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
Insight Agriculture Ukraine war drives Gulf to double down on food security As the war in Ukraine has pushed up food prices and disrupted supply chains, hard-hit MENA countries explore ways to protect themselves In Abu Dhabi clusters of fresh tomatoes are growing inside rows of climate-controlled greenhouses in the middle of the desert – just one example of the lengths the arid region must go to […] May 12, 2022
Opinion Development The US must come to Lebanon’s aid The upcoming elections on May 15 present an opportunity for real change but this can only materialise with outside help May 9, 2022
Analysis Lebanese elections spark fears of more instability The Lebanese government recently ordered the demolition of the blast-hit grain silos that were decimated during the August 4, 2020 port explosion. The silos absorbed much of the blast’s impact, saving sections of the city’s western residential areas from total devastation. The government has now determined that they must be removed amid reports that the tilting […] May 9, 2022
Banking & Finance Lebanese central banker says ready to answer Swiss questions Lebanese central bank chief Riad Salameh is ready to meet Swiss prosecutors in person to answer questions about their money-laundering investigation, he said in a television interview. Salameh is facing investigations in Lebanon and five European countries into the alleged embezzlement of some $330 million in public funds with the help of his brother, Raja, […] April 29, 2022
Health & Wellness Saudi Arabia, France pledge $30m for Lebanon aid France and Saudi Arabia announced a joint development fund for crisis-hit Lebanon on Tuesday, pledging an initial $30 million to support food security and the country’s crippled health sector, a French embassy statement said. The funds will be routed to humanitarian projects to provide emergency aid, including food, to the most vulnerable populations in Lebanon, […] April 27, 2022
Banking & Finance Standoff with Lebanon banks could derail IMF deal: minister Lebanon’s efforts to secure $3 billion in International Monetary Fund (IMF) support to help it tackle its financial crisis could be derailed by divisions over how to deal with massive financial sector losses, according to economy minister Amin Salam. The Association of the Banks of Lebanon (ABL) has rejected the latest draft of the government’s […] April 27, 2022
Banking & Finance Lebanon rejects latest financial recovery plan The Association of Banks in Lebanon said on Saturday it “completely rejects” the government’s latest draft of a financial recovery plan meant to pull the country out of an economic meltdown. In a statement shared with Reuters, the ABL called the plan “disastrous” and said it would leave banks and depositors shouldering the “major portion” […] April 23, 2022
Agriculture EU plans to counter Russia with food diplomacy in North Africa, Middle East The EU aims to address rising wheat and fertilizer prices and expected shortages in the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East with “food diplomacy” to counter Russia’s narrative on the impact of its Ukraine invasion, EU diplomats and officials say. Food insecurity was causing “resentment” in vulnerable countries in these regions, while Moscow was […] April 12, 2022