Construction UAE official keen to address government payment delays A senior UAE official is advocating for policymakers to reassess government payment schedules, citing the strain late payments places on the private sector. Omar Saif Ghobash, adviser to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ambassador to the Holy See, told a panel at the India-UAE Business Forum in Dubai last week that the systemic […] June 4, 2024
Artificial Intelligence China’s OpenAI rival backed by Saudi fund Saudi Aramco’s venture capital fund Prosperity7 has joined a $400 million investment round for Chinese generative AI startup Zhipu AI. Prosperity7 is a minority investor in Zhipu, which is valued at nearly $3 billion, the Financial Times reported on Friday. This marks the first instance of foreign investment in China’s quest to establish a homegrown […] May 31, 2024
Trade India must cut red tape for investors, says Mubadala executive Reducing red tape is critical to making India more attractive to global investors, an executive at Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has said. Sridhar Iyengar, chief financial officer of Mubadala’s Aerospace, Renewables and Information Communications Technology business, said the New Delhi government must enhance its bureaucratic efficiency to improve the pace at which projects […] May 31, 2024
Giga-projects Saudi Arabia races to find technologies for futuristic cities Saudi Arabia is urgently seeking new technologies for its construction and real estate sectors as it races to make good on its pledge to build futuristic multi-billion-dollar cities. Tonomus, a subsidiary of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s $500 billion signature Neom development, has joined forces with the Public Investment Fund to launch a competition offering […] May 27, 2024
Analysis Education Days of high returns numbered for investors in Dubai’s schools Dubai’s private school market, once a goldmine for investors, is no longer yielding the lucrative double-digit returns it used to, the chief executive of a leading school operator has said. Navin Valrani, CEO of The Arcadia School, told AGBI new investors considering the emirate must tackle significant entry barriers, escalating costs and an increasingly mature […] May 26, 2024
Tourism Palazzo Versace hotel sale aims to ride Dubai tourism wave Owners of Dubai’s ultra-luxurious Palazzo Versace hotel are looking to capitalise on the emirate’s tourism boom before it peaks, offering it for sale at nearly AED1.4 billion ($380 million). A source familiar with the asset told AGBI the hotel is being “readvertised” as it has not found a buyer willing to meet its price tag […] May 17, 2024
Retail Fire-hit Dubai shopping mall fails to attract auction bids A Dubai shopping mall closed since a fire in 2017 has failed to attract interest from potential buyers after being put up for auction. The Lamcy Plaza mall went on auction earlier this month with a starting bid of AED200 million ($54 million), but received no offers. The five-storey neighbourhood mall, which opened in 1997, […] May 17, 2024
Cybersecurity Crypto exchange Rain suffers $15m hack Rain, a cryptocurrency exchange regulated in both the UAE and Bahrain, has confirmed a serious hack resulting in losses reportedly nearing $15 million. The exchange said in a statement on its website on Tuesday that customer funds remain secure despite the incident. The security breach occurred on April 29 and was first detected by blockchain […] May 16, 2024
Tech QIA invests in French semiconductor fund Ardian Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country’s sovereign wealth fund, has announced plans to make an anchor investment in Ardian Semiconductor, a new entity established by the French private equity firm Ardian. The move underscores the Gulf state’s bet on the crucial role of semiconductors in powering digital and green transformations in key areas such as […] May 14, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Leisure & Hospitality Rotana reveals plans to reflag hotels in Saudi Arabia Rotana, the Abu Dhabi-based hospitality company, is looking at aggressive expansion in Saudi Arabia, including taking over already operational hotels, its chief executive has revealed to AGBI. At this month’s Arabian Travel Market, Rotana outlined plans to launch nine new properties in Saudi Arabia within four years, aiming to double its rooms to more than […] May 14, 2024
Video length: 08:25 exclusive Banking and Finance Rate of debt skipping falls 90% at Dubai’s biggest bank There has been a dramatic decline in the number of people leaving the country to avoid debt obligations to UAE banks. The fall in so-called “skips” is a result of the Gulf state’s introduction of legal reforms such as the decriminalisation of bounced cheques, and new insolvency and bankruptcy laws, experts said. In the past […] May 14, 2024
Real Estate Plots from failed Dubai Lifestyle City project up for auction Plots of land from a never-completed AED2.4 billion ($650 million) development in Dubai, once endorsed by tennis star Maria Sharapova, have been put up for auction. The abandoned Dubai Lifestyle City project was announced in 2007 by developer ETA Star Projects, a division of the ETA-Ascon business group. It promised buyers “high style living” in […] May 10, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Finance Binance clamps down on suspicious UAE crypto trades Binance has blocked hundreds of thousands of suspicious cryptocurrency transactions in the UAE as it ramps up compliance efforts, senior executives have told AGBI. The business, which is the world’s largest crypto exchange, received nearly 60,000 law enforcement requests from governments around the world in 2023 after heightened regulatory scrutiny. Meera Judge, the Dubai-based director […] May 7, 2024
Exclusive Finance Tim Draper: UAE benefits from US crypto ‘overregulation’ Billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper has criticised the US for its restrictive stance on cryptocurrency, claiming it is driving innovators towards more encouraging and friendlier markets such as the UAE. The Gulf state is actively developing regulatory frameworks to lure new forms of business, amid intense regional economic competition. Dubai and Abu Dhabi have set […] May 5, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Business of Sport Binance to launch new Ronaldo NFTs ‘soon’ amid legal case Cristiano Ronaldo and the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Binance are to launch a fourth set of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) “soon”, as the footballer faces a $1 billion lawsuit for promoting the company. The Al Nassr and Portugal forward signed a deal with Binance in 2022 to create NFTs – digital collectibles – using his “CR7” […] April 26, 2024
Analysis Infrastructure Gulf’s record floods highlight ‘balance between risk and investment’ Historic rainfall this week in the Gulf, particularly in the UAE, has raised serious questions about investment in infrastructure to prevent the widespread flooding that brought much of the region to a standstill. On Tuesday the UAE was hit by its heaviest rains in 75 years. The downpour turned main roads into waterways, particularly in […] April 17, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Rising prices risk making Dubai homes ‘unattainable’ Escalating home prices in Dubai’s affordable communities are making it even more difficult for residents to get on the property ladder, real estate experts have warned. February data from property consultancy ValuStrat shows the highest annual growth in apartment values was recorded in the emirate’s more budget-friendly neighbourhoods. Prices in Discovery Gardens and The Greens […] April 17, 2024
Exclusive Retail Spinneys bets big on sales growth for own-label goods Supermarket operator Spinneys is betting big on strong sales of its private-label products as it prepares to go public next month, CEO Sunil Kumar told AGBI on Tuesday. Its private label – or own-brand – ranges cover food, toiletries and household goods. The retailer also has exclusive rights to sell Waitrose-branded products from the UK […] April 17, 2024
Retail Spinneys to offer 900m shares in Dubai IPO Supermarket operator Spinneys will sell 25 percent of its business in an initial public offering (IPO) on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM), according to an intention to float document released on Tuesday. The company’s offering will be open from April 23 to April 29 for retail investors, while institutional investors can subscribe until April 30, according […] April 16, 2024
Analysis Tech Space trash offers Saudi Arabia a new revenue source Saudi Arabia is targeting lucrative and environmentally critical opportunities in the rubbish removal sector – in outer space. More than 27,000 man-made objects larger than 10 centimetres, such as defunct satellites and spent rocket stages, orbit Earth, according to Nasa. This space debris puts at stake billions of dollars of assets such as spacecraft and […] April 16, 2024
Infrastructure Iraq and Kuwait team up for European telecom corridor Iraq’s Informatics and Telecommunication Public Company, a division of the Ministry of Communications, has signed an agreement with Kuwait’s Zajil Telecom to create a telecommunications corridor from the Gulf region to Europe, transiting through Iraq and Turkey. The new route will pass through Iraqi sea and land ports. Iraq’s minister of communications Hayam Al-Yasiri said […] April 14, 2024
Aviation Third Chinese airline to launch flights to Saudi Arabia Air China is set to begin flights to Riyadh in May, becoming the third Chinese airline to establish a route to Saudi Arabia. It joins China Southern and Eastern Airlines in connecting China with the kingdom. Air China’s Airbus A330-300 will serve the Beijing-Riyadh route three times a week. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered […] April 12, 2024
