Video length: 04:13 VIDEO Retail Dubai art dealer uses NFTs for fractional art ownership A Dubai tech startup is introducing tokenisation to the art world, after the NFT bubble burst spectacularly. 10101.art aims to make investing in art accessible to all by selling digitised fragments of works by artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy and Picasso, allowing for collective ownership of a masterpiece for as little as $100 a fragment. […] April 26, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Energy Subsidies not route to affordable energy, says Omani minister Providing affordable energy is the biggest priority for Oman’s minister of energy and minerals, but subsidies are still not an option. “Affordable energy, sustainable energy and clean energy in that order. We cannot flip it,” Salim Al Aufi told AGBI in an exclusive interview on Monday during the Oman Petroleum and Energy Show, which took […] April 23, 2024
Video length: 5:33 VIDEO Leisure & Hospitality Merex’s revival of ‘challenging’ City Walk and La Mer Merex Investment is redeveloping its lifestyle beachfront destination La Mer and using its successful transformation of City Walk in Dubai as a benchmark for the revival of its failing assets. La Mer is to be renamed J1 Beach, with 13 new dining and club venues due to open in September 2024. Occupancy rates at City […] April 4, 2024
Video length: 03:31 VIDEO Industry Borouge to treble production despite lacklustre demand The UAE petrochemicals company Borouge is to treble annual production capacity at its $6 billion polyolefin complex, despite forecasts of an oversupply in the sector. Once completed next year, Borouge 4 will be the world’s largest single-site producer of polyolefins, plastics mainly obtained from oil and natural gas. Borouge’s CEO, Hazeem Al Suwaidi, told AGBI […] March 25, 2024
Video length: 03:32 VIDEO Health The Dubai spa charging AED90,000 to increase ‘healthspan’ Clinique La Prairie opened its fifth Longevity Hub-branded spa in Dubai last month and is preparing to open a $300 million health resort in Saudi Arabia’s Amaala giga-project next year. The “medical spa” receives 60,000 clients each year from the Middle East to its luxury facility in Montreux, Switzerland for longevity and preventative medicine treatments. […] March 15, 2024
Video length: 04:50 VIDEO Real Estate Dubai luxury real estate has stabilised, says Deyaar CEO Demand for mid-segment and affordable properties will increase in the coming months as luxury real estate prices start to stabilise, according to Saeed Al Qatami, CEO of the Dubai master developer Deyaar Development. “This is a segment that will see more demand and an increase in prices. Luxury has stabilised,” Al Qatami said. Last month […] March 7, 2024
Video length: 04:40 VIDEO Trade UAE companies ‘can do more’ with Brics UAE businesses need to do more to take advantage of the UAE joining Brics and signing free trade agreements with various countries, according to the chairman of Dubai Chambers. “Other countries are aware, but our business community needs to take advantage of what they can do with India, Indonesia, Turkey and other countries,” Abdul Aziz […] March 1, 2024
Video length: 05:02 VIDEO Food & Drink Made in UAE: consumers turn to local food brands UAE consumers are increasingly turning to locally produced products, according to the head of a multi-billion-dirham food and beverage conglomerate. Consumption patterns in the region are changing rapidly, prioritising healthy lifestyles, time-saving and convenience while maintaining authentic tastes. “If you can produce something locally, give them good value for money, they are much more open […] February 27, 2024
Video length: 04:37 Retail Look to lab-grown diamonds, says Bollywood’s Vivek Oberoi When you google the word “lab”, among the top three predictions in the search bar is likely to be “lab-grown diamonds”. Gen Z are driving the sales and demand of lab-grown diamonds, which are surging as the fastest growing segment within the jewellery sector. Being 40 to 50 percent cheaper than natural diamonds, the gems […] February 14, 2024
Video length: 01:02 VIDEO Tourism Saudi tourism scores big with Lionel Messi video Global Google searches for “Saudi tourism” shot up at the weekend after tourism bosses in the kingdom released a new promotional video starring footballer Lionel Messi. The campaign, which is being launched in markets including Europe, India and China, focuses on overturning common misconceptions about Saudi Arabia. The video has been watched by 50 million […] January 30, 2024
Video length: 05:04 Video Finance Middle East unicorns will flourish, predict VCs For the first time since 2015, there were no deals worth more than $100 million last year in the UAE. Despite this, venture capitalists predict the region will see the creation of at least 10 unicorns – defined as a privately held startup company with a value of more than $1 billion – within the […] January 26, 2024
Video length: 05:39 VIDEO Finance Sovereign wealth funds: the Gulf’s biggest power players Did you know that the world’s first sovereign wealth fund was set up in the GCC? Kuwait Investment Authority was established in 1953, eight years before the country’s independence, to invest surplus oil revenues. Now every GCC country has a sovereign wealth fund responsible for financial returns and national economic development. “Today there are over […] January 12, 2024
Video length: 05:17 VIDEO Retail Gulf retailers absorb Red Sea shipping cost rise – for now The Red Sea shipping crisis is only a “hiccup” in the day-to-day operations of UAE retailers, and customers will not experience any price rises or product shortages in the short term, chains are saying. “We wouldn’t call it a crisis. This particular situation isn’t much different to the challenges we had when the Suez Canal […] January 9, 2024
Video length: 05:25 Tech Demand for data centres accelerates across Mena Demand is growing for data centres across the Mena region, which is “underserved” according to Hassan Alnaqbi, CEO of Khazna Data Centers. Dubai-based Khazna, which has 14 working centres, 10 to 12 under construction and four more planned, is one of the largest operators in the region. “We have announced our expansion into Egypt. It […] January 3, 2024
Video length: 05:38 Finance Cakes, crypto and the sun – best video moments of 2023 From top business leaders to expert analysts, AGBI has spoken to them all over the past 12 months. Watch our video round-up above to find out who gave us these memorable quotes … “The bigger the cake, the bigger the problem.” “Your long-term asset in this region is not the oil under the ground, it’s […] December 25, 2023
Video length: 04:21 Logistics Red Sea shipping crisis drives prices up Attacks in the lower Red Sea by Houthi militants based in Yemen have resulted in a sharp rise in shipping costs. While regional importers are unlikely to see any immediate impact over the holiday period, shortages and supply chain issues will start to take hold in February, an industry expert has said. “We can expect […] December 22, 2023
Video length: 04:59 Transport Gulf’s cheap petrol slows take-up of electric bikes Almost 20 percent of the new cars sold this year are electric, according to the International Energy Agency, while e-bikes are becoming a familiar sight in cities around the world. The Middle East is behind China, the US and Europe on mass adoption, despite the lower operating costs and lower emissions of electric vehicles (EVs). […] December 20, 2023
Video length: 06:07 Video Sustainability Space data joins the battle against greenwashing Space data is a vital tool for measuring decarbonisation and preventing greenwashing, an industry expert has told AGBI at the Cop28 conference in Dubai. “There is no other way to monitor [decarbonisation and carbon credits] at that scale if it wasn’t for Earth observation data,” said David Merren, assistant director for analytics and spatial at […] December 12, 2023
Video length: 05:05 VIDEO Renewable Energy Gulf’s biggest asset is ‘sun in the sky’ – not its oil reserves The Middle East could become a powerhouse of green industrialisation by exploiting its vast renewable energy sources, the chair of the Energy Transitions Commission has told AGBI at the Cop28 summit in Dubai. “Your long-term asset in this region is not the oil under the ground, it’s the sun in the sky,” said Adair Turner, […] December 6, 2023
Video length: 04:10 Dubai Airshow Aviation Middle East open to new airlines to meet demand Boeing sold nearly 200 jets to Middle Eastern airlines during this year’s Dubai Airshow and the US plane manufacturer believes the region is ready for “more new entrants”. “Because of the geography and economic growth, this region will support more competition and new entrants, not only for local passengers but also for connecting economies throughout […] November 19, 2023
Video length: 01:47 Dubai Airshow Aviation Boeing remains cautious on prospect of supersonic flight Neom Investment Fund – part of the Saudi giga-project Neom – has invested in US aircraft manufacturer Boom Supersonic, and Riyadh Air is also considering supersonic flight in its future projects. Saudi Arabian entities, it appears, are not fazed by the view of some industry experts that faster-than-sound flight poses unique difficulties. Darren Hulst, commercial […] November 15, 2023
Video length: 04:43 Video Masdar City exec: Let’s talk about greenwashing Greenwashing – a deceitful marketing gimmick where companies exaggerate their environmental actions – is “egregious” as it takes advantage of a movement that affects everyone on earth, according to Bill Weir, CNN’s chief climate correspondent. A recent global survey conducted by US-based The Harris Poll and sponsored by Google Cloud found that six out of […] November 8, 2023