Zuckerberg developed a friendship with White because of his interest in recreational mixed martial arts; Investors John Elkann and Charlie Songhurst also elected
Industries
Almosafer
Saudi Arabia witnesses domestic tourism boom as bookings surge 44%; budget travel thriving
Domestic tourism in Saudi Arabia is thriving as destinations including Abha, Al Jubail, Jizan, Tabuk and Hail gain popularity
music in saudi arabia
Inside Saudi Arabia’s plan to use music to transform the kingdom’s culture and economy
Inspiring new initiatives will offer the Saudi population the chance to learn music and play a part in the Kingdom’s growing music economy
doha airport
Qatar’s Hamad International Airport welcomed 52.7m passengers in 2024
Hamad International Airport in Qatar saw passenger statistics overtake levels seen during FIFA World Cup 2022
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia to host Royal Rumble in 2026
Saudi Arabia will host the first WWE Royal Rumble wrestling event held outside North America in 2026
Dubai
‘You are your own boss’: How to become a super-prime realtor like Netflix’s Daniel Daggers
The star of Netflix’s Buying London advised Dubai realtors to “nurture relationships” in a digital-age
Bitcoin mining
Phoenix Group launches 50MW crypto mining facility in the US
The North Dakota facility was built in a record time of less than 5 months and will add 2.7 exahashes to the company’s global hash rate
Saudi Arabia
Saudi retailer Cenomi fined by CMA for non-disclosure of financials
The franchise retailer has presence in more than 1,650 stores across 100 shopping malls in 11 markets
Adani Enterprises
Controversy-ridden Adani Group to make foray into petrochemical sector; partners with Thailand-based Indorama
Adani Petrochemicals and Indorama will hold a 50% stake each in the joint venture
Beyond ONE
Virgin Mobile rolls out unique ‘Switch Postpaid’ plans in Saudi Arabia
The plan allows customers to pay only for the data they consume
Branded residences
Dubai real estate: AMIS Development completes enabling works for $115mn luxury project
The AED 425 million Dubai development, which launched in January 2024, sold out within a week
Abu Dhabi hotels
Coldplay in Abu Dhabi: Hotel room rates soar 300% as international fans rush to UAE, industry experts say
A lineup of additional concerts is further attracting fans and tourists from the region and neighbouring countries, further boosting the travel and hospitality demand both in Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Azizi Developments
Dubai real estate: Azizi Developments recorded $2.7bn in sales last year, 6,979 units to complete in 2025
Azizi Developments sees spike in sales in Dubai in 2024 and expects to complete 25 projects in 2025
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi launches registration authority to boost business sector, plans new licences
Abu Dhabi introduces registration and licensing authority to regulate business sector in the emirate
Dubai universities
KHDA announces new Dubai scholarship rules and simplified university accreditation
KHDA teams up with Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to support scholarship students and university accreditation
Saudi ministry of commerce
Saudi Arabia sees 67% spike in commercial registrations
Saudi Arabia has more than 1.6m commercial registrations
Burj Khalifa
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa is towering real estate success with $2.4bn in home sales and 76% of units valued at over $1m
The Burj Khalifa in Downtown Dubai is the most valuable single building in the city in terms of real estate sales