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 […]
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 […]
Sharjah and Maldives in an economic partnership push on fish and tourism
A meeting at the Sharjah Chamber’s headquarters has placed Sharjah and the Maldives in an economic partnership discussion that starts with something ordinary: the fish on your plate and the room you sleep in on holiday. Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, received Thoriq Ibrahim, Ambassador of the […]
Dubai Economic Signals: Three City Data Points Investors Should Watch
For investors trying to read Dubai’s economy before the next GDP release, some of the most useful signals come from daily city activity. Three datasets deserve closer attention: electricity consumption, taxi trips, and parking transactions. They measure different forms of economic activity. Together, they can create a practical early reading of how the city is […]
DEWA record profit reaches AED3.33 billion as Dubai demand keeps rising
DEWA’s record profit for the first half of 2026 reached AED3.33 billion, a rise of 15.02 percent from the same period last year. Behind that single figure sits a simple story. More people and businesses in Dubai are using power, water and cooling, and the utility is selling more of all three. The DEWA record […]
ADNOC Gas Q2 2026 net income clears guidance despite Hormuz disruption
ADNOC Gas Q2 2026 net income reached $665 million, a figure that carries the strain of the months behind it. In early April, security-related incidents hit the Habshan processing site, and Reuters tied them to intercepted drone and missile attacks in the region. Supply from the site fell. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slowed. […]
Iran war impact hits Kuwait and Qatar hardest as Gulf economies diverge
The Iran war impact has fallen unevenly across the Gulf, and two economies are absorbing the worst of it. Kuwait and Qatar are forecast to contract this year, while their neighbors keep growing at a slower pace. The Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), a regional lender based in Abu Dhabi, laid out the split in an […]
Qatar 2026 Labor Market Index Lands the Country in Second Place Worldwide
A single number tells the story. The Qatar 2026 labor market index placed the country second in the world, a position that carries weight for anyone deciding where to move capital, open an office or take a job. The ranking comes from the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, and it sits inside the report’s business […]
CBI’s first-half 2026 profit jumps 68% on legacy recoveries and loan growth
CBI’s first-half 2026 profit reached AED156 million, up 68 percent from the same period a year earlier. The result at Commercial Bank International rested on a wider balance sheet and money recovered from older accounts. Second-quarter pre-tax net profit came to AED104 million. Recoveries linked to the clearing of legacy accounts lifted the quarter, and […]
Kuwait Oil Company $16 billion pipeline lease opens door to global capital
The $16 billion pipeline lease signed by Kuwait Oil Company gives three of the world’s biggest investors a share of the oil arteries that have carried Kuwaiti crude for decades. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation announced the agreement on Saturday. Its subsidiary, KOC, leases usage rights to all 13 of its pipelines into a newly formed Kuwaiti […]
Buy Now Pay Later Data From Tabby and Tamara Enters UAE Credit Reports
Buy Now Pay Later records from Tabby and Tamara will enter UAE credit reports from July 2026, changing how lenders read the finances of people who split payments into instalments, WAM announced today. Etihad Credit Bureau, the federal body that oversees credit information in the country, said the accounts of both current and new customers […]
Kuwait $6 billion bond sale pulls in triple demand from global investors
The Kuwait $6 billion bond sale closed this week with an order book the finance ministry calls one of the largest for a multi-tranche sovereign deal in 2026. Three tranches went out. Investors took $3 billion in three-year paper, $1.5 billion in five-year notes and $1.5 billion at 10 years. Final spreads landed at 70, […]
