Video length: 06:36 VIDEO Trade Abraham Accords – 3 years on, $3 billion in trade An Israeli politician has described how the Abraham Accords, signed three years ago today, have “opened a floodgate to, hopefully, a new Middle East”. Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem, tells AGBI in an exclusive video interview that the agreement signed at the White House on September 15 2020, is transforming Israel’s relations with the […] September 15, 2023
Video length: 03:33 VIDEO Tech AI ‘can solve the problems’ for Middle East digital growth The Middle East’s digital penetration stands at 4.1 percent of its overall economy – where “China was 15 years ago”, according to a strategist at Swiss bank UBS. A recent technology report published by UBS highlights how the Middle East could be the next digital frontier, and why artificial intelligence could play a pivotal role. […] September 5, 2023
Video length: 03:36 VIDEO Economy Brics expansion could hasten move away from dollar The addition of six new countries to the Brics bloc – including some of the world’s largest oil exporters – is likely to expedite the decline in the US dollar’s prominence in global trade, according to a Dubai financial analyst. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iran, Argentina and Ethiopia have all been accepted as members […] August 29, 2023
Video length: 03:55 VIDEO Sustainability Who is Sultan Al Jaber? The decision to name Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to lead the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai has been criticised, as he is also CEO of fossil fuel producer Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc). However, the UAE minister of industry and advanced technology also heads renewable energy business Masdar and has other sustainable credentials that […] August 29, 2023
Video length: 00:56 VIDEO Oil & Gas Drilling to begin on Lebanon’s block 9 Exploratory drilling in Lebanon’s offshore oil and gas block 9 will commence on Thursday of this week, caretaker energy minister Walid Fayad has said. “On August 24 the drilling process will begin, and it will be a historic day,” the state-owned National News Agency reported, citing the minister. “After 67 days, we will know the […] August 23, 2023
Video length: 5:59 VIDEO Media & Advertising UAE streamer Starzplay is ‘not chasing Netflix’ Video-on-demand service Starzplay is capitalising on its sports and Arabic content offering to attract subscribers and increase revenues. The UAE-based platform was acquired by e& subsidiary E-vision and Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ last year. It has 2.9 million subscribers across 19 countries in the Mena region and Pakistan. Competitors such as Netflix and Dubai-based […] August 23, 2023
Video length: 03:16 Video Economy Inflation in Egypt hit hard by Russia Inflation in Egypt is going to be a “long-stretched affair”, according to a Mena market researcher in a video interview with AGBI. Egypt’s annual headline inflation increased to a record 36.5 percent in July driven by high food prices. Currency devaluation and the Russia-Ukraine war have been the main factors contributing to the inflated prices. […] August 16, 2023
Video length: 02:36 VIDEO Real Estate Dubai office rents spike as employers vie for talent Office rents in Dubai rose sharply in the first half of this year as demand continues to grow, according to new research. Demand reached 580,000 sq ft in H1 2023, a 23 percent increase on the same period last year. Businesses are gravitating towards Grade A space, using the high-quality offices as a “showroom” to […] August 8, 2023
Video length: 03:43 VIDEO Banking & Finance Crypto trading fuels financial crime in the UAE The rise in the use of cryptocurrencies in the UAE has resulted in an increase in financial crime, according to a Dubai lawyer. “Cryptocurrency has given money launderers a feature that they have dreamt of – secrecy,” Maroun Abou Harb, an associate at law firm BSA, said during an exclusive video interview with AGBI. “This […] August 4, 2023
Video length: 03:53 VIDEO Construction Dubai tests modular building to cut demand down to size Dubai Municipality has awarded Linq Modular a licence to start work on a pilot for a seven-storey modular building. Linq will design and build the pilot modules at its 300,000-sq-ft factory in Dubai Industrial City – which has the capacity to produce 1,900 units per year. The units could be used for a residential or a […] August 1, 2023
Video length: 2:58 VIDEO Lifestyle Private vaults fill the gap as banks abandon deposit boxes Private vaults in Dubai are emerging to take the place of the safety deposit boxes once provided by traditional banks. Costs, concerns over legal liability and the rise of online banking have made providing safety deposit boxes less appealing for banking giants. Capital One, HSBC, Barclays and JPMorgan Chase have all withdrawn from the market. […] July 24, 2023
Video length: 03:19 VIDEO Employment 60% of young Arabs want to emigrate, survey finds High unemployment rates, conflict and lack of strong government policies in North Africa and the Levant are making young Arabs want to emigrate, the latest edition of the Arab Youth Survey has found. At 26 percent, the region has the highest unemployment rate in the world. As a result, 60 percent of young Arabs want […] July 19, 2023
Video length: 03:22 VIDEO Employment Only 7% of GCC board seats are held by women Only 7 percent of board seats in the GCC are held by women compared to 20 percent globally, a report by Bain & Company says. “There is an issue in retaining, mentoring and supporting women to make it all the way to CEO positions and the board,” said Karen Khalaf, partner at Bain & Company […] July 14, 2023
Video length: 05:43 video Aviation Mergers tipped to take off in Gulf’s private jet business The private aviation business is set for widespread consolidation in the Gulf, according to a senior executive at a charter jet firm. Youssef Mouallem, executive vice president of Vista Global based in Dubai, told AGBI the sector was historically fragmented, but he was expecting to see more mergers and acquisitions. “Businesses will consolidate and we […] July 10, 2023
Video length: 6.42 Video Lifestyle Dubai plans to grow creative economy by 25% Dubai’s creative economy is expected to experience steady growth over the next few years, with the sector reaching 140,000 jobs by 2026, up from 90,000 in 2020. The GDP contribution target for the industry is set at 5 percent. This is up from the current 4 percent for creative industries including the arts, culture, music, films, […] July 7, 2023
Video length: 03:02 EXCLUSIVE Tech $2bn funding behind Dubai’s digital startup economy Dubai tech startups have raised $2 billion and completed six mega-rounds valued at over $300 million in 2022, according to a report by the Dubai Digital Economy. These included two listings for scaleups (startups that have raised over $1 million in capital) on stock exchanges. The UAE’s national digital economy is predicted to grow to […] June 23, 2023
Video length: 4:45 EXCLUSIVE Finance Multi-billion dollar schemes fuel UAE’s industrial evolution Emirates Development Bank, the UAE’s state-owned lender for the industrial sector, reported an almost tenfold increase in the value of loans it allocated last year. It is forecasting equally strong growth this year after shifting its focus to supporting major manufacturing projects in the Emirates. “The first year that we transformed the bank to focus […] June 15, 2023
Video length: 1:57 EXCLUSIVE Sustainability UAE’s Al Suwaidi backs Al Jaber after Cop28 criticism Dr Sultan Al Jaber’s record “speaks for itself”, a senior UAE official has told AGBI. The Emirates government is facing fresh criticism from international media and lawmakers over the oil chief’s appointment to oversee the Cop28 climate summit later this year. Al Jaber oversees UAE oil giant Adnoc, is minister of industry and advanced technology […] June 6, 2023
Video length: 2:08 Video Employment UAE corporate tax arrival triggers recruitment fever UAE companies advertised for double the number of tax accountants in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year, ahead of the introduction of the Emirates’ corporate tax. The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) saw a 40 percent increase in tax roles last year compared to 2021. “Recruitment is big […] June 2, 2023
Video length: 3:37 Video Real Estate Dubai’s wealthy buyers short of new homes in prime areas Global high-net-worth individuals are looking to Dubai to invest in property, but with only 289 units due to be completed in prime residential areas by 2026, supply in the emirate’s real estate market is low, driving prices up. “We are short of easy-to-activate waterfront development sites – we have run out of coastline,” said Faisal Durrani, […] May 31, 2023
Video length: 03.55 Video Tourism Cruise Saudi sets sail for $200m tourism windfall Cruise Saudi estimates it will contribute $200 million in revenues to the kingdom by 2035, as the Public Investment Fund-owned company develops ports for cruise passengers. In a video interview with AGBI its chief asset development and port operations officer Miguel Reyna said: “On average, when a ship comes to the port, 35 percent of […] May 29, 2023
Video length: 03:18 VIDEO Banking & Finance Why the UAE is introducing corporate tax The UAE’s introduction of corporate tax will ensure that it is not used as a jurisdiction to “move profits” from other higher taxed markets, according to a lawyer in Dubai. “Historically, the UAE was blacklisted by the European Union, because they were trying to ensure that the Emirates are not used as a jurisdiction where […] May 26, 2023
