did not give any indications on the new company under formation.

Both Dubai Holding and Meraas Holding have been developing residential, commercial, retail and entertainment projects separately. The new company is expected to create a synergy in creating a robust project development pipeline that will help Dubai witness new projects that meets the growing demand and fall in line with the government’s economic growth vision.

Dubai Holding, an investment conglomerate, has operations in 21 countries with a 22,000-strong work force. It manages a Dh130 billion ($35 billion ) portfolio of assets, which supports the strong development of Dubai’s non-oil economy across sectors including tourism, hospitality, real estate, media, ICT, education, design and trade.

Over the years, Dubai Holding has created Tecom Investments – responsible for the development of the emirate’s knowledge clusters that include Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, the Knowledge Village, Dubai Studio City, the International Media Production Zone – as well as Dubai Properties Group, Jumeirah Group – its hospitality development and hotel management arm in addition to a number of industrial clusters such as Dubai Industrial City, Dubai Design District, Dubai Humanitarian City, among others.

Meraas, with portfolio and activity in real estate, tourism, hospitality, healthcare, technology, retail, F&B (food and beverages), leisure & entertainment. aims to make Dubai and the UAE better for people to live, work and play in. It boasts several major projects including City Walk, The Beach, Boxpark and its latest Last Exit and The Outlet Village which are open places for communities to socialise, explore, learn, play, create and enjoy.

Its activities include developing and operating diverse, high quality urban destinations, as well as investing and creating new technologies and experiences across the city.

Raed Kajoor Al Nuaimi has been appointed “Chief Executive Officer of a new entity to lead a development group that will manage multi-billion dollar development projects across Dubai Holding and Meraas Holding,” the statement said.

“Al Nuaimi will remain as CEO of DXB Entertainments until a new CEO is appointed. He will thereafter continue as a senior executive with the company, in the role of Managing Director and executive member of the Board of Directors. The appointment of a new CEO will be announced by the company in due course,” the statement said.

DXB Entertainments PJSC (previously Dubai Parks and Resorts PJSC) is a Dubai-based provider of leisure and entertainment destinations and experiences. The Company is traded on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) under the trading symbol DXBE. We bring together a diverse portfolio of world-class brands to offer pioneering entertainment in the areas of theme parks, retail and hospitality as well as leisure attractions. Launched in 2014, DXB Entertainments owns and operates Dubai Parks and Resorts, the largest theme park destination in the Middle East.

Spanning 30.6 million square feet of land, the Dh13.2 billion destination consists of four theme parks (Six Flags coming in 2019) in one location. For us, fun means business. With a market cap of Dh10.4 billion as of 31 December 2016, DXB Entertainments aims to become an industry-leading provider and producer of innovative and inspirational entertainment experiences in the Middle East and beyond.

The article Dubai Holding, Meraas to merge project development works under new entity appeared first on Arabian Post.

Xanadu Real Estate Development, a Dubai-based property developer, announced the delivery of nearly 200 luxury villas and townhouses with a development value exceeding Dh750 million, part of the Dh8 billion worth of projects it helped deliver with its partners over the last six years.

These include 130 Townhouses at Jumeirah Village Circle, worth Dh300 million and 68 luxury villas at Jumeirah Golf Estates, worth Dh450 million. The projects were handed over recently.

The company has been partnering with property developers by undertaking the management of stalled projects and completing them by investing its own resources. Following the global financial crisis of 2008-09, many property developers found it difficult to carry on with projects due to tough market conditions marked by the absence of buyers and investors. While some developers had the ability to continue with projects, most were not lucky, resulting in a good number of projects being stalled.

In 2010, Xanadu entered the real estate market with a vision to change it and help revive and manage stalled projects. It started with a cluster of townhouses and delivered it with the help of the previous developer. Gradually, Xanadu picked up a number of challenging projects, infused capital and delivered them. This way, it helped revive, manage and delivere Dh8 billion worth of projects – that has a far-reaching impact in the emirate’s real estate sector and economy.

“Dubai’s real estate market requires a quite different set of developers as it matures and demand is likely to be driven by real property buyers,” Mr Adel Al Breiki, Founder of Xanadu Real Estate Development, says and adds that, “Therefore, committed customer-centric developers with a focus on quality and timely delivery will be crucial differentiator for successful developers.”

As a developer, Xanadu has pioneered the concept of partnering with developers to turnaround challenging real estate projects and steered them towards successful completion and handover to customers. Over the last six years, it invested a large amount of resources and manpower to help complete and deliver properties worth Dh8 billion in Dubai.

“Our experience in helping turn around challenging real estate projects gives us an edge in property development business where many established players find it difficult to complete the projects on time and on budget.” Al Breiki says. “Our strong credentials in investing in properties and execution of projects have helped us to undertake large projects for development.

“As the market matures and prices soften, property development and construction business will become more competitive and challenging. These developments will require financially strong developers with solid project management expertise. Therefore, we are uniquely positioned to support Dubai’s real estate sector, going forward.”

Xanadu Group is the culmination of synergies of two industrial engineers and visionary business leaders who have chosen real estate their turf and made property development and project turnaround their game – something that they enjoy doing. Passionate about undertaking challenges, they have successfully partnered with developers to complete and deliver promises.

Xanadu, established in 2010, is the brainchild of an UAE national entrepreneur Mr Adel Al Breiki, founder and Mr Cenk Yabas. The two enterprising engineers, who bring more than 40 years of collective global experience in Property Development, Construction, Sales and Asset Management.

Mr Cenk Yabas, who is also the founder of Xanadu, says, “One of our key strengths is our ability to manage projects efficiently – on time and within budget – while maintaining high quality standards, as per the latest trends and to suit the taste of the modern families.”

“While taking over the management of certain stalled projects, we changed the fittings and amenities to match the latest trends in design and products – that has helped us to offer a better proposition to the customers. This helps in value appreciation of properties and when new buyers inquire for homes – they look for contemporary designs.”

After partnering with developers, Xanadu is gradually developing its own project portfolio with new projects.

The article Xanadu delivers AED750m worth of projects appeared first on Arabian Post.

Alabbar and MEVP to accelerate the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region

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