Author: Arabian Media staff

Utility companies provide natural gas, electricity, water, sewage, and other necessities for both residential and commercial properties. While many companies in the utilities sector make a profit, they are typically heavily regulated by public authorities. Utility companies range from large businesses that provide a spectrum of services to specialized, niche companies focusing on wind energy and other specific services. The list below represents the 10 biggest utility companies in the world, ranked by market capitalization. The market cap information is as of June 28, 2025. Key Takeaways Utility companies provide natural gas, electricity, water, sewage, and other necessities for both…

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for freeYour guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the worldLast week was a particularly testing one for Jay Powell. Donald Trump resumed his criticism of the US Federal Reserve chair for not cutting interest rates faster by describing him as a “stupid person”. On Wednesday, US media reported that the president might nominate a new chair well before Powell’s term expires in May 2026. The White House later said no announcements were “imminent”, helping to quash a sell-off in the dollar. The rumours around his job rounded off a…

Among the tough choices facing investors is how often to check their portfolios. Looking too often can induce dread and even panic over normal market volatility, leading to poor decisions. But ignoring it can lead to missed opportunities and an out-of-balance asset allocation. What’s the right approach? Financial advisors recommend checking about every three months. Key Takeaways Investors are advised not to check their portfolio too often because it can lead to impulsive decisions based on short-term market performance. At the same time, never checking can distort the allocation balance and lead to missed opportunities. Financial advisors say most investors…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Against the odds, Hong Kong is back challenging for the top of the listing league tables this year. That’s a sharp reversal from the stalled pipeline and investor exodus of just two years ago. It is reasonable to question the sustainability of this momentum, but the comeback still challenges assumptions about the city’s financial decline.Companies have raised $13bn from new listings in the Asian financial hub this year, according to Dealogic, leaving it second only to Nasdaq and well ahead of the…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Global inflation myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.Central bankers have sounded the alarm over the threat of fresh outbreaks of inflation, warning of the effect of deep “scars” on households from the post-pandemic price upsurge. The Bank for International Settlements found that households in 29 advanced and emerging market economies expected inflation over the next 12 months to be about 8 per cent, far higher than the current 2.4 per cent average inflation level. This raises the threat that price expectations become “unmoored” from central banks’ official inflation targets, with households…

Approved by the Sharjah Executive Council, the Instant Licence allows entrepreneurs and investors to obtain a commercial licence in just one working day—without the need to submit a Memorandum of Association (MoA) or signed lease contract during the first year. This initiative is part of Sharjah’s broader efforts to support economic diversification, improve the ease of doing business, and stimulate growth across key sectors. Sharjah business licence The licence applies to all office-based activities that do not require approvals from other government entities. A maximum of three employees is permitted under each licence. By enabling businesses to operate immediately, the…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The insurance industry needs to attract $1tn in investment from private equity firms and other big investors to plug gaps in cover for natural disasters and cyber attacks, says the head of one of the world’s largest brokers. “If we don’t bring in a trillion dollars in alternative capital in the next decade, we’ve failed,” Aon chief executive Greg Case told the Financial Times.Insurance covered less than one-third of the cost of natural disasters since 2000, according to Aon, part of a…

Europe’s tourist hotspots are braced for a record number of visitors this summer as holidaymakers spurn the US and the Middle East, adding to growing concerns about overtourism on the continent.Analysts say that while European holidaymakers are partly responsible for the increase in visitor numbers to the continent’s top destinations, the main reason is the strong post-pandemic bounceback in visitors from the US.More than 7.7mn Americans flew to Europe between January and May this year, a 6 per cent increase on the same period last year, according to the US National Travel and Tourism Office. Eurostar has recorded a 45…

In a laboratory outside Cambridge sits a remarkable “biological computer”. Its 200,000 human brain cells, grown in the lab, lie on silicon circuitry that communicates their synchronised electrical activity on a screen to the outside world.The CL1 device, about the size of two shoe boxes, was developed by Australian start-up Cortical Labs with the UK’s bit.bio, in a bid to create “synthetic biological intelligence” — a new form of computing that could offer opportunities beyond conventional electronics and other developing technologies such as quantum.“Like our brains, biological computers will consume many orders of magnitude less energy than conventional electronics as…

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Airlines myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.AirAsia plans to open a Gulf hub this year and extend its flight network to a host of European destinations, including London’s Gatwick airport, as the Malaysian budget airline tries to bounce back from pandemic-era financial troubles.Chief executive Tony Fernandes said he had held talks with government officials from Gulf states at the recent Paris Air Show about setting up a regional hub and was unfazed by the threat of war in the region following the recent conflict between Israel, the US and…