Food & Drink Dubai restaurants report tasty boost from World Cup Dubai restaurants have seen revenues rise by an average of 20 percent during the World Cup, with increased deliveries to homes and offices. “We had anticipated a 20 percent increase in business during [the World Cup] and we are more or less achieving it,” said Sanjay Vazirani, CEO of Foodlink Global Restaurants and Catering Services. […] December 16, 2022
British lawyers aim to shake up Gulf legal sector Oryx Law, a British legal startup aiming to shake up the Gulf legal industry with the introduction of a new business model, has handled deals of around $1 billion for 30 clients in its first quarter of operation. The company was established by Natalie Boyd in the UK in 2018, where she mainly worked with […] December 16, 2022
Real Estate Dubai’s mid-market property sales next to flourish, says Damac This has been a record year for Damac Properties, with sales up 100 percent, and a senior executive predicts the current Dubai boom will continue for at least another 18-24 months. The company’s most recent launch was Cavalli Couture, described as an ultra-luxury branded project along the Dubai Canal, with interiors designed by the Italian […] December 15, 2022
Analysis Aviation Private jet demand to Doha soars despite World Cup price hikes Private jet operators have reported a massive surge in demand for flights to Doha during the World Cup, despite the rise in operating costs caused by the high number of aircraft flying in and out of the Qatari capital. “So far, the World Cup has been an incredibly exciting — albeit intensely busy time — […] December 14, 2022
Exclusive Tech Irish aviation tycoon to help grow Gulf agtech startup Irish entrepreneur Dómhnal Slattery, best known for scaling companies in the aviation sector, has been appointed a special adviser to one of the Gulf’s biggest startups, and is open to more potential investments in the region. Pure Harvest Smart Farms, the agtech startup based in Abu Dhabi, in July raised $180 million in funding from […] December 12, 2022
Food & Drink Saudi prince backs US lamb-flavoured plant startup KBW Ventures, the venture capital firm founded by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, was one of the prime investors in a $12.3 million fundraising round by a San Francisco-based foodtech startup developing plant-based meat products that taste like lamb. Founded in 2019, Black Sheep Foods also attracted investment from other US-based plant-based venture veterans […] December 9, 2022
Construction Damac expands to the Maldives with resort deal Damac Properties is expanding further into South Asia with the signing of an agreement to operate a new Mandarin Oriental resort in the Maldives. The 34-hectare luxury resort, which is currently under development and will stretch across three private islands on the Bolidhuffaru Reef, is due to open in 2025 and will be the Dubai […] December 6, 2022
Retail Europe’s largest outlet mall targets Gulf shoppers Outletcity Metzingen, Europe’s largest luxury discount outlet mall, has signed a partnership to promote the destination to Gulf shoppers, as Germany reported a 318 percent surge in tourists from the region in the first half of this year. The shopping centre, which is located in the south of Germany, struck the deal with Dubai-based AVIAREPS […] November 28, 2022
Analysis Tourism Saudi may open military airspace as part of $100bn aviation drive Saudi authorities may open up some restricted military airspace to accommodate a surge in civilian flights, as part of the kingdom’s $100 billion investment to handle 330 million passengers a year by the end of the decade. Only 56 percent of Saudi airspace is open to civil aviation, with the remaining 44 percent used for […] November 28, 2022
Analysis Development ‘Second wave’ of wealthy Europeans moving to UAE An influx of wealthy Europeans are investing in and moving to the UAE as they face economic and political uncertainty at home, according to leading industry experts. “We’re seeing a new wave of wealthy entrepreneurs moving here,” Dubai-based Arnaud Leclercq, partner holding privé and head of new markets at Lombard Odier, told AGBI. Leclercq said […] November 24, 2022
Banking and Finance Younger Arabs invest in equity markets, tech and Islamic finance Nearly three-quarters of rich young Arabs believe equity markets will continue to perform well and are actively planning to invest, with regional entities, Islamic finance, technology and sustainability their key priorities. Geneva-headquartered global wealth and asset management company Lombard Odier surveyed around 200 high net worth individuals with assets of at least $1 million across […] November 24, 2022
DIFC Courts investing in metaverse and blockchain The DIFC Courts plan to enter the metaverse and use blockchain technology to make instant settlements following a judgment. Established in 2004, the DIFC Courts are the English language, independent, common law legal system for the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) free zone, the emirate’s main financial hub. In 2017 the court partnered with the […] November 23, 2022
Banking and Finance Abu Dhabi-backed fund buys into UAE’s booming pet care industry Aliph Capital, the Gulf’s first female-led private equity firm, has entered the UAE’s booming pet care industry with its first deal. The fund, which raised $125 million last month from Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ, has bought The Pet Shop, the largest retailer of pet food and accessories in the UAE, from Kasamar Holdings. […] November 17, 2022
LONG READ The business of sleep: from beating jet lag to space-age linen “I think it’s probably the easiest topic in the world because everybody is interested in it,” says Lilburne Opie, founder and CEO of Dubai-based company Linen Obsession, when we meet for this interview. She’s talking about sleep, which, like breathing, eating and drinking, is a vital necessity. “Even if you get enough time in bed, […] November 14, 2022
Analysis Banking and Finance Influx of millionaires stokes UAE demand for private bankers An influx of affluent migrants is fuelling demand for wealth management services in the UAE, with some private bankers joining their clients in the seven-figure-salary club as competition for their expertise soars. Andrew Amoils, head of research at Johannesburg-based analyst New World Wealth, told AGBI that the number of centi-millionaires – people with fortunes of […] November 11, 2022
Banking and Finance Saudi Twitter backer KHC enjoys 996% soar in profits Shares in Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) rose 3.2 percent in early trading today as the Saudi firm on Wednesday reported a 996 percent year-on-year increase in earnings for the first nine months of 2022. The investment holding firm, which is 16.87 percent owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the Public […] November 10, 2022
Analysis Construction Design changes mean Middle East has world’s worst project delays Construction projects in the Middle East are facing some of the longest delays of any region in the world, with average overruns adding more than 80 percent to timelines, and dispute claims increasing costs by more than a third. Despite the prevalent availability of cash reserves in the region, due to the high oil price […] November 8, 2022
Logistics Apple heads list of key investors in Saudi’s cargo logistics zone Apple will be one of the global anchor investors in Saudi Arabia’s special logistics zone – part of the kingdom’s plan to more than quadruple the amount of cargo processed through its airports by 2030. The Special Integrated Logistics Zone was launched on Monday by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Civil Aviation (GACA). The zone […] November 1, 2022
Transport Invygo, Gulf’s largest car subscription startup, raises $10m Invygo, the Gulf’s first car subscription operator, has secured $10 million in new funding, endorsing a trend for businesses to opt for renting over ownership. Headquartered in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Invygo is an app-based service that allows people to choose, drive and swap cars. Founded in 2019, the new funding was led by […] October 31, 2022
Abu Dhabi’s ADQ invests $125m in female-led private equity fund Wealth fund ADQ is backing Aliph Capital, set up by Huda Al Lawati. Research has found women in VC are more likely to invest in other women October 25, 2022
Analysis Real Estate Dubai tenants jump on property ladder as rents soar Dubai has seen an increase in end-user homeowners as its property market matures and begins to move away from the speculators and flippers of the boom days before 2008. Surging rental rates and expats opting to live in the UAE longer have also made the jump from tenant to homeowner increasingly more attractive, industry experts […] October 21, 2022
Economy Pensions in demand as expats stay longer in the Gulf Expats are staying in the Gulf longer than the global average, leading to greater demand for pension services in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. “We have observed an increase in interest and discussion in the Middle East around offering pension type savings for expatriate employees,” said Robert Ansari, head of investment and retirement for India, […] October 20, 2022
