AB Majlis

What happens when robots enter Dubai's shopping malls? And how could artificial intelligence, property data and experimental technologies create entirely new businesses? In this episode of AB Majlis, Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa sits down with Khalifa Al Qama, Chief of Research, Development and Innovation at Dubai Future Foundation, to discuss how Dubai is turning itself into a real-world test...

Dubai's skyline keeps growing, but can the construction industry keep up? And could rising building costs make homes even more expensive? In this episode of AB Majlis , Rana Tabbara, Business Reporter at Arabian Business and host of AB Majlis , sits down with Karim Farah, CEO of Engineering Contracting Company (ECC) , to explore the future of construction in the UAE. From property prices and const...

What will it take to turn sustainability commitments into investment that improves people’s lives? Faisal Al Shimmari, Head of ESG, Mashreq, joins Arabian Business to discuss the future of sustainable finance in the UAE and beyond. From rethinking public-private partnerships to putting communities at the centre of ESG, Al Shimmari explains how governments, banks and investors can work together to...

Smart cities are no longer just about impressive technology. They are becoming serious investments capable of generating measurable economic returns. Dr Matthew Marson, Managing Director Technology Advisory EMA & APAC at JLL, joins AB Majlis to explain why smart city technology could add $6.9 billion to Dubai’s economy and almost $16bn to Riyadh’s. He also explains why AI-powered energy system...

SPONSORED - The Middle East is investing heavily in smarter cities, power grids, data centres and AI-enabled infrastructure. According to Siemens’ latest Infrastructure Transition Monitor, the region is also showing greater urgency than global peers when it comes to transforming the systems that power its economies. Hakan Ozdemir, CEO of Siemens Smart Infrastructure in the Middle East and Siemens...

The Gulf has built some of the world’s biggest airlines, airports and aviation hubs. Now it wants to build more of the industry behind them. Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa sits down with Fahad Al Mheiri, Boeing’s Vice President for the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa, to discuss why the region could need another 3,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, why delivery slots are “like gold” and how...

SPONSORED - AI, mobile-first consumers and rising fraud risks are transforming the payments industry. Walter Lironi, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Head of Value Added Services for Central Europe, the Middle East and Africa, joins AB Majlis to discuss how banks can modernise ageing systems, embrace AI and deliver faster, safer and more personalised digital experiences. This episode is sponsored...

SPONSORED - Kunal Varma, founder and CEO of InvestGate, joins the Arabian Business podcast to explain why he left banking to build his own company, the opportunity he sees among the GCC’s emerging affluent and what it takes to create a regulated regional investment platform. We also discuss why he believes the Gulf’s financial-services market is ready for change—and what comes next for InvestGate.

Yolk Brands founder Steve Flawith never planned to own a restaurant. Seven years after launching Pickl from a single outlet in JLT, his Dubai-born business is operating across multiple markets, preparing to enter Iraq and pursuing an ambition of 1,000 stores globally. In this episode of AB Majlis, Arabian Business reporter Nicole Abigael sits down with Flawith to discuss why Gulf-born restaurant b...

For SMEs, growth can stall before the business has even properly begun. A delayed bank account, slow payments or limited access to working capital can affect hiring, supplier relationships and the ability to enter the market quickly. In this episode of AB Majlis, Reporter Nicole Abigael speaks with Rajeev Chalisgaonkar, Head of Business Banking and NEO BIZ at Mashreq, about the changing demands of...

For years, risk management in banking was often seen as a defensive function: compliance, controls, audits and regulation. But in a world of cyber threats, fraud risks, geopolitical volatility, supply chain shocks and rapid technological disruption, that view is starting to change. In this episode, Reporter Nicole Abigael sits down with Anuratna Chadha, Group Chief Risk Officer at Mashreq to explo...

What does an obstacle-course race have to do with juice, coffee and hospitality? In this special episode, in partnership with Spartan Middle East, Justin Harper, Senior Contributor at Arabian Business and Editor of CEO Middle East, speaks to Najib Yaacoub, Chief Operating Officer of Lavoya Restaurants Group, about why Joe & The Juice has teamed up with Spartan in the UAE. The episode comes ahe...

In this episode of AB Majlis, Reporter Nicole Abigael sits down with Yousuf Fakhruddin, CEO and Managing Partner of Fakhruddin Properties, for a conversation on Dubai’s evolving real estate market, investor confidence and the shift toward sustainability and wellness-led development. Yousuf discusses how Dubai’s property sector continues to show resilience amid regional uncertainty, supported by th...

In this episode, Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa sits down with Diego Carrete, First Abu Dhabi Bank’s Chief Wellness Officer, for a deep dive into the future of workplace wellness. Diego unpacks what biological resilience and antifragility really mean in a high-pressure corporate world, why modern offices often work against our biology, and how small environmental and behavioral changes — from ci...

Season two of Million Dollar Listing UAE comes with higher stakes and far more pressure. On this episode of AB Majlis, host Tala Michel Issa sits down with real estate veterans and reality TV stars Ben Bandari and Rami Wahood to talk candidly about what really changed this season - on screen and off. From bigger properties and larger deals to heightened drama and personal risk, the pair reveal how...

Crypto still faces trust challenges in many markets but how is that changing in the Middle East? In this episode of AB Majlis, Reporter Nicole Abigael sits down with Jessical Walker from Binance in a dive deep into the evolving crypto landscape with a focus on education, regulation and community building . The episode explores how Binance approaches communication without overwhelming newcomers, wh...

In this episode of AB Majlis, host Tala Michel Issa, Chief Reporter at Arabian Business, sits down with Dave Asprey – bestselling author, entrepreneur, and founder of Bulletproof Coffee and Upgrade Labs – during his visit to Dubai to unpack the fast-growing business of biohacking, longevity and performance optimisation. Asprey discusses why he believes Dubai and the UAE are becoming a global hotsp...

SPONSORED As banking becomes increasingly digital, the way institutions manage trust and accountability must evolve. AB Majlis host Tala Michel Issa sits down with Hassan Ali, Group Chief of Internal Audit at Mashreq, to explore the next frontier of internal audit. From transforming traditional risk frameworks to adopting AI-powered analytics, Ali outlines how Mashreq is leading the charge toward...

Dubai is days away from hosting one of the most influential events in global crypto. Binance Blockchain Week returns to the Coca-Cola Arena on December 3 and 4, bringing together industry heavyweights including Richard Teng, Michael Saylor, Brad Garlinghouse and leaders across Web3, policy, DeFi and AI. In this episode of AB Majlis, Chief Reporter Tala Michel Issa sits down with Kim Murphy, Binanc...

Nigerian hitmaker CKay joins Reporter Nicole Abigael on the latest episode of AB Majlis in Dubai to unpack the storm inside his head and the sound that turned Love Nwantiti into a 5-billion-stream global phenomenon. This episode dives into CKay’s self-styled “emo Afrobeats” how a heartbreak and a pandemic-era TikTok dance turned a deeply personal song into a worldwide anthem and why he refuses to...

In this episode of AB Majlis, Arabian Business reporter Nicole Abigael sits down with Abdullah Boulad, founder of The Balance Luxury Rehab Clinic, to discuss the hidden mental health struggles of CEOs, high-net-worth individuals, celebrities and royals. Boulad unpacks how burnout, addiction and performance pressure manifest differently in the Middle East and why wealth and status often amplify – n...

SPONSORED In this week’s episode of AB Majlis, Tala Michel Issa sits down Hasan Fardan Al Fardan is the CEO of Al Fardan Exchange. From humble beginnings in the pearl trade 70 years ago to becoming one of the UAE’s most trusted names in financial services, Al Fardan Exchange embodies a story of vision, resilience, and enduring family legacy.

In this episode of AB Majlis, host Tala Michel Issa, Chief Reporter at Arabian Business, sits down with Tarek Aboudib, the creative force behind Snoopy Beats, the cult-favourite Fujairah festival that blends music, community and escapism. What started as a “full moon party” for 100 friends has evolved into a full-fledged brand spanning events, weddings, retreats, and production houses. Aboudib ope...

Gulf banks say they can leapfrog legacy rivals in the AI era — but only if they move faster. In this AB Majlis episode, host Tala Michel Issa (Chief Reporter, Arabian Business) speaks with Steve Bertamini (ex-CEO, Al Rajhi and KGI; Kearney adviser) and Mukund Bhatnagar (Partner, Kearney; Global Lead for Financial Services) on where AI is already paying off, why mortgages still need humans, and how...

Arabian Business has just unveiled its most ambitious ranking yet: the 150 Most Influential Arabs 2025. In this special AB Majlis episode, hosts Nicole Abigael and Tala Michel Issa take you behind the scenes of the list that captures who is truly shaping the region - and the world -right now. Discover how this year’s sharper methodology and nine weighted metrics redefined influence across Visionar...