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United Arab Emirates

December 22, 2025

Abu Dhabi 2:52 pm

23°C

Traffic moves on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on March 24, 2025.

Analysis

Gulf finance hubs race to expand as hedge funds flock to Dubai, Abu Dhabi

The Gulf’s top financial hubs have posted another strong year in 2025, with the UAE spearheading a regional push to attract hedge funds, asset managers, crypto and fintech firms as regional neighbors target growth of their own.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

UAE AI investor MGX moves closer to strategic stake in TikTok US

The state-linked Emirati investment firm is set to acquire a 15% stake in the social media platform's new US business as part of a plan that would avert a nationwide ban starting in 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Egypt lands $572M UAE-backed solar deal, expanding Gulf's clean-energy footprint

Solar panels in a Sinai desert, Egypt.

Interview

Robots can solve UAE construction labor shortage, says Buildroid AI

Buildroid AI

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Schiffe im Hafen von Port Sudan, Rotes Meer, Sudan | Ships at Harbour of Port Sudan, Red Sea, Sudan

Dubai ports giant hires ex-Israeli intelligence official to land US support for Sudan bid

DP World has hired controversial lobbyist Ari Ben-Menashe to get a US grant to develop Sudan’s most important cargo terminal.

United Arab Emirates

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - OCTOBER 17: Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L) meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) in Istanbul, Turkey on October 17, 2016. (Photo by Turkish Presidency / Yasin Bulbul/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

UAE insists it’s not lobbying for sanctions against Turkey after all

Lobbyists for the UAE embassy in Washington have clarified their talking points to Congress.

United Arab Emirates

United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power addresses media following a United Nations Security Council vote, aimed at ensuring that U.N. officials can monitor evacuations from besieged parts of the Syrian city of Aleppo, at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., December 19, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly - RC16DD561260

UAE hires its second former Samantha Power aide to defend itself at UN

The UAE has tapped a former aide to Barack Obama’s UN ambassador as the country faces blistering criticism at the world body.

United Arab Emirates

Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh attends a meeting with members of international media at his office in Gaza City June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RC1BDF2E2180

How Malaysia is becoming Hamas' gateway to Asia

Hamas will participate in Malaysia’s Islamic Summit, another indication of the growing ties between the two.

Israel worried by Erdogan's meddling in Palestinian affairs

Israel believes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to gain some control over Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority and is therefore trying to influence the Palestinian battle to succeed Mahmoud Abbas.

United Arab Emirates

Will Turkey rid Abbas of Dahlan before Palestinian elections?

The Turkish Ministry of Interior announced that it would include the dismissed leader of the Fatah movement, Mohammed Dahlan, on the list of most-wanted terrorists, which observers see as a golden opportunity for Abbas to rid of his rival before the elections.

United Arab Emirates

dpatop - 28 June 2019, Japan, Osaka: Recep Tayyip Erdogan (l-r), President of Turkey, Donald Trump, President of the United States of America (USA), Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdelasis al-Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, stand side by side in the group picture at the start of the G20 summit. The heads of state and government of the 19 leading industrialised and emerging countries and the European Union will meet at the G20 summit in Osaka (Japan) on 28 and 29 June 2

White House provides lifeline to US ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia

Turkish and Saudi leaders look to Trump to prevent relations with the United States from going bad to worse.

Police troopers are seen during their deployment near the Aden port in Aden, Yemen November 16, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman - RC2FCD9926V0

Who is responsible for the new wave of killings in Aden?

It's hard to determine which side or sides are behind the latest wave of killings as a new round of military escalation looms in Yemen’s south, which has seen skirmishes in Abyan province between the two partners of the Saudi-led coalition.

Is Turkey about to lose its only ally in the Gulf?

As Qatar's crisis with its Gulf neighbors de-escalates, Ankara is concerned about losing its valuable ally.

A general view of the White House in Washington September 30, 2013. The White House on Monday sought to quash any possibility that President Barack Obama would raise the U.S. debt ceiling by himself should Congress fail to do so before a mid-October deadline, as some have suggested he should. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - GM1E9A10N6L01

White House persuades Congress to ease up on Saudi Arabia

The White House convinced Congress to water down a key defense bill by removing language penalizing Saudi Arabia for the Yemen war and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) arrive, ahead of an annual leaders summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 9, 2019. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2RRD9HRDDG

Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation

While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper.

China looks to boost its influence in Yemen

China is capitalizing on its ties with the various actors in Yemen's civil war to play a bigger role in investing in a post-conflict Yemen.