Author: Dr Issac PJ

Julius Baer, a leading Swiss wealth management group, has received in-principle approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) to establish a new advisory office in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre of the UAE’s capital.The expansion marks a significant milestone in the firm’s long-standing presence in the country, where it opened its first office more than two decades ago and has since maintained a pioneering commitment to the region.Subject to final regulatory approvals, the new entity—Julius Baer (Abu Dhabi) Ltd — is expected to open next month. The office will serve ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), family offices,…

HSBC Holdings is preparing to introduce tokenised deposits to its corporate clients in the UAE and the US during the first half of 2026, marking a significant step in the bank’s continued expansion of blockchain-driven payment technologies.The move follows the bank’s rollout of similar services in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg, and reflects HSBC’s strategy to position the UAE as a key market for next-generation financial infrastructure.Tokenised deposits convert traditional fiat balances into secure digital tokens using HSBC’s proprietary Distributed Ledger Technology. Unlike volatile cryptoassets, these tokens are direct claims on funds already held in regulated bank…

Powered by surging non-oil activity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the GCC’s gross domestic product is projected to expand by 4.4 per cent in 2026, according to ICAEW’s Q4 2025 Economic Insight. Drawing on analysis from Oxford Economics, the report underscores the UAE’s accelerating transformation into a regional economic engine, driven by private-sector dynamism, strategic fiscal stimulus, and long-term diversification.ICAEW forecasts the UAE’s GDP to rise 5.6 per cent in 2026, cementing its position as one of the Gulf’s fastest-growing economies. Tourism, trade, logistics, real estate, and financial services are expected to remain the primary drivers of this expansion,…

Dubai’s off-plan offices emerged as the city’s newest investment engine, reshaping the profile of corporate real estate demand and marking one of its most dynamic phases in a decade.In October, commercial transactions surged to Dh12.3 billion across 1,274 deals, up 21.4 per cent year-on-year, according to Engel & Völkers Middle East. The value of activity rose 9.9 per cent compared with the same month in 2024, marking one of the strongest monthly performances on record.The standout driver is the office segment, where transaction volumes jumped 64 per cent and values climbed 98 per cent. The momentum is supported by Dubai’s…

Germany has formally approved the acquisition of Covestro by an investment arm linked to Adnoc, marking a pivotal moment for both the UAE energy giant and Europe’s chemicals sector. The green light from the German Ministry of Economy follows the European Commission’s earlier approval, removing the final major regulatory hurdle to a deal that has been intensely scrutinised for months.The approval grants Adnoc’s investment vehicle, XRG, permission to take control of one of Germany’s most prominent chemical producers. Covestro, formerly the plastics division of Bayer before its 2015 spin-off, has grown into a global supplier of high-performance polymers. Its materials are…

The Global AI Competitiveness Index by the International Finance Forum (IFF), Deep Knowledge Group (DKG), positions the UAE as one of the strongest emerging AI powers, particularly because of its fast-growing enterprise ecosystem and deepening talent pool.The latest findings resonate with a series of global indexes released over the past year — including Stanford University, Oxford Insights and other research bodies,   painting a consistent picture of a nation moving quickly and strategically to consolidate its position in the AI era by accelerating its ascent as one of the world’s most advanced artificial intelligence hubs, with a growing body of…

Sharjah’s rapidly expanding real estate market has added another milestone with the sell-out of Phase 1 of Khalid bin Sultan City, Beeah’s flagship mixed-use development and its first major entry into the property sector. The strong buyer response, with one of the residential clusters fully sold during the launch event at Beeah’s headquarters, reinforces the emirate’s emergence as one of the UAE’s most vibrant destinations for sustainable, master-planned living.Khalid bin Sultan City is being developed as a next-generation urban model designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, marking the UAE’s first fully master-planned residential project by the globally renowned firm. It introduces a…

Switch Mobility — the EV-bus unit of India’s Ashok Leyland Limited, part of the Hinduja Group — is relocating its production base for electric buses from the UK to a facility in Ras Al Khaimah.​Switch Mobility plant in RAK represents the first confirmed, large-scale, dedicated manufacturing shift by a global EV bus company into the UAE, using it as a base for production and export.The shift also reflects a strategic recognition of the emirate’s cost-efficient manufacturing ecosystem, regional market access and ambition to serve Europe, the UK, and the GCC from the UAE.When the company announced the closure of its Sherburn (UK)…

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) announced a net income of Dh6.1 billion for the first nine months of 2025, supported by strong performance in its utilities business and a string of strategic investments across power and water sectors. The company said it remains firmly on track to meet its 2030 growth targets, driven by international expansion and diversification.Taqa, one of the largest integrated utilities firms in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, reported group revenues of Dh42.7 billion for the nine-month period ending September 30, 2025, a 2.9 per cent increase from a year earlier. The growth was primarily attributed…

In a landmark move that deepens US-UAE defence collaboration, America’s high-tech arms developer Anduril Industries and Abu Dhabi’s EDGE Group have announced a joint venture to design and produce AI-powered autonomous drones in the UAE.  The partnership marks a major step in advancing the Emirates’ domestic defence manufacturing capabilities and integrating cutting-edge artificial intelligence into aerial warfare systems.The two firms will jointly develop a new generation of combat-ready drones called Omen, to be produced at a 50,000-square-foot research and development centre in Abu Dhabi. The UAE is set to acquire the first 50 units, signalling strong government backing for home-grown advanced defence technologies.The Omen drone, sleek and lightweight, combines the…