The Smashi Business Show

Description: In this weekend edition of the Smashi Business Show, Abdul Majid Awan breaks down three major business stories. We dive into the fallout between PwC and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the race to build a record-breaking 2km megatall tower in Riyadh, and Qatar Airways’ decision to slow its rapid expansion after one final big aircraft order. Stay tuned for the latest insights an...

HEADLINES: -  UAE-Based Talabat Acquires InstaShop From Delivery Hero in $32 Million Deal - Starbucks Closes Four Branches in Jordan as Boycott Pressure Intensifies - PIF and TKO Group Partner to Launch New Boxing League in Saudi Arabia

HEADLINES: -  Saudi Arabia Launches Investment Marketing Authority to Boost FDI - UAE's Khaleej Times Editor-in-Chief Fired After 16 Months in Charge - Aviation Update: Etihad IPO Delayed, Emirates to Spend $5B Refitting 220 Aircraft

HEADLINES: -  Arab Leaders Approve $53 Billion Gaza Reconstruction Plan, Rejecting 'Trump Gaza' - BlackRock’s GIP Expands to Qatar as Global Investment Firms Flock to the Region - Saudi’s Ninja Eyes $1B+ Valuation in Pre-IPO Fundraising

HEADLINES: - Dubai’s Expat Boom Reshapes Job Market, Salaries & Lifestyles, Reports Bloomberg - EU Reopens Trade with Syria: Strategic Aid or Economic Opportunism? - WSJ Spotlights His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon

HEADLINES: - Saudi Wealth Fund Suspends PwC from Advisory Work for a Year - Microsoft Pushes for AI Export Rule Changes to Gulf Allies - US Secretary of State Signs Declaration to Fast-Track $4 Billion in Military Aid to Israel  

Top stories:   PwC’s One-Year Ban from Saudi PIF Contracts Saudi Rental Yields Lead the Gulf Amid Demand Surge Arada’s Future IPO Plans After Record-Shattering Sales Newsletter: https://aug.us/4fZIDusWhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLUInstagram: https://aug.us/4ihltzQSmashi Business Show (Mon-Friday): https://aug.us/3BTU2MY

HEADLINES: - Saudi Stocks Extend Losses on Weak Earnings; Emirates NBD Lifts Dubai - FBI Confirms North Korea’s Lazarus Group Behind $1.5B Bybit Hack - Australia Approves Qatar Airways' 25% Stake in Virgin Australia to Boost Competition`

HEADLINES: Majority-owned by PIF, Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson Steps Down UAE’s IPO Pipeline Heats Up With Major Listings on the Horizon "e& Shares Jump After $2.2 Billion Stake Sale in Khazna to G42 "

HEADLINES: - Web Summit Qatar 2025 - Saudi IT Firm Nets $3.4M After Selling OpenAI Stake - IHC, Led by Sheikh Tahnoon, to Invest $1B in Low- & Middle-Income Groups - KPMG Partner Zeeshan Ijazz on Leadership, Challenges & Career Success

HEADLINES: - Web Summit Day 3 Updates Live from Doha Exhibition and Conference Center - Softbank's Masayoshi San says he hasn't given returns to PIF still - Dubai's VARA says they're keepin an eye on the hack at 'unregulated' ByBit - Emaar Properties' Mohamed AlAbbar is bullish on the Egyptian property market - Interview with Qatar's first delivery and Utility app Snoonu's founder and CEO Hamad Al...

HEADLINES: - Day 2: Web Summit Qatar 2025 is in full swing in Doha - Bybit's $1.5 billion hack and the announcement of reward - Musk Tower in UAE to be truly 'international', says Errol Musk

Alpha Data’s $163M IPO on ADX  – UAE-based tech company Alpha Data is set to raise up to Dh600 million ($163.4M) through its IPO on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), reflecting strong investor demand. Dubizzle Acquires Hatla2ee  – Dubizzle Group expands its footprint in Egypt with the acquisition of Hatla2ee, a leading online car marketplace, as part of its pre-IPO strategy. Middl...

HEADLINES: -Saudi Arabia Introduces New Currency Symbol to Strengthen Global Financial Presence -Saudi Arabia Selects Miami for Its Second US Investment Office -UAE’s IDEX & NAVDEX 2025 Deals Hit AED23.72 Billion in Four Days

HEADLINES: - Step Dubai Conference | Dubai Internet City - Trump Applauds Saudi Arabia at FII PRIORITY Summit in Miami - Putin Calls for Russia-US-Saudi Energy Talks Amid Global Market Shifts

HEADLINES: - Dubai's Luxury Property Market Will Grow 9.9% in 2025 After a 6.8% Increase in 2024 - Saudi PIF's SURJ Sports Investment Acquires Minority Stake in DAZN - Jordanian-American Entrepreneur Amjad Masad Shares His Thoughts on Grok 3

HEADLINES: - Huda Beauty Sells Stake in Kayali to General Atlantic - Emaar to Boost Investments in Egypt by $7 Billion, Expanding Presence in Real Estate - How GetProp is transforming real estate through AI-powered search and verified listings

HEADLINES: Dubai viral Chocolate Founder Meets HH Sheikh Hamdan at World Government Summit Syria Receives Currency Shipment from Russia Amid Liquidity Crisis Elon Musk’s xAI Eyes $10 Billion Funding, Backed by Middle Eastern Investors

HEADLINES: - Elon Musk’s Big Ideas at World Governments Summit 2025 in Dubai - Saudi’s $600B Trade Pledge to US ‘Unlikely to Be Achieved,’ Says Former IMF Official - Americana Restaurants Reports $2.2B Revenue in 2024, Eyes Continued Recovery

HEADLINES: - Elon Musk tells World Government Summit in Dubai: 'America should mind its own business' - LEAP 2025 Riyadh: $24B in Investments and Deals Announced - Saudi Arabia’s Neom Signs $5 Billion Deal for AI Data Center with DataVolt

HEADLINES: - Saudi Unicorn Tabby Hires Banks for Potential IPO, Eyes Listing on Tadawul: Bloomberg - Etihad Airways May List on ADX as Early as this Month for $1 Billion IPO - Leap 2025: Saudi Arabia Unveils $14.9B in Tech Investments

HEADLINES: - PIF Backs Ambitious $5 Billion Basketball League to Rival NBA - $17M Saudi Auction: Botero and Banksy Lead Sotheby’s Historic Debut - MONIIFY Layoffs: Former Advisor Yaser Bishr ‘Devastated’ Over Job Cuts

Headlines: - UAE’s $50 Billion Bet on AI: Building Europe’s Largest AI Hub in France - Elon Musk & Global Leaders Gather in Dubai for the World Governments Summit - UAE-India Trade Agreement Expands Beyond $100 Billion, Unlocking New Opportunities  

HEADLINES: MONIIFY’s Multi-Million-Dollar Gamble: Where Were the Red Flags? LEAP 2025 in Riyadh Poised to Transform the Tech Landscape Saudi Arabia’s IPOs Lead the MENA Region by Outshining UAE and Egypt in 2024

HEADLINES: - Egyptian Billionaire Naguib Sawiris’ Media Startup in Dubai, MONIIFY, Lays Off Hundreds Just Months After Launch - Open AI's Sam Altman to stop in Abu Dhabi for MGX fundraising talks, sources say - Reuters Expands in the Middle East with New Arabic Website & Reuters NEXT leadership event