Author: Arabian Media staff

Image credit: Supplied We sat down with renowned serial entrepreneur Alex Reinhardt to unpack the vision behind his ‘digital economic highway’: a blockchain ecosystem built to be fast, simple and invisible to everyday users. Read more-Not just for traders: How Ultima Chain is bringing blockchain to the people From anxiety-free UX to real-world payments and rewards, Reinhardt explains why the UAE is the ideal launchpad for mass adoption. What follows is an in-depth Q and A on trust, regulation, real utility, and the future of decentralised tech. For readers who use a smartphone every day but don’t follow blockchain at…

Image: Supplied The Formula 1 season decider has arrived in Abu Dhabi, with fans from 105 countries descending on the UAE capital to witness what is expected to be one of the most dramatic finales in recent years. The title showdown between Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri has set the stage for a high-stakes weekend at Yas Marina Circuit. Here are five key things visitors need to know about the venue during race weekend: 1. A circuit built for championship dramaYas Marina Circuit is among the most technically advanced tracks in Formula 1,…

What does AI sovereignty mean for governments and businesses today? AI sovereignty is now a national and economic imperative. As governments and enterprises accelerate AI adoption, they must ensure that the intelligence powering their operations remains secure, compliant, and fully under their control. Sovereign AI means having the ability to determine where data is stored, how models are built, how systems are governed, and who has access across every layer of the AI lifecycle. It ensures that critical workloads, from healthcare and finance to national infrastructure, operate within the country’s regulatory, security, and ethical frameworks. Magna AI was purpose-built for…

Image: Supplied Encryption rarely makes headlines, yet it quietly underpins almost every digital system that powers modern economies, from banking and aviation to healthcare and national security. Now, the UAE is pushing it out of the shadows and into the centre of national strategy with its forthcoming National Encryption Policy. It is a move that signals more than technical compliance, it points to how seriously the country is treating digital trust as core infrastructure. To unpack why this matters, and what it means in practical terms for governments and businesses, we speak with Mohammed Aboul-Magd, VP of Product at SandboxAQ’s…

Image credit: Supplied Driven | Forbes Global Properties has been named the exclusive sales partner for the residences at Corinthia Dubai, covering both branded and non-branded units. Developed by Dubai General Properties, the twin towers along Sheikh Zayed Road will also host Dubai’s first Corinthia five-star, ultra-luxury hotel. “This project stands out for its clarity of vision: an iconic address that pairs a five-star hospitality experience with a versatile residential offering. It’s the kind of development that creates long-term value for residents and investors alike,” said Abdullah Alajaji, founder and CEO of Driven | Forbes Global Properties. “Our team is…

Delegrates from Mubadala Energy and PLN Energi Primer Indonesia at HOA signing/Image: Supplied Mubadala Energy, the Abu Dhabi-headquartered international energy company, has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with PLN Energi Primer Indonesia (PLN EPI), a subsidiary of Indonesia’s national electricity provider, to supply gas from its Andaman Sea fields. The agreement represents a major step forward for Indonesia’s energy sector as the country works to strengthen supply resilience and reduce reliance on imported LNG. Under the proposed partnership, Mubadala Energy and PLN EPI will collaborate to improve energy security in Indonesia by prioritising domestic gas supply for North Sumatra…

Image: Supplied UnionPay International (UPI) and Amazon Payment Services have announced a strategic collaboration to expand digital payment acceptance across key markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The agreement was signed by Luping Zhang, general manager of UnionPay International Middle East, and Pablo Londono, managing director of Amazon Payment Services, in the presence of senior officials from both organisations. Zhang commented: “We are excited to collaborate with Amazon Payment Services to enhance UnionPay card acceptance in the region. This partnership aligns with our commitment to…

Family-owned conglomerates remain the backbone of Gulf economies, but the leadership equation inside these businesses is undergoing its most profound shift in decades. According to Nicolas Manset, head of Middle East at Russell Reynolds Associates, the region is now at a pivotal moment: increasing numbers of family enterprises are considering non-family CEOs for the first time. Economic transformation, global competition and emerging governance expectations are accelerating this transition — bringing the GCC closer to global family business trends while presenting distinct regional challenges. In this interview, Manset shares what is driving the shift, the barriers families face when welcoming external…

Syria’s economy is growing much faster than the World Bank’s 1% estimate for 2025 as refugees flow back after the end of a 14-year civil war, fueling plans for the relaunch of the country’s currency and efforts to build a new Middle East financial hub, central bank Governor AbdulKader Husrieh said on Thursday. Speaking via video link at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York, Husrieh also said he welcomed a deal with Visa V.N to establish digital payment systems and added that the country is working with the International Monetary Fund to develop methods to accurately measure economic data to reflect the resurgence.…

Image: Getty Images Turkish digital asset platform Paribu said on Friday it acquired a majority stake in the Bahrain and Dubai-based cryptocurrency platform CoinMENA in a transaction valuing the company at up to $240m. The transaction marks Turkey’s largest fintech transaction to date, as well as its first cross-border acquisition of a digital asset platform. Yasin Oral, founder and CEO of Paribu, said in a statement the deal was a “turning point” for Paribu with its expansion into the Middle East and North Africa region. “With this acquisition, we have expanded our licensed operations to a wider geography, becoming a…