Health ADIO expands US office in health sector push The state-backed Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), which aims to attract inward investment into the UAE capital, is expanding its US operations to secure new funds for the local health sector. The expansion of the San Francisco office will support Abu Dhabi’s clinical validation and regulatory advancement in the healthcare and other priority sectors, state-run […] May 9, 2025
Finance US moves to fast-track deals with Middle East nations The US is setting up a fast-track process to ease greater investment from the Middle East ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf next week. Trump is slated to visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar from May 13-16. The fast-track process includes launching a portal to collect information from foreign investors before […] May 9, 2025
Analysis Banking and Finance US treasuries: why it’s buy, buy, buy for the UAE as Saudi sells Saudi Arabia and the UAE are following divergent investment strategies around US government bonds, which have long been a safe haven for sovereign and institutional investors worldwide. The two countries are among the world’s top 20 biggest holders of the bonds, with a combined value of almost $250 billion. The UAE acquired almost $43 billion […] May 9, 2025
Editor's Insight Economy Taking on the almighty dollar There is much to discuss during President Trump’s visit to Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia next week. Oil and gas, investment into the US and tariffs, technology transfers and nuclear power, weapons sales and security guarantees, Yemen and Iran are all likely to feature. By way of welcome, Qatar has said that it will buy a fleet of […] May 8, 2025
Opinion Markets GCC investors need a multi-currency mindset to survive Investors are scrambling to reduce exposure to erratic US policies May 8, 2025
Oil & Gas Oil profit fall at Oman’s OQ suggests bigger decline in Q2 Oman’s state-owned energy group OQ, which produces about a quarter of the country’s oil, reported a decline in first-quarter profit on the back of a fall in the price of crude. Net profit in the three months to March 31 fell 9 percent to $194 million over the same period last year, the company said […] May 8, 2025
Trade US might ease chip export curbs on some Gulf nations President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will soon have an announcement on whether the US will ease microchip export restrictions to some Gulf countries. “We might be doing that, yeah,” Trump said. “And it will be announced soon.” Trump is preparing for his first major diplomatic trip next week that includes a three-country Middle […] May 8, 2025
Opinion Banking and Finance From ice baths to yacht parties, crypto bros descend on Dubai The first Token2049 of the year drew a record 15,000 attendees to Madinat Jumeirah May 7, 2025
Analysis Trade Gulf funds weigh risk and reward in Trump’s new trade world order Gulf sovereign wealth funds, including Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and Saudi Arabia’s Neom Investment Fund, see both risk and opportunity in the heightened global trade tensions linked to US tariffs. “We know what an economic recession looks like – here we’re dealing with something slightly different,” said Oscar Fahlgren, chief investment officer at Mubadala’s alternative asset […] May 7, 2025
Analysis Economy Saudi Arabia to ‘roll with the punches’ on oil price Saudi Arabia may have to tighten its reins on spending on the back of a decline in international oil prices, analysts have said. The country’s first-quarter budget deficit of SAR59 billion ($16 billion), reported this week, was the biggest in three years. “A deficit was broadly expected, says Monica Malik, chief economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial […] May 7, 2025
Aviation Qatar Airways lines up Boeing order for Trump visit Qatar Airways is reportedly preparing to order about 100 wide-body aircraft from US manufacturer Boeing during President Donald Trump‘s visit to the Gulf. The state-backed airline is looking to include an option for an additional 100 planes in the deal, Bloomberg reported, without identifying its sources. Corporate deals announced during the visit on May 13-16 […] May 7, 2025
Analysis Economy Jordan caught under Trump tariffs’ sword of Damocles The Middle East and North Africa is expected largely to avoid the direct impact of President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, with the possible exception of Jordan. The spectre of a 20 percent US tariff taking effect in July is “difficult to ignore,” according to Racha Helwa, a senior economist and director of the empowerME Initiative […] May 5, 2025
Markets PIF’s US portfolio weathers ‘Liberation Day’ storm It has been a month since President Trump’s “Liberation Day” and a near tripling in US tariffs on imports to their highest in more than a century, after which global financial markets plunged. Overall, however, Saudi Arabia’s $940 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) has not come out of it too badly. So far, anyway. On […] May 2, 2025
Gaming New Jersey and UAE gaming regulators sign agreement The US state of New Jersey, home to Atlantic City’s casino resorts, signed a landmark agreement this week with the UAE’s gaming regulator. The agreement comes as MGM Resorts International, a major Las Vegas casino operator, held meetings about its upcoming projects in the emirates. The memorandum of understanding was signed in Abu Dhabi on […] May 2, 2025
Artificial Intelligence US considers easing of chip export restrictions on UAE The US is considering easing restrictions on the export of high-end semiconductors to the UAE, Bloomberg reported. President Donald Trump could announce the start of work on a bilateral chip deal during his upcoming trip to the Gulf, the news service said, without identifying sources. Nothing has yet been decided but the talks are picking up […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Tech AI will be front and centre during Trump’s Gulf trip Artificial intelligence is expected to be top of the agenda during US president Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in mid-May, with officials from all sides eager to announce fresh partnerships. Discussions are likely to focus on securing more GCC investments into US technology and expanding Gulf states’ access […] May 2, 2025
Finance Abu Dhabi’s MGX to use Trump stablecoin for Binance deal A stablecoin linked with President Donald Trump will be used by Abu Dhabi’s MGX as part of the technology company’s $2 billion investment in Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, it was announced on Thursday. MGX announced a minority investment in Binance in March. Zach Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency holding company […] May 1, 2025
Banking and Finance Bank of New York gets licence for Saudi regional HQ Bank of New York Mellon has received a licence to set up a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, it said on Thursday, joining others lured by incentives as the kingdom seeks to boost its appeal as a financial hub. Riyadh has been looking to attract more companies to set up their regional headquarters in the kingdom […] May 1, 2025
Banking and Finance PIF raises $1.25bn from year’s second debt sale Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has sold $1.25 billion in 7-year sukuk, tapping the bond market for the second time this year. The sovereign wealth fund was able to lower the price guidance to 110 basis points (bps) over US Treasuries from 140 bps over the same benchmark released earlier in the day after […] May 1, 2025
Development Jordan wins exemption from Trump’s freeze on US aid Millions of dollars in US grants for Jordan’s largest water desalination project dried up when President Donald Trump announced sweeping cuts to foreign aid in January. Within two months, support was flowing again – a result of diplomacy that has arguably put the Middle Eastern state on a more solid financial footing than before January, […] April 30, 2025
Economy Eric Trump: the Gulf is dependent on a strong America The Gulf region is dependent on a strong United States and wants security so local economies can flourish, the US president’s son Eric Trump said in an interview with Reuters. In Dubai as an executive of the president’s family business, the Trump Organization – which launched a new tower in the city in partnership with […] April 30, 2025
Trade Ahead of Trump visit, New Jersey courts Gulf investment New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is leading a mission to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain as US states compete for a share of more than $2 trillion of investment and trade which Gulf Arab countries have pledged to the US over the next decade. The trip, which ends on Saturday, comes just two weeks […] April 30, 2025