News related to
Expansion

Exports of gasoline and diesel from India have climbed to multi-year highs in 2025, pushed by expanded refinery output, elevated ethanol blending, and weakening domestic demand during the monsoon season. Analysts expect gasoil shipments to reach 610,000–630,000 barrels per day, according to Wood Mackenzie, while Kpler forecasts hover nearer 560,000 bpd.

Heightened crude processing capacity has enabled major refiners such as Reliance Industries and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd to divert more fuel into exports. Gasoline exports are estimated at about 400,000 bpd this year, supported by the country’s adoption of 20 % ethanol blending in petrol—a marked rise from 12 % in 2023.

Much of India’s diesel is now bound for Europe, where supply may tighten later this year due to refinery maintenance across the Middle East and Europe. The shift is occurring as the European Union phases in restrictions on refined petroleum imports derived from Russian crude, which clears the way for alternative sources. In August alone, India’s diesel exports to Europe surged by 137 % year-on-year, reaching 242,000 bpd.

India’s push into export markets is aided by discounts on Russian crude supplied during Western sanctions, allowing refiners to maintain margins even as exports grow. The increase in export volumes comes despite diplomatic criticism from Washington, which questions the use of discounted crude for profit. India asserts that its procurement practices stabilise global fuel markets rather than distort them.

Domestically, the monsoon period has dampened fuel demand, helping free up surplus supply for export. In parallel, Indian refiners have managed fewer unscheduled maintenance shutdowns, keeping plants operating near capacity. Wood Mackenzie anticipates India’s crude processing will increase by 130,000 to 160,000 bpd in 2025, reaching around 5.51 million bpd.

The higher share of ethanol in petrol has been key to redirecting conventional fuel toward exports. As of August, India achieved a 19.8 % ethanol blend—putting the country on track for its 20 % target. To facilitate further expansion of cleaner fuels, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade has also authorised exports of second-generation ethanol, subject to certification and authorisation.

Europe’s transition away from Russian-derived refined products leaves a strategic opening for India. Saudi Arabia’s refined product shipments are projected to dip by about 300,000 bpd in October–November due to maintenance of several Aramco plants, creating additional export opportunities for Indian producers.

Yet the surge is not without complexity. In April 2025, India’s diesel exports hit their lowest point in over a decade, dropping to an estimated 1.15 million metric tons amid refinery maintenance at the Jamnagar complex. That earlier slump underscores the delicate balance between sustaining export momentum and managing domestic operations.

Simultaneously, India is also redirecting surplus rice stocks toward ethanol production to bolster blending targets. The government has allocated 5.2 million metric tons of rice for biofuel conversion—a move that helps ease pressure on grain reserves while reinforcing fuel strategy.

Abu Dhabi’s real estate market posted a 42 percent leap in value of property deals during the first half of 2025, with total transaction values reaching AED 54 billion. Residential unit sales were a major contributor, rising by 38 percent to AED 25 billion. The number of transactions climbed 25 percent to 15,578 deals over the same period.

Population growth in the emirate—specifically crossing four million residents in 2024—has intensified demand for housing, boosting both apartment and villa/town-house sectors. Apartment prices jumped 14 percent year-on-year in Q2, while villa and townhouse prices rose by 11 percent. Premium properties now account for 57 percent of apartment sales value, more than double their share last year. Saadiyat Island saw the highest apartment values per square metre, while Ramhan Island led villa/town house prices.

Economic expansion has underpinned the property market upswing. The non-oil sector increased by 6.2 percent, making up 54.7 percent of Abu Dhabi’s gross domestic product, which grew 3.8 percent to about AED 1.2 trillion. Real estate development continues apace, with master-planned communities like Al Hudayriat, Balghailyam in Yas Island, Mamsha Gardens and Saadiyat Lagoons fuelling supply.

Supply still trails demand. Existing residential inventory stood at approximately 400,000 units at mid-2025, while projections suggest that by 2028, the supply will grow by 4.6 percent annually, adding roughly 64,000 new units. Developers such as Aldar have released a number of high-value projects: town houses at Al Deem, Fahid Beach Residences, The Beach House, and the Waldorf Astoria Residences on Yas Island together pulling in billions of dirhams in sales.

Aldar Properties has increased its ownership stake in Aldar Estates to 82.55%, acquiring the 17.45% indirect share held by Modon Holding via its wholly-owned subsidiary ADNEC Group. The move solidifies Aldar’s dominance over the region’s largest integrated real-estate service platform.

Aldar Estates, formed through a merger of Aldar, IHC, and ADNEC’s property and facilities management businesses, has seen strong growth since its establishment in 2023. Aldar now holds outright control following the ADNEC-Modon exit.

Under Aldar’s direction, the platform manages roughly 155,000 residential units, and has almost doubled its prime retail and commercial leasable space to two million square metres. Contracts under management are now said to exceed AED 3 billion. These figures reflect ambitious expansion in recurring-income services.

Financially, Aldar Estates delivered revenues of about AED 2.6 billion in 2024, with EBITDA near AED 400 million, forming a growing part of Aldar’s overall strategy to emphasise stable income-streams outside pure property development. Aldar Investment oversees a broader AED 47 billion portfolio of income-generating assets.

Aldar’s Chief Executive of Aldar Investment, Jassem Salah Busaibe, said that the business is well positioned for further scale-up given increasing demand in property, facilities, and community services, along with a rising base of third-party clients. Gordons in landscaping, technical services, security, sustainability consulting and community management have been among the areas where Aldar Estates has expanded its offering.

SAP’s global chief executive Christian Klein announced a strategic expansion of cloud infrastructure in New Delhi today, unveiling the launch of SAP Software Cloud in India and urging that cloud computing and artificial intelligence must underpin India’s path towards self-reliance and a digitally fortified economy. He warned that India is on track to generate 10 zettabytes of data by 2025, and stressed that harnessing this data effectively will be critical for national growth.

Addressing an audience of business leaders, technologists, and government representatives, Klein emphasised that mission-critical infrastructure must increasingly rely on sovereign cloud offerings. These are systems where data storage, processing, and control are governed under local legal standards—ensuring both security and regulatory compliance. He added that many organisations will not yet have requirements for sovereign cloud, but sectors such as defence, utilities and others handling classified data are likely to lead adoption.

SAP India’s president and managing director, Manish Prasad, highlighted the firm’s 30-year legacy in the region, and the growing need to make AI “relevant”—not just in proof-of-concepts but in full-scale deployments. He made clear that India must benefit more from its data, not simply generate it. Enhanced capabilities in secure engineering, data sovereignty, and local control of cloud operations are being positioned as foundational elements for India’s next phase of growth.

One major component of SAP’s plan is investment: globally, the company is committing €20 billion by next year toward cloud infrastructure and expansion. India is being treated as a key strategic market for that investment. SAP says it will deliver the “full stack” for cloud solutions—including those with compliance, localised control planes and sovereign cloud services where required.

Klein also underscored that government policy, regulation and innovation capacity must keep pace with technological opportunity. India’s regulatory environment around data sovereignty and digital infrastructure is evolving, and sectors with critical or regulated data will demand clarity and trust in legal and technical frameworks. Without that, investing in sovereign cloud becomes more difficult for those clients.

Digital sovereignty loomed large in SAP’s message. Martin Merz, president of SAP’s sovereign cloud division, said that while physical infrastructure is important, operational, technical and legal dimensions of data sovereignty matter at least as much. He pointed out that SAP has already delivered sovereign cloud services to highly security-sensitive organisations globally, and that India offers “great potential.”

Record trade worth AED 336 billion from the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority across its three free zones marked a 19% increase over 2023, with the zone authority accounting for 13.7% of Dubai’s non-oil foreign trade—the highest share recorded.

Dubai Airport Free Zone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity together processed trade volumes of 444,300 tonnes, representing a rise of over 28% compared with 346,700 tonnes the year prior. Sector-wise, machinery, electrical and electronics led the growth, making up about 72% of total trade and increasing by approximately 17%. Precious stones, metals, jewellery and ornaments grew by 33% and contributed about 22%. Combined, both sectors accounted for nearly 94% of total trade activity.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, stated that these outcomes reflect Dubai’s ambition under the Economic Agenda D33, enhancing its role as a global hub through innovation and competitiveness. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of DIEZ, affirmed this was the fourth year of sustained growth, noting increasing investor confidence and strengthened global trade partnerships.

Volume growth and value growth were supported by improved infrastructure and “integrated services” across the three zones, which reduced friction in supply chains. DIEZ’s performance coincided with Dubai as a whole achieving record highs in non-oil foreign trade.

While machinery, electronics and precious materials drove most of the expansion, other sectors are underrepresented, indicating a dependency on high-value goods. The focus now may turn to diversification to prevent vulnerabilities to sector-specific global headwinds. Economists suggest sustaining infrastructure investment and expanding trade ties beyond traditional markets will be critical for maintaining momentum.

Flydubai began service to Iași in Romania with twice-weekly flights, making it the first carrier from the United Arab Emirates to connect Dubai directly with Romania’s cultural capital of Moldavia. The new route operates on Tuesdays and Fridays between Dubai International’s Terminal 2 and Iași International Airport.

The airline is also scaling up its operations to Bucharest, moving from three weekly flights to three daily services, which will bring the weekly frequency between Dubai and the Romanian capital to 21 flights.

Flydubai has placed Iași as its second Romanian destination, following Bucharest, and has already expanded into the neighbouring region with the launch of flights to Chișinău in Moldova. Further expansion for Europe includes planned routes to Vilnius and Riga later in the year.

Jeyhun Efendi, Divisional Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations and E-commerce at Flydubai, said growth in Romania has averaged about 16 per cent annually on the Bucharest route since flights launched in 2012. He expressed confidence that the new Iași service and increased frequency to Bucharest will offer passengers more convenience and opportunities for both cultural and business travel.

Romeo Vatră, General Manager of Iași Airport, described the route’s inauguration as a “significant milestone”, noting that Iași becomes the only airport in the Moldova region with a direct link to the United Arab Emirates.

Fare details were published: return fares in Business Class from Dubai to Iași start from AED 8,000, while in Economy Lite they begin at AED 1,600. In the reverse direction, prices start at EUR 2,000 and EUR 380 respectively.