• IN SHORT
  • TOP STORIES
  • THE STACK
  • ICN.TALKS
  • PARTNERS

ISSUE

004

.

October 2026
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NEWS · FROM THE ICN.LIVE NEWSROOM · EVERY SATURDAY

GULF BUSINESS THAT MATTERS.

One letter, once a week. The markets, the money, and the stories shaping the week ahead. Chosen by our editors.

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  • 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

01
What the PHP vulnerability affecting websites means for your data
02
Emirates NBD is the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI inside the UAE
03
SpaceX shares for US children: Musk pledges one stock per kid
04
Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, French President attend UAE-France Business Dialogue
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  • TOP STORIES

NINE STORIES · CHOSEN BY THE NEWSROOM

UAE-France Business Dialogue
  • UAE

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, French President attend UAE-France Business Dialogue

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, have attended the UAE-France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. The UAE-France Business Dialogue gave both governments a platform to convert long-stated ambitions into concrete commitments across energy, artificial intelligence […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Majid Al Futtaim Partners
  • Majid Al Futtaim

Majid Al Futtaim Partners with Sunset Hospitality Group to Launch Maravelle

Majid Al Futtaim today announced a strategic partnership with Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG), one of the world’s leading lifestyle hospitality companies, to operate Maravelle, a flagship wellness and lifestyle destination at Ghaf Woods, Dubai’s first forest-living community. The collaboration brings together Majid Al Futtaim’s expertise in developing distinctive destinations with Sunset Hospitality Group’s specialist expertise […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
SpaceX shares for US children
  • Elon Musk

SpaceX shares for US children: Musk pledges one stock per kid

Musk said each child in the US would receive a single share. There were 72 million children under 18 in the country as of July 1, 2025, based on census figures. One share each across that group is where the $10.5 billion estimate comes from, using Friday’s close. A share is a small piece of […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
PHP vulnerability affecting websites
  • Cybersecurity

What the PHP vulnerability affecting websites means for your data

The vulnerabilities were uncovered by researchers at OpenAI, the cybersecurity company Wiz, and another security firm. The underlying weaknesses had been present in PHP for more than ten years, but turning them into a working attack demanded a chain of steps that sat, as Wiz put it, close to the edge of what human researchers […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Lilly and Mubadala Bio announce landmark agreement
  • Mubadala

Lilly and Mubadala Bio announced a landmark agreement

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, 20th October 2026 – Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and Mubadala Bio today announced a strategic collaboration to advance the localized packaging and logistics of Lilly’s GLP-1 medicines in Abu Dhabi, marking an important step in a shared commitment to advancing the Emirate’s growing life sciences ecosystem. The partnership was […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI
  • Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD is the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI inside the UAE

Here is your banking that already runs on AI, and you may not notice when that changes. Emirates NBD has become the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI, running the company’s GPT models on computing infrastructure based inside the UAE. The bank and OpenAI announced the enterprise collaboration on Monday. It makes Emirates NBD the […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Rakbank delivers D 2.5B profit
  • RAKBANK

Rakbank delivers D 2.5B profit after tax, up 21.3% YoY powered by diversified growth and strong momentum

Exceptional earnings growth. Built on 50 years of customer trust Rakbank delivered D 2.5B of profit after tax in 9M’26, up 21.3% YoY, reflecting growth across our core businesses, a diversified income stream and disciplined execution. The results also include the  AED 473M gain on sale of the merchant acquiring business. Momentum broadening across every […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
TAMMtitled-the-best-government-initiative-in-EMEAd
  • TAMM

How Abu Dhabi’s TAMM became the best government initiative EMEA for 2026

Consider it done. That is what TAMM means in Arabic, and in October 2026, a panel of global judges agreed. TAMM has been named the best government initiative in EMEA at the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards 2026, placing Abu Dhabi’s public services platform ahead of every other government entry across Europe, the Middle East […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
UAE-France Business Dialogue
  • UAE

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, French President attend UAE-France Business Dialogue

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, have attended the UAE-France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. The UAE-France Business Dialogue gave both governments a platform to convert long-stated ambitions into concrete commitments across energy, artificial intelligence […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Majid Al Futtaim Partners
  • Majid Al Futtaim

Majid Al Futtaim Partners with Sunset Hospitality Group to Launch Maravelle

Majid Al Futtaim today announced a strategic partnership with Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG), one of the world’s leading lifestyle hospitality companies, to operate Maravelle, a flagship wellness and lifestyle destination at Ghaf Woods, Dubai’s first forest-living community. The collaboration brings together Majid Al Futtaim’s expertise in developing distinctive destinations with Sunset Hospitality Group’s specialist expertise […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
SpaceX shares for US children
  • Elon Musk

SpaceX shares for US children: Musk pledges one stock per kid

Musk said each child in the US would receive a single share. There were 72 million children under 18 in the country as of July 1, 2025, based on census figures. One share each across that group is where the $10.5 billion estimate comes from, using Friday’s close. A share is a small piece of […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
PHP vulnerability affecting websites
  • Cybersecurity

What the PHP vulnerability affecting websites means for your data

The vulnerabilities were uncovered by researchers at OpenAI, the cybersecurity company Wiz, and another security firm. The underlying weaknesses had been present in PHP for more than ten years, but turning them into a working attack demanded a chain of steps that sat, as Wiz put it, close to the edge of what human researchers […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Lilly and Mubadala Bio announce landmark agreement
  • Mubadala

Lilly and Mubadala Bio announced a landmark agreement

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, 20th October 2026 – Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and Mubadala Bio today announced a strategic collaboration to advance the localized packaging and logistics of Lilly’s GLP-1 medicines in Abu Dhabi, marking an important step in a shared commitment to advancing the Emirate’s growing life sciences ecosystem. The partnership was […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI
  • Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD is the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI inside the UAE

Here is your banking that already runs on AI, and you may not notice when that changes. Emirates NBD has become the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI, running the company’s GPT models on computing infrastructure based inside the UAE. The bank and OpenAI announced the enterprise collaboration on Monday. It makes Emirates NBD the […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Rakbank delivers D 2.5B profit
  • RAKBANK

Rakbank delivers D 2.5B profit after tax, up 21.3% YoY powered by diversified growth and strong momentum

Exceptional earnings growth. Built on 50 years of customer trust Rakbank delivered D 2.5B of profit after tax in 9M’26, up 21.3% YoY, reflecting growth across our core businesses, a diversified income stream and disciplined execution. The results also include the  AED 473M gain on sale of the merchant acquiring business. Momentum broadening across every […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
TAMMtitled-the-best-government-initiative-in-EMEAd
  • TAMM

How Abu Dhabi’s TAMM became the best government initiative EMEA for 2026

Consider it done. That is what TAMM means in Arabic, and in October 2026, a panel of global judges agreed. TAMM has been named the best government initiative in EMEA at the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards 2026, placing Abu Dhabi’s public services platform ahead of every other government entry across Europe, the Middle East […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
UAE-France Business Dialogue
  • UAE

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, French President attend UAE-France Business Dialogue

H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, have attended the UAE-France Business Dialogue at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi. The UAE-France Business Dialogue gave both governments a platform to convert long-stated ambitions into concrete commitments across energy, artificial intelligence […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Majid Al Futtaim Partners
  • Majid Al Futtaim

Majid Al Futtaim Partners with Sunset Hospitality Group to Launch Maravelle

Majid Al Futtaim today announced a strategic partnership with Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG), one of the world’s leading lifestyle hospitality companies, to operate Maravelle, a flagship wellness and lifestyle destination at Ghaf Woods, Dubai’s first forest-living community. The collaboration brings together Majid Al Futtaim’s expertise in developing distinctive destinations with Sunset Hospitality Group’s specialist expertise […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
SpaceX shares for US children
  • Elon Musk

SpaceX shares for US children: Musk pledges one stock per kid

Musk said each child in the US would receive a single share. There were 72 million children under 18 in the country as of July 1, 2025, based on census figures. One share each across that group is where the $10.5 billion estimate comes from, using Friday’s close. A share is a small piece of […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
PHP vulnerability affecting websites
  • Cybersecurity

What the PHP vulnerability affecting websites means for your data

The vulnerabilities were uncovered by researchers at OpenAI, the cybersecurity company Wiz, and another security firm. The underlying weaknesses had been present in PHP for more than ten years, but turning them into a working attack demanded a chain of steps that sat, as Wiz put it, close to the edge of what human researchers […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Lilly and Mubadala Bio announce landmark agreement
  • Mubadala

Lilly and Mubadala Bio announced a landmark agreement

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, 20th October 2026 – Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and Mubadala Bio today announced a strategic collaboration to advance the localized packaging and logistics of Lilly’s GLP-1 medicines in Abu Dhabi, marking an important step in a shared commitment to advancing the Emirate’s growing life sciences ecosystem. The partnership was […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI
  • Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD is the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI inside the UAE

Here is your banking that already runs on AI, and you may not notice when that changes. Emirates NBD has become the first MENA bank to deploy OpenAI, running the company’s GPT models on computing infrastructure based inside the UAE. The bank and OpenAI announced the enterprise collaboration on Monday. It makes Emirates NBD the […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
Rakbank delivers D 2.5B profit
  • RAKBANK

Rakbank delivers D 2.5B profit after tax, up 21.3% YoY powered by diversified growth and strong momentum

Exceptional earnings growth. Built on 50 years of customer trust Rakbank delivered D 2.5B of profit after tax in 9M’26, up 21.3% YoY, reflecting growth across our core businesses, a diversified income stream and disciplined execution. The results also include the  AED 473M gain on sale of the merchant acquiring business. Momentum broadening across every […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
TAMMtitled-the-best-government-initiative-in-EMEAd
  • TAMM

How Abu Dhabi’s TAMM became the best government initiative EMEA for 2026

Consider it done. That is what TAMM means in Arabic, and in October 2026, a panel of global judges agreed. TAMM has been named the best government initiative in EMEA at the Gartner Eye on Innovation Awards 2026, placing Abu Dhabi’s public services platform ahead of every other government entry across Europe, the Middle East […]

READ ARTICLE ▸
  • THE EXECUTION STACK

SHIP MORE. EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

FOUR TOOLS THAT MOVE THE WEEK

01

HERO PICK

01

GRIGORA

https://www.grigora.co/ ▸

AI website builders for built-in stores and newsletters.

01

  • 02

NEEDLE

https://needle.app/ ▸

An agent-native outbound system to run outreach campaigns.
  • 03

LEMON

https://www.heylemon.ai/ ▸

A voice-powered AI agent that turns voice into done tasks.
  • 04

NOTIF

https://trynotif.app/ ▸

Adds AI to Apple Reminders, so your to-do list can sort and plan itself.

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  • THE QUOTE OF THE WEEK

WORDS THAT MOVED THE WEEK

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ZAPPOS

THE WEEK ENDS. THE SIGNAL CONTINUES.

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CAPITAL BRIEF · WEEKLY

THE CAPITAL BRIEF · WEEKLY

Miss nothing.
Read once.

Five days of Economy, Global Markets, Capital, and Gulf Business News distilled into one decisive read. Written for operators too busy to track everything and too sharp to miss what counts.

WITH YOUR COFFEE.
EVERY SATURDAY MORNING.

Watch LIVE. Think Business.

ICN LETTER EDITION

Your first edition lands this Saturday.

The week, weighed. Economy, Global Markets, Capital, and Gulf Business News ranked by what actually moved.

Articles, Exclusive Interviews, Podcasts, and Gulf NEWS. Content created by experts for leaders.

One coffee long. A single decisive read, then your weekend starts.

Work email

A week of Economy, Markets, Capital & Gulf Business News — one decisive read, every Saturday with your coffee.

Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe anytime.

Read by Founders, CEOs, and Investors across the Gulf.

  • THE WEEKLY BRIEF

MISS NOTHING. READ ONCE.

  • EVERY SATURDAY