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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.

By Nantoo Banerjee Few will disagree that India should keep investing substantially in both onshore and offshore oil search as the country is becoming increasingly dependent on the import of petroleum crude to meet its energy needs. Currently, almost 86 percent of India’s annual crude petroleum needs are being met through imports. During his recent […]

The article Higher GST Will Hurt Oil-Starved India’s Exploration Drills appeared first on Latest India news, analysis and reports on IPA Newspack.

Sharjah has recorded capital inflows of $1.5 billion in foreign direct investment during the first half of 2025, marking a 361 percent rise compared to $325 million in the same period last year. The emirate also saw 74 new FDI projects, and 2,578 jobs created, a 45 percent increase from H1 2024.

Growth has been strongest in consumer products, food & beverage, business services, and industrial equipment. The consumer products sector led in investment, with project numbers rising by 53 percent and capital spend increasing by 188 percent. Food & beverage saw project volume more than double, while job creation in that sector rose by about 25 percent. Business services posted the biggest leap in employment—about 1,100 percent—alongside a 500 percent jump in project activity. Industrial equipment saw a 100 percent increase in projects and a 45 percent rise in capital investment.

Officials attribute the surge to government strategy that emphasises strong infrastructure, regulatory flexibility, and investment in human capital. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, said the figures represent more than statistics—they mark improved livelihoods and sustainable value for the community. Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, CEO of Invest in Sharjah, pointed to Sharjah’s integrated policy framework and robust investment climate as central to building investor trust.

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.

United Arab Emirates holds between 40 and 45 per cent share of the Middle East and Africa space market, which is estimated at US$18 billion, according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group. The UAE invested approximately US$443 million in civil space activities in 2024—nearly half of all government space spending across MEA.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar follow with civil space investments of about US$220 million each. Saudi Arabia accounts for an estimated 20–25 per cent of MEA government space spending, while Qatar contributes about 5 per cent.

Downstream services—such as satellite communications, navigation, and Earth observation—comprise roughly 70 per cent of the global space industry. The UAE is positioned to capture more than half of the downstream services market within MEA, while Saudi Arabia aims for over 20 per cent. Qatar’s role remains modest in downstream services, at just under 5 per cent.

All three countries are expected to grow at or above the global space economy’s compound annual growth rate of 5 per cent through 2033.

The report identifies several flagship programmes in the UAE—MBZ-SAT, the Hope Probe, and Arab 813—that are likely to generate returns of roughly 3-4 times the investment. These initiatives illustrate how long-term strategic planning, public-private partnerships, risk-tolerant policy frameworks, and global cooperation are central to the UAE’s leadership in the sector.

Saudi Arabia is expanding its international partnerships, including with NASA and Axiom, while Qatar’s Es’hailSat is strengthening its role in regional satellite communications. Digital policy integration—especially in satellite broadband, low Earth orbit constellations, and Earth observation—is emerging as a key success factor.

Qatar Investment Authority is injecting US$500 million into Ivanhoe Mines via a private placement that grants the sovereign wealth fund roughly a 4 per cent interest in the Canadian miner. Ivanhoe will issue 57,516,666 common shares at CAD 12 per share, with proceeds earmarked for development of critical mineral projects and general corporate needs.

Ivanhoe Mines operates key assets in southern Africa, notably the Kamoa-Kakula copper complex in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the ultra-high-grade Kipushi zinc-copper-germanium-silver mine also in the DRC, and the Platreef platinum group metals project in South Africa, which is set to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2025. The QIA investment supports work across these operations and Ivanhoe’s exploration licences in the Western Forelands, which cover large prospective areas.

Robert Friedland, Ivanhoe’s Executive Co-Chair, described the deal as a strong endorsement of the company’s ambition to be a leading supplier of metals crucial to the energy transition, advanced infrastructure and technologies including AI and data centres. He expressed that QIA’s vision aligns with Ivanhoe’s long-term strategic investors.

Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi, CEO of QIA, said the investment reflects confidence not just in Ivanhoe’s asset portfolio but also in its capacity to sustainably discover, develop and supply critical minerals for global electrification and advanced technologies.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including approval by the Toronto Stock Exchange. In addition, QIA and Ivanhoe will enter into an investor rights agreement which grants QIA the right to board representation and access to company information if its ownership surpasses 10 per cent, along with anti-dilution rights. Existing major shareholders, CITIC Metal Africa Investments and Zijin Mining Group, retain rights to acquire their pro rata shares at the same CAD 12 price to maintain their ownership levels.

Ivanhoe’s share price was affected by the deal: the CAD 12 issue price is below the closing price of CAD 13.19 prior to the announcement, representing a discount. The investment follows a climate in which sovereign funds and institutional investors are increasingly targeting critical minerals as part of global supply chains for the clean energy transition.

Crypto influencer Ben Armstrong, known as BitBoy, has asserted that Ripple’s XRP possesses potential to rival Bitcoin’s dominance—not in every metric, but in overall market influence and growth. He argues that while Bitcoin remains unmatched on decentralisation and brand recognition, XRP may outpace Bitcoin in return-on-investment and adoption under certain conditions.

Armstrong points to several factors he believes could drive XRP forward: its far faster transaction settlement times, its emerging use for cross-border payments, and increasing interest from both retail and institutional investors. He acknowledges these victories come with drawbacks—particularly XRP’s higher centralisation compared with Bitcoin, given significant holdings of its supply are controlled by Ripple.

He describes market capitalisation as one pathway for competition, noting that XRP lags far behind Bitcoin’s more than US$2 trillion valuation. Nevertheless, he suggests that XRP could narrow that gap by capitalising on regulatory improvements and product developments in the crypto space. He cited possibilities such as exchange-traded funds for XRP and Ripple’s potential corporate moves that could boost legitimacy.

Comparisons with Ethereum form a large part of Armstrong’s argument. He has predicted that XRP may overtake Ethereum in market cap, saying Ethereum’s role in decentralised finance gives it current strength but also comes with trade-offs in efficiency and scalability. XRP, in his view, may benefit from being lighter in overhead, and more directly applicable in payment systems. Critics, however, highlight that Ethereum’s developer ecosystem, DeFi dominance, and smart contract utility are powerful advantages that XRP must overcome.

Recent legal developments related to Ripple have itself affected XRP’s trajectory. Armstrong notes that favourable rulings, greater regulatory clarity in jurisdictions like the US, and growing institutional interest are enhancing investor confidence. He also emphasises that the narrative around cryptocurrency regulation is shifting, which could favour assets like XRP that are often under scrutiny.

On price forecasts, Armstrong has offered a range of scenarios: gains ranging from three-fold to much higher depending on whether certain catalysts—such as regulatory approvals or ETF launches—unfold as hoped. He cautions that for XRP to truly rival Bitcoin, sustained momentum must be maintained over a multi-year horizon, not just in speculative bursts.

U. S. regulators have approved Grayscale’s Digital Large Cap Fund conversion into an exchange-traded fund that will hold multiple cryptocurrencies in a single product. The fund will allocate more than 70% to Bitcoin and about 17% to Ether, with the remainder distributed among XRP, Solana, and Cardano.

The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted new generic listing standards for commodity-based spot crypto ETFs, allowing exchanges such as NYSE Arca, Nasdaq, and Cboe BZX to list qualifying funds without bespoke approval filings. These rules cut the maximum approval time from several months to as little as 75 days.

Grayscale Investments will be the first asset manager to launch a multi-crypto ETF under this framework. The GLDC product offers regulated exposure through traditional securities structures, permitting investors to access these broad crypto assets in a single fund rather than holding individual tokens. GLDC had existed before as an investment product but lacked ETF status until this regulatory shift.

Industry analysts consider this a pivotal moment for the broader digital asset market, extending beyond the earlier wave of Bitcoin-only or Ether-only products. The decision formalises recognition by regulators that crypto portfolios comprising major altcoins may be viable under oversight and regulatory expectations. It also reflects growing institutional demand for diversified exposure as volatility remains high among lesser-known tokens.

Some market participants caution that, despite its multi-asset nature, the heavy weighting toward Bitcoin and Ether means the fund’s performance may still be strongly driven by those two assets. Questions remain about how XRP, Solana, and Cardano portions will perform in different market environments, and how liquidity, custody, and valuation will be managed for the less dominant tokens.