Category: Latest Updates

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai ARP Digital has joined the Fireblocks Network for Payments as its designated GCC corridor settlement partner, giving fintechs, payment service providers and financial institutions a regulated route into Gulf payment corridors through a single integration.The arrangement positions the Bahrain-licensed digital capital infrastructure platform as a settlement counterparty for Fireblocks’ global network, with live rails covering the UAE dirham, Bahraini dinar and other Gulf currencies. It is designed to support fiat-in and fiat-out settlement, stablecoin-powered cross-border payments,

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Antananarivo’s Bouka family has returned to Mount Everest for a second summit attempt, a year after abandoning its push within roughly 250 metres of the top because of congestion, oxygen pressure, frostbite concerns and worsening conditions high on the mountain.Led by entrepreneur Zouzar Bouka, with his sons Raïs and Raj-Alexandre, the expedition is seeking to raise the Malagasy flag on the world’s highest peak and become part of a small but growing African presence in elite

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Senior ministers, diplomats and business leaders from the UAE and India used a Dubai forum on Monday evening to sharpen a shared push for bilateral trade to reach $200 billion by 2032, building on the momentum generated by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.The high-level gathering, hosted by the UAE India Business Council’s UAE chapter under the theme “Strength in Resilience”, brought together officials, investors and corporate leaders as both sides sought to convert political alignment into

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi schoolgirl Nakshatra Prem has built a free mobile app to help classmates manage fear, uncertainty and stress during emergency alerts, turning her own moment of panic into a student-led mental health tool.Nakshatra, a 12-year-old Grade 7 pupil at Abu Dhabi Indian School, developed the Android app “Al Amal – The Hope” after hearing emergency alerts for the first time amid heightened tensions in the region. Born and raised in the UAE, she said the

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai ADNOC Distribution and Americana Restaurants International PLC have agreed to open up to 200 quick-service restaurants across fuel and mobility sites in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, deepening a push to turn service stations into broader dining, retail and convenience destinations.The strategic partnership announced on Tuesday will bring brands from Americana Restaurants’ portfolio into ADNOC Distribution locations, including standard service stations and newer roadside retail formats. The plan is designed to capture higher non-fuel spending

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Pixel Watch owners are reporting another Fitbit-linked software problem, with sleep statistics disappearing from the watch even as the same data remains visible in the phone app.The issue appears to affect the on-watch sleep tile rather than the underlying tracking system. Users say their devices show the message “No recent data. Wear your watch to sleep” after a full night of use, while the Fitbit app on paired Android phones continues to display sleep duration, sleep

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Standard Chartered is moving to bring Zodia Custody’s crypto custody business inside its own digital-asset operations, marking a sharper push by the London-headquartered bank to capture institutional demand for regulated storage of tokens and blockchain-based financial assets.The planned acquisition would fold key custody activities of Zodia Custody Ltd., a majority-owned subsidiary, into Standard Chartered’s corporate and investment banking division, where the bank has been building custody, trading and collateral services for professional investors. The move would

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Arabian Refineries Company has moved to deepen its clean energy ambitions by signing a non-binding memorandum of understanding with China’s Ally Hydrogen Energy to develop a green ammonia production plant in Jazan Industrial City.The agreement, signed on 15 May, places Jazan at the centre of another proposed low-carbon fuel project as Saudi Arabia seeks to build industrial capacity around hydrogen, ammonia and related equipment. The memorandum will remain valid for one calendar year unless both

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Arabia’s main security, safety and fire protection trade platform is set for its biggest edition as demand accelerates across critical infrastructure, smart cities, commercial property, industrial sites and large-scale development projects.Intersec Saudi Arabia 2026 will run from 16 to 18 November at Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center, shifting into a larger venue format and expanding exhibition space by 40 per cent. The event is expected to draw more than 25,000 visitors and over 500

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Manama has gained another marker in its shift towards cash-light commerce as stc Bahrain became the first telecommunications provider in the kingdom to introduce Mastercard’s Click to Pay, adding a faster checkout option for customers making digital payments.The launch places the telecom operator deeper into Bahrain’s expanding financial technology ecosystem, where mobile wallets, instant transfers and tokenised card payments are becoming part of daily consumer behaviour. Click to Pay allows users to complete online purchases at

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai UAE media regulators have opened a nationwide awareness drive in Abu Dhabi to promote clearer standards for digital, broadcast and publishing content, placing influencers, creators and media professionals at the centre of a campaign designed to strengthen responsible communication across all emirates.The National Media Authority held the first session of the 2026 Media Content Standards Awareness Campaign at Al Mushrif Majlis in Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with Majalis Abu Dhabi. The gathering brought together media professionals,

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Money managers have lifted bullish copper wagers to their highest level in five months, reinforcing a powerful rally that has pushed New York futures to record territory and sharpened debate over whether the market is pricing a durable supply squeeze or a crowded speculative trade.Hedge funds and other large speculators raised their net-long position in Comex copper by 16 per cent to 73,523 contracts in the week ended May 12, the strongest reading in 20 weeks.

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Etihad Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with Uzbekistan Airways, opening eight destinations across Uzbekistan to its global passengers and giving travellers from Tashkent access to Abu Dhabi through a single-ticket arrangement.The agreement takes effect from 15 May 2026 and is designed to connect Etihad’s international network with Uzbekistan Airways’ domestic reach through Tashkent, the largest city in Central Asia. Bookings are being made available through both carriers, with Etihad’s Abu Dhabi-Tashkent service scheduled to begin

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai ADNOC has exchanged two strategic collaboration agreements with partners from India, widening Abu Dhabi’s role in crude storage, LPG supply and energy-security planning at a time of volatile shipping routes and rising fuel demand across Asia.The agreements were announced in Abu Dhabi on 15 May 2026 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE, in the presence of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. They place ADNOC at the centre of a broader energy

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi’s property market has entered 2026 with record transaction values, sharply higher foreign investment and growing evidence that global capital is treating the emirate as a long-term real estate and wealth-management base rather than a cyclical Gulf property play.K Estates, a boutique luxury real estate advisory, said its Abu Dhabi Market Brief for 2026 shows total real estate transactions reaching AED66 billion in the first quarter, up 160.7 per cent year on year. The number

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi’s Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi has moved from a largely behind-the-scenes fiscal role into the centre of global dealmaking, taking charge of L’IMAD Holding as the emirate reshapes its sovereign investment network and pushes deeper into infrastructure, technology, finance and strategic industries.Al Zaabi, long associated with the emirate’s Department of Finance and its investment oversight bodies, was named managing director and chief executive of L’IMAD in January, when Abu Dhabi formed the board

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Several airports operated by Cluster2 Airports have secured higher carbon accreditation from Airports Council International, placing Saudi Arabia’s regional aviation network deeper into the global push to measure, reduce and manage airport emissions.Arar Airport has attained Level 4+ under the Airport Carbon Accreditation programme, one of its highest tiers, while King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Jazan, Najran Airport, Sharurah Airport, Wadi Al-Dawasir Airport and Al-Wajh Airport have achieved Level 2. The certifications mark a

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Vista Equity Partners has opened a new Abu Dhabi office within ADGM, giving the global enterprise software investor a regulated base in one of the region’s fastest-growing financial centres as capital flows into technology, private markets and artificial intelligence-linked infrastructure accelerate across the Gulf.VEPM Middle East Limited has secured full authorisation from ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority, allowing the firm to advise on investments and arrange investment deals across the region. The office, based in Al

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai M42 has launched kidney. com, a free AI-powered kidney health assistant aimed at widening access to reliable education for people living with, or at risk of, chronic kidney disease across several international markets.The platform has gone live in the UAE, France, Germany, Portugal and the UK, with further country launches planned. It combines M42’s artificial intelligence, health technology and genomics capabilities with Diaverum’s 35 years of renal-care experience, positioning the service as a disease-specific digital tool

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai FUCHS Egypt Lubricants has appointed Dynamic Distribution Co. as its official distributor across Upper Egypt, marking a sharper push by the German-rooted lubricant group to deepen its access to workshops, fleet operators, agricultural users and industrial customers beyond the Cairo-centred supply chain.The partnership gives Dynamic Distribution responsibility for expanding the availability of FUCHS products in a region that includes major commercial corridors and fast-growing governorates along the Nile Valley. The appointment is designed to improve local

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Zimbabwe’s export map is shifting sharply towards the Gulf, with the United Arab Emirates emerging as the country’s largest overseas market as trade, minerals sales and investment talks deepen between Harare and Dubai.Bilateral trade reached about US$4.1 billion last year, driven mainly by mineral exports and reinforced by a new pipeline of investment discussions covering mining, renewable energy, manufacturing, agriculture and logistics. Deals under discussion range from US$10 million to US$200 million, with at least five

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s Gold Souq has come under a sharper regulatory spotlight after Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, led an inspection tour to assess whether merchants are meeting rules designed to prevent money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing in the precious metals trade.The visit placed one of Dubai’s most prominent retail and wholesale gold hubs at the centre of the UAE’s wider push to strengthen financial-crime controls before another international assessment of

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi’s arbitration centre has recorded a 38 per cent rise in cases between its first and second years of operation, signalling stronger business reliance on the emirate’s formal dispute resolution framework as cross-border commerce expands.The Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre, known as arbitrateAD, has administered 105 matters since it began accepting cases in February 2024. The growth was disclosed in its inaugural Biennial Report 2024–2026, which tracked a broad range of institutional arbitration cases and

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Nisus Finance Services Co Limited has announced a strategic push into the UAE construction market through New Consolidated Construction Company Limited, positioning the newly acquired contractor as a regional platform for infrastructure, real estate and specialised asset delivery across the Gulf.The move brings NCCCL into one of the region’s busiest project markets, where construction, transport, utilities, housing and technology-led infrastructure continue to attract large public and private capital commitments. GCC projects worth about $951 billion are

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiSaudi Arabia’s Knowledge Economic City narrowed its first-quarter net loss as higher revenue and stronger gross profit helped offset continuing finance and development costs at its flagship Madinah project.The Tadawul-listed developer reported a net loss attributable to shareholders of SAR15.43 million for the three months ended March 31, compared with SAR17.26 million a year earlier, a reduction of 10.6 per cent. The loss was equivalent to about $4.11 million, based on the dollar peg. Revenue rose

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiDubai International Financial Centre has reaffirmed the resilience of its financial ecosystem, saying global clients across banking, insurance, wealth management and innovation remain committed to Dubai and the UAE despite heightened uncertainty across parts of the Middle East.Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, said the past few weeks had tested regional markets, but had also underlined the depth of confidence among institutions operating from the centre. “Over the past few weeks, countries in the Middle East have

Arabian Post Staff -Dubaie& and Qualcomm Technologies have deepened their technology partnership with a plan to develop AI-powered autonomous systems for robotics, drones and other physical platforms across the UAE, placing edge computing and intelligent connectivity at the centre of the country’s next phase of industrial digitalisation.Central to the collaboration is a Next-Gen Autonomous Management Platform for Physical AI, designed to combine e&’s connectivity infrastructure with Qualcomm Technologies’ edge AI and computing capabilities. The platform is intended to

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Space42 has selected Skylo Technologies to provide standards-based direct-to-device connectivity through Thuraya-4, advancing plans to merge mobile satellite services with mainstream telecom networks across underserved land, sea and remote industrial zones.The Abu Dhabi-listed space technology company said the partnership will use Skylo’s 3GPP-compliant non-terrestrial network platform with Thuraya-4, Space42’s next-generation geostationary mobile communications satellite. The integration is designed to allow ordinary compatible devices to connect through satellite coverage without requiring a separate satellite handset, modified SIM or

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiAl-Futtaim Engineering has completed a major mechanical, electrical and plumbing package at Dubai Exhibition Centre, strengthening the venue’s readiness for larger global exhibitions at Expo City Dubai.The company, part of Al-Futtaim Contracting, delivered the MEP scope for the Dubai Exhibition Centre within a nine-month programme, taking the project from site access to final commissioning and operational readiness. The development has secured Building Completion Certificate status, enabling the expanded venue to support high-volume international events, including Gulfood

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiQatar has presented its labour-policy overhaul as a wider migration-governance model, placing worker mobility, fair recruitment and anti-trafficking controls at the centre of its pitch to international partners.The position was set out at the Second International Migration Review Forum in New York, where HE Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Labour, argued that migration policy must move beyond declarations and produce measurable protections for workers across recruitment, employment and return. The intervention

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiClassrooms across the UAE are set to reopen on Monday, May 11, after education authorities cleared the resumption of in-person learning for students, teachers and administrative staff following a temporary shift to remote classes linked to regional security developments.The decision covers public and private schools, nurseries, universities and higher education institutions across the country, restoring normal campus attendance after precautionary distance learning measures were introduced from May 5 to May 8. The move was taken

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai UAE and Dutch officials have moved to deepen cooperation in energy, climate adaptation, water management and trade, using a visit by Abdulla Balalaa to the Kingdom of the Netherlands to align bilateral priorities ahead of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi.Balalaa, UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, held meetings with Dutch government officials responsible for foreign trade, development cooperation, infrastructure, water management, climate and energy policy. The talks placed

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiAbu Dhabi has moved to sharpen protection for factories, utilities and critical infrastructure after the UAE Cyber Security Council and Siemens signed an MoU to strengthen operational technology cyber resilience across industrial sectors.The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the fifth Make it in the Emirates, creates a framework for cyber defence, knowledge sharing and local security capabilities. It calls for a Joint Innovation Center of Excellence dedicated to OT cybersecurity research, talent development and

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiDP World has launched an end-to-end cargo war risk insurance product for businesses moving goods through the Middle East, seeking to close coverage gaps that have widened as conflict risk, rerouting and port congestion reshape trade across the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and connected inland corridors.The Dubai-based ports and logistics group said the policy would protect cargo across ocean or air transit, port storage and inland transport under one arrangement, rather than limiting protection to a