Author: Dr Issac PJ

Dubai’s property market continued its remarkable run through 2025, shrugging off the traditionally slow summer months to post one of its strongest quarters on record.Residential sales rose 22.7 per cent year-on-year, while commercial transaction values surged 31 per cent in the third quarter, according to Engel & Völkers Middle East.The results underline Dubai’s growing reputation as one of the world’s most resilient and mature real estate markets — driven by robust investor confidence, a steady influx of new residents, and deep-rooted end-user demand.”Dubai’s property market has reached a new level of maturity,” said Daniel Hadi, CEO of Engel & Völkers…

Etihad Airways is sharpening its growth strategy with a renewed focus on India — one of its top three global markets — as the Abu Dhabi-based carrier doubles down on premium service, strategic partnerships, and smart capacity management to sustain momentum amid limited room for seat expansion.Operating 185 flights a week across 11 Indian cities, Etihad has fully utilised its 50,000-seat weekly allocation under the bilateral agreement between India and the UAE.  With the cap restricting additional flights, the airline is now exploring “smart ways” to deepen its India business through differentiated customer experience and targeted segmentation, said Javier Alija,…

The Gulf job market is undergoing one of its biggest transformations in decades, with employment surging and women’s participation steadily climbing — trends that analysts say mirror the UAE’s success in creating a more dynamic, diversified, and inclusive workforce.According to the latest data from the Gulf Statistical Center, the total number of workers across the GCC rose from 28 million in 2020 to 34.9 million in 2024 — a gain of nearly 7 million employees and a cumulative growth of 24.8 per cent over five years. Employment across the region expanded at an annual rate of 5.7 per cent last year,…

Al Ghurair Foods, a division of the Al Ghurair Group — one of the UAE’s most diversified and pioneering business conglomerates — has announced the phased completion of the nation’s first-ever corn starch plant at Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad) by the first quarter of 2026.The landmark project marks a major step toward strengthening the UAE’s industrial self-sufficiency and boosting the circular economy.Speaking at the inauguration of Propaper 2025 — the region’s leading B2B paper industry event in Dubai — Hamad Al Ghurair, vice-president of Al Ghurair Foods, said the project’s major civil and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP)…

Funding raised by start-ups within the entrepreneurship incubator in5 has crossed Dh9 billion since its inception, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a global seedbed for innovation under its pro-start-up policy regime.The figure was announced during the 10th-anniversary edition of Expand North Star 2025 — the world’s largest event for start-ups and investors being held in Dubai Harbour from October 12 to 15. It represents growth of roughly 14 per cent over the total funding raised as of October 2024.Speaking on behalf of in5, Majed Al Suwaidi, senior vice president at Tecom Group, said: “The remarkable journey of in5’s start-ups past the…

When the first GITEX — then known as the Gulf Computer Exhibition — opened in December 1981 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, it was a small yet momentous event for a young city eager to embrace the digital age.I was among the 3,000-plus visitors who walked through that single exhibition hall as a budding journalist, curious about the promise of personal computers and the mysterious new world of ‘Information Technology’.The venue buzzed with excitement as 46 exhibitors displayed the early wonders of the computing era — IBM’s first personal computer, dot matrix printers, and floppy disks—then symbols of futuristic…

India’s centuries-old love affair with gold has created a fortune that outshines entire nations.According to Morgan Stanley, Indian households now hold an estimated $3.8 trillion worth of gold, equivalent to nearly 89 per cent of the country’s GDP. Weighing close to 25,000 tonnes, this is by far the largest privately owned stockpile of gold in the world — a gleaming reserve of cultural pride, emotional security, and economic resilience.The surge has been fuelled by gold’s stellar run this year. Prices have jumped about 62 per cent, pushing domestic rates to around Rs 127,000 per 10 grams — a record high.…

The UAE’s non-oil trade with G20 economies surged to $231 billion in the first half of 2025 — up 19.2 per cent year-on-year — underscoring the nation’s expanding role as a global trade hub.The milestone came amid record-high total non-oil foreign trade of Dh1.7 trillion during the period, a 24 per cent jump on a year earlier, with non-oil exports alone soaring to nearly Dh370 billion, roughly triple their value five years ago.At the G20 Trade and Investment Ministerial Meeting in Gqeberha, South Africa, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, reaffirmed that open,…

IndusInd International Holdings Ltd (IIHL), Mauritius, has completed the full acquisition of Bahamas-based Sterling Bank by acquiring the remaining 49 per cent equity, a statement said on Monday.With the acquisition, Sterling Bank has become a wholly owned entity of Hinduja Group firm IIHL Mauritius, which is also the promoter of IndusInd Bank. IIHL Mauritius had acquired a controlling 51 per cent stake in Sterling Bank in September 2022.The Hinduja Group has a significant and expanding presence in the UAE, particularly through its subsidiary Ashok Leyland, which operates a major bus factory in Ras Al Khaimah, and Gulf Oil Middle East.The…

The UAE has quietly engineered a stunning transformation: its wellness economy is now valued at $34.1 billion, making it the largest in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.This surge — representing a 58 per cent rise between 2019 and 2023 — signals that the UAE is not merely catching up to global wellness trends but racing to lead them, say industry watchers.Across the globe, the wellness economy is booming. According to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), the total global wellness market reached $6.3 trillion in 2023, up from $5.8 trillion in 2022 — a rise of nearly 9…