SuperReturn Middle East 2026
Dubai | October 2026 -17 October – At a time when the international economic landscape is undergoing profound structural transformation, SuperReturn Middle East 2026 represents an important platform for examining the changing dynamics of global capital allocation, institutional investment, financial resilience and the expanding strategic influence of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies. ICN.live was invited […]
What the AED1 billion Oraseya Capital fund means for UAE founders
The decision to double the Oraseya Capital fund to AED 1 billion places a sharper question in front of Dubai’s innovation economy: who directs this larger pool of public capital, and to what end. The Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, which owns the fund through its investment arm, has set the answer in its mandate. […]
Hasnae Taleb spells out a governance test for women in finance in the GCC
Women in finance in the GCC have more access to capital, senior networks and decision rooms than when Hasnae Taleb began her career. The investor and market commentator told ICN Business the progress is real. Then she moved the conversation from headcount to control. The harder question, she said, is who “holds the pen.” In […]
Education as Economic Infrastructure in the UAE
The United Arab Emirates has progressively transformed higher education from a conventional academic service into a strategic component of its economic infrastructure. Today, universities across the UAE are developing Emirati talent, attracting international students and academics, supporting scientific research, producing advanced professional skills and strengthening the country’s ability to compete in knowledge-intensive industries. This transformation […]
EXCLUSIVE: How GCC fund managers test startups, pick sectors and follow crisis money
GCC fund managers have no shortage of capital to place. The harder question is what deserves it. One Stride Ventures report puts GCC venture capital funding at about $3.3 billion across 541 deals in 2025, up 14 percent on the year. Saudi Arabia and the UAE took most of that total. Hasnae Taleb has a […]
Youth City 2030: Bahrain’s Human-Capital Investment in the Generation Building the Future Economy
In the economics of the twenty-first century, the real wealth of nations can no longer be measured solely by natural resources, financial reserves, infrastructure, or geographic advantages. Increasingly, sustainable competitiveness is determined by the quality of a country’s human capital: the knowledge, skills, creativity, productivity, entrepreneurial capacity, and leadership qualities embedded within its people. For […]
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 […]
PIF acquires Saudi football club stakes in new ownership transfer phase
When PIF acquires Saudi football club stakes, the change reaches the stands well before it shows up on a balance sheet. Saudi Arabia’s sports ministry said in a social media post that it has begun moving 25 percent of the shares held by non-profit foundations in Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr to the Public Investment […]
World Bank grants $100 million to Syria for financial sector reform push
The World Bank grants $100 million to Syria to rebuild the foundations of a financial system worn down by more than a decade of conflict. Delivered as a grant from the International Development Association, the Bank’s arm for its poorest borrowers, the money will fund the Syria Financial Sector Modernization Project. That program is built […]
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 […]
Tourists Drop $6B on Food in Turkiye as Dining Leads Tourism Spending
Tourists spent close to $6B on food in Turkiye in the first six months of 2026, and dining now stands as the largest single category of visitor spending in the country. Figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute, known as TurkStat, put food and drink spending at $5.9 billion between January and June. That total ran […]
Abu Dhabi’s Disneyland business impact could ripple across the wider Gulf
Abu Dhabi’s Disneyland business impact will reach far past the park gates, and the whole Gulf is watching. Disney plans to open its first Middle East park on Yas Island in the early 2030s. Six years is a long runway. Yet developers, hoteliers and property owners are already lining up for what comes next. The […]
