Block, Inc. disclosed a strategic increase in its Bitcoin holdings during the fourth quarter of 2025, purchasing 340 bitcoins valued at roughly $22 million and bringing its total treasury reserve to about 8,883 BTC. The acquisition forms part of the fintech company’s long-term asset allocation strategy, underscoring its continued commitment to digital asset accumulation even as broader market conditions fluctuate. This move emerged alongside earnings results that […]
Saudi Arabia is accelerating development of a vast unconventional gas field in the Arabian Desert, drawing on techniques refined in North America’s shale boom to reshape its energy mix and bolster state revenues. Southeast of the giant Ghawar oilfield, the state-controlled Saudi Aramco is pressing ahead with the multi-billion-dollar expansion of the Jafurah basin, the kingdom’s largest non-associated gas field. Executives have described the project as a […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s largest paid public parking operator has asked the Roads and Transport Authority to revise its tariff grid and seasonal card structure, a move that could lift the weighted average fee motorists pay across the city. Parkin confirmed on Wednesday that it submitted a formal request to the RTA earlier this month, proposing adjustments to standard parking charges and to the pricing of […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi has achieved firm pricing on a dual-tranche dollar bond sale, drawing robust global demand that allowed spreads to tighten sharply from initial guidance and underscored sustained investor appetite for high-grade Gulf sovereign debt. The emirate priced a five-year tranche at a 3.75 per cent coupon with a reoffer price of 99.824 per cent, equating to a spread of 20 basis points […]
OpenAI has secured an unprecedented $110 billion investment commitment from Amazon, Nvidia and SoftBank, propelling the artificial intelligence company into what could be the largest private funding round in history and sharply intensifying competition in the AI sector. The financial injection comes as the developer of the ChatGPT generative AI platform prepares for a potential public offering later this year and looks to expand its global infrastructure […]
A wave of class-action lawsuits filed by individual customers against large corporations has brought Washington’s tariff reversal into a new legal front, as shippers and retail buyers press for restitution of fees they say were unlawfully imposed. Plaintiffs have targeted delivery giant FedEx and eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica, which owns the Ray-Ban brand, arguing that costs passed on to consumers after a Supreme Court ruling invalidating former President […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 February 2026 – In his 2026-27 Budget announced on Wednesday (25 February), Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) outlined areas for comprehensively reinforcing the city’s position as a leading international financial hub.
Despite the complex and ever-changing external environment, Mr Chan noted that Hong Kong’s financial market had performed strongly and the city’s financial system remains robust.
HKSAR’s Financial Secretary, Paul Chan (second left), outlines areas for comprehensively reinforcing the city’s position as a leading international financial hub
In 2025, Hong Kong ranked first globally for funds raised through initial public offerings.
“We will continue to consolidate our existing strengths, tap into emerging fields, strengthen market systems and risk control and deepen financial co-operation in the Greater Bay Area,” Mr Chan said. “By doing so, we will enhance Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre on all fronts and contribute to the national strategic goal of ‘accelerating China’s development as a financial powerhouse’ “.
With Hong Kong being the world’s largest hub for offshore Renminbi (RMB) business, the Financial Secretary said the city would leverage its unique strengths and proactively align with national development strategies.
For advancing the internationalisation of the RMB, Mr Chan said Hong Kong would facilitate the wider use of RMB in activities such as trade and cross-boundary business; reduce transaction costs; enrich product offerings in the offshore RMB market; improve price discovery in the short-to-medium-term-interest-rate market; and attract high-quality issuers to increase RMB bond issuance in Hong Kong.
In 2025, the stock market delivered a stellar performance. The Hang Seng Index rose by 28 per cent over the year. The daily turnover surged by 90 per cent to a historic high of close to $250 billion (US$32 billion).
Mr Chan said the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) would continue enhancing the securities market, attracting issuers and boosting market efficiency.
“We will also introduce the next stage of reforms, including enhancing the regulatory regime for listed companies, providing specific guidelines for overseas companies seeking secondary listing in Hong Kong, offering more overseas markets as recognised exchanges, and continuing to explore with the market the provision of an over-the-counter trading platform for delisted stocks or those requiring special handling.
“The electronic bond-trading platform will also be launched in the second half of this year, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as a global fixed income and currency hub,” he said.
To attract more family offices and funds to set up in Hong Kong, Mr Chan said Hong Kong would enhance the tax regime, including expanding the scope of “fund” to cover specific funds-of-one, as well as classifying digital assets, precious metals, and specified commodities, etc. as qualifying investments eligible for tax concessions.
Regarding the development of digital assets, the Government published the second policy statement for developing Hong Kong into a global hub for digital asset innovation through the establishment of a comprehensive regulatory framework.
A bill will be introduced this year to establish licensing regimes for, among others, digital asset dealing and custodian service providers.
“We will also explore the adoption of electronic signature for bond issuance documents and the digitalisation of bearer bonds,” Mr Chan said.
To promote the application of fintech and enhance the efficiency of the asset management market, the CMU OmniClear, a market infrastructure operator established by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, will establish a digital asset platform this year. It will support the issuance and settlement of digital bonds. The platform will also be gradually extended to other digital assets and linked with other tokenisation platforms in the region, consolidating Hong Kong’s leading role in the realm of digital assets.
In order to build an international gold trading market in Hong Kong, Mr Chan said the Government would explore offering tax incentives for eligible institutions conducting gold trading and settlement in Hong Kong; assist the industry in setting up an industry-led trade association to consolidate resources, step up promotion, and foster ties with industry stakeholders from around the world; and help the industry keep abreast of the latest gold market developments, acquire relevant skills and develop a training framework.
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai A labour court in Abu Dhabi has ordered a public relations manager to repay Dh290,383 to his former employer after judges found that funds entrusted to him for official purposes were misused and retained unlawfully. The ruling underscores the judiciary’s strict stance on financial misconduct and breach of trust within companies, holding employees accountable when entrusted authority is abused. The court found that […]
Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi has signed a 50-year land lease agreement with Galadari Brothers’ Heavy Equipment Division to develop a large-scale logistics and distribution hub at KEZAD A in Al Ma’mourah, marking another long-term industrial commitment within Abu Dhabi’s flagship manufacturing and trade zone. The agreement covers a 150,000 square metre plot and represents an investment of AED75 million by Galadari to establish a purpose-built facility […]
A 20-year-old woman has taken the stand in Los Angeles County Superior Court to describe what she says was a damaging childhood addiction to social media platforms owned by Meta and Google, in a landmark civil trial that could reshape how tech companies are held accountable for harm to young users. Known in court as Kaley G. M., the plaintiff testified that heavy use of YouTube from […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai Aerospace Enterprise has agreed to acquire Macquarie AirFinance in an all-cash transaction valued at about $7 billion, marking one of the largest aircraft leasing deals of the year and significantly expanding the Gulf-based lessor’s global footprint. The transaction, which is expected to close in the second half of 2026 subject to regulatory approvals and customary conditions, will create a combined fleet of […]
Paramount Skydance has emerged as the probable victor in a high-stakes contest to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, as streaming giant Netflix declined to increase its offer, effectively withdrawing from the pursuit and handing momentum to its rival. Paramount’s revised proposal of $31 per share in cash and commitment to cover substantial termination and regulatory fees was judged superior by the Warner Bros Discovery board, setting the stage […]
Super Micro Computer Inc. and Abu Dhabi-based EHC Investment have unveiled plans to develop sovereign artificial intelligence data centres in the United Arab Emirates, positioning the Gulf state to expand domestic control over high-performance computing infrastructure amid accelerating demand for AI workloads. The partnership seeks to deliver modular, rapidly deployable data centre facilities designed to support advanced AI training and inference while ensuring data residency within the […]
Cyber security researchers have identified a fresh phishing campaign distributing an updated strain of Agent Tesla that relies on process hollowing and layered anti-analysis techniques to bypass conventional detection tools, underscoring the malware’s enduring role in credential theft and corporate espionage. Investigators tracking the activity say the operation begins with carefully crafted phishing emails masquerading as invoices, purchase orders or shipping documents. Attached files typically contain malicious […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai-based Emirates Gold has marked 34 years in the precious metals industry by outlining plans to deepen its refining capacity, expand international partnerships and strengthen its role in shaping the region’s bullion trade by 2026. Founded in 1992, the company has grown from a local refinery into one of the Middle East’s established minting and gold refining firms, operating from Dubai Multi Commodities […]
WhatsApp is testing a scheduled messages feature in its iOS beta, allowing users to choose a specific date and time for a message to be delivered automatically, a move that reflects a deeper shift in how the platform is positioning itself for more structured, business-oriented communication. The feature, spotted in the iOS beta distributed through Apple’s TestFlight programme, enables users to draft a message and set it […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Prediction-market operator Kalshi has taken the unusual step of punishing a YouTube creator’s staff member and a political figure for using non-public information to gain an edge on its platform, underscoring regulatory and fairness challenges in a sector growing quickly but still grappling with governance and surveillance weaknesses. Kalshi confirmed that it fined and suspended a video editor associated with MrBeast — one […]
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 February 2026 – Fast-tracking innovation and technology (I&T) development is a core feature of the 2026-27 Budget, unveiled yesterday (February 25) by Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Mr Chan said Hong Kong would be stepping up support measures such as computing power, land and capital, to enhance the city’s influence as a global source of original innovation.”Hong Kong’s strengths in innovative scientific research and commercialisation of research outcomes lie in our internationalised qualities, strong research capabilities, support of financial sector and a rich pool of high-calibre talents,” Mr Chan said.
He added that the Government is pressing ahead with the industrialisation of artificial intelligence (AI) and deepening its integration across various industries, while encouraging wider AI application, referred to as AI+, with an initial focus on life and health technology and embodied AI.
HKSAR’s Financial Secretary, Paul Chan, sets out strategies to propel Hong Kong’s innovation and technology development
“I will establish and chair the Committee on AI+ and Industry Development Strategy to formulate strategies and create favourable conditions for AI to empower the transformation and development of industries,” Mr Chan said.
“We are making proactive efforts to align with the National AI+ Initiative by promoting ‘industries for AI’ and ‘AI for industries’ through application.”
The Financial Secretary highlighted that the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute Company Limited will come into operation in the second half of this year, to promote AI+ development and transformation of R&D outcomes and advise the Government on relevant matters.
Professor Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, echoed the need for holistic development of AI+ development. “When you talk about AI, you cannot just talk about AI research, or just talk about the infrastructure, we have to do it together. Actually, that is what we have been doing in the past three years. Everything is very important.”
Central to the Government’s efforts in promoting I&T is the San Tin Technopole area in the Northern Metropolis development.
“The San Tin Technopole will provide a large piece of land which can help accelerate the commercialisation of R&D results and provide industrial space for prototyping, pilot and mass production,” Mr Chan said. He proposed injecting $10 billion (US$1.28 billion) as initial capital to take forward the development, while leveraging market resources to accelerate the progress.
Mr Chan also earmarked $10 billion (US$1.28 billion) to accelerate the development of the Hetao Hong Kong Park by engaging the market to speed up the disposal of the remaining land parcels under Phase 1 development, providing key infrastructure, further strengthening support to start-ups and establishing a venture fund.
Mr Chan set aside about $220 million (US$28 million) to establish in Hong Kong the first national manufacturing innovation centre outside the Chinese Mainland. This, he said, reflects the Government’s commitment to implementing the Co-operation Agreement on the Development of New Quality Productive Forces and the Promotion of New Industrialisation signed with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to promote industrial collaboration.
The Budget also sets out support measures for various technology-related emerging industries. Among them is the aerospace industry. The Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises will take the lead to identify aerospace enterprises to develop in Hong Kong. Also, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited would review the relevant listing requirements to facilitate and attract the listing of aerospace enterprises in Hong Kong.
Noting that low earth orbit satellites can support the development of high-end industries, Mr Chan said the Government would proactively expand telecommunications infrastructure, streamline the relevant licensing regime and promote future 6G applications.
Meanwhile, the $10 billion (US$1.28 billion) Innovation and Technology Industry-Oriented Fund, introduced by the Government to channel market capital to invest in emerging fields of strategic importance, such as life and health technology, AI and robotics, as well as future industries, is expected to commence operation within this year.
“The key is to popularise the understanding and use of AI by all levels of society,” Mr Chan said.
Abu Dhabi recorded a sharp rise in new business licences during 2025, underscoring continued momentum in the emirate’s drive to broaden its non-oil economy and attract private investment. The Abu Dhabi Registration Authority, the regulatory arm of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said new economic licences climbed 29 per cent in 2025 compared with 2024. Renewed licences rose 20 per cent over the same period, […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi has appointed a syndicate of international and regional banks to lead its first sovereign bond sale of 2026, launching a dual-tranche, dollar-denominated benchmark with initial price thoughts set at 50 basis points over US Treasuries for five years and 55 basis points for 10 years. The transaction marks the emirate’s opening return to global capital markets this year and is structured […]
Artificial intelligence is triggering frustration across the video game industry as developers deploy automated tools to reduce budgets, only to face backlash from players who say quality and creativity are suffering. Studios under financial strain are increasingly turning to generative AI to assist with coding, artwork, dialogue and quality assurance. While executives argue the technology speeds up production and lowers costs, gamers have highlighted glitches, awkward scripts […]
Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Parkin Company PJSC, Dubai’s principal paid public parking operator, closed the final quarter of 2025 with its strongest earnings performance to date, propelled by an aggressive expansion of paid-for parking spaces and a strategic tariff overhaul that has reshaped the city’s urban mobility revenue landscape. The firm reported a net profit of Dh183.6m for the fourth quarter of 2025, a 53 per cent […]
Bill Gates apologised to employees of the Gates Foundation for his past meetings with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, telling staff he “took responsibility for his actions” while maintaining he saw nothing illicit during their interactions. A spokesperson for the philanthropic organisation confirmed that Gates addressed the issue during a town hall meeting, acknowledging that his association with Epstein had caused harm to the foundation’s reputation and […]
Nvidia delivered record quarterly and annual revenue, beating Wall Street expectations and pushing back against claims that the artificial intelligence boom is overheating. The Silicon Valley chip designer said revenue for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ended 26 January 2025 rose to $39.3 billion, up sharply from a year earlier and above market forecasts. Full-year revenue reached $130.5 billion, more than doubling on the previous […]
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