People & Lifestyle Gulf’s art race heats up as Art Basel lands in Doha For months speculation has been swirling as to where Art Basel, the world’s largest organiser of art fairs, would pick as its next new international location for its fairs. After starting in the Swiss border town of Basel of 1970, and then expanding to Miami, Hong Kong and Paris, the oil producing Gulf was seen […] May 23, 2025
Infrastructure Syria says foreign partners vital to modernise telecoms International partners will be vital to bringing Syria’s telecom infrastructure up to date after 14 years of civil war, according to the country’s interim minister for communication and information technology. “In wanting our people to actually make that leap in technology, in enabling them through technology and giving them the services they deserve through technology, […] May 23, 2025
Banking and Finance Turkish bond attracts keen interest despite concerns Ankara’s second issue this year of dollar denominated eurobonds was heavily oversubscribed, attracting domestic and international investors, according to the Turkish ministry of treasury and finance. When the $2 billion bond, with a seven-year maturity, was issued on Wednesday the order book was oversubscribed two and a half times, with buyers drawn by the 7.25 […] May 23, 2025
Analysis Petrochemicals Adnoc bets big on petrochems as sector struggles Abu Dhabi National Co.’s (Adnoc) multibillion-dollar bet to expand its petrochemical capabilities comes at a fraught time for the sector. The numbers may not immediately add up in terms of return on investment but the focus should boost the company’s global reach and technological capabilities, analysts say. “Abu Dhabi is trying to create a global […] May 22, 2025
Aviation Ex-Etihad CEO James Hogan takes stake in UK’s Global Airlines James Hogan, the former Etihad Airways chief executive who was at the helm during the airline’s loss-making expansion, is set to become a shareholder in the UK’s Global Airlines, a startup attempting to bring the Airbus A380 back into commercial service. Hogan’s advisory firm, Knighthood Global, will take a stake in Global Airlines and advise […] May 20, 2025
Finance PIF set to double European investments with Paris office Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is to open its first subsidiary company office in France as it targets doubling its investment in Europe by 2030. The new office underscores the fund’s aim to foster close collaboration with local partners, top companies and institutional investors in Europe, the fund said in a statement. French President […] May 20, 2025
Finance Jordan gets $2bn to support national projects Jordan has secured more than $2 billion in grants and concessional loans to build a series of development projects, according to local media. The agreements were signed last month with the World Bank, Germany’s KfW Development Bank, the Netherlands embassy and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Jordan Times newspaper reported, quoting […] May 19, 2025
Opinion Finance How the UAE can build the world’s most modern pension system Reforms offer portability, tech integration and equity for expatriates May 19, 2025
Analysis Finance Qatar’s $526bn wealth fund bets big on technology Qatar Airways captured the headlines this week with its near $100 billion order for Boeing aircraft during US President Donald Trump’s Gulf visit. But behind the scenes the country’s $526 billion sovereign Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is making investments that could prove to be of greater strategic importance to the country, with an increasing focus […] May 19, 2025
Energy Masdar in talks to develop energy storage in Italy Italy’s Enel and Abu Dhabi’s Masdar have begun talks over jointly developing energy storage capacity in Italy, Flavio Cattaneo, the CEO of Italy’s biggest utility, said on Friday. The companies already have a partnership for a portfolio of renewable energy assets in Spain and are exploring options to extend their alliance to more countries, Cattaneo […] May 19, 2025
Renewable Energy OQGN to develop local hydrogen transport network State-owned OQ Gas Networks (OQGN), the pipeline subsidiary of Oman energy major OQ, and Belgium’s energy infrastructure group Fluxys will jointly develop the infrastructure for hydrogen transportation across the sultanate. As part of the contract the two companies will hold a minority stake in the hydrogen network, the state-run Oman News Agency reported. No details […] May 19, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Italy and UAE announce deal on AI centre Italy and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to develop an artificial intelligence centre in Italy, industry minister Adolfo Urso said on Friday. Abu Dhabi-based AI group G42 has entered into a partnership with Italian company iGenius to build “the largest AI computing infrastructure in Europe”, Urso’s ministry said in a statement. G42 will be […] May 16, 2025
Energy Adnoc seeks EU approval for Covestro deal Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc on Thursday sought EU approval under the bloc’s foreign subsidies rules for its €14.7 billion ($16.4 billion) acquisition of German chemicals company Covestro, according to a filing on the European Commission site. Adnoc, which last week won the green light under EU merger rules for the deal, is making its biggest […] May 16, 2025
Opinion Economy Gulf investors may gain from UK pound recovery Shifts in currency position the pound to benefit from US dollar index falls May 15, 2025
Trade Egypt and Russia increase trade after record 2024 Trade between Russia and Egypt rose sharply in the first two months of 2025 after setting a new record in 2024. “Last year bilateral trade turnover increased by more than 30 percent, reaching $9 billion,” state-run TASS news agency reported quoting Russian president Vladimir Putin speaking at a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. […] May 12, 2025
Petrochemicals Adnoc expects EU approval for Covestro deal Abu Dhabi state oil major Adnoc is set to secure unconditional European Union (EU) antitrust approval for its €14.7 billion ($16.6 billion) takeover of German chemicals company Covestro, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The deal, Adnoc’s biggest ever, underscores Middle East countries’ plans to diversify their investments and reduce dependence on oil amid the global transition […] May 7, 2025
Renewable Energy Iraq to use solar to power presidential palace Iraq will install solar panels at the presidential palace in Baghdad as the first stage in a plan to switch nearly 6,000 public buildings to renewable power, according to officials. The project is intended to ease reliance on conventional electricity, protect the environment and tackle a power supply gap caused by gas shortages and the […] May 5, 2025
Renewable Energy Masdar delists Terna Energy to spur European expansion Abu Dhabi’s Masdar said its Greek clean energy subsidiary Terna Energy has been delisted from the Athens stock exchange. The UAE renewables major completed the acquisition of 100 percent of Terna Energy last month to accelerate renewable energy growth in southeastern and central Europe, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. Sultan Al Jaber, chairman of […] May 5, 2025
Tax Tax incentives for Morocco stadium construction bids Morocco is offering tax incentives of up to 30 percent, as it looks to attract private sector partners for large scale projects such as the infrastructure needed ahead of its co-hosting of the World Cup in 2030. “Morocco offers incentives that can reach up to 30 percent of the total investment amount,” Karim Zidane, Morocco’s […] May 5, 2025
Oil & Gas Oman launches LNG project for clean marine fuel Oman has begun construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the northern port of Sohar, which its sponsors say is one of the lowest emission plants in the world. TotalEnergies of France holds an 80 percent stake in the $1.6 billion Marsa scheme while OQ Exploration & Production has the remaining 20 percent, […] May 2, 2025
Aviation Emirates signs agreement with Greek air carrier Aegean Greece has signed an outline deal with Dubai’s Emirates that includes a codeshare agreement with Greek air carrier Aegean, the country’s Tourism Ministry said on Friday, as it seeks to attract more tourists all year round. The codeshare agreement will expand travellers’ access to popular destinations, including the islands of Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes, the […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Trade UK urged to seek standalone trade deals with Gulf states Trade experts, including a former UK government senior advisor, are questioning why talks between the UK and GCC to secure a free trade agreement are taking so long. Many recommend that London pursue bilateral deals with Gulf countries if and when a wider GCC deal is signed. “[The negotiations] have been going on for yonks […] May 2, 2025
