Emirates United activate codeshare

Emirates, United Airlines codeshare kicks in

Emirates’ customers will have access to more than 150 US cities through Chicago, Houston and San Francisco with the codeshare activated with US carrier

Empower plant

Shareholders of Dubai’s Empower approve $116m dividend

The company’s full-year net profit jumped by 7 per cent year-on-year to Dhs1bn in 2022 while its revenues reached Dhs2.8bn

EY projects $42.2bn boon to UAE economy from Expo 2020 Dubai

The pre-event phase contributed around one-quarter of gross value and the legacy phase will add 62 per cent

Cloud

Protecting data in the cloud: Who’s responsible?

Contrary to popular belief, the cloud provider will not always provide the business with all the necessary tools to combat cyberattacks

Regional banks

Should regional banks buy or build their innovations?

In the early years of the digital era, building was the only option, but today the region is strewn with fintechs

UAE reduces fuel prices

UAE reduces fuel prices for April

The price of diesel was reduced to Dhs3.03 per litre for April from Dhs3.14 in March, the price of E-plus 91 has dropped to Dhs2.82

Dubizzle owner mulls UAE IPO

Dubai-based owner of Dubizzle mulls UAE IPO

Emerging Markets Property Group is set to hire Rothschild & Co. for the potential IPO in Dubai or Abu Dhabi

Donald Trump, former US President

Trump expected to be arraigned as early as Tuesday, lawyer says

The former US president was indicted by a New York grand jury in connection with a hush money payment made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen

Sheikh Hamdan launches create apps in dubai photo courtesy WAM

Create Apps in Dubai launches, aims to triple number of app creators by 2025

The initiative aims to support 100 new national projects for developing apps that will be made available in digital app stores over the next 24 months

Wio Bank new partnership

ADQ-backed Wio Bank, Paymentology partner to enhance SME banking

The digital bank offers SMEs seamless access to banking services while allowing them to move forward with innovative beyond-banking services

DFM and Dubai Chamber

DFM, Dubai Chamber of Commerce partner to boost IPOs

The two entities have partnered with advisory firms that are a key part of the city’s financial and business ecosystem

ADNOC GAS processing tanks

ADNOC Gas’ annual pro forma net profit surges by 37%

The company’s unaudited combined pro forma results follow the company’s record initial public offering earlier in March

Aldar and Mubadala to work on developing Al Maryah Island Photo

Aldar Properties, Mubadala to jointly develop commercial tower on Al Maryah Island

Upon completion of the initial office tower’s construction, which is expected by the end of 2026, the property will be managed by Aldar Investment

Schengen visa application

EU inches closer to digitalise Schengen visa procedure

The proposal aims to make the visa application procedure more efficient and to improve the security of the Schengen area

Sunset Hospitality

Dubai’s Sunset Hospitality Group announces new Bali openings

The group plans to expand its global footprint with the launch of 20 new venues by the end of this year

Netflix

Netflix tests idea of expanding gaming service to televisions

Code hidden within Netflix’s app includes references to games played on TVs, signalling that such a plan is in motion

Cybersecurity

These are the top 8 cybersecurity predictions for 2023-2024

Human-centric security design is modelled with the individual — not technology, threat or location

Berbera Port

DP World expands offering at Berbera Port with new edible oil terminal

The initial phase of the terminal is fully leased to Mzahim Investment, a subsidiary of Essa Al Ghurair Investments of the UAE

US

Oil steadies after mixed US stockpile report signals weak demand

West Texas Intermediate traded near $73 a barrel after closing 0.3 per cent lower on Wednesday

QatarEnergyssigns two offshore explorations deals in Canada

QatarEnergy acquires stakes in two Exxon oil and gas projects in Canada

The company first entered offshore exploration in Canada in 2021 with a 40 per cent stake in ExxonMobil’s licence for EL 1165A

Middle East

Middle East airports to handle 1.1 billion passengers by 2040

Airports in the Middle East will need to invest around $151bn in capacity expansion

Bahrain GDP 2022 growth. Image by EDB

Bahrain’s economy expands by 4.9% in 2022, the fastest in a decade

The country’s non-oil sector grew by 6.2 per cent in 2022, the highest growth rate recorded over the past ten years

Pay later

Does Apple’s pay later service require iOS 16.4?

Apple Pay Later will divide purchases into four payments, spread over six weeks, with no interest or fees

MENA e-commerce trends GettyImages-157027870

Total e-commerce market value in MENA region to surpass $57bn by 2026

The MENA region’s total e-commerce market size reached $37bn in 2022, with a double-digit growth rate from 2021

Apple iOS 16.4

Apple rolls out iOS 16.4: Should you upgrade your iPhone?

The new features of iOS 16.4 include web push notifications, voice isolation for cellular calls, new emojis, badge count and more

bots

How organisations can optimise bots for best performance

Building better bots necessitates more than simply training a language model and then deploying it in a channel

Opec+

OPEC+ shows no sign of changing oil output at meeting next week

Saudi Arabia has said publicly that the 23-nation alliance should keep supplies steady for the whole of 2023

UAE cabinet meeting March 2023 photo courtesy WAM

UAE approves 24 national initiatives, aims to double re-exports in 7 years

Additionally, the UAE cabinet meeting reviewed more than 19 initiatives to attract talent to the country

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi

UAE, Costa Rica to launch free trade talks

The CEPA programme was launched in September 2021 to expand UAE’s trade and investment partnership with several strategic global markets