Business Extra

Agriculture is one of the primary drivers of climate change, estimated globally at making up 14 to 15 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, half of which is generated directly by livestock, says University of California, Berkley. US science magazine Scientific American, meanwhile, says producing a half-pound hamburger patty the size of two decks of cards releases as much greenhouse gas into th...

Uber Technologies has agreed to buy Careem in a $3.1 billion (Dh11.39bn) deal that is the largest technology sector transaction in the Middle East so far, eclipsing Amazon’s $580 million acquisition of Souq in 2017. With governments across the region looking to nurture start-ups in the technology space, the size of the Uber-Careem deal, as well as the increased availability of expertise and liquid...

Dr Reem Bint Mansour Al-Saud is a member of Saudi Arabia's permanent delegation to the UN in New York, and she is a passionate advocate of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Of particular interest is goal number 5 — gender equality.  Dr Reem joined The National's Chris Nelson over the phone from her New York base to discuss gender equality in the work force, and how the UN and it's sustainabl...

157 passengers and crew lost their lives when an Ethiopian Airlines flight operating a Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed near Addis Ababba, en route to Nairobi, last Sunday. It is a terrible tragedy for their families, Ethiopia, Africa, the world and the aviation industry. Mustafa Alrawi, The National’s Assistant Editor in Chief, and aviation correspondent Deena Kamel discuss the potential impact of the cr...

Entrepreneurialism underpins the UAE’s push to broaden the economy and cement its position as a world leader in innovation. Ramesh Jagannathan, the Vice Provost for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Managing Director of StartAD , the innovation and entrepreneurship platform at NYU Abu Dhabi, is dedicated to providing the necessary tools for start-up creators here. In this episode of the Busi...

With the March 29 deadline for the UK to divorce the European Union close on the horizon, investors both within the country and overseas are trying to prepare for what the outcome might be. However, whether it be leaving with a no-deal, a good deal or bad one, postponing the exit or even deciding not to leave the EU at all, markets, the pound and investor sentiment will all be affected. In this ep...

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is now rated as the most creditworthy oil and gas producer in the world, according to Fitch. This is a strong validation from one of the world’s leading credit ratings agencies of Adnoc's strategy and transformation into a more commercially driven and innovative organisation. In this week's Business Extra podcast, we talk to Dmitry Marinchenko, Fitch's oil and ga...

The global military industry is a vast and hugely lucrative sector where defence spending produces some eye-watering numbers. Next week, Abu Dhabi once again takes centre stage for the world’s major manufacturers and government procurement leaders when the International Defence and Exhibition Conference, Idex, and the Naval Defence Exhibition, Navdex, take place from 17 to 21 of February. In this...

QuadrigaCX, one of Canada’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, last week filed for creditor protection saying it was unable to retrieve almost $200m worth of deposits belonging to clients because its CEO Gerald Cotten, the only one able to do so, had unexpectedly died. The National’s Assistant Editor in Chief Mustafa Alrawi and Chris Nelson discuss the issue, which has all the makings of a mystery...

This week’s podcast focuses on Adnoc’s agreement with Italian and Austrian energy companies ENI and OMV and Saudi Arabia’s new industrial programme, while HOFTEL chairman Simon Allison talks about the international hospitality sector . Abu Dhabi National Oil Company announced it is selling stakes in its refining unit to ENI and OMV, and setting up a trading joint venture with both companies as par...

The National’s Assistant Editor in Chief Mustafa Alrawi gives his take on this year’s World Economic Forum in Switzerland . The picture-perfect Swiss Alpine resort of Davos this week plays host to the planet’s most influential movers and shakers who come together once a year for the World Economic Forum. While some big hitters have stayed away this time to deal with problems closer to home, the fo...

Sentiment among investors appears to have rebounded following a bleak end to last year, despite global issues such as the US government shutdown, Washington’s trade battle with China and disappointing data from the world’s second-largest economy. All that plus the ongoing Brexit saga do have the potential to cause ripples – or worse. Bucking the global trend, however, it seems the UAE is a bright...

US stocks have rebounded from an end-of-year lull, but many are forecasting a recession on the horizon. Complicating the US outlook is President Donald Trump's ongoing government shutdown and frayed trade relations with China. What are all the factors driving a negative US outlook? Economic analyst Omar Al-Ubaydli gives his take to host Chris Nelson in this week's episode of the Business Extra pod...

A fast-growing Africa could change the face of the aviation industry and the continent’s rising demand for aviation could also lift Africa’s economic prospects in the future. Hassan El-Houry, Group CEO of National Aviation Services and co-author of Fly Africa, tells The National’s Mustafa Alrawi about the African aviation sector and discusses the future of tourism in and out of the continent.

To mark the occasion of both our 100th Business Extra podcast and the end of 2018, we are taking a look back at a few of our favourite interviews from the past year. In this episode: Saygin Yalcin is the Founder and CEO of SellAnyCar.com as well as other start-ups. He sat with our Chris Nelson in July, and talked about the challenges he faced setting up new businesses in the UAE, but how the gover...

Host Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor in Chief and Sarmad Khan, Company & Markets Editor, discuss what the outlook will be for the biggest Arab economy after it forecast spending in 2019 to reach 1.106 trillion riyals (Dh1.083tn), up 7 per cent from the finance ministry’s figure of 1.030tn riyals for 2018. Also in this episode, Assistant Business Editor Chris Nelson talks about the ...

There is uncertainty in the UK, across Europe there is leadership upheaval, in India the Central Bank governor has quit and US President Donald Trump oscillates on a trade war with China. How is global political uncertainty affecting markets, and how should investors react? Ahead of a crucial vote for the British Prime Minister Theresa May on her political future, hosts Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant E...

Qatar breaks ranks as it says it will withdraw from the 15-member Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on January 1. Why now, and what are the ramifications? We discuss in this episode of The Business Extra podcast. Listen here: Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor-in-Chief, and regular contributor Robin Mills, the CEO of Qamar Energy, discuss the different reasons behind t...

Emaar Hospitality is taking a new approach by selling five of its UAE hotels to Abu Dhabi National Hotels. While the value of the deal was not disclosed, Dubai-based Emaar said moving to an asset-light model will enable the business to unlock its potential. The hotels are Address Dubai Mall, Address Boulevard, Address Dubai Marina, Vida Downtown and Manzil Downtown.  The National’s Mustafa Alrawi...

Over the past decade, 85 per cent of new businesses in the United States have been started by Latinos, with the women among them being the biggest drivers of that trend. That data comes a study by Zeno Group and the We Are All Human Foundation, and we talk to their founder in this week's episode of the Business Extra podcast.  Claudia Romo Edelman is an advocate for equality, diversity and inclusi...

Optimism was high at this year's Adipec gathering in Abu Dhabi. Is the positive sentiment around the oil and gas sectors warranted? Mustafa Alrawi and Chris Nelson discuss the numerous headlines emerging from Adipic this week and what it all means for the wider energy sector in this episode of The Business Extra podcast. Also in this episode, Jennifer Gnana speaks with Ahmed Attiga, chief executiv...

In this episode, host Chris Nelson talks to The National’s Deputy Business Editor Dania Saadi about Abu Dhabi National Oil Company using hydraulic fracturing. Adnoc’s announcement that together with US firm Baker Hughes it is using hydraulic fracturing technology onshore - for the first time in the Middle East - to assess the potential of gas reserves in the western Al Dhafra region of the emirate...

2017 was seen as a watershed for the tech ecosystem in the UAE and wider Gulf region; Amazon bought Souq.com, more than half a billion dollars was invested into hundreds of start-ups and the entrepreneurial fire was truly stoked. November will feature a number of events and conferences drawing in regional and international VCs, other types of investors and start-ups together, to take stock of wher...

Russian, French and Chinese companies have grabbed the momentum from the US for the opportunities created by the kingdom's Vision 2030. With the broader political picture unsettled for Saudi Arabia, the landmark Future Investment Initiative, being held in Riyadh, has been dominated by non-US institutions, funds and companies. Will this alter both the inbound and outbound investment priorities in t...

Host Mustafa Alrawi and Assistant Business Editors Chris Nelson and Dania Saadi discuss Agility's interest in Abraaj's assets, how the UAE is the Middle East's most competitive economy and what impact rising interest rates may have on the economic outlook. Sentiment outside of the Gulf has been rocked of late but how justified is this given more positive fundamentals like higher oil prices? The te...