{"id":113360,"date":"2026-03-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/?post_type=issue&#038;p=113360"},"modified":"2026-04-13T18:40:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T18:40:54","slug":"the-accidental-energy-issue","status":"publish","type":"issue","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"The accidental energy issue"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"113362\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113362\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">1<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">OPENING NOTE<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/\">\r\n                            Is Israel running an op on the US press?                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=Is Israel running an op on the US press?&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/&title=Is Israel running an op on the US press?\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Is+Israel+running+an+op+on+the+US+press%3F+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fis-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/is-israel-running-an-op-on-the-us-press\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                                            <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113362\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113362 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-opening-note tag-amin-nasser tag-energy tag-enterpriseam tag-opening-note wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Good morning, wonderful people, and welcome back from Eid. <\/strong>What type of morning is it? Let\u2019s put it this way: Aramco boss Amin Nasser <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ceraweek.com\/en\" style=\"\">is backing out<\/a> of global energy extravaganza <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ceraweek.com\/en\" style=\"\">CERAweek<\/a> and Donald Trump is sending 2k paratroopers to the region. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2016\/5\/5\/11592622\/this-is-fine-meme-comic\" style=\"\">This is fine.<\/a> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Energy is the big theme in this morning\u2019s edition<\/strong>, which should surprise exactly none of you as Egypt braces for rolling blackouts and Saudi recons with the reality that high oil prices are only great as long as there\u2019s demand for oil in volume.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>MEANWHILE- Is Israel running an op on the US press? <\/strong>Longtime readers know we\u2019re not much for conspiracy theories, but a drumbeat of stories in major US outlets reeks of a calculated bid by Tel Aviv to pull Saudi Arabia into the war on Iran. Witness the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/24\/us\/politics\/saudi-prince-iran-trump.html\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/24\/us\/politics\/saudi-prince-iran-trump.html\" style=\"\">New York Times<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/24\/us\/politics\/saudi-prince-iran-trump.html\" style=\"\"><\/a> (MbS is pushing Trump to step up the war?) and the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-gulf-states-offense-decision-b8d98ff9\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-gulf-states-offense-decision-b8d98ff9\" style=\"\">Wall Street Journal<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-gulf-states-offense-decision-b8d98ff9\" style=\"\"><\/a> (Saudi will let the US use its bases for attacks?). <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Why stop at Saudi? <\/strong>Axios\u2019 Barak Ravid has <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2026\/03\/03\/uae-iran-missiles-strike-israel\" style=\"\">the UAE lining up<\/a> to start pounding Iran, too. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>A PALATE CLEANSER for you from the Dept. of Schadenfreude:<\/strong> OpenAI says it\u2019s shutting down its Sora video-generation \/ social media app after just six months. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/soraofficialapp\/status\/2036546752535470382\" style=\"\">\u201cWhat you made with Sora mattered,\u201d<\/a> it adds. Uhm \u2026 not so much? \u2013Patrick<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/amin-nasser\/\">Amin Nasser<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/energy\/\">ENERGY<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/opening-note\/\">Opening Note<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113363\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113363\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">2<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">THE LEDE<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/\">\r\n                            Good news, bad news                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=Riyadh looks at worst-case scenario as oil prices threaten to hit USD 180&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/&title=Riyadh looks at worst-case scenario as oil prices threaten to hit USD 180\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Riyadh+looks+at+worst-case+scenario+as+oil+prices+threaten+to+hit+USD+180+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Friyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/12\/1390.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"113364\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/riyadh-looks-at-worst-case-scenario-as-oil-prices-threaten-to-hit-usd-180\/1390-jpg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/12\/1390.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"1390.jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/12\/1390.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2025\/12\/1390.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113363\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113363 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-the-lede tag-disruption-watch tag-enterpriseam tag-saudi-arabia tag-shipping-maritime tag-the-lede tag-trade wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"> <strong>Oil could be on its way into \u201cuncharted territory\u201d \u2014 and it may not be good news for <\/strong><strong>Saudi Arabia<\/strong>, prompting the government to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/finance\/commodities-futures\/saudi-arabia-sees-a-spike-to-180-oil-if-energy-shock-persists-past-april-2fe729d7\" style=\"\">reportedly model a worst-case scenario<\/a> that assumes oil at USD 180 \/ bbl amid persistent disruptions. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Higher oil prices could be a short-term boon for the kingdom\u2019s balance sheet<\/strong>, as it will be able to export well over half the pre-war levels. \u201cIf the oil price averages over USD 140 \/ bbl, then it\u2019s a net benefit,\u201d Gulf analyst at GlobalPartners Justin Alexander tells EnterpriseAM. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>It\u2019s all about how long the Hormuz closure is going to last. <\/strong>\u201cI don\u2019t think USD 150 is out of the question in another month [\u2026] You start talking about June, I\u2019ll give you USD 180,\u201d CIBC Private Wealth Senior Energy Trader Rebecca Babin told the Journal.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>But the favorable impact would be short-lived.<\/strong> Saudi officials are reportedly concerned the volatility could tip the global economy into recession or trigger a lasting demand hit as consumers cut back. For the medium term, Alexander anticipates higher prices for a longer period, driven by the risk premium and reduced global reserves.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>AND- Surging oil means the end of cheap energy and factory inputs<\/strong>, Wolfgang Lehmacher, former head of supply chain and transport industries at the World Economic Forum, tells EnterpriseAM. \u201cA probable USD 8-12 \/ gallon gas price kills spending and spurs electric cars. Gulf aluminum plants will close without shipping from Hormuz. World trade growth will slow as costs soar,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>IN CONTEXT-<\/strong> Saudi Arabia has cut output by some 2 mn bbl \/ d since the closure of Hormuz last month, with Saudi Aramco\u2019s CEO Amin Nasser raising <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/about.bnef.com\/insights\/commodities\/iran-rattles-saudis-red-sea-oil-reset-heres-whats-at-stake\/\" style=\"\">alarm bells<\/a> over \u201cthe biggest crisis the region\u2019s oil and gas industry has faced.\u201d The ongoing conflict has already withheld mns of barrels from the global supply, with prices doubling since the war began last month. This could all be exacerbated by the destruction of energy infrastructure on both sides of the war, particularly as Riyadh\u2019s alternative oil export route was already <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/about.bnef.com\/insights\/commodities\/iran-rattles-saudis-red-sea-oil-reset-heres-whats-at-stake\/\" style=\"\">targeted right before Eid<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Pricing tightrope: <\/strong>Aramco is trying to price crude accurately while preventing global consumers from putting their pencils down and slashing oil use for good. The company <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/saudi-aramco-tells-buyers-lift-only-arab-light-crude-yanbu-april-2026-03-23\/\" style=\"\">has already cut<\/a> its crude supply to Asian buyers for April for a second month running. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>All eyes are on 2 April, when Aramco is due to release its net official selling prices.<\/strong> Until then, modelers are racing to identify the breaking point \u2014 the price at which gasoline demand starts to collapse and industrial activity becomes uneconomic.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Supply crunch ahead?<\/strong> Saudi light crude is being offloaded to Asian purchasers via Yanbu port for around USD 125 \/ bbl. We\u2019re expecting to see physical shortage weigh heavier next week, as extra oil in storage \u2013\u2013 a portion of which was shipped out of the Gulf prior to the war \u2013\u2013 is used up.<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/disruption-watch\/\">DISRUPTION WATCH<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/saudi-arabia\/\">Saudi Arabia<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/shipping-maritime\/\">SHIPPING + MARITIME<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/the-lede\/\">The Lede<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/trade\/\">Trade<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113365\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113365\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">3<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">OIL WATCH<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/\">\r\n                            Brace, brace, brace\u2026                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=Governments across MENA are looking for energy alternatives the disruption bites&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/&title=Governments across MENA are looking for energy alternatives the disruption bites\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Governments+across+MENA+are+looking+for+energy+alternatives+the+disruption+bites+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fgovernments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1178.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"113366\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/governments-across-mena-are-looking-for-energy-alternatives-the-disruption-bites\/1178-jpg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1178.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"1178.jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1178.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1178.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113365\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113365 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-oil-watch tag-energy tag-enterpriseam tag-lng tag-oil-watch tag-qatar tag-saudi tag-uae wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong> The worst energy market disruption in history is now hitting the real economy \u2014 and <\/strong><strong>governments across our region are scrambling to contain the fallout.<\/strong> The International Energy Agency (IEA) is already calling this the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/oil-market-report-march-2026\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iea.org\/reports\/oil-market-report-march-2026\" style=\"\">largest disruption in oil market<\/a> history. For countries already struggling with big import bills \u2014 hello, Morocco and Egypt \u2014 that means inflation and a hit to industrial output. Qatar\u2019s coffers, meanwhile, could suffer up to USD 20 bn in annual losses from a 17% loss in LNG export capacity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Governments dependent on energy imports are pushing policies to soften the blow for<\/strong> <strong>consumers<\/strong>, with Morocco <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/newsbase.com\/story\/morocco-launches-support-package-for-transport-sector-amid-rising-fuel-prices-432309\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/newsbase.com\/story\/morocco-launches-support-package-for-transport-sector-amid-rising-fuel-prices-432309\" style=\"\">announcing<\/a> a subsidy for the transportation sector and Egypt <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=odzvtCao2MQ\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=odzvtCao2MQ\" style=\"\">taking its first step toward energy rationing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Morocco turns to its crisis playbook:<\/strong> Morocco is rolling out a portal that allows transportation players to apply for subsidies rather than adopting direct consumer subsidies. It\u2019s the third time in six years that Rabat deployed a similar program to prevent a hike in freight and public transit rates. By subsidizing everything from city taxis and rural transit to freight trucks and tourism fleets, the state is betting that the subsidies can prevent inflation\u2019s domino effect from reaching consumer goods prices.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>While <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mouakabatransportgovma.online\/\" style=\"\">the portal<\/a><\/strong><strong> is now live<\/strong><strong>, the real test is the speed of delivery.<\/strong> If cash doesn\u2019t hit bank accounts as fast as price hikes hit the pumps, the cushion the government is promising may prove too thin to stop a spike in the cost of living.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Egypt leans on austerity:<\/strong> A new round of austerity measures will come into effect starting Saturday, 28 March, as the government <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=odzvtCao2MQ\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=odzvtCao2MQ\" style=\"\">attempts<\/a> to contain a ballooning energy bill without triggering a new wave of inflation. The measures include earlier closing hours for stores and restaurants, reduced public lighting, a shutdown of government buildings in the new capital after work hours, and a temporary slowdown in diesel-intensive projects.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>The rationale:<\/strong> Instead of passing through higher global energy costs to consumers, it is effectively shifting the adjustment onto operating hours, public consumption, and business activity. That helps shield households in the short term but places immediate pressure on sectors like retail, hospitality, and entertainment that rely heavily on evening demand. The impact on employment could be grim if the measures stay in place for any length of time.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Where the disruption is coming from<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Where things stand:<\/strong> Saudi Aramco has <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/saudi-aramco-tells-buyers-lift-only-arab-light-crude-yanbu-april-2026-03-23\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/saudi-aramco-tells-buyers-lift-only-arab-light-crude-yanbu-april-2026-03-23\/\" style=\"\">cut<\/a> crude oil supply to Asian buyers for April. Iraq <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ina.iq\/ar\/economie\/258558-900.html\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ina.iq\/ar\/economie\/258558-900.html\" style=\"\">cut<\/a> down over 70% of its oil production in Basra, and Kuwait slashed its own by more than half. Meanwhile, Qatar has lost some 17% of its production for up to five years.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Compounding the uncertainty, Iran is saying the oil from which the US has lifted <\/strong><strong>sanctions<\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.mehrnews.com\/news\/242809\/Iran-has-no-oil-in-international-waters-oil-ministry\" style=\"\"><\/a><\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.mehrnews.com\/news\/242809\/Iran-has-no-oil-in-international-waters-oil-ministry\" style=\"\">does not exist<\/a><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong> (US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/2035131840604881359\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecScottBessent\/status\/2035131840604881359\" style=\"\">said<\/a> last week that the US would temporarily lift sanctions to allow the sale of 140 mn barrels of Iranian oil stranded at sea as part of Washington\u2019s bid to tamp-down oil prices.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Without a swift resolution to the conflict, reserves risk becoming little more than a <\/strong><strong>stopgap<\/strong> \u2014 even if the plan to release hundreds of mns of barrels could be executed in less than six months (which it can\u2019t).<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Grim outlook for natural gas<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>The global natural gas supply chains are even more exposed than oil<\/strong>, with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/iran-war-deals-harder-blow-natural-gas-than-oil-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/iran-war-deals-harder-blow-natural-gas-than-oil-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\">fewer<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/markets\/commodities\/iran-war-deals-harder-blow-natural-gas-than-oil-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\">alternative routes<\/a>, lower storage capacity, and facilities that are more expensive and complex to repair.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Long-lasting damage:<\/strong> Repairs to Qatar\u2019s LNG facilities after this month\u2019s missile strikes could take up to five years, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mees.com\/2026\/3\/20\/opec\/global-lng-market-expectations-swing-from-glut-to-shortage\/2943e480-2467-11f1-a36c-53bb4cf45e77\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mees.com\/2026\/3\/20\/opec\/global-lng-market-expectations-swing-from-glut-to-shortage\/2943e480-2467-11f1-a36c-53bb4cf45e77\" style=\"\">Mees<\/a> reports. Two liquefaction trains \u2014 roughly 12.8 mtpa, or 17% of Qatar\u2019s LNG capacity \u2014 have been knocked offline, forcing QatarEnergy to declare force majeure on long-term contracts with buyers in Europe and Asia, QatarEnergy\u2019s CEO Saad Al Kaabi told <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/iran-attack-damage-wipes-out-17-qatars-lng-capacity-three-five-years-qatarenergy-2026-03-19\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/iran-attack-damage-wipes-out-17-qatars-lng-capacity-three-five-years-qatarenergy-2026-03-19\/\" style=\"\">Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>This comes as lost volumes from Hormuz\u2019s shipping halt mount<\/strong> \u2014 with each month of disruption removing around 1.5% from annual global LNG availability, intensifying competition for a shrinking pool of flexible supply.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">The search for alternatives \u2014 and their limits<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>West Africa is the fastest external option, but it only solves part of the problem.<\/strong> Nigeria has <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/oil-producers-should-invest-nigeria-diversify-supply-time-crisis-minister-says-2026-03-11\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/oil-producers-should-invest-nigeria-diversify-supply-time-crisis-minister-says-2026-03-11\/\" style=\"\">lifted<\/a> output to about 1.7 mn bbl \/ d and is pitching itself as a diversification partner. Nigerian and Angolan grades could also see stronger East-of-Suez <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kpler.com\/blog\/hormuz-shock-reprices-crude-but-storage-constraints-force-a-fast-resolution\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kpler.com\/blog\/hormuz-shock-reprices-crude-but-storage-constraints-force-a-fast-resolution\" style=\"\">demand<\/a> as buyers hunt for light sweet alternatives.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>But there\u2019s the catch<\/strong>: \u201cWest Africa is short on spare capacity,\u201d Ruaraidh Montgomery, head of energy trends and analysis at Welligence Energy, tells EnterpriseAM.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Brazil is one of the few non-Opec producers big enough to matter \u2014 but not enough to<\/strong> <strong>cover a global energy shock.<\/strong> Output is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=66884#\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eia.gov\/todayinenergy\/detail.php?id=66884#\" style=\"\">forecast<\/a> to average 4 mn bbl \/ d in 2026. The catch: Brazilian barrels take <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/asian-refiners-struggle-replace-middle-east-oil-face-output-cuts-2026-03-04\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/asian-refiners-struggle-replace-middle-east-oil-face-output-cuts-2026-03-04\/\" style=\"\">longer<\/a> to reach Asia, and cargo offers into China have already jumped to USD 13-14 above Brent, showing that replacement supply exists but gets expensive once Asian buyers start chasing it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>And the crude isn\u2019t a perfect match:<\/strong> Much of it is lighter than the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kpler.com\/blog\/hormuz-shock-reprices-crude-but-storage-constraints-force-a-fast-resolution\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kpler.com\/blog\/hormuz-shock-reprices-crude-but-storage-constraints-force-a-fast-resolution\" style=\"\">medium-sour<\/a> Gulf grades many refiners are built for. On top of that, Brazil\u2019s growth is already baked into market expectations \u2014 meaning it doesn\u2019t offer a fresh pool of emergency barrels, Montgomery added<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>This is where Moscow comes in:<\/strong> Russia is emerging as the market\u2019s most usable emergency fallback for Asia, with its medium-sour grades and already flowing barrels that can be redirected faster than new supply can be developed.<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/energy\/\">ENERGY<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/lng\/\">LNG<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/oil-watch\/\">Oil Watch<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/qatar\/\">Qatar<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/saudi\/\">Saudi<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/uae\/\">UAE<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113367\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113367\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">4<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">WAR WATCH<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/\">\r\n                            No off-ramp\u2026 so far                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=No signs of diplomatic off-ramp to war as regional shipping and aviation struggle&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/&title=No signs of diplomatic off-ramp to war as regional shipping and aviation struggle\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=No+signs+of+diplomatic+off-ramp+to+war+as+regional+shipping+and+aviation+struggle+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fno-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1166.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"113368\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/no-signs-of-diplomatic-off-ramp-to-war-as-regional-shipping-and-aviation-struggle\/1166-jpg-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1166.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"1166.jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1166.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1166.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113367\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113367 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-war-watch tag-aviation tag-enterpriseam tag-shipping-maritime tag-war-watch wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong> The long weekend was marked with infrastructure attacks, more attempts to reopen (or <\/strong><strong>muscle through) the Strait of Hormuz, and mismatched diplomacy signals.<\/strong> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>The state of diplomatic play remains up in the air, as the Pentagon is reportedly <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/us-expected-send-thousands-soldiers-middle-east-sources-say-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\">expected<\/a><\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/us-expected-send-thousands-soldiers-middle-east-sources-say-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\">to dispatch<\/a><\/strong><strong> thousands of soldiers<\/strong> to the region and potentially inside Iranian territory. The reports come as mediators from Egypt, Turkey, and Pakistan <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/iran-war-us-israel-news-updates-2026?mod=WSJ_home_mediumtopper_pos_1\" style=\"\">want to set up talks<\/a> between the US and Iran by Thursday, though a diplomatic divide remains between Washington and Tehran. Meanwhile, resolutions are under discussion at the UN Security Council over commercial shipping activity and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with Bahrain <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/china\/bahrain-proposes-un-security-council-approve-use-force-protect-hormuz-shipping-2026-03-23\/\" style=\"\">hoping to push for UN-backed action<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>While Hormuz remains largely closed, Tehran has begun hand-picking which vessels \u2014 <\/strong><strong>and which countries \u2014 can pass. <\/strong>Iran is shifting from a total blockade of Hormuz to a mode of selective transit, with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ukmto.org\/recent-incidents\" style=\"\">at least three vessels struck<\/a> while attempting to pass through the strait over the long weekend. These attacks have forced ships to \u201chug\u201d Iran\u2019s coast while transiting, which allows Iran to use visual identification in lieu of radar stations knocked out by US strikes. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Who\u2019s been able to get through: <\/strong>Vessels from <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/asharqbusiness.com\/financial-markets\/124826\/%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%87%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AA%D8%AD%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AA%D8%B1%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%87%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B2\/\" style=\"\">India<\/a>, Pakistan, and Greece, alongside Iran's own oil fleet, have been tracked taking unusual routes around Larak Island to navigate the strait. At least nine Chinese Cosco-linked tankers are currently amassing north of Abu Dhabi, likely awaiting cleared passage given Beijing\u2019s role as the primary buyer of Iranian oil. Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister has signaled readiness to let Japanese-related vessels pass following <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/iran-ready-let-japanese-vessels-transit-hormuz-kyodo-reports-2026-03-21\/\" style=\"\">direct talks<\/a> with Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Iran is soft launching a new pay-to-play model:<\/strong> For those not on the list of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-says-hormuz-open-all-enemy-linked-ships-amid-us-threat-2026-03-22\/\" style=\"\">enemy-linked<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/iran-says-hormuz-open-all-enemy-linked-ships-amid-us-threat-2026-03-22\/\" style=\"\">vessels<\/a>, passage now could carry a steep USD 2 mn transit fee per vessel \u2014 a move Iranian <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.com.tr\/en\/middle-east\/iran-collects-2m-fees-from-some-vessels-passing-through-hormuz-lawmaker-says\/3874652\" style=\"\">lawmakers say<\/a> reflects a new concept of sovereignty for Iran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">The aviation industry is still scrambling <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Global airlines are continuing to avoid the region. <\/strong>European carriers extended suspensions of flights well into the summer, and in some cases even later than that. Lufthansa Group airlines \u2014 including Lufthansa, SWISS, and Austrian \u2014 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/lufthansa-extends-some-middle-east-flight-cuts-into-october\" style=\"\">suspended flights<\/a> to Dubai until 31 May, and Abu Dhabi until 24 October. Other airlines that have made similar moves include KLM, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, and British Airways. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Regional carriers that faced near-zero occupancy in the first days of the war are<\/strong><strong> beginning to pick up again<\/strong>, although with <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/gulf-airlines-recover-slowly-iran-conflict-drags-2026-03-23\/\" style=\"\">different strategies<\/a> and mixed results. Some airlines are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/asharqbusiness.com\/companies\/124847\/%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%85-23-%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B3\/\" style=\"\">doubling down on domestic routes<\/a> and others are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gulfnews.com\/business\/aviation\/jazeera-airways-launches-daily-flights-to-uae-and-saudi-arabia-1.500476851\" style=\"\">moving their operations<\/a> to neighboring countries to keep their fleets moving. Some carriers, meanwhile, are hitting a (temporary, partial) pause: Qatar Airways is <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/remote-spanish-airport-again-becomes-parking-lot-planes-this-time-due-iran-war-2026-03-20\/\" style=\"\">reportedly parking several planes<\/a> in Spain as they remain out of use and the airline is one of many \u201clooking for safer places to park their planes.\u201d<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/aviation\/\">aviation<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/shipping-maritime\/\">SHIPPING + MARITIME<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/war-watch\/\">WAR WATCH<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113369\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113369\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">5<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">MARKETS + DEALS<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/\">\r\n                            SWFs are keeping busy                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=SWFs are keeping busy&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/&title=SWFs are keeping busy\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=SWFs+are+keeping+busy+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fswfs-are-keeping-busy%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1172.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"113370\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/swfs-are-keeping-busy\/1172-jpg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1172.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"1172.jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1172.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1172.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113369\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113369 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-markets-deals tag-adia tag-aramco tag-enterpriseam tag-markets-deals tag-mubadala tag-savvy-games wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong> Gulf sovereign capital didn\u2019t take an Eid break: <\/strong>The region\u2019s big funds were busy while the markets were closed. Mubadala booked a 17x exit on an AI cooling play, Savvy Games wrote a USD 6 bn check for Southeast Asian gaming, Aramco tapped Citi to sell a chunk of its midstream infrastructure, and ADIA quietly moved into European bank capital relief. Add a Pax Silica-linked critical minerals fund, a Saudi delivery unicorn testing IPO waters mid-war, and a new SAR 4.5 bn bet on the Holy Cities \u2014 and it\u2019s clear the deal pipeline barely blinked.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>The one worry: <\/strong>Wall Street is getting tense about the health of the private credit market, where Gulf SWFs are big players. We\u2019ll be watching this space in the weeks ahead. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Who\u2019s exposed? <\/strong>Everyone. ADIA is just the latest, launching over the break a significant risk transfer (SRT) fund with London\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/christoffersonrobb.com\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/christoffersonrobb.com\/\" style=\"\">Christofferson Robb & Company<\/a> and taking a participating stake in the manager. But at least it\u2019s not in the US: The move gives Abu Dhabi\u2019s biggest sovereign wealth fund a direct entry point into the regulatory-heavy world of European bank capital relief \u2014 a shift from vanilla corporate and real estate lending toward more complex credit protection for performing EU bank portfolios.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<hr style=\"height:2px;border-width:0;color:gray;background-color:gray\">\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"> <strong>Mubadala and KKR just booked one of the sovereign wealth world\u2019s most eye-popping <\/strong><strong>exits.<\/strong> The pair sold Canada\u2019s CoolIT Systems to US water giant Ecolab for <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecolab.com\/news\/2026\/03\/ecolab-to-acquire-coolit-systems-a-global-leader-in-advanced-liquid-cooling-for-next-gen-ai-data-ce\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecolab.com\/news\/2026\/03\/ecolab-to-acquire-coolit-systems-a-global-leader-in-advanced-liquid-cooling-for-next-gen-ai-data-ce\" style=\"\">USD 4.8 bn<\/a> \u2014 roughly 17x what they <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.startribune.com\/ecolab-coolit-systems-kkr-mubadala-investment-acquisition\/601615714\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.startribune.com\/ecolab-coolit-systems-kkr-mubadala-investment-acquisition\/601615714\" style=\"\">paid<\/a> for the liquid cooling specialist just three years ago. CoolIT sits at the exact bottleneck of the moment: It keeps AI data centers cool. Mubadala and KKR bought in at USD 270 mn in 2023, rode the global data center build-out to peak valuation, and got out. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Our take: <\/strong>With concerns about a possible bubble in the AI infrastructure buildout amid all the overlapping circular deals, this one could wind up looking particularly prescient\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>SPEAK OF Mubadala\u2026 The fund joined SoftBank and Singapore\u2019s Temasek in a US-led <\/strong><strong>investment fund<\/strong> to shore up critical mineral and energy supply chains, with Washington kickstarting the vehicle with a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/us-to-commit-250-million-toward-supply-chain-investment-fund?taid=69c1830ff8e548000120bb7b\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/us-to-commit-250-million-toward-supply-chain-investment-fund?taid=69c1830ff8e548000120bb7b\" style=\"\">USD 250 mn commitment<\/a>. The fund sits under the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2026\/01\/15\/abu-dhabi-joins-pax-silica-the-us-tech-supply-chain-coalition\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2026\/01\/15\/abu-dhabi-joins-pax-silica-the-us-tech-supply-chain-coalition\/\" style=\"\">Pax Silica<\/a> framework and targets rare earth and mineral security at a moment when the regional war has <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/helium-prices-soar-qatar-lng-halt-exposes-fragile-supply-chain-2026-03-12\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/helium-prices-soar-qatar-lng-halt-exposes-fragile-supply-chain-2026-03-12\/\" style=\"\">doubled helium prices<\/a>. It\u2019s sovereign capital being deployed to hard-wire the logistics and mineral networks underwriting next-gen AI compute.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<hr style=\"height:2px;border-width:0;color:gray;background-color:gray\">\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>PIF\u2019s gaming arm is writing another big check.<\/strong> Savvy Games Group is acquiring Istanbul-based mobile studio Moonton from China\u2019s ByteDance for <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-20\/bytedance-agrees-to-sell-moonton-to-savvy-games-for-6-billion\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-20\/bytedance-agrees-to-sell-moonton-to-savvy-games-for-6-billion\" style=\"\">USD 6 bn<\/a> \u2014 a 50% premium over what the TikTok parent paid in 2021. The deal brings Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and its 1.5 bn installs under the Saudi umbrella, giving Savvy a dominant beachhead in Southeast Asia. Current management stays on, according to an internal memo from Moonton CEO Zhang Yunfan. Moonton joins a portfolio that already includes Scopely (Monopoly Go), Niantic\u2019s gaming division (Pok\u00e9mon Go), and esports giant ESL Faceit. Separately, Saudi\u2019s Electronic Gaming Development Company picked up a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/waya.media\/saudis-egdc-acquires-5-03-stake-in-capcom-in-gaming-push\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/waya.media\/saudis-egdc-acquires-5-03-stake-in-capcom-in-gaming-push\/\" style=\"\">5.03% stake in Japan's Capcom<\/a> \u2014 PIF already held 5% before the transaction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>ALSO IN SAUDI- Saudi Aramco is moving forward with the sale of a USD multi-bn stake <\/strong><strong>in its oil export <\/strong><strong>and storage terminals<\/strong>, a deal that could fetch over <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/saudi-arabia-and-kuwait-seek-to-advance-energy-deals-despite-war\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/saudi-arabia-and-kuwait-seek-to-advance-energy-deals-despite-war\" style=\"\">USD 10 bn<\/a>, with Citi advising. The timing is deliberate: Aramco is signaling business-as-usual even as it reroutes crude through its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/crude-exports-saudis-yanbu-port-surged-near-4-mln-bpd-last-week-data-shows-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/crude-exports-saudis-yanbu-port-surged-near-4-mln-bpd-last-week-data-shows-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\">East-West pipeline<\/a> to bypass the Hormuz chokepoint. Shoring up the balance sheet given what\u2019s happening in the region right now is a smart move.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Private-sector moves<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Ninja, the Saudi quick-delivery unicorn, is testing IPO waters despite the war.<\/strong> The four-year-old startup has been gauging investor appetite for a Tadawul main market listing in late 2026 or early 2027, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/saudi-unicorn-ninja-said-to-gauge-ipo-appetite-despite-iran-war\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-23\/saudi-unicorn-ninja-said-to-gauge-ipo-appetite-despite-iran-war\" style=\"\">Bloomberg<\/a> reports, with executives meeting investors in London this month and banks being selected. Ninja logged USD 1 bn in revenue last year and is targeting USD 1.6 bn in 2026. It claimed a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2025\/07\/02\/ninja-hits-unicorn-status-with-usd-250-mn-raise\/\" style=\"\">USD 1.5 bn valuation<\/a> in last July\u2019s Riyad Capital-led round. A private raise remains the fallback if volatility persists, the report claims. Tadawul has held up better than most regional bourses since the conflict started, with strong oil prices propping up energy heavyweights.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Arabian Dyar and Al Rajhi Capital are launching an<\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arabiandyar.sa\/arabian-dyar-fund-for-haramian-projects\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/arabiandyar.sa\/arabian-dyar-fund-for-haramian-projects\/\" style=\"\">SAR 4.5 bn real estate fund<\/a><\/strong> targeting residential and hospitality projects in Makkah and Madinah \u2014 a bet on what Arabian Dyar CEO Naif Alatawi calls investment destinations that \u201chave stood there for centuries.\u201d The fund could eventually deploy up to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-18\/saudi-bank-developer-start-1-2-billion-fund-for-holy-cities\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2026-03-18\/saudi-bank-developer-start-1-2-billion-fund-for-holy-cities\" style=\"\">SAR 20 bn<\/a> to meet demand from non-Saudi Muslims now eligible to own property in the Holy Cities under last January\u2019s Real Estate Foreign Ownership Law. Dyar is already working on SAR 10 bn worth of projects in Makkah\u2019s Masar district. \u201cPrices could hit SAR 50k per sqm when the market opens,\u201d Alatawi told Bloomberg.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">ALSO WORTH KNOWING TODAY<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Borouge Group International<\/strong> has taken control of Borouge, completing its acquisition of a 54% stake from Adnoc and 36% from Borealis to bring total ownership to 90%, according to an <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1036.pdf\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1036.pdf\" style=\"\">ADX disclosure<\/a>. The move locks in control ahead of the broader Adnoc-OMV polyolefins mega-merger \u2014 a c. USD 60 bn platform combining Borouge, Borealis, and Nova Chemicals \u2014 which is on track to close before month-end. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Rakbank<\/strong> has wrapped up the sale of its merchant acquiring business to Network International for AED 551 mn, according to a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1040.pdf\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1040.pdf\" style=\"\">press release<\/a>. Network International will onboard Rakbank\u2019s c. 5k merchants over 6-8 months and offer its payment solutions to the bank\u2019s clients. The deal was <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rakbank.ae\/en\/about-us\/media-centre\/press-release\/network-international-merchant-acquiring\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rakbank.ae\/en\/about-us\/media-centre\/press-release\/network-international-merchant-acquiring\" style=\"\">first reported last November<\/a> and still needs regulatory approval.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Qualiphi<\/strong> acquired Career Club from iCareer in a six-figure USD deal to build what it calls the region\u2019s first Arabic-first career services ecosystem. The platform serves 500k students across 40 Egyptian public universities and 7k in the Gulf, with plans to onboard 15 more Egyptian universities and expand into two additional Gulf markets this year.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Market Snapshot<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Tadawul<\/strong> flat \u2022 <strong>ADX<\/strong> +1.1% \u2022 <strong>DFM<\/strong> +1.6% \u2022 <strong>EGX30<\/strong> -1.4%<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">Brent USD 104.49 \/ bbl \u00b7 Gold USD 4,514 \/ oz \u00b7 USD \/ SAR 3.7502 \u00b7 USD \/ EGP 52.63<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/adia\/\">Adia<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/aramco\/\">Aramco<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/markets-deals\/\">Markets + Deals<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/mubadala\/\">Mubadala<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/savvy-games\/\">Savvy Games<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113371\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113371\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">6<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">ALSO ON OUR RADAR<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/\">\r\n                            The cancellations continue                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=Saudi\u2019s LEAP tech conference postponed to August&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/&title=Saudi\u2019s LEAP tech conference postponed to August\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=Saudi%E2%80%99s+LEAP+tech+conference+postponed+to+August+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fsaudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1170.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"113372\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/saudis-leap-tech-conference-postponed-to-august\/1170-jpg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1170.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"1170.jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1170.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1170.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113371\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113371 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-also-on-our-radar tag-also-on-our-radar tag-enterpriseam tag-leap tag-saudi-arabia tag-shipping-maritime tag-syria tag-uae wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Also canceled\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"> <strong>#1- Saudi\u2019s Leap tech conference has been <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWCWbvfDSzm\/\" style=\"\">pushed<\/a><\/strong><strong> to August<\/strong>, moving from its original April slot as regional conflict continues to disrupt the international events calendar. Organizers confirmed the shift follows a rethink of the logistics required to ensure the high-level global participation the kingdom\u2019s flagship tech show demands.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>#2- Abu Dhabi\u2019s highly anticipated Offlimits Music \u200cFestival<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/middle-east\/shakira-concert-doha-abu-dhabi-festival-postponed-conflict-rages-2026-03-24\/\" style=\"\">has been postponed<\/a> to November. The festival, headlined by Shakira and the Jonas Brothers, was initially set to happen on 4 April.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>The festival pushback adds to a growing list of <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2026\/03\/13\/this-morning-events-scheduled-for-later-this-year-put-on-hold-dhl-looks-to-push-ahead-with-regional-investments\/\" style=\"\">events that have been delayed<\/a><\/strong> due to the ongoing war. The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions pushed back its Expo Middle East, and London-based Informa has delayed events for over 10 brands.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">De-risking Syria<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Germany is <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alarabiya.net\/aswaq\/economy\/2026\/03\/18\/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%A8%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B9%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A7\" style=\"\">pushing<\/a><\/strong> <strong> the EU to follow Saudi\u2019s lead in de-risking doing business in Syria<\/strong>, proposing that the European Commission resume the European Investment Bank\u2019s (EIB) operations in Syria, with a pitch focused on the textile and agrifood sectors. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong> The German pitch signals a harder push towards economic normalization with Syria that goes beyond just lifting sanctions. As a conservative multilateral lender, the EIB\u2019s entry could provide a compliance cover for private capital still wary of entering Syria, potentially forcing a broader recalculation of the Syria risk premium.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\"> Mawani\u2019s new corridor<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>UAE, Saudi expand trade routes amid Hormuz risk: <\/strong>The Saudi Port Authority (Mawani) opened a new <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MawaniKSA\/status\/2035827014385508697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2035827014385508697%7Ctwgr%5E4a6113567b9f93f8594a058eef3a3f1039517aad%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.iframe.ly%2FUrrfRKMD\" style=\"\">sea-land logistics corridor<\/a> between UAE\u2019s Sharjah and Saudi Arabia\u2019s Dammam.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Mawani also added <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/spa.gov.sa\/en\/N2544115\" style=\"\">five new maritime shipping services<\/a><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong> The new lines are Gulf Shuttle, Redex, jade, AE19, and SE4 services with MSC, CMA CGM, Maersk, and Hapag-Lloyd \u2014 adding a combined capacity of 65.6k TEUs across routes linking Saudi ports with regional and global destinations.<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/also-on-our-radar\/\">ALSO ON OUR RADAR<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/leap\/\">LEAP<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/saudi-arabia\/\">Saudi Arabia<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/shipping-maritime\/\">SHIPPING + MARITIME<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/syria\/\">Syria<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/uae\/\">UAE<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113373\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113373\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">7<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">PLANET STARTUP<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/\">\r\n                            Still flowing                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=UAE blockchain startup Utexo bags USD 7.5 mn in seed round&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/&title=UAE blockchain startup Utexo bags USD 7.5 mn in seed round\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=UAE+blockchain+startup+Utexo+bags+USD+7.5+mn+in+seed+round+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fuae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1174.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"113374\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-bags-usd-7-5-mn-in-seed-round\/1174-jpg\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1174.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"1174.jpg\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1174.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1174.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113373\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113373 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-planet-startup tag-blockchain tag-enterpriseam tag-planet-startup tag-startup-watch tag-startups tag-uae wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Blockchain platform Tether led a USD 7.5 mn seed round for UAE blockchain <\/strong><strong>infrastructure startup<\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/utexo.com\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/utexo.com\/\" style=\"\">Utexo<\/a><\/strong>, which is building the APIs and software that let digital wallets and payment companies process stablecoin transactions without overhauling legacy systems, according to a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wamda.com\/2026\/03\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-raises-7-5-million-seed-led-tether\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wamda.com\/2026\/03\/uae-blockchain-startup-utexo-raises-7-5-million-seed-led-tether\" style=\"\">press release<\/a>. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.franklintempleton.com\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.franklintempleton.com\/\" style=\"\">Franklin Templeton<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bigbrain.holdings\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bigbrain.holdings\/\" style=\"\">Big Brain Holdings<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/portal.vc\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/portal.vc\/\" style=\"\">Portal Ventures<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/maven11.com\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/maven11.com\/\" style=\"\">Maven 11 Capital<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fulgur.ventures\/\" style=\"\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fulgur.ventures\/\" style=\"\">Fulgur Ventures<\/a> also participated. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>The timing tracks:<\/strong> The CBUAE recently approved its first licensed stablecoin as a payment method across federal entities, IHC \/ ADQ \/ FAB are developing a regulated AED token, and Tether itself has an AED-pegged stablecoin in the pipeline through a partnership with Phoenix Group.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\">\n<hr style=\"height:2px;border-width:0;color:gray;background-color:gray\">\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><strong>Syria-based proptech startup Miftah <\/strong><strong><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wamda.com\/ar\/2026\/03\/syrian-proptech-miftah-raises-pre-seed-round\" style=\"\">secured<\/a><\/strong><strong> an undisclosed sum in a pre-seed funding<\/strong><strong> round<\/strong> ahead of its official market launch. The startup is building a digital real estate marketplace focused on identity verification and will use the capital to accelerate product development and rollout.<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/blockchain\/\">Blockchain<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/planet-startup\/\">Planet Startup<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/startup-watch\/\">STARTUP WATCH<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/startups\/\">Startups<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/uae\/\">UAE<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113375\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"113375\">\r\n            \r\n                <div class=\"issue-story-header text-center\">\r\n                    <div class=\"index-number\">8<\/div>\r\n\r\n                    <p class=\"f-graphik\">WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TODAY<\/p>\r\n                    <h3 class=\"story-title\">\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/\">\r\n                            The Giga-scaleback continues                        <\/a>\r\n                    <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                    \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"cta\">\n    <div class=\"cta__btn share-dropdown-cta dropdown-toggle-btn\" style=\"position:relative\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/408834.svg\" alt=\"\">\n        Share Story\n        <!-- Dropdown Menu -->\n        <ul class=\"share-menu\">\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/\" target=\"_blank\">\n                    Open in new tab                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/new-tab.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"#\" target=\"_blank\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); navigator.clipboard.writeText('https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/')\">\n                    Copy Link                <\/a>\n\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/\">\n                    Facebook                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/facebook-icon2.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/post?text=The Giga-scaleback continues as Saudi exes USD 1 bn tunnelling contract for The Line&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/\">\n                    X                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/twitter-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/&title=The Giga-scaleback continues as Saudi exes USD 1 bn tunnelling contract for The Line\">\n                    LinkedIn                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/linkedin-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n            <li class=\"list-inline-item\">\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=The+Giga-scaleback+continues+as+Saudi+exes+USD+1+bn+tunnelling+contract+for+The+Line+https%3A%2F%2Fenterpriseam.com%2Fmenaplus%2F2026%2F03%2F25%2Fthe-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line%2F\">\n                    WhatsApp                    <!-- <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"assets\/media\/placeholder\/svg\/whatsapp-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"> -->\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n        <\/div>\r\n                    \r\n                <\/div>\r\n\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/114237.jpg?fit=1568%2C9999&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-attachment-id=\"114237\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/the-giga-scaleback-continues-as-saudi-exes-usd-1-bn-tunnelling-contract-for-the-line\/attachment\/635\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/114237.jpg?fit=%2C&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"[]\" data-image-title=\"635\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/114237.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/internal\/114237.jpg?fit=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1\" \/>                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113375\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113375 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-what-were-tracking-today tag-enterpriseam tag-saudi-arabia tag-the-line tag-what-were-tracking-today wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"> <a id=\"wwtt1\"><\/a> <strong>SIGN OF THE TIMES: Giga <\/strong><strong>scaleback<\/strong><strong> continues\u2026 <\/strong>Saudi Arabia <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.agbi.com\/giga-projects\/2026\/03\/neom-terminates-1bn-tunnel-contract-at-heart-of-the-line\/\">terminated<\/a> a USD 1 bn tunneling contract for Neom\u2019s The Line, the futuristic linear city that has been among the most drastically rescaled ventures in the wholesale recalibration of Saudi gigaprojects.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>The termination impacts projects that were awarded in 2022<\/strong> to a consortium composed of Hyundai E&amp;C, Greece-based Archirodon, and Samsung C&amp;T. Hyundai E&amp;C, which was awarded more than half the value of the contract, said in a market filing that the deal was terminated back in December and that settlement was finalized.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>IN CONTEXT- <\/strong>Lower-than-expected oil prices and foreign direct investments were among the main drivers for the massive rescoping of Saudi Arabia\u2019s USD tn gigaprojects \u2014 and the lingering Iran war could further pressure the country\u2019s capital inflows. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Watch this space<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong> <a id=\"wwtt2\"><\/a> <\/strong><strong>UAE <\/strong><strong>authorities could be offering greater tax leniency to expats<\/strong> who have left the country due to the ongoing regional war, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/ea6c84c9-3385-4b32-ab25-0f439a26891d?syn-25a6b1a6=1\">Financial Times<\/a> reports, citing people with knowledge of the plan. The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) is now expected to review residency applications on a case-by-case basis for those whose travel or stay has been disrupted by the war, showing more leniency on the requirement for residents to spend 183 days in a year (or 90 days for those who are employed or own a home in the UAE) <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong> Many high-net-worth individuals who fled when the conflict began on February 28 risk losing their tax-exempt status. If these residents are forced to pay taxes in their home jurisdictions (like the UK), the UAE risks a permanent exodus of capital and talent. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Will firms who head for the hills be shown the same consideration? <\/strong>Hedge fund Millennium will likely be hoping so if it <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/3a3dfe47-4afa-4956-9244-893e5899453b?syn-25a6b1a6=1\">goes through with its plan<\/a> to relocate to Jersey.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\">\n<hr style=\"height:2px;border-width:0;color:gray;background-color:gray\">\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Will 2026 be Syria\u2019s comeback year? <\/strong>Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa thinks so, with a doubled budget and growth projected at some 30-35% to bring GDP back to pre-2011 levels around USD 65 bn. Sharaa also pledged a 50% hike in salaries during his Eid Al Fitr address (<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OTUeMuIk6jA\">watch, runtime: 13:31)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Take these numbers with a grain of salt\u2026 <\/strong>The announced budget of USD 10.5 bn is almost double what the Finance Minister previously signaled two months ago, and a 35% growth rate won\u2019t translate into a GDP of USD 65 bn. With a GDP of some USD 21 bn in 2024, hitting the pre-war levels <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/syrianobserver.com\/society\/a-presidential-fiscal-proclamation-tested-by-economic-reality.html\">would require growth to hit 111%<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>What\u2019s Sharaa\u2019s math? <\/strong>The methodology here isn\u2019t clear, but these could be adjusted projections based on new income streams after the central government regained control of previously autonomous, oil-rich territories in the north and the east. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\">\n<hr style=\"height:2px;border-width:0;color:gray;background-color:gray\">\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><a id=\"wwtt3\"><\/a> <strong>Marsa Maroc plots MAD 21 bn expansion: <\/strong>Morocco's port operator Marsa Maroc is planning to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.moroccoworldnews.com\/2026\/03\/283731\/marsa-maroc-to-invest-2-1-billion-in-port-expansion-through-2030\/\">invest<\/a> nearly MAD 21 bn in port expansion projects through 2030 after closing 2025 with 16% increase in revenue to MAD 5.8 bn, and 25% surge in net income to MAD 1.6 bn.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong>The investment plan is meant to reinforce the group\u2019s ambition to rank among the region\u2019s leading port operators by the end of the decade, which is part of a MAD 4.4 bn investment plan that aims to modernize and expand port capacity at the port of Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar, according to the group\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/3\/1039.pdf\">annual financial release (pdf)<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\">\n<hr style=\"height:2px;border-width:0;color:gray;background-color:gray\">\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Pipeline dreams? <\/strong>Australia\u2019s investment group Macquarie reportedly pulled out its bid for the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/logistics\/2026\/02\/25\/kuwaits-pipeline-sale-could-be-online-in-a-few-weeks\/\"><\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/logistics\/2026\/02\/25\/kuwaits-pipeline-sale-could-be-online-in-a-few-weeks\/\">USD<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/logistics\/2026\/02\/25\/kuwaits-pipeline-sale-could-be-online-in-a-few-weeks\/\">7 bn<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/logistics\/2026\/02\/25\/kuwaits-pipeline-sale-could-be-online-in-a-few-weeks\/\">stake<\/a> in Kuwait Petroleum Corporation\u2019s (KPC) crude oil pipeline network due to uncertainty caused by the Iran war. Still, Kuwait is reportedly courting investors and is seeking binding offers by 7 April, sources told <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/macquarie-walks-away-kuwait-oil-pipelines-deal-amid-iran-war-sources-say-2026-03-17\/\">Reuters<\/a> on Friday. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Why it matters:<\/strong>Macquarie\u2019s change of heart is another sign that the war is shaking investor confidence in what are otherwise historically considered reliable assets in the GCC. If other investors follow suit, Kuwait\u2019s latecoming diversification push could be thrown into question, as funds from the stake sale are expected to contribute a big chunk to its <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/logistics\/2026\/02\/25\/kuwaits-pipeline-sale-could-be-online-in-a-few-weeks\/\">USD 65 bn investment plan<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\">\n<p class=\"tag-border-left\">Catch up quick<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>Central banks moved in rare unison last week, keeping interest rates on hold<\/strong> as regional volatility clouded the global outlook.The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalreserve.gov\/newsevents\/pressreleases\/monetary20260318a.htm\">US Federal Reserve<\/a> led the pack, holding rates at 3.50\u20133.75% and citing \u201csolid\u201d economic activity tempered by \"elevated uncertainty\" from the conflict in the Middle East. The <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.centralbank.ae\/media\/kc0p2tuf\/cbuae-maintains-the-base-rate-at-3-65-en.pdf\">Central Bank of the UAE<\/a>, Saudi\u2019s Sama, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/posts\/central-bank-of-bahrain_overnight-deposit-interest-rate-unchanged-activity-7440097542245236736-_ifr?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAA1AS44B-aQBN0K8chj0xmkNiEW4dATjDOM\">Central Bank of Bahrain<\/a>, and other GCC central banks followed suit. Similarly, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, and the European Central Bank all left rates unchanged.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;text-align:left\"><strong>The outlier:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alarabiya.net\/aswaq\/economy\/2026\/03\/20\/%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%AB%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B1%D9%83%D8%B2%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%AE%D9%81%D8%B6-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AF%D8%A9-50-%D9%86%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%B3\">Russia<\/a> bucked the global hold trend, cutting its key rate by 50 bps to 15.0%. The move \u2014 the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tradingeconomics.com\/russia\/interest-rate\">seventh cut<\/a> since rates peaked at 21% in 2024 \u2014 comes as domestic inflation cools and a temporary easing of US sanctions on Russian oil provides some breathing room.<\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n    <div class=\"tags-section\">\n        <div class=\"f-graphik\">Tags:<\/div>\n        <div class=\"tags-list\">\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/saudi-arabia\/\">Saudi Arabia<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/the-line\/\">The Line<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                            <a rel=\"tag\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/tag\/what-were-tracking-today\/\">WHAT WE\u2019RE TRACKING TODAY<\/a>\n                <!-- <span class=\"sep\">,&nbsp;<\/span> -->\n                    <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"113376\" class=\"issue-section \">\n<div class=\"issue-section__content\">\n<div class=\"stories\">            <!-- Show divider before story section -->\r\n        <div \r\n            class=\"\r\n                story-section            \"\r\n            id=\"calendar\">\r\n            \r\n            <div class=\"story__body\">\r\n\r\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/2026\/03\/25\/113376\/\">\r\n                    <div class=\"photo photo--above\">\r\n                                            <\/div>\r\n                <\/a>\r\n\r\n                \n<article id=\"post-113376\" class=\"content-area-description single-story post-113376 post type-post status-publish format-standard hentry category-calendar wpautop entry\">\n\n\t\t\t<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-primary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-primary-background-color has-background is-style-wide\">\n\n\t\t<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading mt-0 has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color has-normal-font-size\" style=\"padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px\">\n\t\t\t<strong> CALENDAR<\/strong>\n\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"entry-content\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">March 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">30 March<\/span><span> \u2014 Egypt International Energy Conference and Exhibition begins (through 1 April). <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">31 March<\/span><span> \u2014 Saudi Aramco ex-dividend date. <\/span><span style=\"\">Saudi Arabia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">April 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">2 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">5 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 OPEC+ ministerial meeting. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Vienna (virtual)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">9 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Martyrs\u2019 Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Tunisia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">9 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Liberation Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Iraq<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">13 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 IMF \/ World Bank spring meetings begin (through 18 Apr). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Washington (virtual)<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">14 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 QNB 1Q 2026 earnings guidance. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Qatar<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">15 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 2Q IPO listing window opens. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Region-wide<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">25 Apr<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Sinai Liberation Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">28-29 Apr<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\"> \u2014 US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">28 Apr-1 May<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Syria HiTech International ICT Exhibition. <\/span><span style=\"\">Damascus<\/span><span style=\"\">, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Syria <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">May 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">12 May<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Qatar Economic Forum (through 14 May).<\/span><span style=\"\"> Qatar<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">21 May<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">25 May<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Independence Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Jordan<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">27-30 May<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Eid Al Adha (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Region-wide<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">28 May<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Saudi Aramco ex-dividend date. <\/span><span style=\"\">Saudi Arabia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">June 2026<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">7 June<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 OPEC+ ministerial meeting. <\/span><span style=\"\">Vienna\/Virtual<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">9 June<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 King Abdullah II Accession Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Jordan<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">10\u201314 June <\/span><span style=\"\">\u2014 Syria Buildex International Construction Exhibition. <\/span><span style=\"\">Syria<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">16-17 June<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\"> \u2014 US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">July 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">5 July<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Independence Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Algeria<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">9 July<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">14 July<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Republic Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Iraq<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">23 July<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Revolution Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">25 July<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Republic Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Tunisia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">28-29 July<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\"> \u2014 US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">30 July<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Throne Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Morocco<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">August 2026<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">13 Aug<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Women\u2019s National Day. <\/span><span style=\"\">Tunisia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">20 Aug<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Revolution of the King and the People Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Morocco<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">20 Aug<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">21 Aug<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Youth Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Morocco<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">25 Aug<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Prophet\u2019s Birthday (public holiday, markets closed) \u2014 TBD. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Region-wide<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">31 Aug-3 Sep<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 LEAP technology conference.<\/span><span style=\"\"> Saudi Arabia <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">September 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">7-9 Sep<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 AIM Congress. <\/span><span style=\"\">UAE<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">15-16 Sep<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\"> \u2014 US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">15 Sep<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 <\/span><span>IMF\u2019s eighth review of Egypt\u2019s USD 8 bn EFF arrangement. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">16-17 Sep<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Middle East Banking Innovation Summit. <\/span><span style=\"\">UAE<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">23 Sep<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 National Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Saudi Arabia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">24 Sep<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">30 Sep-3 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Cityscape Egypt 2026. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">October 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">3 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 National Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Iraq<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">6 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Armed Forces Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">15 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 GCC Made in the Gulf Forum + Exhibition. <\/span><span style=\"\">TBD<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">25 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Liberation Day (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\"> Libya<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">25-27 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 World Investment Forum 2026. <\/span><span style=\"\">Qatar<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">26-29 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Future Investment Initiative.<\/span><span style=\"\"> Saudi Arabia<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">27-28 Oct<\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\"> \u2014 US Federal Reserve Open Market Committee meeting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">29 Oct<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700;\">November 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">1 Nov<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Revolution Anniversary (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Algeria<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">2 Nov<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition + Conference (ADIPEC) opens (through 5 Nov). <\/span><span style=\"\">UAE<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">6 Nov<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Green March Anniversary (public holiday, markets closed). <\/span><span style=\"\">Morocco <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">16 Nov<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Cityscape Global begins (through 19 Nov). <\/span><span style=\"font-weight:400;\">Saudi Arabia <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">December 2026<\/span> <\/p>\n<p style=\"padding:0;margin:0;line-height:1.15;orphans:2;widows:2;text-align:left\"><span style=\"font-weight:700\">17 Dec<\/span><span style=\"\"> \u2014 Central Bank of Egypt monetary policy decision. <\/span><span style=\"\">Egypt<\/span> <\/p>\n\t<\/div><!-- .entry-content -->\n\n\t\n<\/article><!-- #post-${ID} -->\n\n\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div> <!-- \/.story -->\r\n    \n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump sending 82nd Airborne? | Mubadala notches 17x, AI-adjacent exit | More cancellations | Giga-scaleback<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":113361,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-113360","issue","type-issue","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"acaafe19-8cdd-4abb-898c-d29fb506d903","teaser":"Trump sending 82nd Airborne? | Mubadala notches 17x, AI-adjacent exit | More cancellations | Giga-scaleback","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The accidental energy issue - MENA+ Edition<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The accidental energy issue\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trump sending 82nd Airborne? | Mubadala notches 17x, AI-adjacent exit | More cancellations | Giga-scaleback\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MENA+ Edition\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-13T18:40:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/\",\"name\":\"The accidental energy issue - MENA+ Edition\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-25T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-13T18:40:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Issues\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/AMarchives\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The accidental energy issue\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/\",\"name\":\"MENA+ Edition\",\"description\":\"MENA+ Edition\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MENA+ Edition\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42998.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42998.svg\",\"caption\":\"MENA+ Edition\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The accidental energy issue - MENA+ Edition","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The accidental energy issue","og_description":"Trump sending 82nd Airborne? | Mubadala notches 17x, AI-adjacent exit | More cancellations | Giga-scaleback","og_url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/","og_site_name":"MENA+ Edition","article_modified_time":"2026-04-13T18:40:54+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/","name":"The accidental energy issue - MENA+ Edition","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-03-25T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-13T18:40:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ent.news\/2022\/7\/1911.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/issues\/the-accidental-energy-issue\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Issues","item":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/AMarchives\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The accidental energy issue"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#website","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/","name":"MENA+ Edition","description":"MENA+ Edition","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#organization","name":"MENA+ Edition","url":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42998.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ent.news\/internal\/42998.svg","caption":"MENA+ Edition"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/113360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/issue"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/113360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":113394,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/issue\/113360\/revisions\/113394"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/menaplus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}