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Goldman Sachs has launched a new office in Kuwait, asserting a significant push to enhance its reach across the Middle East and deepen its ties with Gulf-region clients under fresh leadership.

The New York-based investment bank said its role over five decades in Kuwait spans investment banking, capital markets and asset management. As part of its latest expansion, Goldman has tapped Mohammad Almatrouk as managing director of the Kuwait office, pending regulatory green light, while Fahad Alebrahim has been appointed managing director of the firm’s private wealth business in Kuwait.

David Solomon, Goldman Sachs’s Chairman and Chief Executive, framed the move as a commitment to “grow our capabilities across the Middle East and better serve our clients,” emphasising Kuwait’s economic vision as a catalyst for the firm’s expansion.

Goldman Sachs points to a long-standing capacity-building partnership in Kuwait that includes a professional training scheme designed to nurture talent at institutions such as the Kuwait Investment Authority, the Public Institution for Social Security and the Kuwait Fund. That programme, the bank says, will continue to play a central role in integrating local human capital into its global operations.

The choice of Kuwait underscores a growing focus on the Gulf’s institutional capital. Kuwait, host to one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, has attracted global financial firms looking to align with its diversification and investment ambitions. Goldman Sachs’s decision follows earlier regional expansions, such as establishing a presence in Abu Dhabi and securing a banking licence in Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait’s Director General of the Direct Investment Promotion Authority, Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, praised the move as aligned with Kuwait’s economic diversification and global integration goals. He stressed that opening the office supports national priorities including talent development and sustainable growth.

Regional analysts view Goldman’s Kuwait office as part of a broader recalibration by global banks to embed themselves closer to Gulf capital sources. Over the past two years, deal activity in sovereign and quasi-sovereign asset structures has exploded, prompting major firms including Lazard, JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to expand in the Gulf with new leadership hires.

Inside Goldman Sachs, the timeline coincides with a leadership transition: the firm’s co-head for the Middle East and North Africa, Fadi Abuali, is slated to retire after nearly 28 years of service. His departure is expected to reshape the firm’s regional hierarchy just as Kuwait becomes a new hub.

Some observers caution the move carries execution challenges. Regulatory approvals in Kuwait must be secured, and Goldman must integrate the new office into its broader Gulf operations without duplicating functions. Success will depend on maintaining local relationships while delivering global platform advantages.

The Labour Fund, Tamkeen, has confirmed it will organise the Kingdom of Bahrain’s pavilion at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai, featuring 14 Bahraini technology start-ups and small and medium enterprises alongside the Economic Development Board and ARRAY Innovations.

The event, scheduled from 13 to 17 October 2025, promises to provide the participating firms with access to global investors, partners and industry networks. The pavilion’s aim is explicit: to boost the international visibility of Bahrain’s ICT ecosystem and facilitate business growth.

Tamkeen’s announcement places it firmly in a leadership role for the pavilion’s curation and operations. The decision aligns with its 2025 strategic priorities, which emphasise supporting enterprise growth, promoting digitalisation, strengthening private-sector competitiveness and fostering sustainability.

Officials from Tamkeen and the Economic Development Board have highlighted that the selection of the 14 entities spans multiple subsectors within ICT, including software, data analytics, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. They say the mix is intended to reflect both Bahrain’s current strengths and its ambitions for diversification.

In past editions of GITEX, Bahrain’s pavilion drew attention from regional and international delegations. During GITEX Global 2024, the pavilion was credited with facilitating multiple memoranda and partnership discussions. Tamkeen’s continued involvement signals its belief that sustained pavilion presence is critical to maintaining momentum in Bahrain’s tech diplomacy.

Some observers note that Bahrain’s tech infrastructure and regulatory environment are increasingly seen as competitive in the Gulf region. Over the past few years, the kingdom has liberalised foreign ownership rules in certain sectors and introduced incentives for startups and innovation funds. This pavilion engagement is viewed by analysts as part of a broader soft-power strategy to position Bahrain as a hub for digital investment.

However, challenges remain. For many Bahraini startups, scaling beyond domestic markets continues to be difficult. Access to international capital, navigating cross-jurisdictional regulation, and building brand recognition are persistent hurdles. Critics caution that pavilion exposure does not always translate into long-term market entry, and that stronger post-exhibition support is needed to ensure sustained growth.

Tamkeen has stated that it plans to accompany pavilion exposure with mentorship, investor matchmaking and export facilitation services for participating firms. The hope is that a combination of showcase visibility and structural support will help convert leads into lasting collaborations.

Already, the pavilion has generated interest among regional stakeholders. Several Gulf regional delegations and venture capital firms have expressed intent to engage with Bahrain’s teams during the event. The EDB is reportedly coordinating bilateral sessions between Bahrain’s entrants and visiting foreign trade missions.

For the 2025 edition, organisers have introduced a more structured schedule for pitch sessions, one-on-one meetings and thematic forums. This signals learning from past editions, where informal networking sometimes overshadowed targeted client engagement. Tamkeen officials have emphasised tighter alignment of startup offerings with investor interest sectors like fintech, AI and cloud services.

Within Bahrain’s domestic ecosystem, private sector associations and incubators have welcomed the announcement. Some have pushed for better curation, arguing that selecting firms with proven traction or clear roadmaps increases the chance that pavilion participation yields concrete contracts or investment.

Google has chosen Saudi startup Lahint for inclusion in its Growth Academy: AI for GovTech 2025 cohort, positioning the company among 24 global government-technology innovators supported by Google. The move aims to strengthen Lahint’s capacity to deliver AI-enabled public services and further Saudi Arabia’s push for digital transformation under Vision 2030.

Lahint, established in 2023 by Ahmed Saber and Mohamed Ibrahim, secured a $1 million pre-seed investment earlier this year to scale its AI and automation offerings in government services. The platform currently manages more than 60 digital government services and serves over 200 businesses, integrating robotic process automation and AI to streamline licensing, permits and administrative workflows.

By integrating Lahint into its accelerator, Google pledges technical support, mentorship and access to cloud infrastructure—tools that could accelerate Lahint’s roadmap to full automation of priority public services. Lahint has already earned multiple ISO certifications and is accredited by the Saudi Data & AI Authority with a Waee badge for AI ethics compliance.

Lahint has advanced its internal timeline for key automation milestones. The company is now targeting completion of its GovTech automation program by early 2026, a shift from an earlier 2027 target. This acceleration comes alongside newly signed partnerships with government entities to deploy real-time status reporting and predictive compliance tools covering domain areas such as licensing, taxation and corporate registration.

Saudi Arabia’s broader AI landscape is scaling rapidly. In 2025, the kingdom announced over $14.9 billion in investments at LEAP and pursued MoUs under SDAIA to reinforce its data and AI infrastructure. The establishment of HUMAIN, a state-backed AI company under the Public Investment Fund, is central to that strategy. HUMAIN, launched in May 2025, has already inked collaboration agreements with Nvidia, AMD and Qualcomm to develop AI factories and Arabic large language models.

Google’s AI programme in Saudi Arabia is part of a wider arrangement. A $10 billion joint investment by Google Cloud and the Public Investment Fund backs a national AI hub to reinforce the local ecosystem and serve regional demand.

Logitech will unveil a range of AI-enabled collaboration tools at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai from 13 to 17 October, aiming to show how hardware and software can merge to support hybrid and human-centred work environments.

Under its “AI-Enabled Collaboration” theme, the company plans live demonstrations of its next-generation video conferencing, audio, and workspace peripherals. These products are designed to deliver equitable meeting experiences, seamless plug-and-play deployment, and sustainability throughout the product lifecycle.

Murad Ali, Head of GCC for Logitech for Business, says GITEX offers a stage to highlight innovations in “smart collaboration” that address evolving work trends in the Middle East, and that the company is committed to sustainable design practices. Logitech will host customers and partners at its Hall 3-C30 booth to showcase these developments.

A key highlight is the Rally Board 65, an all-in-one mobile conferencing device tailored to simplify complex meetings. The system combines a 65-inch touchscreen with built-in AI features such as RightSight 2 auto-framing, Depth Blur to reduce visual distractions, and sensors that measure occupancy and room health parameters. When unused, it can automatically shift into a lower power state to conserve energy—part of Logitech’s drive to embed sustainability into its hardware.

Logitech’s approach is underscored by statements from Moninder Jain, VP & Head of Global Emerging Markets. He notes that Logitech views AI not merely as a productivity tool, but as a means to deliver “more equitable collaboration experiences.” According to him, AI is embedded in features that equalise participation between in-room and remote contributors, including consistent audio/video quality, auto framing, and cloud-based device management that lets users carry settings across devices.

In recent months, Logitech has pushed AI integration further across its product lines. It has expanded its portfolio of Intel Evo-verified peripherals, reinforcing its strategy to support high-performance, low-latency user experiences. The company continues to evolve its Rally and video bar offerings, embedding AI to enhance meeting dynamics and reduce friction for IT teams managing hybrid environments.

Logitech’s sustainability credentials also receive attention in its corporate activities. The company’s “Future Positive” programme continues to support innovation in circular design. Past initiatives include collaborations on AI-powered e-waste recycling bins and exploration of alternative magnet materials to reduce reliance on rare earth elements.

Atelic today unveiled Atelic Studio, a new toolkit designed to help companies deploy enterprise-grade AI solutions with enhanced security, streamlined integration and measurable business returns. The Dubai-based firm says Studio represents a shift toward more accessible, modular and trustworthy AI for sectors such as industry, healthcare and energy markets.

Atelic presents Studio as a vendor-agnostic, multi-tenant platform that supports organisations in managing AI model deployment, data pipelines and governance from a unified interface. The company emphasises that the goal is to deliver “trusted AI” at scale — giving enterprises control over security and compliance while achieving return on investment.

According to Atelic, Studio’s architecture layers include model management, access control, explainability tools and deployment orchestration. It supports hybrid and cloud environments and allows users to plug in models from existing AI providers or open-source frameworks. In promotional documentation, the company describes Studio as both “secure” and “strategic” — stressing that enterprises should not just build models but build them for business impact.

Atelic’s background lies in AI software, chatbots, predictive analytics and data engineering across markets. Earlier projects focused on custom AI solutions, but the push with Studio marks a move toward a standardised platform offering. The firm’s public profile positions it as a tech partner aiming to help organisations “automate, innovate, and grow.”

Industry analysts note that the challenge Atelic is trying to solve is not trivial: many enterprises struggle with integrating AI into legacy infrastructure, managing security risks, and proving business value. Such obstacles have prevented AI pilots from crossing into production in many firms. If Studio lives up to its claims, it could attract customers looking for a balanced bridge between agility and control.

In the Middle East, the push for digital transformation has seen strong governmental and corporate backing. Atelic anticipates demand from local energy, healthcare and industrial firms that are under pressure to adopt AI responsibly. The company says it will offer pilot engagements through regional partnerships to demonstrate local compliance, security and use-case feasibility.

Atelic has not publicly disclosed pricing or commercial terms for Studio. Observers believe the platform market is crowded—competitors include major cloud AI platforms, AI ops tools, and niche MLOps startups. The success of Studio will hinge on differentiation: the promise of enterprise trust, modular integration, and clear business metrics.

Technical job listings from Atelic suggest the company is building out the platform’s infrastructure: a Full Stack Software Developer role cites work on an “AI industrial platform” using a multi-tenant architecture. Meanwhile, a short video presentation of Studio describes it as a secure, vendor-agnostic AI user interface that aims to future-proof enterprises as requirements evolve.

iFLYTEK is stepping up its engagement in the Middle East, unveiling two flagship AI products at GITEX 2025 in Dubai as part of a broader strategy to localise its offerings and anchor its presence in the region.

The company’s showcase spans three core portfolios—AI Translation, AI Infrastructure and AI Solutions—tailored for Gulf markets, with particular emphasis on Arabic dialect support and secure deployment. Among the new offerings is the AI Translation Earbuds, designed to enable seamless multilingual communication, and the e-ink AINote 2 work device, both making their global debut at the event. The debut underscores iFLYTEK’s intent to go beyond product marketing, emphasising solutions that address regional business needs.

Vincent Zhan, Vice President of iFLYTEK, asserted that the company is focused “to deliver intelligent solutions that address real business challenges” rather than merely present tech demonstrations. The firm has already placed a local team in Dubai to oversee deployment, maintenance, and customer support. It also customised algorithms to handle multiple Arabic dialects, expecting that linguistic responsiveness will differentiate it from global rivals.

iFLYTEK’s portfolio for the event includes the Spark WallEX system, designed for intelligent space management, along with Spark Smart Blackboard and Spark GuideX. The firm says these are engineered to support a range of sectors, including education, healthcare, enterprise operations and government. Its “All-in-One AI Solution” is positioned as a secure infrastructure package for organisations seeking turnkey AI adoption.

The Middle East expansion is part of a larger international push. Outside Asia, iFLYTEK is targeting Europe, as trade tensions and regulatory pressures create incentives to diversify markets. It is reportedly planning offices in France and Hungary, with growth ambitions in Spain and Italy. In March 2025, Zhan cited tariffs in the US as influencing iFLYTEK’s decision to look more aggressively into Europe and the Gulf.

China’s AI giant also faces headwinds. It was placed on a US trade blacklist in 2019, making procurement of certain high-end components dependent on US approvals. To mitigate vulnerability, iFLYTEK has shifted many of its models to Huawei’s chip platforms. It developed its Xinghuo X1 large language model in partnership with Huawei, reportedly running entirely on domestic chips. The firm claims to have pushed chip efficiency from 20 per cent to nearly 80 per cent of equivalent U. S. hardware, though Huawei leadership acknowledges that domestic chips still lag behind by a generation.

Market observers note that iFLYTEK’s shift toward the Gulf aligns with governments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia pushing AI-first national strategies. However, the company must navigate regulatory, data residency and market competition risks. In the Gulf, local AI and language processing firms are emerging, and global players like Amazon and Microsoft are pressing deeper into the region.

iFLYTEK’s presence at major global events is integral to its positioning. In July 2025, at MWC Shanghai, it launched the Spark All-in-One AI Machine and Dual-Screen Translator 2.0—capable of handling translation across dozens of languages—to reinforce its push into enterprise AI. The company has also rolled out smart products such as the AINOTE Air 2 across Asia and Gulf markets, with strong uptake in multilingual productivity segments.