Author: Arabian Media staff
Image credit: Getty Images Saudi Arabia is heading into 2026 with a confident, increasingly mature labour market shaped by economic stability, national transformation projects, and a strengthened supply of technical and professional talent. Across industries, from manufacturing and digital technology to HR, finance, and project management, organisations are planning for continued expansion but with more strategic discipline in how they allocate compensation budgets and recruit for high-demand roles. Employers across the kingdom report sustained optimism supported by the IMF’s real GDP projections of around 4 per cent growth for both 2025 and 2026. Even as some regional markets recalibrated due…
Images: Getty Images Gulf central banks cut key interest rates by 25 basis points on Wednesday, mirroring a move by the US Federal Reserve to reduce rates by a quarter of a percentage point in another divided vote. The Fed signalled it will likely pause further reductions in borrowing costs with new projections indicating the median policymaker view of just one quarter-percentage-point cut in 2026, the same outlook as in September. The oil and gas exporters of the Gulf Cooperation Council generally follow the Fed’s lead on interest rate moves as most regional currencies are pegged to the dollar. Only the Kuwaiti dinar is…
Image credit: Getty Images Cryptocurrencies tumbled on Thursday, December 11 and bitcoin fell back below the $90,000 threshold in a renewed signal of market jitters as fresh concerns about artificial intelligence profits weighed on technology stocks. Risk sentiment turned sour after US cloud firm Oracle’s profit and revenue outlook missed forecasts and executives flagged higher spending – a sign AI infrastructure outlays are not turning profits as quickly as investors had hoped. Read more-Experts outline next phase of digital finance at Bitcoin MENA Bitcoin was last down 2.5 per cent at $90,056.24, while ether tumbled 4.3 per cent to $3,196.62,…
Image credit: WAM/Website The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) in UAE has launched an upgraded version of the Wage Protection System (WPS), developed in collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE and Al Etihad Payments, the national payments service provider owned by the Central Bank. The update is being implemented alongside several MoHRE-accredited financial institutions through their respective digital platforms, marking a significant step forward in the UAE’s ongoing push for smarter, more transparent labour market processes. Read more-Top jobs, bigger paychecks: UAE salary rise 2026 forecast revealed The enhanced system was rolled out under the ministry’s…
The region’s business landscape is being reshaped by a new kind of influence, one driven not only by boardroom decisions, market performance or company scale, but by the ability to build communities, spark conversations and move audiences at speed. In an era where social reach can amplify strategic vision, the region’s most dynamic founders, executives and creators now operate at the intersection of business leadership and digital impact. In this special feature, Gulf Business spotlights a selection of the UAE’s most recognisable business voices, individuals who command sizeable followings, shape public perception and increasingly drive regional dialogue across sectors such…
Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes Abu Dhabi has launched a new fintech, insurance, digital and alternative assets cluster, known as FIDA, aiming to accelerate the development of next-generation financial and investment solutions and strengthen the emirate’s position as a global capital hub. The initiative, led by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), is part of the emirate’s long-term diversification strategy. By 2045, officials project FIDA will add $15.2bn to direct GDP, create 8,000 skilled jobs and attract at least $4.6bn in investment. Key highlights of FIDA FIDA combines high-growth areas…
Image: Supplied The Bitcoin MENA conference closed in Abu Dhabi on December 9 after two days of panels and debates involving 234 local and international speakers, with industry leaders using the event to map out how digital assets, institutional adoption and regulatory clarity are reshaping global finance. The event was co-organised by ADNEC Group and BTC. The headline keynote came from Michael Saylor, executive chairman and co-founder of Strategy, who capped his Middle East tour with a detailed pitch on Bitcoin’s role as “digital capital”. In a session titled Digital Capital, Credit, Money, and Banking, Saylor said Bitcoin’s position as…
Image: WAM/ For illustrative purposes Across the Middle East, rapid population growth, economic diversification and the rise of data-intensive technologies are combining to drive electricity demand higher than ever before. Meeting this demand can no longer rely on simply building more power plants. Instead, the region must develop integrated energy ecosystems – an essential step toward ensuring energy security and realising regional ambitions and the net-zero transition. Success will hinge on governments, developers and financiers working in sync – aligning infrastructure, policy and capital to deliver scalable, resilient and commercially viable power systems. The demand shift With hyperscale data centres,…
Image: Supplied Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) gathered more than 1,200 industry stakeholders on 9 December for its second and final City Briefing of 2025, outlining progress across the tourism economy and plans to support another year of growth. The event, held at Global Village courtesy of Dubai Holding Entertainment, brought together players from hospitality, aviation, retail and F&B, along with government representatives and media. DET used the session to underline the importance of public and private sector coordination in meeting the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda, D33. In the presence of Helal Saeed Almarri, DG of…
Image credit: Getty Images An Air India investigation into why one of its Airbus planes conducted eight commercial flights without an airworthiness permit found “systemic failures”, with the airline admitting it needed to do better on compliance, a company document showed. An Airbus A320 flew passengers between New Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad on November 24 to 25 without the mandatory Airworthiness Review Certificate, or ARC, a key permit issued annually by the regulator after a plane passes safety and compliance checks, according to the document. Air India found engineers and pilots had failed to check the aircraft’s documents and…