People & Lifestyle Ecclestone denies arrest for carrying illegal gun Former Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone today denied he had been arrested in Brazil and said an illegal gun found in his luggage before boarding a flight was never used and had no ammunition. The 91-year-old Briton, now in Portugal, said a “silly, tiny little incident” had caused a lot of aggravation as he and […] May 27, 2022
People & Lifestyle Supermodel Tyra Banks to launch ice cream brand in Abu Dhabi Californian supermodel Tyra Banks has picked Abu Dhabi as the first international market outside the US to launch her global ice cream brand, Smize Cream, as part of a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO). The 48-year-old entrepreneur made the announcement at the Access Granted talk series on Thursday, adding that she was […] May 27, 2022
Exclusive Banking & Finance UK $350m venture capital fund sees Dubai on the Horizon Founder of London-based Digital Horizon targets investment potential in UAE startups London-based venture capital fund Digital Horizon is targeting the UAE for growth, with investments in its first Dubai-based startups expected to be completed later this year. Alan Vaksman, founder and general partner of Digital Horizon, which has $350 million of assets under its management, […] May 26, 2022
EXCLUSIVE Travel & Hospitality Cruise Saudi CEO reveals big ambitions for kingdom’s tourism Riyadh wants tourism to be 10 percent of its GDP by 2030 – in part by becoming a hub for cruise travel. Cruise Saudi boss Lars Clasen tells AGBI how he aims to attract 1 million visitors a year May 23, 2022
How I got to the top Ayham Gorani, co-founder and CEO, Pemo What does your company do?Pemo empowers businesses across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan by offering them a fast, transparent, and simplified way to manage their company spend. We’ve built a platform that addresses the day-to-day spend management challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region. Our offering includes smart corporate […] May 23, 2022
Exclusive Startups Make some noise for Anghami’s Elie Habib The Lebanese music streaming mogul talks to AGBI about the meteoric rise of his Nasdaq-listed company, its battles with music pirates, relocation to Abu Dhabi and his ambition to launch Arab music stars Elie Habib fell in love with coding early. He started selling software at the age of 17 and launched several companies in […] May 18, 2022
Biden sends all-star team to UAE to repair frayed ties President Joe Biden is sending an all-star US delegation to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to offer condolences after the death of its ruler, in an apparent bid to step up efforts to repair frayed ties with Gulf Arab allies. Washington’s desire to improve ties with Gulf monarchies has gained renewed urgency following Russia’s […] May 16, 2022
Analysis MbZ: the man, the leader and the economic vision The new president of the UAE is set to continue to build on the progress he has made as de facto leader in recent years The UAE is expected to “unswervingly continue” to implement its vision to build a sustainable knowledge-based economy for generations to come under the leadership of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed […] May 16, 2022
Sheikh Khalifa Remembered Messages of sympathy pour in from around the globe Leaders from the Gulf, the wider Middle East and around the world have offered their heartfelt condolences after the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi. Here are some of the messages of sympathy The UN offices in the UAE said: “In this […] May 13, 2022
A modernising leader who moved UAE closer to US Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who died today, was a pro-Western moderniser whose low-key approach helped steer the United Arab Emirates through a tense era in regional politics by aligning the Gulf oil producer with Washington and its allies, including Israel. Khalifa, who was born in 1948, had been ruler of the richest emirate, Abu […] May 13, 2022
Sheikh Khalifa Remembered A lifetime of service by the President of the UAE Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler of Abu Dhabi, was elected President of the United Arab Emirates in November 2004, to succeed his father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, UAE President from 1971 to 2004. Sheikh Khalifa presided over a major restructuring of both the Federal Government and the government of […] May 13, 2022
Sheikh Khalifa Remembered Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed has passed away Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the second President of the United Arab Emirates and 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi, died today aged 73. In a statement published by Wam, The Ministry of Presidential Affairs expressed its deepest condolences to the people of the UAE, Arab and Islamic nations and the world. The Ministry of Presidential […] May 13, 2022
Exclusive Technology Why London-Dubai tech tie-up hits investment ‘sweet spot’ The London Technology Club (LTC), a community in Europe for investment opportunities in the technology sector, has announced the launch of LTC Dubai, its first international investment hub. The hub is supported by Global Ventures, the international venture capital firm focused on investing in emerging market founders. Konstantin Sidorov, founder, CEO and general partner of […] May 12, 2022
People & Lifestyle Who is Konstantin Sidorov? Konstantin Sidorov is an international entrepreneur and investor with over 25 years’ experience in building, developing and restructuring businesses within the tech sector. He has successfully built and sold several IT businesses. In 2016 he sold the Eastern European division of RRC Group to a leading US-listed distributor Ingram Micro. In 2020, he sold his […] May 12, 2022
Finance & Banking CD&R hires Amr Nosseir, CVC’s top Mideast dealmaker Private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) has hired CVC Capital Partners’ top dealmaker for the Middle East as it seeks to bolster its presence and expand relationships with investors in the region. CD&R said yesterday it had appointed Amr Nosseir as senior advisor to the firm. Nosseir previously served as managing director, chairman […] May 12, 2022
Retail Chiara Ferragni reveals investor interest in fashion brand Chiara Ferragni has received various expressions of interest from potential investors in her brand, the Italian Instagram star said in an interview with Milano Finanza. Ferragni, 35, is Italy’s top fashion influencer with 27 million followers on Instagram. In January she mandated BNP Paribas to find an investor to help expand her fashion brand internationally. […] May 12, 2022
Media Musk incurs regulators’ wrath with late Twitter stake disclosure US regulators are investigating Elon Musk’s delayed disclosure of his stake in Twitter Inc last month, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter. Musk disclosed a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on April 4, a delay of at least 10 days since […] May 12, 2022
People & Lifestyle Who is Lord Udny-Lister? Edward Julian Udny-Lister is a special adviser to the UK government, a political strategist and former politician. One of Boris Johnson’s closest aides, Udny-Lister served as Downing Street chief of staff from 2019 to 2021, primarily advising on strategy. He was the deputy mayor of London for policy and planning between 2011 and 2016 – […] May 10, 2022
Exclusive Banking & Finance UK-Gulf deal will be ‘tough nut to crack,’ says top Johnson ally The co-chairman of the UAE-UK Business Council and former chief strategic adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the upcoming UK-Gulf trade agreements could be delayed but bilateral opportunities remain immense Lord Udny-Lister, co-chairman of the UAE-UK Business Council and one of Boris Johnson’s closest political allies, cuts a distinguished figure amid the sumptuous surroundings […] May 10, 2022
Travel & Hospitality Air travel makes quick recovery from Covid-19 The head of the world’s biggest airline trade body said today passenger traffic was recovering faster than expected and that, on average, the industry could now see those figures return to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, a year earlier than expected. The easing of coronavirus related restrictions around the world has released demand pent up over […] May 9, 2022
Insight Science & Technology The mind-blowing numbers behind the Museum of the Future The Museum of the Future is a “living museum” aiming to contribute to a deep intellectual movement, connecting thinkers and experts and acting as a test bed to create innovative solutions for global challenges. Rising 77 metres above the ground the structure was built using robotic technology and with an emphasis on sustainability. The façade […] May 9, 2022
People & Lifestyle Netflix drops Meghan Markle’s animated series Streaming platform Netflix Inc said on Sunday it had decided to stop work on Meghan Markle’s family series “Pearl” as it reviewed animated content. Dropping several projects, including Markle’s, was part of strategic decisions on production of animated series, the company said in a statement, without providing further details on its decision. Archewell Productions, the […] May 6, 2022
