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Drone delivery could help provide healthcare to more remote regions of the Gulf, backers of a pilot programme hope

Gulf could have drone healthcare delivery by 2026

Drone delivery technology transporting healthcare materials such as blood samples, vaccines and pharmaceuticals is likely to take to the skies across the Gulf within the next two years. A test programme between Siemens Healthineers and the German drone manufacturer Wingcopter in Kenya is due to come to a conclusion in the next two and a […]

People are still watching full-size TVs rather than streaming programmes on their phone

Saudi TV fights off the smartphone challenge

Smart television is holding up as the main platform for accessing sports, news and entertainment in Saudi Arabia, despite the boom in streaming services that can be watched on smartphones, a leading media researcher said this week.   “In the past decade there was a lot of transformation in Saudi. New devices, behaviours and trends,” said […]

Kaust hopes its new project will improve diabetes testing

Saudi university developing AI for early diabetes detection

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Kaust) said this week it is working with Saudi company AmplifAI Health to develop AI technology for use in the early detection of diabetes.  Saudi Arabia and the UAE in particular are investing in health technologies that can predict medical risk and help develop medicines, and the kingdom […]

Shakhbout Medical City reported a net profit of AED14.7 million in 2023

Pure Health buys Abu Dhabi hospital stake for $150m

A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s Pure Health Holding has agreed to acquire Mayo Clinic’s shares in Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City for $150 million. Under the agreement, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) will acquire 25,000 shares, or 25 percent, of the total issued shares of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Pure Health said in a statement […]

Global Fertility Partners will use the Dubai Investments funding to expand its network of fertility and women’s health centres

Dubai Investments buys stake in fertility company

Dubai Investments has acquired an equity stake of 34.3 percent in Global Fertility Partners, a network of fertility and reproductive genetics centres in the Middle East. GFP will get $60 million in equity financing to expand its network of fertility and women’s health centres across the Middle East and North Africa. Investors and family offices […]

These workers at a factory in Manama, Bahrain, could soon be enjoying a three-day weekend if the government goes ahead with proposed changes

Kuwait and Bahrain propose changes to working week

Lawmakers in Kuwait and Bahrain are pushing for major amendments to the working week, aiming to improve workers’ rights and boost the work-life balance in the two Gulf states. In Bahrain, the focus is on extending the weekend to three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  “There is an urgent need to keep pace with global […]

A WH Smith branch. Tihama operates the brand's shops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Tihama shareholders call for vote to oust board members

Shareholders in the troubled media conglomerate Tihama are calling for a vote to dismiss members of the board. The company, which operates WH Smith shops in Saudi Arabia, said in a filing to the Saudi Stock Exchange that it had received a letter from a group of shareholders who collectively own 10 percent of the […]

Emirates NBD will finance eligible SMEs at competitive rates, charging the Eibor with no additional margin

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 […]

Retired people in the UAE will be encouraged to use the skills developed across their careers to develop small businesses in Dubai

Dubai launches small business plan to support Emirati retirees 

Retired emiratis are being incentivised to run their own companies after the launch of the Dubai Retiree Projects Support programme this week. The scheme is part of the Dubai Social Agenda 33, which aims to create a more proactive social system. Benefits include priority for government contracts, financing of future projects, exemption from service fees […]

Saudi Arabia's new strategy fouses on sectors such as genomics to make the kingdom a regional biotech leader

Saudi biotech strategy aims to dominate regional industry

Saudi Arabia has launched a National Biotechnology Strategy with the aim of becoming the region’s biotech leader by 2030 and a global leader by 2040, contributing 3 percent, or SAR130 billion ($35 billion), to non-oil GDP.  The strategy was unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the aim of improving Saudi health standards, helping […]

The Future Investment Initiative Conference, run by the Saudi PIF. The FII invests in a range of sectors, including startups Video length: 05:04

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 […]

Under the UAE's demographic diversity rule, companies must diversify the range of nationalities in their workforce

UAE reverses stance on diversity rule for visas

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has reversed its stance on a demographic diversity rule, previously cited by companies as the cause for multiple work visa rejections based on nationality. The policy is still expected to be implemented at a later date. AGBI recently reported that businesses in the UAE were encountering difficulties […]

Wego co-founder and WegoPro CEO Prashant Kirtane and Wego co-founder and CEO Ross Veitch

Saudi will top Gulf business travel chart, says Wego boss

Business travel to and from Saudi Arabia is expected to surpass neighbouring UAE, according to the CEO and co-founder of online travel marketplace Wego. As of the start of this month, foreign companies hoping to gain access to billions of dollars worth of government contracts must have their regional headquarters in Riyadh. The regional HQ […]

Saudi Arabia's first alcohol shop will be located in the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh

Saudi to open alcohol store for non-Muslim diplomats

Saudi Arabia will open its first alcohol store in Riyadh that will be available exclusively to non-Muslim diplomats, according to several media reports. Customers will have to register through a mobile app, get a clearance code from the foreign ministry, and respect monthly purchase quotas, Reuters reported, citing a document. The foreign affairs ministry is […]

Ades Holding is expected to raise about $1.22bn from selling more than 338.72 million existing and new shares

Avalon Pharma’s market value at $437m on listing

Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries Company (Avalon Pharma) has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at the top of its range at SAR82 ($21.87), implying a market capitalisation of SAR1.64 billion ($437.33 million) on listing. The recorded orders during the institutional book-building stood at SAR68.27 billion, representing a coverage of 138.76 times. The retail […]

Medics monitor a hospital patient. Almost 33,000 surgeries and procedures were performed at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi in 2023

Healthy rise in medical tourism to Abu Dhabi clinic

The number of overseas patients travelling to the UAE for treatment at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi rose by 20 percent in 2023, the hospital’s CEO has said. Overseas visitors make up 1.5 percent of the patients treated each year at the Cleveland Clinic hospital on Al Maryah Island. Its CEO, Dr Jorge Guzman, told […]

Kuwait faced a shortage of 7.5% of medicines in 2022 and it is now trying to improve its domestic pharmaceutical sector

Kuwait’s pharmaceutical plan may need a shot in the arm

Kuwait will continue to lag behind its GCC neighbours in attracting investment into its pharmaceutical sector despite new government measures, say experts. The Ministry of Health announced plans last month to set up warehouses across health districts, adding new facilities to improve medication storage and delivery. It said it is also developing a guide for […]