Video Business of Sport Business of sport: Where the Middle East money goes By Shruthi Nair October 15, 2023, 10:18 AM The World Economic Forum has reported that the Middle East’s sports industry is expected to grow by 8.7 percent by 2026, compared with global sector growth of 3.3 per cent over the same period. AGBI recently hosted the Business of Sport roundtable covering a wide range of pressing topics, including M&A activities; outbound vs inbound investments into the Gulf region; regulatory challenges; the evolution of sports broadcasting and the power of unscripted content; and whether the next football World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia. Qatar’s next big match: a Premier League club to call its own The LIV-PGA merger could transform golf for the better Saudi Arabia: The making of a sports nation On the panel are: Robin Butteriss, partner and corporate finance advisor at consultancy firm Deloitte Middle East. Deloitte’s Sports Business Group caters to clients across 40 countries and 30 different sports. Klaus Kajetski, founder and CEO of Yalla Esports, one of the region’s largest gaming and esports agencies. Azhar Muhammad Saul, COO of Paradigm Sports, a multi-sport business and media company with clientele including the martial artists Conor McGregor and Johnny Walker, the kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, and American football player Josh Tupou. Watch the video to find out why, according to Butteriss, there is a “torchlight focused on this region”.
Renewable Energy Masdar views Middle East as biggest growth market UAE’s renewable energy company Masdar considers the Middle East its biggest market, even though its target is to grow globally, a senior executive has said. “The Middle East is the biggest market for us, we are a company from here, and this market is growing significantly,” Abdulaziz Alobaidli, chief executive officer of Masdar, told AGBI […] 1 hour ago
Trade Kenya-UAE Cepa may increase food exports and investment The UAE and Kenya have signed a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) that is predicted to lead to a threefold increase in food exports from the East African nation. The trade deal, which was agreed in February last year, is expected to accelerate trade and investment in agriculture, infrastructure, healthcare, travel and tourism, financial services and […] 1 hour ago
Economy Inflation, not war, is Gulf states’ top concern, says WEF Economic concerns such as inflation dominate risk perception for the coming year in the Gulf and across Mena, according to the World Economic Forum. Its survey of thousands of experts and business leaders, the Global Risks Report 2025, found that geopolitical conflict was the No 1 risk globally, selected by respondents as the “most likely […] 31 mins ago
Oil & Gas Adia to help fund $1bn Malaysian oil and gas firm Abu Dhabi Investment Company (Adia) is to invest in an oil and gas equipment-making unit in Malaysia. Adia is participating in the $1 billion funding round for Yinson Holdings’ equipment-maker alongside Asian investment firm RRJ Capital and British Columbia Investment Management. The funding, expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, will primarily support […] 18 mins ago
