The Smashi Business Show

HEADLINES: ♦ Calo raises $39mln (SAR 146.27mln) in Series B extension ♦ Saudi PIF named most valuable and fastest-growing sovereign wealth fund ♦ Binghatti Unveils $570M Dubai Twin-Tower Project At Launch Event In Egypt ♦ Pavel Durov Questioned by French Authorities Over Platform’s Alleged Criminal Use

HEADLINES: • Netflix And Shahid Unite In First-Ever Joint Subscription For MENA • Qatar threatens to halt LNG exports to EU over sustainability law • “Shame On You, Anthropic!” Gulf Investor Slams AI Giant Over Leaked Memo • Huda Kattan Calls Out Kim Kardashian Over Israel Support After Viral Tucker Carlson Clip   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram:...

HEADLINES: ♦ Saudi Arabia publishes new law on foreign property ownership ♦ Huda Beauty and Saint Levant Redirect $210K to Gaza Relief via Doctors Without Borders ♦ Etihad Ready to Welcome Wizz Air Abu Dhabi Staff as Airline Shuts Down ♦ Wamda Capital’s Fadi Ghandour Calls Starvation in Gaza “Pure Evil”   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: https://a...

HEADLINES: • BCG Refuses to Release Gaza Report Despite Pressure From Lawmakers and NGOs • Saudi Comedy 'AlZarfa' Hits $2.7M, Becomes Fastest Arab Film to Sell 500K Tickets • AI Jobs in the Gulf Now Pay Up to 120K AED a Month • Aldar Sells Abu Dhabi’s Most Expensive Home for $109 Million on Saadiyat Island Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: https://aug.u...

HEADLINES: ♦ UK Clears Abu Dhabi’s 15% Stake in Telegraph, Ending Long-Running Ownership Dispute ♦ Shipping Billionaire John Fredriksen Lists Chelsea Mansion Amid UK Tax Shakeup ♦ Saudi Arabia announces $5bn in Syria investments ♦ RAK Tourism CEO Raki Phillips to Leave for Senior Role at Accor   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: https://aug.us/4ihl...

HEADLINES: • Leaked Memo Reveals Anthropic CEO’s U-Turn on Taking Investments from Gulf Countries • Titan To Acquire Majority Stake In Dubai Jeweller Damas In AED 1.04 Billion Deal • Dubai-based Binghatti Holding made AED1.8 billion in net income in H1 2025 • Gym Nation Acquires Fitness First Motor City, Launches AED 70M Expansion Plan Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40...

HEADLINES: ♦ Egypt Plans To Offer New Investment Opportunities To US Firms ♦ Mubadala Backs Dubai-Based Restaurant Payments Startup Qlub In $30M Funding Round ♦ US Officials Stall UAE’s Access To Nvidia AI Chips Over Security Fears ♦ Musk’s Grok Bot Accuses X of Censoring Pro-Palestinian Posts, Cites Media Reports   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram...

HEADLINES: • UAE’s Al-Futtaim to Buy 49.95% Stake in Saudi Arabia’s Cenomi Retail for $667 Million • Meta Acquires Voice AI Startup Led by Egyptian Engineer Mahmoud Felfel • Musk’s xAI Plans ‘Baby Grok’ — A Kid-Friendly AI App Amid Controversy • UAE to change tax rule on sugar-based drinks

HEADLINES: ♦ Dubai’s Binghatti Opens First London Office to Court Global Investors ♦ Musk’s xAI in Talks for Saudi Data Center Deal to Power AI Push ♦ Saudi Penny CEO Calls Himself an ‘Idiot’ for Ordering His Calo Meals on HungerStation ♦ Air Arabia Abu Dhabi and Etihad Seize Wizz Air Vacancy With Ambitious Expansion Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: ht...

HEADLINES: ♦ Wizz Air's UAE Exit Leaves Up to 450 Staff Facing Uncertain Future ♦ Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak: “We Invested in Every Piece of AI ♦ Manchester City Secures Record £1 Billion Kit Deal With Puma ♦ Shark Tank Launches in Lebanon   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: https://aug.us/4ihltzQ Smashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): https://au...

HEADLINES: ♦ Dubai’s Independent Food Company Celebrates HH Sheikh Mohammed’s Birthday in London ♦ Saudi Arabia Reassesses The Line Project to Keep Vision 2030 on Track ♦ PIF Eyes Major Investment in Elon Musk’s x AI at $200 Billion Valuation ♦ House of Pops Eyes Europe After GCC Growth ♦ Israel’s Stock Market Is in the Green — But War Spending Is Bleeding the Economy Red Newsletter: https://aug.u...

HEADLINES: ♦ Wizz Air Pulls Out of Abu Dhabi After Six Years ♦ BYD Doubles Down on Saudi EV Market with 10 Showrooms by 2026 ♦ Majid Al-Futtaim Enters Kuwait Following Succession Reshuffle  ♦ Mubadala-Led Group to Acquire Germany’s Techem for $8 Billion in Big Sustainability Push Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: https://aug.us/4ihltzQ Smashi Busin...

HEADLINES: • Syria Signs $800M Tartous Port Deal With UAE’s DP World in Push for Post-War Rebuilding • Saudi Arabia May Buy Huawei Chips as Chinese Tech Giant Eyes Middle East Expansion • Cairo’s Gameball Doubles 2024 Revenue in Just 6 Months • Lebanon Bets on Gulf Tourists to Revive Economy Amid Crisis and Conflict Fears Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagra...

HEADLINES: ♦ BCG Strips Two Top Executives of Leadership Roles Over Gaza Project Fallout ♦ Trump Slaps Up to 30% Tariffs on Iraq, Algeria, Libya, and Tunisia in New Trade Push ♦ Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as X CEO after Two Years in the Role ♦ Dubai Airports Shuts Down IPO Buzz, Dismisses Report as ‘Inaccurate’     Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Insta...

HEADLINES: ♦ Saudi’s Jahez Acquires 76% of Qatari Snoonu from Founder Hamad Al-Hajri in $245M Deal ♦ Egypt’s Sawiris to Invest $100M in Morocco’s Electric Motorbike Market ♦ Backlash Grows as VC Shaun Maguire Reignites Controversy Days After Apology ♦ Kuwait’s $1 Trillion Wealth Fund Sells $3B Bank of America Stake”   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagr...

HEADLINES: ♦ Middle Eastern Tech Founders Petition Forces Sequoia Partner Shaun Maguire to Apologize ♦ Richard Attias Associates Considers IPO Amid Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Push ♦ Dubai’s Xpanceo Raises $250M, Hits $1.35 Billion Valuation ♦ Elon Musk’s Starlink Launches in Qatar, Boosting Regional Connectivity   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram:...

HEADLINES: ♦ Fadi Ghandour Leads Petition Over Sequoia Partner’s Islamophobia Toward Zohran Mamdani ♦ Dubai Duty Free Chocolates Smash Records with 2.5 Million Bars Sold in Six Months ♦ UAE and World Economic Forum Launch Global Platform to Future-Proof AI Regulation ♦ Bahrain Sets Gulf’s First Stablecoin Rulebook, Leading Crypto Regulation   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https...

HEADLINES: • BCG Under Fire for Role in Gaza ‘Relocation’ Plan Backed by Israel and U.S. • Qatari Tycoon Brothers' Dairy Giant Baladna to Invest $250M in Syria • Mohamed Alabbar’s Americana Enters Luxury Food Retail with Greek Brand Carpo • Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Listed Firms Hit $2.1 Trillion Valuation Led by Aramco Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU Instagram: htt...

HEADLINES: ♦ Amr Diab Switches from Vodafone to Orange Egypt in Major Telecom Shake-Up ♦ Miral Issues AED 3 Billion Tender for Harry Potter-Themed Expansion on Yas Island ♦ UN Expert Calls Israeli Actions in Gaza Genocide, Demands Arms Embargo ♦ Google Launches Veo 3 AI Video Tool in MENA via Gemini App ♦ Inside Institutional Staking: Figment’s Strategy for the MENA Market with Christoph Richter &...

HEADLINES: ♦ Abu Dhabi and Dubai Named World’s Top Emerging Data Centre Markets ♦ Kuwait to Introduce 15% Minimum Tax on Big Global Companies Starting 2025 ♦ Businessman Allegedly Bought $2.9 Million Dubai Villa Using US Healthcare Scam Money ♦ Saudi Startup Flawless Raises $1.5M for AI Career Platform ♦ Sahil Sajan on Milano’s Leap into Pet Care   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp:...

HEADLINES: ♦ Saudi Arabia’s PIF Crosses $1 Trillion in Assets, But Net Profit Slumps Over 50% ♦ Trump signs executive order lifting sanctions on Syria ♦ UN Report Accuses Over 60 Global Companies of Complicity in Israel’s Gaza Campaign ♦ Saudi Q-Commerce Startup Ninja Joins Unicorn Club After $250 Million Funding Round ♦ Munira Rahman: The Perfume Executive Changing the Face of GCC Beauty Business...

HEADLINES: ♦ HH Sheikh Hamdan: Dubai Successfully Conducts First Joby Air Taxi Test Flight ♦ Emaar Named World’s Fastest-Growing Real Estate Brand with $4B Valuation ♦ Saudi Unemployment Falls to Record Low as Women Drive Workforce Gains ♦ Norway’s KLP Pension Fund Blacklists Firms Supplying Israeli Military Over Gaza War ♦ Zoho Expands in Bahrain: How Its Tamkeen Partnership Aims to Boost SMEs Ac...

HEADLINES: ♦ Jeff Bezos Marries Lauren Sánchez in $56M Venice Wedding with Jordanian Royalty ♦ Tesla Makes Saudi Debut with First Riyadh Centre Opened; Jeddah to Get One by Year-End ♦ Israel’s 12-Day War with Iran Estimated to Cost $6 Billion, Central Bank Warns ♦ UK Billionaire John Fredriksen Moves $10B Empire to Dubai Amid Tax Policy Shifts   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: ht...

HEADLINES: ♦ House of Pops CEO Responds After Sugary Drinks Added to Orders Without Approval ♦ Candace Owens Says She’s Accused of Taking Qatar, Iran Funding ♦ World Bank Approves $1.3 Billion to Rebuild Infrastructure in Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq ♦ U.S. Approves $30 Million Gaza Aid Grant Despite Concerns Over Safety and Oversight   Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDus WhatsApp: https://aug.us/...

HEADLINES: ♦ Fadel Al Ali Named Chairman of Majid Al Futtaim Group in Major Governance Shakeup ♦ Maersk Cuts Ties With Firms Linked to Israeli Settlements After Activist Pressure ♦ Replit Hits $100 Million in Revenue, Founder Amjad Masad Reveals Rapid Growth ♦ UAE’s Baraka Launches AI Assistant to Help Retail Investors in the Gulf Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModr WhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLU...