Author: Dr Issac PJ

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) on Wednesday reported record earnings for the first nine months of 2025, with Group net profit jumping 24 per cent year-on-year to Dh16.02 billion — its highest ever for the period. Profit before tax rose 26 per cent to Dh19.25 billion, while return on tangible equity (RoTE) stood at 20 per cent, well above the bank’s medium-term target.The robust performance reflects broad-based growth across all divisions, driven by strong client activity, diversified revenue streams, and productivity gains from FAB’s AI-driven transformation strategy. Operating income climbed 16 per cent year-on-year to Dh27.65 billion, supported by sustained business momentum.…

Gold and silver’s spectacular rally hit a wall this week, raising the question of whether the sharp pull-back marks a healthy correction or the beginning of a deeper crash. After months of relentless gains, both metals tumbled in one of their steepest declines in years, forcing traders and investors to reassess the strength of the precious-metals bull run.Gold plunged by as much as six per cent, wiping $235 off its price in a single day — its sharpest fall since 2013 — while silver slumped more than seven per cent, the biggest drop since 2011. Analysts describe the move as a…

Sobha Realty has unveiled Sobha AquaCrest, the second residential cluster within its visionary Downtown UAQ | Sobha Realty masterplan — a $20 billion coastal destination set to redefine the architectural and lifestyle landscape of Umm Al Quwain.Spanning 25 million square feet with 7km of beachfront and 11km of coastline, the landmark development is among the most ambitious masterplans in the Northern Emirates. Once completed, Downtown UAQ will be home to more than 150,000 residents and offer a vibrant mix of luxury homes, retail boulevards, marinas, hotels, leisure zones, and offices — all crafted around Sobha Realty’s hallmark precision and sustainable…

Investors in the UAE are steadily leading the global crypto race, and the numbers help explain exactly why.A 2025 wealth-insights report by Avaloq shows 39 per cent of affluent to ultra-high-net-worth UAE investors currently hold crypto assets — significantly ahead of the 30 per cent global average. This strong appetite is reinforced by a raft of additional data pointing to deep-seated adoption, institutional involvement and regulated infrastructure.First, on the adoption front: independent studies show that roughly 30.4 per cent of the UAE’s adult population — about 3 million people — own cryptocurrencies.  Meanwhile, the emirates received an estimated $34 billion…

Female business leaders across the Middle East are boldly signalling that the future is theirs to shape. According to the latest regional survey by KPMG, a striking 78 per cent of women in senior business roles say they feel confident about their companies’ growth prospects over the next three years. Yet this optimism comes with a clear caveat: nearly half want far clearer strategies on artificial intelligence (AI) and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.The study, titled Middle East Female Leaders Outlook 2025: “A Call for Clarity,” finds that while regional women executives are broadly optimistic, they are also pressing for…

The cryptocurrency market’s October collapse — wiping out more than $370 billion in value within hours — has been described by traders as the worst liquidation event in digital asset history. Bitcoin plunged from record highs near $126,000 to about $104,000 in a single day, while Ethereum fell below $4,000 and many altcoins lost up to 90 per cent of their value. For a market that had looked invincible just weeks earlier, the sudden crash exposed how fragile crypto’s new institutional era still is. Analysts say the trigger was a perfect storm of macro and structural pressures — leveraged liquidations, exchange-traded fund…

The UAE’s data centre industry is on the brink of a massive expansion, with the market forecast to more than triple to $3.3 billion by 2030, powered by surging demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and sovereign digital infrastructure.  This projected boom underscores the nation’s emergence as one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies and a key regional hub for cloud-based innovation and investment.According to Research and Markets, the UAE’s data centre market — valued at about $1.26 billion in 2024 — is growing at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 18 per cent, with major new capacity coming…

The UAE is emerging as a standout performer in financial inclusion, posting strong recent gains driven by fintech growth, digital-finance uptake and robust policy commitment. The latest edition of the 2025 Global Financial Inclusion Index (GFII), compiled by Principal Financial Group in partnership with the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr), places the UAE 22nd globally—one of only three markets to move up more than one position this year.According to the Index, the UAE made the largest gain worldwide in the “financial‐system support” pillar, climbing five places as its score improved by 1.9 points. The country also recorded the biggest…

Sharjah has posted an extraordinary first nine months of 2025 in its real-estate sector, underscoring a surge of investor confidence, a widening investor base and strategic growth credentials.Official figures from the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department (SRERD) show that property transactions reached Dh44.3 billion, representing a striking 58.3 per cent jump compared to the same period in 2024.That sum already exceeds the full-year total for 2024, which stood at around Dh40 billion, signalling that Sharjah has not only maintained momentum but accelerated past last year’s benchmark. Transaction volume also climbed meaningfully: the number of property deals rose to 80,320, up…

BLS International Services Ltd, a global leader in government-to-citizen service outsourcing, has been awarded a three-year contract by India’s Ministry of External Affairs to establish and operate Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) across China.For the UAE, where BLS has operated since 2011, the award underscores Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s growing role in India’s global consular network. BLS manages visa and consular services for several missions in the Emirates, including the Indian Embassy, and embassies of Spain, Italy, and Slovakia, through a network of 23 centres. Its long-standing presence in the UAE, serving both Indian nationals and international applicants, has established…