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Mariam Al-Yazidi

Writer,

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Specializing in Capital and Politics, Mariam Al-Yazidi has written for Yahoo Finance MENA. She blends economic reporting with a keen interest in environmental and social governance. Mariam holds a master’s degree in Media and Cultural Studies. Watching sunsets makes her happy.
Mahmoud Bartawi The Entrepreneur
  • ICN BUSINESS Magazine

From banking to entrepreneurship, Mahmoud Bartawi, a Dubai-based entrepreneur, investor, and business storyteller known for his journey from corporate banking to building successful companies. After gaining experience in the financial sector, Bartawi transitioned into entrepreneurship and co-founded Under500, a healthy food brand that grew into a recognized regional business before becoming part of Kitopi.

His journey represents the transformation of professional experience into entrepreneurial execution. Bartawi has focused on building businesses, understanding customers, and creating scalable models in competitive markets. His experience has positioned him as a valuable voice for founders seeking practical lessons about starting and growing companies.

Building Under500 and Creating Business Impact

Under500 became one of Bartawi’s most recognized ventures, addressing the growing demand for healthier food choices in the region. The company combined convenience, nutrition, and technology-driven operations to serve modern consumers.

The success of Under500 demonstrated Bartawi’s ability to identify market opportunities and develop solutions aligned with changing customer behaviors. The company’s growth also reflected the importance of operational discipline, strong branding, and understanding market needs.

Beyond entrepreneurship, Bartawi expanded his role as a business communicator through the BXB Show, where he interviews founders, investors, and industry leaders to share insights from the world of business.

The BXB Show and Founder Education

Through the BXB Show, Mahmoud Bartawi has created a platform focused on conversations with entrepreneurs and decision makers. The show explores topics including company building, leadership, investment, and personal growth.

His content highlights the realities behind entrepreneurship, offering audiences access to experiences from people who have built companies, raised capital, and navigated challenges. This approach has helped position Bartawi as a bridge between successful entrepreneurs and aspiring founders.

ICN BUSINESS Magazine Official Launch

The official launch of ICN BUSINESS Magazine marks a strategic expansion of ICN Media into premium business storytelling and high-value editorial positioning. The magazine is designed to capture the narratives behind capital, leadership, and company building across the region and global markets.

For its inaugural issue, Mahmoud Bartawi holds the cover, signaling a deliberate editorial choice. His profile reflects execution, scalability, and relevance within the regional entrepreneurial landscape. From building Under500 to developing a media platform through the BXB Show, Bartawi represents a model of operator-driven credibility.

Positioning him as the first cover establishes the magazine’s direction. It prioritizes founders with proven outcomes, disciplined thinking, and measurable impact. ICN BUSINESS Magazine enters the market with a clear thesis: highlight individuals who build, scale, and influence real economic activity, while creating a platform that aligns media with business performance and strategic insight.

  • 3 min read
UAE Ranks Sixth in Global Muslim
  • UAE

The Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 placed the United Arab Emirates sixth among the world’s leading Muslim-friendly destinations, a ranking that hands the country a governance test as much as a tourism win. Mastercard and CrescentRating released the 11th edition of the Global Muslim Travel Index 2026, scoring the UAE at 75 and awarding it a perfect 100 for halal dining and prayer facilities. The result reflects years of policy work on air links, transit and visa rules. Yet the report raises a sharper question about who controls the systems travelers now trust to plan their journeys.

What the ranking rewards

The index assessed 150 destinations, covering more than 98 percent of global Muslim visitor arrivals. It scored each one across the ACES framework: Access, Communications, Environment and Services. The UAE held its standing as one of the most accessible destinations, helped by strong air and land connectivity, efficient public transit and seamless visa policies. Malaysia kept the top spot for the eleventh year running with a score of 83, reinforcing its lead in halal tourism and Muslim-friendly services. Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia shared second place at 79 each. Qatar ranked fifth at 76.

Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 tracks a growing market

The Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 projects international Muslim arrivals to reach 208 million this year, up from 196 million in 2025. By 2030, the figure could climb to 262 million, with annual spending estimated at $310 billion. Those numbers set the stakes for the Muslim travel market. They also explain why governments treat destination readiness as economic policy, not hospitality alone.

AI shifts who holds the trust

GMTI 2026 found that 80 percent of Muslim travelers surveyed now use AI tools to plan trips. These platforms locate halal dining, find prayer spaces, compare transport routes, and offer tailored recommendations. For travelers who must confirm faith-based needs before and during a journey, that support carries weight. The report warns of a harder consequence. Destinations that fail to digitize their Muslim-friendly services risk exclusion from AI-driven recommendation systems, whatever the quality of their physical infrastructure. Competition is moving from what a destination offers to whether an algorithm can see it. That shift places private technology firms at the center of public tourism outcomes, and it raises real questions about accountability. Who audits the systems that decide which destinations a traveler sees? The report points to e-visas, biometric borders, AI chatbots and real-time translation as tools that cut friction across the trip.

UAE Muslim travel leans on human support

Digital tools have spread fast, yet direct human help still matters, in Arabic and English above all. The UAE has invested in trained frontline staff, tourism portals, clear transit signage and detailed travel guides. Such communication lets visitors find help while feeling respected and included. On this measure, the country ranks among the leaders. Mastercard CrescentRating frames the wider picture through resilience. Rising fuel costs, geopolitical tensions and airspace disruptions are pushing people toward closer, more predictable destinations. The report calls this a move toward home-continent mobility, where travelers adjust plans rather than cancel them. For the UAE, the task now is holding its place as both a physical hub and a trusted name inside the digital systems that shape how people travel.

  • 3 min read
Dubai's total diamond trade
  • DMCC

Dubai’s total diamond trade reached a new all-time high during 2025 across every major category. Official figures from Dubai Customs place the yearly diamond total at 41.7 billion dollars overall. This result beats the earlier record of 40.9 billion dollars set back in 2011. Traders also moved 359.5 million carats, a volume rising 42.5 percent from last year. DMCC has announced today that, for the first time, the Emirate of Dubai hit record value and record volume in one year. Dubai diamond trade 2025 figures show steady demand across natural stones and coloured gemstones. Total trade value climbed 16.2 percent from the 35.8 billion dollars recorded during 2024.

The market added 5.8 billion dollars in fresh trade across a single twelve-month span. Dubai now works as a key gateway linking mines, cutting hubs, and buyer markets worldwide. Producers ship rough stones here, while cutters and traders prepare them for retail shelves. Retail demand in India, the United States, and Europe keeps large orders flowing steadily. Strong regulation and secure vaults give global buyers real confidence in each recorded deal. Access to finance also helps smaller firms trade larger stone volumes across each season. Grading services and clear customs steps move each shipment through the emirate at speed.

Why Dubai’s total diamond trade reached a new all-time high

Records confirm Dubai’s total diamond trade reached a new all-time high through natural stone strength. Natural diamond trade value hit 39.9 billion dollars, near 95.8 percent of the total. Dubai traded 205.2 million carats of natural rough stones, the second highest volume on record. Rough volume rose by nearly 34 percent, showing strong appetite among global cutting and polishing centres. Polished natural trade reached 18.7 billion dollars, a rise of nearly 25 percent from 2024. Over five years, Dubai’s total diamond trade reached a new all-time high with 139 percent value growth.

Average value per carat rose about eight to nine times across the same five-year window. Ten-year data shows Dubai’s wider diamond trade rose 63 percent by value overall. Volume across the same decade climbed 44 percent, a sign of deeper market roots. Investors read these gains as proof of steady policy and reliable long-term trade rules. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, DMCC’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, tied the results to long planning.

He said: “Dubai’s latest diamond trade figures demonstrate the success of a long-term strategy to build the world’s most connected, transparent, and efficient precious stones ecosystem. Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, we have seen trade through Dubai double in physical volume and grow by almost 140% in value. For natural polished diamonds alone, value has grown by 246%. We are the partner of choice for producers, manufacturers, traders, and retailers across the global industry. Through world-class infrastructure, regulatory certainty, access to finance, and one of the world’s most sophisticated ecosystems for precious stones, we will continue to provide the platform the industry needs to grow.”

Leadership and demand behind the record

DMCC’s diamond trade leaders point to strong demand from producers, manufacturers, and global retailers. Buyers worldwide noticed Dubai’s total diamond trade reached a new all-time high last year. From my view, this run signals real staying power for the emirate’s precious stones sector.

Reports on coloured gemstones Dubai handled last year show a record 1.1 billion dollars. This category grew 48 percent, with imports up 68.8 percent and re-exports up 33.5 percent. Synthetic and industrial diamonds now make up nearly 39 percent of total carat volume. DMCC runs the Dubai Diamond Exchange, the region’s largest tender site for precious stones. The Emirate also hosts many tenders and auctions for both rough and polished stones. Each tender draws bidders from Africa, Asia, and Europe onto a single trading floor. You can watch these figures to judge where global diamond demand heads through 2026. The exchange keeps Dubai near the front of the entire world’s diamond trading network.

  • 4 min read
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