GULF BUSINESS THAT MATTERS.
One letter, once a week. The markets, the money, and the stories shaping the week ahead. Chosen by our editors.
- LEAD STORY
- Media
Emirati Women’s Day 2026 Becomes a Month as UAE Counts Its Policy Gains
Emirati Women’s Day 2026 arrives on 28 August with a change of format, as the UAE extends a single date into a month of national programming that ends on 28 September. The country fixed the date in 2015, choosing 28 August because the General Women’s Union was founded that day in 1975. Sheikha Fatima bint […]
- OUR MOVE
Every week the ICN.live newsroom reads hundreds of stories from the region and beyond, then keeps only the ones that earn your time. This is that shortlist. Nine stories, one talk show, and the partners who make it possible.
Pour the coffee and let us begin.
- IN SHORT
60 SECONDS
- OUR PARTNERS
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- TOP STORIES
NINE STORIES · CHOSEN BY THE NEWSROOM
- HNWI
HNWI Wealth 2026 Trends: Global Millionaire Count Reaches 25.3 Million
HNWI wealth 2026 trends center on a record year, with global high-net-worth individual wealth rising 8.7 percent in 2025 to USD 98.3 trillion. Capgemini Research Institute published the figure in the 30th edition of its World Wealth Report 2026. High-net-worth individuals, or HNWIs, hold at least USD 1 million in investable assets, not counting a […]
- Syria
Syria’s Global Financial System Return Begins With a Visa Card
Syria’s global financial system return took visible shape this week, and it happened over a cup of coffee. President Ahmed Al-Sharaa used a Visa card to pay a Damascus vendor in a video released early Thursday, a small transaction carrying outsized symbolism for a country locked out of global banking networks for nearly five decades. […]
- Aviation
New Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) targets 260 million passengers
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) targets 260 million passengers a year, and Dubai has now decided how most of them will move once they are inside the gates. Dubai Aviation City Corporation, a government entity, awarded the contract for a 50-kilometre automated people mover system to a consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Japanese […]
- Taxes
UAE vape tax from September 1: what the AED 1 per mL rule means for you
The UAE vape tax from September 1 changes how much tax a bottle of e-liquid carries, even though the tax rate itself stays where it is. The Ministry of Finance has confirmed a minimum excise price of AED 1 per millilitre for liquids used in electronic smoking devices and tools. The rule covers e-cigarette liquids […]
- Data Centers
Alibaba AI infrastructure spending expands with $10.2 billion share sale
Alibaba AI infrastructure spending is climbing again, and the company wants shareholders to fund it. The Chinese ecommerce and cloud group is selling HK$80 billion of new shares, roughly $10.2 billion, with every dollar of net proceeds going into its full-stack AI capabilities. That covers chips, data centres, and the models running on top of […]
- Mubadala
Mubadala’s $250 million investment lifts Moove to a $2.1 billion value
Mubadala’s $250 million investment now anchors Moove, the mobility company building the operating layer for driverless transport. The Series C round it led values the firm at $2.1 billion. Woven Capital, Toyota’s Growth Fund, and Ion Pacific co-led it. For the UAE, the deal ties a sovereign backer to a company that wants to run […]
- OpenAI
OpenAI’s executive departures continue as its top data center chief exits
OpenAI’s executive departures continue, and the newest one hits a corner of the company that decides how fast its AI can grow. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chris Malone, the OpenAI head of data centers, left last week. He joined in March 2025 after more than a decade at Google and nearly five years […]
- mBridge
Saudi Arabia Eyes Petrodollar Alternative With Yuan and mBridge Deals Now
Saudi Arabia eyes petrodollar alternative routes now. It has not broken from the dollar in public. Riyadh is building a second option instead. That option runs through Beijing. Riyadh is quietly testing whether the option holds up. Inside the Original Petrodollar System Henry Kissinger flew to Riyadh in June 1974. He carried a proposal that […]
- HNWI
HNWI Wealth 2026 Trends: Global Millionaire Count Reaches 25.3 Million
HNWI wealth 2026 trends center on a record year, with global high-net-worth individual wealth rising 8.7 percent in 2025 to USD 98.3 trillion. Capgemini Research Institute published the figure in the 30th edition of its World Wealth Report 2026. High-net-worth individuals, or HNWIs, hold at least USD 1 million in investable assets, not counting a […]
- Syria
Syria’s Global Financial System Return Begins With a Visa Card
Syria’s global financial system return took visible shape this week, and it happened over a cup of coffee. President Ahmed Al-Sharaa used a Visa card to pay a Damascus vendor in a video released early Thursday, a small transaction carrying outsized symbolism for a country locked out of global banking networks for nearly five decades. […]
- Aviation
New Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) targets 260 million passengers
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) targets 260 million passengers a year, and Dubai has now decided how most of them will move once they are inside the gates. Dubai Aviation City Corporation, a government entity, awarded the contract for a 50-kilometre automated people mover system to a consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Japanese […]
- Taxes
UAE vape tax from September 1: what the AED 1 per mL rule means for you
The UAE vape tax from September 1 changes how much tax a bottle of e-liquid carries, even though the tax rate itself stays where it is. The Ministry of Finance has confirmed a minimum excise price of AED 1 per millilitre for liquids used in electronic smoking devices and tools. The rule covers e-cigarette liquids […]
- Data Centers
Alibaba AI infrastructure spending expands with $10.2 billion share sale
Alibaba AI infrastructure spending is climbing again, and the company wants shareholders to fund it. The Chinese ecommerce and cloud group is selling HK$80 billion of new shares, roughly $10.2 billion, with every dollar of net proceeds going into its full-stack AI capabilities. That covers chips, data centres, and the models running on top of […]
- Mubadala
Mubadala’s $250 million investment lifts Moove to a $2.1 billion value
Mubadala’s $250 million investment now anchors Moove, the mobility company building the operating layer for driverless transport. The Series C round it led values the firm at $2.1 billion. Woven Capital, Toyota’s Growth Fund, and Ion Pacific co-led it. For the UAE, the deal ties a sovereign backer to a company that wants to run […]
- OpenAI
OpenAI’s executive departures continue as its top data center chief exits
OpenAI’s executive departures continue, and the newest one hits a corner of the company that decides how fast its AI can grow. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chris Malone, the OpenAI head of data centers, left last week. He joined in March 2025 after more than a decade at Google and nearly five years […]
- mBridge
Saudi Arabia Eyes Petrodollar Alternative With Yuan and mBridge Deals Now
Saudi Arabia eyes petrodollar alternative routes now. It has not broken from the dollar in public. Riyadh is building a second option instead. That option runs through Beijing. Riyadh is quietly testing whether the option holds up. Inside the Original Petrodollar System Henry Kissinger flew to Riyadh in June 1974. He carried a proposal that […]
- HNWI
HNWI Wealth 2026 Trends: Global Millionaire Count Reaches 25.3 Million
HNWI wealth 2026 trends center on a record year, with global high-net-worth individual wealth rising 8.7 percent in 2025 to USD 98.3 trillion. Capgemini Research Institute published the figure in the 30th edition of its World Wealth Report 2026. High-net-worth individuals, or HNWIs, hold at least USD 1 million in investable assets, not counting a […]
- Syria
Syria’s Global Financial System Return Begins With a Visa Card
Syria’s global financial system return took visible shape this week, and it happened over a cup of coffee. President Ahmed Al-Sharaa used a Visa card to pay a Damascus vendor in a video released early Thursday, a small transaction carrying outsized symbolism for a country locked out of global banking networks for nearly five decades. […]
- Aviation
New Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) targets 260 million passengers
Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) targets 260 million passengers a year, and Dubai has now decided how most of them will move once they are inside the gates. Dubai Aviation City Corporation, a government entity, awarded the contract for a 50-kilometre automated people mover system to a consortium led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Japanese […]
- Taxes
UAE vape tax from September 1: what the AED 1 per mL rule means for you
The UAE vape tax from September 1 changes how much tax a bottle of e-liquid carries, even though the tax rate itself stays where it is. The Ministry of Finance has confirmed a minimum excise price of AED 1 per millilitre for liquids used in electronic smoking devices and tools. The rule covers e-cigarette liquids […]
- Data Centers
Alibaba AI infrastructure spending expands with $10.2 billion share sale
Alibaba AI infrastructure spending is climbing again, and the company wants shareholders to fund it. The Chinese ecommerce and cloud group is selling HK$80 billion of new shares, roughly $10.2 billion, with every dollar of net proceeds going into its full-stack AI capabilities. That covers chips, data centres, and the models running on top of […]
- Mubadala
Mubadala’s $250 million investment lifts Moove to a $2.1 billion value
Mubadala’s $250 million investment now anchors Moove, the mobility company building the operating layer for driverless transport. The Series C round it led values the firm at $2.1 billion. Woven Capital, Toyota’s Growth Fund, and Ion Pacific co-led it. For the UAE, the deal ties a sovereign backer to a company that wants to run […]
- OpenAI
OpenAI’s executive departures continue as its top data center chief exits
OpenAI’s executive departures continue, and the newest one hits a corner of the company that decides how fast its AI can grow. The Wall Street Journal reported that Chris Malone, the OpenAI head of data centers, left last week. He joined in March 2025 after more than a decade at Google and nearly five years […]
- mBridge
Saudi Arabia Eyes Petrodollar Alternative With Yuan and mBridge Deals Now
Saudi Arabia eyes petrodollar alternative routes now. It has not broken from the dollar in public. Riyadh is building a second option instead. That option runs through Beijing. Riyadh is quietly testing whether the option holds up. Inside the Original Petrodollar System Henry Kissinger flew to Riyadh in June 1974. He carried a proposal that […]
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WORDS THAT MOVED THE WEEK
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