Business Extra

Developers Miral in Abu Dhabi and Neom in Saudi Arabia have made big announcements on new construction projects. Miral has secured investment from a Singapore-based company for its 108,600 square metre Yas Village development on Yas Island and Saudi Arabia’s Neom has awarded contracts to two companies to build a village that will accommodate up to 30,000 workers who will build the futuristic city...

Most millennials expect to be more financially stable than their parents but almost half feel they are failing or off to a slow start on that goal. Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief at The National, speaks to Kelsey Warner, resident millennial and The National’s Assistant Business Editor, about why so many of her generation feel the burden of financial pressures and “adulting”.   Also...

A survey of thousands of professionals and employers in the region shows that almost all are optimistic about their careers amid shifts in technology and types of jobs    Nine out of ten 10 professionals in the UAE feel upbeat about the future of work but how optimistic should you be about your own career prospects in a fast changing world?   Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, and Kelsey W...

In the episode, host Chris Nelson is joined by fellow Assistant Business Editor Michael Fahy and The National's personal finance correspondent Nada El Sawy to talk about the company, what its plans are and the growth of the sector both here and abroad. Also, we take a look at the strange goings-on at last week's major classic car auction in Monteray, California. Auction goers consisting of afician...

$46.9 billion – the headline profit figure from Saudi Aramco’s first half results is staggering. The company also says it is ready for a planned IPO, possibly next year, and lines up a stake buy in Reliance Industry’s oil to chemicals business.   Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, Kelsey Warner and Chris Nelson, assistant business editors, discuss Aramco with Jennifer Gnana, The National's...

Fad or the future of city transport? That is the debate around electric scooters (or e –scooters) as they get set to come to a street near you. Careem is in talks to run one of Abu Dhabi's first e-scooter rental services after the capital legalised the leasing of the vehicles. The ride-share company - which was bought by Uber for more than $3 billion this year - said it sees two-wheel devices as t...

The UAE government has made it easier for husbands, fathers and sons to secure employment without full company sponsorship. Previously, only women were eligible for work permits under family sponsorship. This week we speak to Rory Reynolds, The National's News Editor, about the new work permit and what it means for workers and their families in the country.  In this episode: - Headlines (0 minutes...

Assistant Business Editors Chris Nelson and Kelsey Warner talk to Energy reporter Jennifer Gnana about why tanker operators choose to run ships under flags of convenience, following recent attacks and incidents involving such vessels in the Arabian Gulf. Also discussed is how such incidents and wider trade tensions affect oil prices - or not - and they take a look at Saudi Arabia's blooming wind p...

Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief and Assistant Business Editors, Chris Nelson and Kelsey Warner, explore what the consequences could be for the global technology sector after US regulators endorsed a $5 billion (Dh18.3bn) privacy settlement with Facebook to resolve the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.   Also, they discuss the latest economic data out of China which indicates growth has s...

Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief and Chris Nelson, Assistant Business Editor, discuss Deutsche Bank's sweeping revamp.  This week the German bank announced it will shrink its trading activities by 40 per cent through an unprecedented withdrawal from equities. About 18,000 jobs, almost 20 per cent of the workforce, will go around the world, including in London. The overhaul is forecas...

Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief talks exclusively to BR Shetty the founder of NMC Healthcare, Finablr and Neopharma, as well as the Founder and Chairman of BRS Ventures. In the second part of the interview, Mr Shetty recounts how he managed to buy the global foreign exchange business Travelex thanks to his belief in keeping good personal relationships. He is also backing Assam tea to bec...

Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief talks exclusively to BR Shetty the founder of NMC Healthcare, Finablr and Neopharma, as well as the Founder and Chairman of BRS Ventures. In the first part of the interview, Mr Shetty shares some anecdotes about building up a fledgling business in Abu Dhabi in the 1970s and 1980s including how one morning he had to get behind the wheel of an ambulance hims...

Thousands of foreign investors and residents have been identified for a "golden card" permanent residency scheme, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai announced in May. Top business leaders from across the Emirates said the move will give investors greater confidence to settle in the country. They also believe it will create greater demand for buying property, boosting a s...

Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, hears from Rashed Al Bloushi, Under Secretary of the Department of Economic Development about what Ghadan 21 is all about on the day nine new initiatives were announced outlining R&D investment, electricity tariff discounts, business licensing for technology and state-backed bank loans for SMEs. Kelsey Warner, Assistant Business Editor also joins the disc...

Fertilisers play a critical role in ensuring the security of the global food supply. Overnight, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company group has gone from the 12th-largest nitrogen-based fertiliser exporter in the world to the biggest, thanks to its tie up with Nassef Sawiris' OCI. The Abu Dhabi company will combine unit Adnoc Fertilisers with OCI’s regional nitrogen-based fertiliser platform, to crea...

Nearly Two years on from the acquisition of Souq.com , the US e-commerce company Amazon is front and centre in the UAE again with the launch of its paid subscription service, Prime.     Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, and Kelsey Warner, Assistant Business Editor, talk to Nada El Sawy, The National's Business Correspondent, about what this development means for consumers and retaile...

Apple will break up iTunes into Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV as it revamps how it delivers content.  Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor and Chief, and Kelsey Warner, Assistant Business Editor, explain what the US company's changes could mean for its own future, as well as that of the media and technology landscape and not least, consumers. Zahabia Gupta, Associate Director, Sovereig...

Ride-hailing platform Careem has acquired UAE-based bike-sharing company Cyacle for an undisclosed sum, its first foray into "micro-mobility" — an increasingly popular concept for providing easy access to scooter and bike rentals in urban areas. Magnuss Olsson, Careem’s co-founder, sees that increasing bicycle availability and expanding bike routes will transform how people commute in the region....

Thousands of foreign investors and residents have been identified for a "golden card" permanent residency scheme, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai announced on Tuesday. Top business leaders from across the Emirates said the move will give investors greater confidence to settle in the country. They also believe it will create greater demand for buying property, boosting...

According to brokers, Dubai rental rates continued the downward trend experienced during 2018. Asteco noted “an increasing number of price-conscious tenants … irrespective of location, size or quality". However, year-on-year rents are down in most categories not just luxury. What is driving the prices to fall? Hosts Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief and Chris Nelson, Assistant Business Edi...

The National has been covering the Abraaj scandal from New York, London and Abu Dhabi as our editorial team brings you the key developments. In this episode, host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, talks to Massoud Derhally, The National’s Business Editor who himself has been producing some quite compelling investigative journalism into what happened at the failed private equity firm, foun...

Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, talks about the latest news from Arabian Travel Market. Deena Kamel, our aviation correspondent, discusses Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed of Emirates and FlyDubai offering some home truths for Boeing over the 737 Max which has been grounded following deadly crashes. Business correspondent Sarah Townsend shares how leading hotel operators including Jumeirah,...

The promise of lightning-fast internet speeds and a hyper-connected world that will spawn a new era of automation and AI is at the heart of the promise of 5G technology. Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, is both building this bright future and being accused of facilitating the darker side of this technology. The United States and allies such as the United Kingdom are determined...

Nouriel Roubini is the professor of economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business. He is also chief executive of Roubini Macro Associates, and he became famous after his prediction of the financial crisis, several years before it happened, turned out to be correct. For this, he has sometimes been referred to as "Dr Doom" in the media. He is also a very outspoken critic of Bitcoin – which he has call...

CityScape Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s most prestigious property exhibition, takes place next week at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Running from Tuesday to Thursday, this year’s event comes at a time when the local and regional real estate market is on the up. The show draws home-based, regional and global developers, investors and real estate asset managers eager to market their latest projec...