Sustainability Real-time pollution tracking to help clear the air in Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi has invited companies to bid for a contract to develop a “digital twin” focused on real-time monitoring of air quality in a desert region that is among the dustiest in the world. A digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system designed to accurately reflect a physical object, in this […] April 16, 2025
Analysis Sustainability Funding model for water tech ‘holds back Gulf innovators’ An over-reliance on government funding for water startups in the Gulf may be holding back innovation, experts have told AGBI. The Middle East – a region that includes some of the world’s most water-stressed countries – gained its first water “unicorn” in February when Saudi-based GI Water as a Service raised eight figures in a […] April 9, 2025
Opinion Food & Drink Ramadan’s impact on Gulf consumer trends, from dates to digital deals To thrive, food and beverage companies must adapt strategies to meet customers needs March 26, 2025
Opinion Sustainability The Woodlands, a Texan experiment in sustainability The US idyll is an example of how to organise a comfortable urban life in a hydrocarbon environment March 21, 2025
Analysis Renewable Energy Shortage of ‘bankable’ green energy projects stymies investment While the Middle East has seen a surge in sustainable finance initiatives, investors are struggling to find commercially viable energy projects to invest in. This is particularly the case in developing nations, according to industry experts. The financial sector in the UAE has pledged to “mobilise” AED1 trillion ($272 billion) in sustainable finance by 2030. […] March 21, 2025
Sustainability Aramco Ventures invests in global climate tech startups The venture capital arm of Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest listed oil major, has invested in two climate tech startups. Aramco Ventures said it had invested in Ucaneo, a German company that is developing a direct air capture (DAC) demonstration plant expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2026. Ucaneo raised €6.75 million […] March 13, 2025
Finance Saudi’s first sovereign green bond oversubscribed six times Saudi Arabia’s sale of its first sovereign “green” bonds – together with more conventional fixed-income bonds – was oversubscribed six times, according to the Saudi National Debt Management Centre. The sale consisted of €1.5 billion ($1.58 billion) of seven-year, euro-denominated green bonds and €750 million 12-year conventional debt. A green bond is where the seller […] February 26, 2025
Sustainability Oman set to start plastic recycling plant this year Oman is likely to start operations at its biggest plastic recycling plant in the third quarter of 2025, according to a news report. The project, located close to Sohar Port, will have a processing capacity of 200 metric tonnes per day, the Oman Daily Observer reported. The volume of recyclable waste, including plastics, produced in […] February 23, 2025
Sustainability Turkey receives climate funding from Beijing agency Turkey has secured a $5 billion investment commitment from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a Beijing-based multilateral funding agency, to support its long-term climate strategy. Turkish finance minister Mehmet Simsek and AIIB president Jin Liqun signed a memorandum of understanding for the investment programme, at a conference in Saudi Arabia, the bank said. The programme […] February 18, 2025
Exclusive Sustainability Mashreq calls for state help to push green financing The UAE needs to introduce new incentives, subsidies and tax rebates to increase financing for sustainability projects in the country, a senior executive at Mashreq Bank has told AGBI. “We need the government to introduce incentives and subsidies to create the momentum, the tsunami of sustainable finance,” said Faisal Al Shimmari, Mashreq Bank’s head of […] February 10, 2025
Analysis Sustainability UAE companies have mixed success in cutting emissions While many of the UAE’s major corporations are making limited progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, analysis by AGBI reveals that Emsteel (formerly known as Emirates Steel Arkan) is the standout performer. The UAE, the second-largest Arab economy, is seeking to quantify and reduce its impact on the climate, and in November pledged to slash its scope 1 […] February 7, 2025
Analysis Sustainability UAE ramps up cloud seeding to combat water shortage The UAE is stepping up its use of cloud seeding as a cost-effective way to tackle its chronic water shortages. The technique, which the country first tried in the 1980s, involves shooting a salt flare into a cloud. The salt attracts water, the water drops collide with others and get bigger, and then fall as […] February 5, 2025
Analysis Renewable Energy Trump’s climate agenda ‘may push UAE investors away from US’ Masdar and the UAE’s other renewable energy companies may need to rethink their US investments now that President Donald Trump has pulled the plug on new offshore wind projects, industry watchers have warned. “We’re not going to do the wind thing. Big, ugly windmills. They ruin your neighbourhood,” Trump said on his return to the […] February 2, 2025
Opinion Trade Trade policy will be central to Trump’s second term Many of the US president’s fresh executive orders will have substantial ramifications, including in the Gulf January 28, 2025
Analysis Banking & Finance Middle East banks still keen on green despite pushback Green investments remain a trillion-dollar opportunity for Middle East investors, analysts say, despite global pushback among other banks. About $30 billion was withdrawn from climate-focused mutual funds last year as increased interest rates and scepticism over socially responsible investing or “greenwashing” generated strong headwinds. The situation will be exacerbated by President Donald Trump’s day-one executive […] January 22, 2025
Analysis Sustainability Companies scramble to meet UAE carbon emissions laws UAE companies have less than six months to comply with the country’s new emissions laws, but experts warn that some details are still unclear and a proposed carbon credit trading system may not meet its goals. The UAE introduced two pivotal pieces of environmental legislation last year. Cabinet Resolution No 67 on carbon credits came […] January 20, 2025
Analysis Sustainability Climate and cost: the Gulf’s water scarcity challenge Over the past 18 months, Saudi Arabia has set up a Global Water Organisation, established a stand-alone Saudi Water Authority and presided over the One Water Summit in Riyadh. At the summit on December 5, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for “collective action” to address water scarcity in the region and around the world. […] January 17, 2025
Renewable Energy Masdar views Middle East as biggest growth market UAE’s renewable energy company Masdar considers the Middle East its biggest market, even though its target is to grow globally, a senior executive has said. “The Middle East is the biggest market for us, we are a company from here, and this market is growing significantly,” Abdulaziz Alobaidli, chief executive officer of Masdar, told AGBI […] January 15, 2025
Economy Inflation, not war, is Gulf states’ top concern, says WEF Economic concerns such as inflation dominate risk perception for the coming year in the Gulf and across Mena, according to the World Economic Forum. Its survey of thousands of experts and business leaders, the Global Risks Report 2025, found that geopolitical conflict was the No 1 risk globally, selected by respondents as the “most likely […] January 15, 2025
Energy Turkey to invest $20bn to promote energy efficiency Turkey intends to invest more than $20 billion in energy efficiency projects by 2030 to combat climate change and boost sustainable development, according to a news report. The first national energy efficiency action plan attracted investments of $8.5 billion between 2017 and 2023, state-run Anadolu Agency reported, citing Bilal Düzgün, head of the ministry’s energy […] January 13, 2025
Sustainability New net zero centre to support Oman’s carbon neutrality A “net zero centre” has been established by Oman’s Ministry of Energy and Minerals to support the sultanate’s carbon neutrality efforts. The centre will develop strategies, monitor the implementation of net-zero projects and provide technical support to government and private sectors to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. The new centre “will play a […] January 8, 2025
Tech Saudi Aramco leads $30m investment in tech startup Wa’ed Ventures, the $500 million venture capital fund owned by Saudi Aramco, and Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo have invested in Zension Technologies, a consumer electronics startup. Wa’ed led the funding raise of $30 million, which also included Dubai-based Global Ventures. Based in Riyadh, Zension provides consumers with access to the latest tech devices. Instead of purchasing devices […] January 7, 2025
