Exclusive New $800m ‘ultra app’ aims to shake up crowded Gulf market A Dubai-based serial entrepreneur has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to set up a new digital platform that he claims will disrupt the way people communicate, shop, pay, and transact, when it launches later this year. Abdallah Abu Sheikh, founder of Dubai-headquartered Astra Tech, calls his product, which is as yet unnamed, an ultra […] August 1, 2022
Opinion Mark your diaries: the human longevity revolution is coming Ageing populations can be a challenge, but they're a huge opportunity too. By 2030, spending by senior citizens will make up 10 percent of global GDP July 25, 2022
People & Lifestyle 20 MENA innovators to watch Meet the young game changers who have set their sights on transforming the Middle East and North Africa July 20, 2022
Media & Advertising Twitter tells Musk no deal obligations were breached Twitter Inc fired back at Elon Musk on Monday, accusing the world’s richest person of “knowingly” breaching an agreement to buy the social media firm, days after the Tesla Inc chief sought to back out of the $44 billion deal. In a letter sent to Musk, dated Sunday and filed with regulators on Monday, Twitter […] July 12, 2022
Opinion Johnson’s exit will not impede deepening UK-Gulf relations New political leadership will make little difference upon the trade deal with both markets set to benefit July 8, 2022
Exclusive Manufacturing UK manufacturers see non-tariff barriers as key to GCC trade Make UK CEO Stephen Phipson advises the British government on behalf of 20,000 UK manufacturers. He talks to AGBI about trade with the GCC As negotiators begin to thrash out a UK-GCC free trade deal, there’s one thing above all else dominating the minds of British manufacturers as they seek growth opportunities in the region: […] July 5, 2022
Exclusive Tech Pure Harvest aims to grow UAE’s next $1bn unicorn startup “Why did such a promising young man leave Silicon Valley to grow tomatoes in the desert?”. It’s a question Stanford University business graduate and former private equity investor Sky Kurtz says he gets asked a lot, even by his own father-in-law. “My wife’s father thought I’d lost my mind. He was literally like, ‘there’s something […] July 4, 2022
How I got to the top Real Estate Mamad Kashani Akhavan, CEO, Powerhouse Real Estate What does your company do? We’re aiming to reinvent real estate by educating brokers and expanding their knowledge in the field. We’ve implemented a simple training programme for each new joiner to ensure their quality of performance in the market. Once they’re released into what we call “the sales floor”, they’re ready to enter the […] July 1, 2022
Media & Advertising BBC News controller heads for Saudi’s Al Arabiya News A former senior news editor at the BBC left the corporation to take a position at Saudi Arabia’s state broadcaster. Jamie Angus stepped down from his role as BBC News’s senior controller of output and commissioning in April. He is expected to take a senior role at Al Arabiya News. Sources were uncertain about Angus’s […] June 30, 2022
Dubai takes roadshow to Africa, India and Europe to court startups Dubai Chamber for Digital Economy has launched a new roadshow series in Africa to attract global startups to the city, with plans to expand the initiative to India and Europe. The first roadshow took place in Ethiopia and Kenya where a delegation from the Chamber met with 20 promising African scaleups specialising in advanced technologies […] June 27, 2022
Media & Advertising How stars can impact a business Prior to basketball legend Michael Jordan’s Nike association, which started in the mid-1980s, rival Adidas was 50 percent larger revenue-wise. With about $100 million in sales from the first year working with Jordan, Nike now stands above competitors in basketball sneaker sales with player endorsements continuing to support the brand’s growth. Jordan remains synonymous with […] June 25, 2022
Manufacturing 25 years of Harry Potter: From rejection to 500m global sales When Bloomsbury Publishing founder Nigel Newton brought home a manuscript for “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by a then unknown J.K. Rowling, his daughter Alice described it as “possibly one of the best books an 8/9 year old could read”. Twenty-five years later, it is one of the biggest selling novels of all time […] June 24, 2022
Sustainability Sweltering heatwave adds to power cuts misery Iraq’s problems are piling up and threatening protests: Price increases, a faltering power grid and a summer heatwave made all the more unbearable by electricity outages limiting air conditioning and the use of fridges for many. While the southern city of Basra is used to scorching summers, this year it has started sooner than expected, […] June 23, 2022
First multifaith gathering held on Arabian Peninsula in 1,000 years In contrast to a rhetoric of conflict, the forum proposes a unifying vision The Muslim World League held the Forum on Common Values Among Religious Followers this week in Saudi capital Riyadh. A multifaith event with leaders from around the world, the forum included 90 faith leaders in all, with Muslims, Christians, Jews, Buddhists and […] June 22, 2022
Media & Advertising Naomi Osaka and LeBron James launch new media company Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka is launching a new media company in partnership with four-times NBA champion LeBron James aimed at telling stories that cross cultural barriers, the former world number one announced on Tuesday. Hana Kuma, which translates to “flower bear,” will produce stories that are “culturally specific but universal to all audiences” and […] June 22, 2022
Food & Drink Chef Jason Atherton opens fine dining restaurant in Jeddah A new Mediterranean restaurant in Jeddah is bringing a fine dining experience to the city thanks to a partnership between English chef Jason Atherton and Saudi businessman Abdelkarim Abbar. Located at the newly opened Jeddah Yacht Club on the Red Sea, Marina Social, operated by Atherton and owned by Abbar, opened on June 19. Atherton’s […] June 22, 2022
Business of Sport Saudi to host Joshua-Usyk heavyweight title rematch Saudi Arabia confirmed today that it will host the world heavyweight boxing clash between champion Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua on August 20 as the kingdom cements its status as a global sporting destination. In a statement, the Ministry of Sports announced that the Red Sea city of Jeddah will host the rematch between the […] June 20, 2022
Business of Sport LIV Golf crowns first champion and nabs another PGA star South African golfer Charl Schwartzel won $4.75 million as Saudi-backed LIV unveiled the signing of US favourite Patrick Reed June 13, 2022
Tourism US to seize luxury planes owned by Roman Abramovich A US court on Monday issued warrants for the seizure of two luxury planes owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich under US measures imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, court records showed. But the US government’s likelihood of gaining control of the aircraft worth nearly $400 million was uncertain. A Department of Justice official said […] June 8, 2022
Tourists attracted to glitzy world of Real Housewives of Dubai The reality TV show is expected to lure 'undecided leisure tourists' to the UAE, though its first episode has sparked a backlash in Dubai June 6, 2022
Banking & Finance Why Pyypl power will accelerate MENA fintech growth The founder and CEO of Pyypl tells AGBI about ambitious expansion plans for the UAE-based company Already one of the fastest-growing fintechs in the Middle East and Africa region, UAE-based Pyypl is planning to “inject more petrol into the tank” in a new phase of expansion. Antti Arponen, founder and CEO, told AGBI that the […] June 1, 2022
Lifestyle Damian Lewis, Salman Rushdie and Rio Ferdinand among UK honours list Actor Damian Lewis, author Ian Rankin and former Northern Ireland first minister Arlene Foster were among more than 1,100 people recognised by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth in her annual birthday honours. The list, which is issued to mark the 96-year-old monarch’s official birthday, honours recipients for their “outstanding” contributions; most awards recognise public service or community […] June 1, 2022
