Opinion People & Lifestyle Want to sound like a leader? You need to know three things You will find threes wherever you find good communication April 18, 2024
Opinion Entrepreneurs Under the lanterns’ glow: unveiling Oman’s entrepreneurial spirit Ramadan opens up many opportunities for entrepreneurs, particularly women April 5, 2024
Economy Qatar woos foreign talent with 5-year residency permit Qatar has launched a residency permit aimed at attracting talented individuals and entrepreneurs. The permit programme, which is expected to open in the next few months, offers five-year renewable residencies to people with expertise in specific fields including the arts and scientific research. Applicants must either have a job offer in Qatar or demonstrate financial […] March 27, 2024
Tech Saudi Arabia backs tech startup sector with $888m Saudi Arabia has announced investments worth $888 million to support the local tech startup and venture capital sector. The funds will support industries such as digital payments, e-gaming and artificial intelligence (AI). The announcement was made on the second day of the Leap international technology conference taking place this week in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia has […] March 6, 2024
Employment Dubai’s $136m boost to drive global growth of SMEs Dubai has allocated AED500 million ($136.13 million) to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with ambitions to scale up globally. The initiative was launched in partnership with Emirates NBD, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. The Dubai international growth initiative will support the global expansion of SMEs founded in the emirate, Dubai Crown Prince […] January 29, 2024
Video length: 05:04 Video Finance Middle East unicorns will flourish, predict VCs For the first time since 2015, there were no deals worth more than $100 million last year in the UAE. Despite this, venture capitalists predict the region will see the creation of at least 10 unicorns – defined as a privately held startup company with a value of more than $1 billion – within the […] January 26, 2024
Opinion Banking & Finance Saudi funds, serial founders and more trends to shake up startups Saudi Arabia will lead the region, while corporates will play a growing VC funding role January 23, 2024
Employment New Saudi visas aim to lure ‘high-wealth investors’ Saudi Arabia’s new long-term residency visas is at attracting “high-wealth investors” to the kingdom, though it may hinder the nurturing of local talent, some analysts have warned. The updated “premium residency” options are designed to lure top global talent to Saudi Arabia as it continues its billion-dollar transformation from a hydrocarbon-based economy. The visas cover […] January 11, 2024
Finance Mena startup funding bounces back in November Startup funding rose sharply in November, reflecting regional and global investors’ renewed confidence in the Middle East and North Africa. Investment totalled $764 million from 42 deals, according to Dubai-based venture capital company Wamda. It was the highest monthly figure in 2023, an increase of 390 percent from October’s figure and a year-on-year rise of […] December 14, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Banking & Finance UAE sets up bankruptcy court to rule on disputes The UAE is overhauling its bankruptcy and restructuring law, introducing a specialist court to oversee disputes. The legislation – formally Federal Law Decree No 51 of 2023 – comes into force on May 1, 2024, and replaces the 2016 bankruptcy framework. It will emphasise the importance of amicable resolutions, broadening the scope for debtors to […] December 5, 2023
Employment More women join UAE boards, but progress ‘still slow’ When Maha Abdul Majeed Ismail Ali Al Fahim joined the board of Islamic Arab Insurance Company this year, she became part of a growing trend. Women made up 23 percent of appointments to UAE boards in 2022, from just 12 percent in 2020, according to executive search company Heidrick & Struggles. But campaigners in the Gulf […] November 27, 2023
INTERVIEW Real Estate UAE buyers help ex-England footballer hit property goals The former Manchester United and England footballer Gary Neville has revealed that one in five properties in his luxury residential development have been snapped up by UAE investors. Neville, a Champions League-winning defender turned entrepreneur, visited the Emirates this week to gauge Middle Eastern interest in his £400 million ($501 million) hotel and apartment project […] November 26, 2023
Finance Agtech in spotlight as Mena startup funding recovers Startup funding in the Mena region in October remained subdued on a year-on-year basis, but agtech is one of the areas set to shine. Mena startups raised $156 million in October, compared to $646 million raised in October 2022, but vastly up on the $36 million raised in September, according to data from Wamda, a […] November 17, 2023
Video length: 07:23 FII Banking & Finance World Bank to Wall Street, FII attracts financial elite Slickly choreographed dancers clad in futuristic outfits and a teenage boy in a shiny tuxedo singing a power ballad set the stage for the seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, and all at nine o’clock in the morning. However, there were immediately more serious themes at play at the event, which opened on Tuesday. […] October 25, 2023
Banking & Finance Gulf’s ‘copycats’ still attractive to Silicon Valley Copycat companies in the Middle East are still an attractive acquisition option for Silicon Valley giants because the risk of trying to establish themselves in the region is too high, according to Thiel Capital managing director Jack Selby. The Middle East has been criticised for mimicking startups from other parts of the world, rather than […] October 24, 2023
Analysis Entrepreneurs Dubai protects city emblem as IP laws evolve A new law has been established to protect the official emblem of Dubai as part of evolving legislation aimed at improving intellectual property (IP) rights in the UAE. Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also vice president and prime minister of the UAE, has issued Law No. 17 of 2023, which […] October 18, 2023
Entrepreneurs Middle East needs to make it easier to launch startups The Middle East is a “very attractive” market for entrepreneurs but its fragmented nature is a barrier to entry, even as jurisdictions compete to attract international startups, executives said at an industry event in Dubai. “None of the countries in the region are large enough or full enough to be an ecosystem on their own,” […] October 17, 2023
Sustainability Cop28 launches hub to help Mena SMEs cut carbon The Cop28 presidency has set up a dedicated programme to help small and medium-sized enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) to cut their carbon emissions. The team behind the climate conference, which is being held this year in Dubai, has joined forces with the global not-for-profit SME Climate Hub and the We […] October 4, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Logistics Dubai company’s EVs aim to deliver ‘last mile’ in 100 cities Dubai company One Moto, which aims to decarbonise “last mile” deliveries using electric vehicles, has said it plans to serve 100 cities by 2028. After launching the company in the UAE, serial entrepreneur Adam Ridgway has gained a foothold in the UK, Bahrain, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Chile, Iraq, Nepal and Ethiopia. It is in talks […] October 3, 2023
Entrepreneurs Funding options on the rise for Palestine startups Palestine is home to a wealth of entrepreneurial talent but its startups have struggled to gain access to funding. A number of initiatives are aiming to change all that by doubling the amount of startup funding available and offering mentoring opportunities. Support is also being offered to Palestinians living in the Middle East and North […] September 20, 2023
Finance Dubai laundry app seeks ‘deeper pockets’ for next step Dubai’s door-to-door laundry app Washmen plans to tap into private equity and funding from family investment groups, but has ruled out a public listing, CEO Rami Shaar has told AGBI. The company has gone through three rounds of fundraising since it was set up eight years ago, raising $11 million from seed, series A and […] August 8, 2023
Analysis Entrepreneurs Innovation hub helps launch Palestinian startups in Gulf Startups in Palestine are increasingly expanding in the Gulf as a way of overcoming hurdles such as a lack of access to funding and support systems. Central to their strategy is the Intersect Innovation Hub, a business incubator that is helping to build bridges between Palestinian startups and the Gulf region. Rateb Rabi, CEO of […] August 8, 2023
