Author: Arabian Media staff

Abiodun doesn’t look like your typical Nigerian social media influencer. He’s not dressed head to toe in garish designer clothing. There isn’t a hard-to-pronounce Swiss brand watch adorning his wrist. He wears a Curren, an affordable Chinese watch brand popular in Nigeria. He doesn’t even arrive for our meeting in an expensive imported Mercedes GLC 300 or Range Rover, the calling card for any self-respecting member of the country’s Instagram elite. Abiodun drives a humble Toyota Camry. Rather than spending all day posting online about a jet-setting lifestyle, Abiodun, 39, tells me he holds down a job as a facilities manager for a real…

Read More

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Are you a points nerd? If you’ve been waiting eagerly since April for British Airways and American Express to announce how frequent flyers can earn “tier points” on credit card spending, then we can safely assume the answer is yes. Even those who don’t compete in the peculiar sport of gaming airline loyalty schemes may recall the furore when BA announced sweeping changes to its frequent flyer club. Since the rules changed in April, it has become harder to achieve gold, silver…

Read More

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.British stocks are on track for their best half-year since 2021. Meanwhile, concerns about unpredictable trade policy and spiralling government debt have shaken a long-held investor belief in “US exceptionalism”. If ever there were a time for British investors to buy local, surely it would be now?Instead, while foreign investors are pouring in, Brits seem to be using the rally as yet another opportunity to sell. Overseas inflows into UK equities recently hit their highest level in three years, according to data…

Read More

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.British Airways and American Express have revealed details of how to earn points to unlock perks in the airline’s revamped passenger loyalty scheme.The announcement comes six months after BA drew criticism over its planned switch to a revenue-based loyalty programme, in which the cost of flights or package holiday bookings would be rewarded with tier points, instead of the class of travel and length of trips. It then announced a new “British Airways Club” loyalty scheme in April, without providing further information…

Read More

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Artificial intelligence myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son is pushing the idea of a vast $1tn artificial intelligence and robotics complex in the US state of Arizona that could include the establishment of a free-trade zone and the involvement of the world’s biggest chipmaker, TSMC.The plan, which Son has raised with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, is aimed at bringing high-tech manufacturing into the country at scale, said three people familiar with the concept, which was first reported by Bloomberg.SoftBank officials have also discussed it with…

Read More

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.The writer is chief executive of Minerva Analytics, a shareholder advisory firmThe firms that advise big shareholders on corporate governance matters and help them vote are under siege. A simmering backlash over the activities of proxy advisory firms has mutated into an all-out assault in the US from multiple directions.The attacks have included congressional hearings, legal actions, regulatory pressure and recent comments by JPMorgan chief executive Jamie Dimon who reportedly called them a “cancer”. The proxy advisory firms are accused of cartel-like…

Read More

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Novo Nordisk’s new injectable obesity drug has the potential to deliver higher weight loss than both of the current market blockbusters, an early stage trial has found.In newly-published data, participants in the trial of injectable amycretin lost an average of 24.3 per cent of their body weight on the highest dose, compared with 1.1 per cent for those on a placebo.The results come as the Danish pharma group races rival Eli Lilly to secure the best successor to the current best sellers…

Read More

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Travel & leisure industry myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.The number of Britons choosing to travel abroad has risen for the fifth consecutive year, despite growing concerns over US tariffs and the strength of sterling making holidays more expensive. More than two-thirds of Britons intend to take a holiday overseas this year, but of the 54 per cent who have already booked a trip, the majority are worried about affording the overall cost, including meals, drinks and other tourist items, according to the Post Office’s annual holiday spending report.…

Read More

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Lawyers and bankers in Switzerland are warning of a UK-style exodus of the wealthy ahead of a referendum on a 50 per cent inheritance tax for the super-rich. The Alpine nation is due to hold a popular vote in November on the introduction of a federal tax on inheritances and gifts worth more than Sfr50mn ($61mn). Unlike existing cantonal duties that would still apply, the proposal does not include an exemption for spouses or direct descendants.The looming vote comes after the UK…

Read More