Exclusive Tourism Will Abu Dhabi’s new tourism vision drive international influx? Saadiyat Island, the cultural centrepiece of Abu Dhabi’s tourism offering, has unveiled a new vision which seeks to attract 19 million visitors and contribute AED 4.2 billion ($1.1 billion) in direct revenue by 2025. The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and developer Miral unveiled the new strategy to support […] May 10, 2022
Banking & Finance Wio appoints execs to drive digital banking push Wio Bank, a new digital banking platform established in the UAE, today announced senior leadership appointments following its licence approval by the UAE Central Bank. Salem Al Nuaimi has been named chairman of the board and Jayesh Patel has been appointed as CEO. Wio is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi Holding Company (ADQ), Alpha Dhabi, […] May 10, 2022
Tech Make it happen: How to digitally transform your business Here is the first of our monthly guides to harnessing global trends with a razor-sharp regional focus May 10, 2022
Opinion Tech Will Dubai win the Web3 race? The co-founder of Tahseen Consulting, one of the MENA’s top tech policy firms, rates Dubai’s chances of becoming a hub for the decentralised web and crypto exchange May 10, 2022
Exclusive Interviews UK-Gulf deal will be ‘tough nut to crack,’ says top Johnson ally The co-chairman of the UAE-UK Business Council and former chief strategic adviser to Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the upcoming UK-Gulf trade agreements could be delayed but bilateral opportunities remain immense Lord Udny-Lister, co-chairman of the UAE-UK Business Council and one of Boris Johnson’s closest political allies, cuts a distinguished figure amid the sumptuous surroundings […] May 10, 2022
Retail Mashreq puts $10m into Cashew, buy now, pay later start-up United Arab Emirates buy now, pay later platform Cashew announced on Monday it had secured up to $10 million in debt and equity financing from local lender Mashreqbank PSC which would now help it expand faster. The deal is the latest investment in the Gulf’s growing buy now, pay later sector that has drawn interest […] May 9, 2022
EXCLUSIVE Banking & Finance Could crowdfunding seed the Gulf’s next Unicorn? Democratised funding is set to breed a new generation of innovative regional businesses, say experts Crowdfunding, the alternative funding concept, represents an exciting reality in the Gulf region following a flurry of regulatory reforms. This innovative practice of funding a venture by raising smaller amounts of money from a large number of people is a […] May 9, 2022
Exclusive Tech Revealed: top co-working spaces in the Gulf Demand for co-working spaces is on the rise in the Gulf as business communities evolve to support the shift towards knowledge-based economies and nurture a new generation of startups driving a different way of working. Spaces are opening up across the region to accommodate a different breed of worker that prioritises flexibility, low rates and […] May 9, 2022
EXCLUSIVE Tech Abu Dhabi is harvesting technology to drive a farming revolution The Gulf region has historically imported around 90 percent of its food requirements, constrained by arid soils, scarce water resources and searing temperatures. But concerns about the impact of climate change on food production, coupled with the recent coronavirus-induced global supply chain crisis, are forcing governments to rethink food security. Technology solutions Abu Dhabi has […] May 9, 2022
Exclusive $136m landmark offers tantalising glimpse of tomorrow’s world The world-first Museum of the Future has a mandate to power the UAE's pioneering goals for the next 50 years, says Dubai Future Foundation chief Majed Jakka Al Mansoori May 9, 2022
Insight The mind-blowing numbers behind the Museum of the Future The Museum of the Future is a “living museum” aiming to contribute to a deep intellectual movement, connecting thinkers and experts and acting as a test bed to create innovative solutions for global challenges. Rising 77 metres above the ground the structure was built using robotic technology and with an emphasis on sustainability. The façade […] May 9, 2022
Opinion Old friends, new vision: the Gulf and UK are shaping the future The Gulf's ambition, energy and skill coupled with Britain's heritage in innovation creates a formidable partnership that promises exceptional opportunities May 9, 2022
Cisco unveils technology to predict network issues Cisco Systems Inc on Wednesday unveiled a technology that it says can predict issues on enterprise networks before they happen to help prevent problems and increase reliability. The predictive software engine will gather data from various sources within a company’s network, learn the patterns and help engineers find hardware issues, bandwidth spikes and app configuration […] May 4, 2022
Binance registers with France crypto regulator, advances European plans Cryptocurrency exchange Binance has registered with France’s market regulator, Chief Executive Officer Changpeng Zhao said in a tweet, advancing the company’s plan to make Paris its European base. “It’s a real stamp of quality,” said Binance France’s General Manager David Prinçay, referring to the registration with the regulator, AMF. “The perception is changing. It allows […] May 3, 2022
Microsoft partners with Epic Games to bring ‘Fortnite’ to Xbox Cloud Gaming Microsoft Corp is partnering with Epic Games to make “Fortnite” available with Xbox Cloud Gaming, Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said in a tweet on Thursday. The software behemoth has been looking to bolster its firepower in the booming videogaming market and earlier this year unveiled a $68.7 billion takeover of “Call of Duty” maker […] May 3, 2022
Facebook-owner opens access to AI large language model Facebook-owner Meta Platforms Inc is opening up access to a large language model for artificial intelligence research, the social media company said on Tuesday. Meta said its model was the first 175-billion-parameter language model to be made available to the broader AI research community. “Large language models” are natural language processing systems which are trained […] May 3, 2022
Analysis Tech Musk’s Twitter free speech promise may be tested in Middle East In a region where the local media is often controlled by the state, millions of people rely on social media platforms to follow news and express their opinions. Both Twitter and Facebook showed their potential to influence real-life events during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, when they played an outsize role in social upheaval. But […] May 3, 2022
Shopify’s revenue growth slowest in seven years, shares plunge Canada’s Shopify Inc reported its slowest quarterly revenue growth since going public in 2015 and delivered a big miss on profit, sending the company’s U.S.-listed shares tumbling 17 percent on Thursday. Easing global e-commerce growth from the frenetic pace seen during the peak of the pandemic has hit Shopify, which provides merchants tools and service […] May 2, 2022
Google gives $100,000 worth of tech training to every US business Alphabet Inc’s Google will provide any US business over $100,000 worth ofonline courses in data analytics, design and other tech skills for their workers free of charge, the search company said on Monday. The offer marks a big expansion of Google’s Career Certificates, a program the company launched in 2018 to help people globally boost […] May 2, 2022
Health Betting big on drug discovery, UK’s OMass Therapeutics raises $100m Betting on a fresh formula for the arduous, expensive and failure-prone field of drug discovery, UK-based OMass Therapeutics on Thursday said it has raised $100million in series B funding. Including the latest injection – led by a pack of prominent new investors including the Google Ventures and Sanofi Ventures as well as existing investors such […] May 2, 2022
