IHC launches RIQ, a next-gen AI-driven reinsurance platform based in Abu Dhabi’s ADGM, backed by $1bn and supported by BlackRock and Lunate
Author Archives: Staff Writer
National Center of Meteorology (NCM)
UAE temperature passes 50 degrees ahead of sizzling summer
UAE weather authority records temperatures of more than 50 degrees as scorching summer approaches
Air Arabia
UAE airlines cancel flights: Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia announce suspensions amid rising tensions
Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia announce some suspended flights to and from UAE
Auction
UAE to host largest ever live car auction with 400 vehicles going under the hammer
Marhaba Auctions will hold the UAE’s largest-ever live car auction in Sharjah, featuring 400 cars, no reserve prices and major prizes for buyers
AI
UAE’s G42 launches Europe and UK HQ in London to power AI growth
G42 expands into Europe with new UK HQ in London, bringing AI solutions to key industries
Dubai Safari
Dubai Safari Park reports roaring success as visitor numbers up 16%
Dubai Safari Park ends its most successful season with record attendance, rare animal births and major conservation breakthroughs
AMWAJ Development
Dubai real estate: AMWAJ Development announces construction milestones with Starlight Park top-up; The Cube Residences groundbreaking
AMWAJ Development has invested over AED500 million in the past two years and targets AED1 billion investment by 2026
Egypt
Egypt signs mid-term deals with Aramco and other companies for LNG
The country will spend close to $8 billion to meet power demand in the country as citizens and industries suffer from outages
FIFA
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Arab football is on the rise
Arab representation reaches new heights at FIFA Club World Cup 2025
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi passenger eVTOL aircraft test flight lifts off in public demonstation
The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), supported by the Smart and Autonomous Systems Council (SASC), collaborated with EHang and Multi Level Group (MLG) to conduct the demonstration flight
Canada
Saudi Crown Prince declines invitation to attend G7 summit meeting
A senior diplomat tells Reuters no reasons were given for MBS’ decision; He did not attend the Summit in Italy last year as well
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group and Bahrain’s ASRY sign three LoIs
This includes an agreement with India-based JM Baxi to create a green ship recycling facilities by repurposing parts and minimising waste
Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport
Abu Dhabi announces major new real estate laws
Abu Dhabi updates real estate laws to boost investor protection, empower developers, and streamline dispute resolution
Brand View
Vision, value, and a $7bn bet: Power International’s Chairman on rebuiling nations and shaping the future
Moataz Al Khayat, Chairman of Power International Holding (PIH), reveals his investment vision to Arabian Business
Emiratisation
UAE gives firms until July 1 to hire Emiratis or face fines
Emiratisation targets mean private sector firms must employ UAE citizens before end of this month
border regulations
Saudi border guards seize 2.7m amphetamine tablets, 180 tons of khat and 4 tons of hashish in major anti-smuggling busts; 2,411 arrests made
Saudi Border Guard seizes 2.7 million amphetamine tablets, 4 tons of hashish, and 180 tons of khat in nationwide anti-smuggling raids
Dubai Metro
Dubai Metro deploys AI-powered robot to slash inspection time by 75 per cent and boost safety
How Dubai Metro is using AI-powered robots to improve safety and operations
airport baggage
Middle East airports outperform as airlines face $5bn baggage challenge
Airlines lost $5bn to mishandled baggage in 2024, but the Middle East reported one of the world’s lowest rates, thanks to smart tech, automation, and real-time tracking
Aviation
Etihad growth continues with 19% passenger uplift to 1.7m in May
Etihad Airways carried 8.4m passengers in the first five months of 2025
Qatar
Qatar tax authority extends fine waiver until August 31
Qatar’s General Tax Authority extends its 100 per cent Financial Penalty Exemption Initiative
Abu Dhabi
UAE leading pet retailer The Petshop launches 1-hour delivery service in Dubai, Abu Dhabi
The Petshop positions itself as the region’s only omnichannel pet care brand, providing retail, B2B, online, and service-based solutions under one roof
Department of Economy and Tourism
Dubai welcomes 7.15m visitors in first 4 months of 2025 as tourism sector powers ahead
Dubai welcomed 7.15 million visitors in the first four months of 2025, as revealed at the DET City Briefing. Key tourism updates include record growth, new campaigns, Dubai Summer Surprises, and the expanded MICHELIN Guide
Dubai
Dubai real estate: Property sales jump 15% in May 2025 as market value hits $14.8bn
The market performance has been driven by investor confidence, end-user demand, and interest in both off-plan and ready properties in Dubai
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi hotels generate $166m in March 2025
Abu Dhabi’s hotel sector earned $166m in March 2025, driven by rising international arrivals and strong occupancy
Brand View
UAE-based Yango Group to open flagship data centre hub in Serbia to boost its global infrastructure
The decision is part of a broader strategy to ensure more reliable, consistent service delivery across global markets
Armenia
Armenia announces visa-free travel for citizens and residents of UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain
Armenia welcomes tourism and business with visa-free travel for UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain
Artificial intelligence
OpenAI in discussions with UAE’s MGX, Saudi’s PIF for its $40bn funding
Founder Sam Altman has also approached Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, reports The Information
Artificial intelligence
Abu Dhabi’s Khazna to build Blackwell-ready data halls for NVIDIA across MEA
Khazna’s upcoming projects to feature NVIDIA-ready blueprints, ensuring full compatibility with the latest GPU-accelerated workloads
Air India flight to London crashes near Ahmedabad airport with over 200 on board
The Air India aircraft issued a “Mayday” distress call shortly after take-off, after which communication was lost
AI adoption
EasyLease to partner BigBear.ai and Vigilix for applied AI solutions
Partnership combines global AI expertise and regional insight, and aims to advance AI Solutions and R&D in the UAE and the region
Expo City Dubai
FUJIFILM opens new Dubai office, technology centre at Expo City
The Japanese firm announced the move on June 11, 2025, establishing the FUJIFILM Technology Center (FTC) to support training for employees, business partners, and end-users across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia
DHL
DHL plans $575mn investment in Middle East, the ‘hub of global trade’
Strategic focus will be on Saudi Arabia and the UAE; Investment will be made across all four divisions of the company
Brand View
Abu Dhabi to host inaugural infrastructure summit in June 2025
The event is scheduled to take place on June 17-18 2025 at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre
Dubai
Emaar gets a credit rating boost after upgrade from both S&P and Moody’s
S&P Global Ratings upgrades Emaar to BBB+ with Stable Outlook; Moody’s upgrades its rating to Baa1 with Stable Outlook
Sheikh Hamdan
Sheikh Hamdan meets UAE space sector startups as country emerges as out-of-this-world hub
UAE startups play crucial role in developing space sector
Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry
UAE franchise sector generates $27.2bn revenue a year
Emirates Franchise Association leads event spotlighting franchising as key driver of entrepreneurship and sustainable economic growth in the UAE
Dubai International Airport
Eid Al Adha in Dubai saw 630,000 travellers pass through ports
Dubai International Airport and Hatta busiest borders during Eid Al Adha
Dubai real estate
Dubai tokenised real estate project sold out in less than 2 minutes on PRYPCO Mint platform
149 investors from 35 nationalities take partial ownership of Dubai real estate project as demand for digital property assets soars
Sharjah real estate
Sharjah real estate market hits $1.5bn in transactions in May
Over 13.2m sq ft traded across 8,415 deals as Sharjah property sector continues strategic growth
3D print
Qatar launches world’s largest 3D-printed construction project with new schools
UCC Holding and Ashghal begin 3D-printing new schools in Qatar
Sharjah Islamic Bank
Sharjah Islamic Bank strengthens capital with new Sukuk
This most recent transaction marks the fifth listing by the Bank on Nasdaq Dubai, raising its total listed value on the exchange to AED9.1 billion ($2.5 billion)
Freezone
World’s first machine economy freezone to launch in UAE
Pulsar Group and peaq unveil global first in UAE, setting the stage for decentralised, AI-powered smart cities
Aviation
Emirates, Bahamasair partner to launch Caribbean connectivity via Florida gateways
Emirates’ customers will enjoy baggage allowance when flying on Bahamasair to the three destinations
Dubai
Emirates Airline launches free shuttle service for economy flyers
Dubai-based Emirates will also offer a complimentary coach service for Economy Class passengers
Abu Dhabi
Etihad Airways expands Karachi flight routes
The UAE carrier will provide 28 weekly services on the Abu Dhabi-Karachi route, with tickets now available for purchase
blue-collar workers
Expo City Dubai launches new Terrazo Food Rescue programme for blue-collar workers
Restaurants participate by setting aside high-quality surplus food daily, Mai Shalaby, Senior Manager – Sustainability at Expo City Dubai told Arabian Business
bank account
Mashreq launches new saver account offering 6.25% interest and $1,360 cashback
Mashreq launches digital savings account with significant returns
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah
Saudi Arabia Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announces start of new Umrah season
The kingdom has announced the beginning of 2025 Umrah season with enhanced digital services
Kuwait
Kuwait announces mandatory exit permits for expats from July 1
New Kuwait expat rules require workers to submit exit requests to employers
Dubai
Dubai real estate: Property market shows strength as stock index hits 17-year high
“Dubai is currently considered one of the hottest residential real estate markets in the world,” the report said
Dubai
Dubai real estate: H&H launches Eden House Za’abeel residential development in DIFC
The development represents the expansion of the company’s Eden House brand portfolio within Dubai’s property market
Aviation
Trump’s Middle East visit brings an order windfall for Boeing in May
With orders for 303 aircraft, it was the best month since December 2023; It includes a 160-aircraft order from Qatar Airways and 28 from Etihad
AI adoption
UAE leads Arab world in AI learning surge, says new Coursera report
The UAE now ranks first in the Arab world for AI readiness and digital proficiency,underscoring its strategic push toward a knowledge-based, future-ready economy, the report said
Dubai real estate market
Emaar Properties launches digital resale platform VYOM
The digital solution allows customers to create listings, upload property images, and manage inquiries without any intermediaries