Category: Talking Point

Dealmaking across the Middle East gathered pace through 2025, underscoring a shift from opportunistic transactions to targeted consolidation and long-term strategic bets. Mergers and acquisitions activity in the region posted a sharp rise in value, climbing 260 per cent to about $53 billion during the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in 2024, reflecting renewed confidence among corporate buyers and state-linked investors navigating uneven global conditions.Analysis in the 22nd Annual Global M&A Report 2025 by

United Arab Emirates policy makers are accelerating the shift towards a technology-driven economic model, placing innovation, advanced industries and the knowledge economy at the centre of long-term growth as the country seeks to reduce reliance on hydrocarbons and strengthen competitiveness across global markets.Federal strategies over the past decade have converged around building a diversified economy anchored in artificial intelligence, financial technology, clean energy and advanced manufacturing. Officials frame the “new economy” as a system driven by data, research and talent

TECOM Group has launched Phase 4 of its Innovation Hub at Dubai Internet City, marking a significant expansion aimed at meeting growing demand for Grade-A office space from multinational companies operating across technology, digital media, telecommunications and other future-focused sectors. Valued at Dhs615 million, the new phase will add 263,000 square feet of gross leasable area, reinforcing Dubai Internet City’s role as a regional centre for global technology firms and start-ups.The development lifts TECOM Group’s total investment in the Innovation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Muscat on December 17 for a two-day visit that places the spotlight on a partnership shaped by geography, commerce and people-to-people ties across the Arabian Sea. Sayyid Shihab bin Tarik Al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs, led the welcoming party at Muscat International Airport, receiving the guest and his delegation with ceremonial honours.The visit marks a milestone year in bilateral relations, commemorating seven decades of diplomatic ties. It is the Prime Minister’s

Washington’s state dinner honouring Saudi Arabia’s crown prince offered a carefully curated guest list that blended politics, finance and technology. Alongside executives such as Apple chief Tim Cook and Citigroup head Jane Fraser sat Lubna Olayan, placed next to Elon Musk, a seating choice that quietly reflected her standing as one of the most connected figures linking Wall Street and the Gulf.The gathering drew attention to the growing reach of the Olayan Group, a privately held Saudi conglomerate shaped over

Dubai has taken a decisive step toward autonomous urban transport with the launch of a pilot public robotaxi service on the Uber app, allowing selected users to book self-driving rides within designated zones of the emirate. The initiative, rolled out by the Roads and Transport Authority in partnership with autonomous technology firm WeRide and Uber Technologies, marks the first time such a service has been made available to the public in Dubai under an official regulatory framework.The pilot forms part

Borrowing against physical and financial assets has become a defining feature of credit markets as more companies look for flexible funding beyond traditional loans. The model, known as asset-based lending, is drawing interest from mid-sized firms facing tighter bank standards and from fast-growing businesses seeking to unlock capital tied up in receivables, inventory, or machinery. This shift reflects an environment where cash-flow volatility, higher borrowing costs, and evolving supply-chain pressures have pushed companies to explore alternative routes to maintain liquidity.

Fatima Al Hammadi’s outline of Abu Dhabi’s financial innovation ambitions underscores a drive to build a deeper, more connected ecosystem designed to accelerate growth across fintech, insurance, digital assets and emerging financial technologies. Her comments highlight a strategy aimed at consolidating the emirate’s position among global financial centres while creating a broader platform for sector-wide collaboration.Abu Dhabi’s FinTech, Insurance, Digital and Alternative Assets cluster has been framed as a hub that supports the development of next-generation financial infrastructure, offering a

Bank lending across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and wider Middle East is projected to gather momentum next year as resilient economic conditions and steady financing demand strengthen the outlook for regional lenders. The assessment reflects the prevailing view among major rating analysts that banks have entered the coming year with solid balance sheets, expanding pipelines in corporate and retail credit, and a supportive macroeconomic environment.Fitch Ratings indicated that banks are positioned to increase lending activity, supported by robust non-oil growth

Abu Dhabi has unveiled a $16.3 billion plan to expand Abu Dhabi Global Market ’s footprint on Al Maryah Island and its adjacent land, aiming to nearly double the availability of Grade-A office space while adding residential, retail and hospitality infrastructure.The expansion is being driven by a surge of international hedge funds and asset managers making fresh commitments to the emirate. Among the latest arrivals, Man Group has applied for a licence to open an office next year, citing

Abu Dhabi’s biggest sovereign investors —Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Company and ADQ— have significantly increased their global footprint in finance, energy and artificial-intelligence infrastructure, edging the emirate ever closer to a central role in global capital flows and technology investment.ADIA has expanded its exposure to public and alternative asset managers, allocating roughly $40 billion to hedge funds in 2025, part of a long-term strategy to diversify across equities, fixed income, private equity, real estate and infrastructure worldwide.

A growing number of young people in the UK are trading ambition for a university degree in favour of apprenticeships and vocational training in skilled trades — a shift driven by worries that artificial-intelligence tools will undermine the viability of many white-collar careers.At London’s City of Westminster College, enrolments in plumbing, electrical work, construction, carpentry and similar hands-on courses are climbing sharply. Among those heading to the tools-bench rather than the lecture hall is 18-year-old Maryna Yaroshenko, who says: “That’s

The government of Saudi Arabia expects its borrowing to increase next year, driven by ongoing financing needs and a broad backdrop of monetary easing, according to a projection by CI Capital. The analysis suggests that softer interest rates and tightening liquidity could compel Riyadh to tap debt markets once again to meet fiscal and development commitments.Total government spending in the approved 2026 budget stands at 1.31 trillion riyals, against estimated revenues of 1.15 trillion riyals — leaving a deficit

Concerns over Oracle Corporation’s massive borrowing to fund its artificial-intelligence ambitions have pushed its debt instruments into territory unseen since the 2008 financial crisis. The company’s bonds have sold off, yields on maturing notes have climbed, and its credit default swap spreads have surged — signalling growing investor anxiety about the sustainability of its heavy spending on cloud and AI infrastructure.The sell-off follows disclosure that Oracle intends to raise an additional US$38 billion in debt to finance further data-centre build-outs

The Arab Investment & Export Credit Guarantee Corporation reported that the collective gross domestic product of Arab countries rose by 1.7 percent to about US$3.8 trillion in 2025, even as the region grappled with significant geopolitical tensions. The bulk of the growth remained concentrated in a handful of large economies — Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Algeria and Iraq — which together account for nearly 73 percent of regional output. This underscores the extent to which the Arab economic

Mounting evidence from across the technology sector shows that some of the world’s largest platforms continue to struggle with code quality, raising questions about long-term sustainability as companies balance rapid feature deployment with structural reliability. The growing reliance on AI-assisted development tools and accelerated shipping cycles is fuelling technical debt across major firms, prompting calls from engineers, analysts, and former executives for a recalibration of priorities. The situation reflects a broader industry pattern in which short engineer tenures, high turnover,

Abu Dhabi is on track to deliver roughly 8,000 new residential units by the end of 2025, driven by a wave of strong demand and buoyant off-plan sales across the city’s housing market. Real-estate consultancy Cavendish Maxwell reports that developers completed around 2,700 apartments, villas and townhouses during the first nine months of the year, and have lined up an additional 12,800 units for handover in 2026.Market activity intensified as more than 6,400 residential transactions were recorded in the third

AI’s most celebrated breakthroughs have lived almost entirely behind glass. Models generate words, sketches and synthetic universes, but the physical world remains stubbornly uninterpreted and largely untouched by this computational flourish. As companies push toward systems that move, react and collaborate like autonomous agents, a quieter truth is settling in across California’s innovation core: intelligence can no longer remain suspended inside screens. The next era is about machines that operate in the world of atoms, not abstractions. Yet the Valley,

Abu Dhabi’s Modon Holding has taken a strategic equity stake in Wellington Lifestyle Partners, signalling its first foray into a high-end equestrian and real estate development project in the United States. The investment is slated to support the expansion of Wellington International showgrounds in Florida and underpin an ambitious ultra-luxury development that blends horse sport, upscale residences, hospitality and leisure amenities.The funding will go toward completing a comprehensive masterplan that includes a boutique hotel, high-end residences, a curated commercial

Gold futures and spot prices slipped as the US dollar held near six-month highs and investors reconsidered expectations for interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. Spot gold was trading around $4,055.73 per ounce and US futures for December delivery fell to approximately $4,052.40 per ounce.The dollar index rose above 100, a level that poses headwinds for gold since a stronger dollar makes the non-yielding metal more expensive for holders of other currencies. Brokered commentary points out that if the

Dubai’s leadership has endorsed a comprehensive architectural identity for the emirate’s road network, signalling a major shift in how transport infrastructure is designed and experienced. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in his capacity as Chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai, approved the framework that aligns with the city’s broader ambition to deliver integrated, sustainable and visually coherent urban environments.The initiative, overseen by the Roads & Transport Authority, sets design standards for infrastructure elements—from bridges and

Authorities in Washington have set new measures that could render nearly 48 million barrels of Russian crude oil stranded aboard tankers still at sea, disrupting key export flows and shaking global trade routes. The sanctions, targeting major producers Rosneft PJSC and Lukoil PJSC, take effect on 21 November and mark the most aggressive action yet under the current administration.Data from analytics provider Kpler suggest around 50 tankers carrying the sanctioned barrels are dispersed across regions from the Baltic Sea

Abu Dhabi-listed NMDC Energy PJSC has opened a new branch in Taiwan and established a commercial office in Shanghai as it taps deeper into the Asian energy services market and seeks to strengthen its upstream supply-chain links. The company confirmed the Taiwan branch and Shanghai office during its latest expansion move.The move follows NMDC Energy’s award of a US $1.136 billion engineering, procurement and construction contract in Taiwan in January for a subsea pipeline project requiring 111 kilometres

Apple Inc’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook, declared his confidence that China will surpass the United States as the company’s leading market, signalling a major strategic shift in the iPhone-maker’s global priorities. In a Beijing meeting with China’s Minister for Industry and Information Technology, Jin Zhuanglong, Cook pledged to deepen Apple’s investment in the country and underscored its significance to the firm’s long-term supply-chain and innovation plans.Cook’s remarks reflect more than aspirational rhetoric. Apple’s “Greater China” segment accounted for roughly