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Linking up on energy and minerals
Plus: Closer to home, Dubai real estate gets a AED 38 bn boost
Monday, 9 February 2026
Good morning, everyone.
Today’s big story covers the outcome of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to Abu Dhabi. The visit yielded a slate of MoUs aimed at securing LNG supply pacts and deepening cooperation in green energy and industry.
Today at a glance
Editor’s choice
FINANCE
Culture, lifestyle, and capital: Philip Khinda on the pulls bringing wealth managers and their advisors to the capital
In the UAE, it’s like you had a clean sheet…
AD Ports goes long in Jordan, more funding and support for Shorooq and proptech startups, and Maerki Baumann lands in ADGM
Shorooq Partners secured more Qatari backing, while Dubai’s Vara greenlit SmartCrowd’s tokenization platform
Newsmakers
How Google keeps AI in check in the age of deepfakes
From a global signals exchange to the importance of provenance, Google’s director of trust and safety breaks down how it’s battling…
My morning routine
EFG Hermes tops MENA ECM league tables again in 2025
The investment bank led 12 ECM transactions during the year
Moves
Regulation
Legislation Watch
New year, new rules: 2026 edition
The UAE’s 2026 rule changes span tax, invoicing, hiring, digital…
Regulation Watch
Circle follows up stablecoins greenlight with ADGM approval
Plus: Tabadulat gets FSRA license for shariah-compliant trading platform
Cabinet Watch
Cabinet approves AED 36.7 bn national investment fund
The fund aims to help increase FDI inflows to AED…
CBUAE
FAB participates in Hong Kong’s RMB Business Facility + joins open finance framework
PLUS: Beltone folds Chimera regional assets into its balance sheet…
Startup watch
Menzies tapped for work at India’s BLR, Albatha acquires a local clinic, and AI hiring startup Qureos secures USD 5 mn
Menzies plans to invest USD 9 mn to upgrade and modernize its ground support equipment at the airport
My Morning Routine: Ghada Abdelkader, senior VP at Crescent Enterprises
[After four years in investment banking], it was a natural progression where I wanted…
UAE venture funding up 188% in 9M amid foreign capital surge
The number of transactions also rose 5% to 164 in total
