Finance EU reveals total aid to North Africa to combat migration The European Union provided €673 million ($718 million) in funding to four North African countries from 2021-23 to help the quartet reduce what it calls irregular migration to the 27-member bloc, official data shows. Last year about 270,000 “irregular migrants” arrived in the EU via sea crossings, 64 percent more than in 2022. Crossings from […] April 26, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Tech Batelco in talks to trial 6G technology in Bahrain Bahrain telecommunications giant Batelco is in talks to trial 6th generation (6G) connectivity as the kingdom attempts to cement its position as a technological leader in the region. The island kingdom is among the first countries to have a comprehensive 5G network coverage in most urban areas, with more than 95 percent coverage courtesy of […] April 26, 2024
Opinion Economy Shanghai’s enterprising spirit is China’s best hope Returning to the city 20 years after his first visit, our columnist is still bowled over by its dynamism April 22, 2024
Retail Cenomi Retail to divest more brands in turnaround plan Franchiser Cenomi Retail has announced another round of brand divestments as it seeks to tackle rising losses. The Saudi company closed more than 200 stores last year and sold 16 brands in the first quarter of 2024. On Wednesday Cenomi Retail said its board of directors had approved the third phase of the sell-off. The […] April 3, 2024
Opinion Transport If EVs can make it here, they can make it anywhere The battery powered car is on the up, even in the oil-soaked Gulf March 25, 2024
Video length: 1:51 Giga-projects Three miles of the 100-mile Line city to be built by 2030 Only the first phase of Saudi Arabia’s futuristic 100-mile-long city The Line, covering three miles around a lagoon in the Gulf of Aqaba, will be completed by 2030, a senior official has revealed. The entire project, a horizontal city inside the Neom giga-project in the shape of a straight line 220 yards (200 metres) wide […] March 22, 2024
Banking & Finance Morocco signs $109m loan deal with African bank Morocco has received a loan worth €100 million ($109 million) from the African Development Bank to fund new investment and sustainable infrastructure projects across the country. The loan agreement was signed with Fonds d’Equipement Communal, a bank dedicated to financing investment projects and development programmes in Morocco. Funds will be used to improve public services, […] March 19, 2024
People & Lifestyle UK’s non-dom shake-up to attract high earners to Gulf There is likely to be an influx of expats and returning nationals to the Gulf as a result of the UK’s abolition of non-domicile tax status from April 2025, experts told AGBI. ‘Non-doms’ live in the UK but claim to have a permanent residence in another country, so they do not pay tax on overseas […] March 15, 2024
Banking & Finance Abu Dhabi courts celebrity investors to make its mark Abu Dhabi is increasingly turning to celebrities, from actors and comedians to boxers and writers, to increase its presence on the world stage. The UAE’s capital has attracted entrepreneurs from around the world who are investing and expanding their businesses in the emirate. Among the latest to announce plans to invest in Abu Dhabi are […] March 1, 2024
Opinion Education Dubai v Dublin: UAE and Ireland battle for teachers Irish teachers are in demand both in the Gulf and at home January 31, 2024
Opinion Lifestyle In Dubai, it looks like the Russians are staying Russia's move away from the West puts the UAE in focus January 22, 2024
Economy Dubai unveils $56bn plan to improve standard of living Dubai has unveiled a AED208 billion ($56.64 billion) ten-year strategy aimed at making the city one of the top three in the world for standard of living. There are also plans to double the number of Emirati families and triple the number of citizens working in the private sector by 2033. “We aim to double […] January 5, 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
Opinion Real Estate The dark side of life in Los Angeles The economic record of California will come under global scrutiny December 22, 2023
Energy Politicians lack will for climate action, says ex-chancellor Former UK chancellor Sajid Javid has suggested that Western politicians lack the will to follow through on climate commitments – because the costs of energy transition can be unpopular with voters. Speaking in the UAE just three days before the Cop28 summit begins in Dubai, Javid said the cost of living crisis had pushed climate […] November 29, 2023
Video length: 3:34 VIDEO Tech New sectors to drive e& growth as telecoms becomes ‘saturated’ UAE tech and telecoms company e& – formerly Etisalat – is looking at more acquisitions in the GCC as well as Africa and Eastern Europe. “We are in processes as we speak,” said Salvador Anglada, CEO of e& enterprise, during an exclusive roundtable at Gitex. The telecoms major rebranded from Etisalat last year to become […] October 20, 2023
Adipec Oil & Gas LNG is a ‘perfect business’ says TotalEnergies CEO TotalEnergies is pressing ahead with a strategy focusing on gas and integrated operations, even if its CEO foresees a possible glut in expensive liquefied natural gas terminals towards the end of the decade. The French company has been in the LNG business for 40 years and has become the second biggest operator in the sector […] October 4, 2023
Opinion Lifestyle California and the Gulf: more unites than divides The UAE, Saudi Arabia and LA have a lot more in common than they might acknowledge August 4, 2023
Food & Drink Prince’s cell-grown meat investment gets US approval Saudi Arabia’s “vegan prince” is set to get a prime cut of the profits from his investment in a startup producing meat made from cultivated animal cells. The US government this month approved the sale of Upside Foods products to American consumers. “Sometimes when you talk to an entrepreneur, you know,” Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed […] June 30, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Aviation Hamish Harding: British billionaire in the UAE Hamish Harding was one of the five people who died on the Titan submersible in the Atlantic on June 18. He founded Action Aviation, a UAE-based international aircraft brokerage company, and was chair of the Middle East chapter of The Explorers Club. Read below AGBI’s interview with him last September, when he had just been […] June 21, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Tech Lottoland founder bets on softened gambling rules in UAE The entrepreneur behind the global lottery betting platform Lottoland is confident that he will one day be able to offer the service in the UAE. David von Rosen-von Hoewel, an international investor and founder of businesses in fashion, finance and gaming, said plans for the UAE’s first casino in Ras Al Khaimah put forward by […] June 19, 2023
Lifestyle Rich Indians lift UAE to top of millionaire migrants chart The UAE had the highest net inflow of millionaires in the world in 2022, with that number set to be swelled this year by super-rich Indians. Last year 5,200 more high net worth individuals (HNWIs) relocated to the Emirates than left, according to the Henley Private Wealth Migration Report. The study forecasts a net inflow […] June 14, 2023
