Good morning, friends, and welcome back. If you’re not one of the many people bridging these final few days of the week along with the weekend to extend your Eid break, then we wish you a productive few days to kick off the new month and quarter. For the rest of you: Enjoy the good weather and the relative calm in the country before people fly back home and conference season kicks back into gear next week.

The M&A theme dominant throughout the final week of Ramadan has continued over the past week, with updates on two big domestic M&A transactions, as well as a push from Damac into the global data center scene with an acquisition of a Nordic data center developer, and new food and beverage sector acquisitions courtesy of Agthia and IHC.

PSA-

It’s the start of a new month and quarter, which has brought a new set of laws and regulations that have taken effect as of 1 April:

  • New traffic regulations took effect, allowing the minimum driving age to be 17 and implementing new penalties for traffic offenses.

Fuel prices are down again in April: The Fuel Price Committee slashed April fuel prices between 5 and 6% from March’s rates, according to a statement on X.

The breakdown per liter:

  • Super 98 is now AED 2.57, down from AED 2.73;
  • Special 95 is AED 2.46, down from AED 2.61;
  • E-Plus 91 costs AED 2.38, down from AED 2.54;
  • Diesel is now AED 2.63, down from AED 2.77 last month.

☀️WEATHER- It’s going to be another warm and sunny day, with the mercury peaking at 31°C, before cooling to 23°C overnight, according to our favorite weather app. Over in Abu Dhabi, the mercury peaks at 29°C, with an overnight low of 22°C.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- US President Donald Trump is set to visit the UAE, alongside stops in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as early as May, in what would be his first foreign trip since taking office, Reuters reports, citing statements to reporters. Trump will sign investment agreements with the three countries, he reportedly said, citing a USD 1 tn Saudi investment in the US economy, including purchases of military equipment. The visit would echo what he did during his first term, with Saudi Arabia and Israel also being the subjects of his first foreign trip.

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK-

Conference season is back into full gear next week after the Ramadan and Eid lull:

#1- The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center is set to host Geo-Spatial Week from 6-11 April in Dubai with the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. The week-long event will welcome experts in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and spatial sciences.

#2- EFG Hermes’ One on One conference will take place from Monday, 7 April until Thursday, 10 April in Dubai. The conference is the largest gathering of its kind devoted to emerging and frontier equities and connects international institutional investors with senior execs in industries ranging from food and fintech, to banking and petrochemicals.

#3- The AIM Congress 2025 is set to take place from Monday, 7 April until Wednesday 9 April at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. The event will bring together senior executives, government officials, and global investors to foster investment collaboration to drive global economic development. Attendees can expect forums, panel discussions, workshops, and a startup competition, Wam reports.

#4- Middle East Energy will take place from Monday, 7 April to Wednesday, 9 April at the Dubai World Trade Center. The exhibition and conference brings together industry leaders, and energy professionals to discuss the energy transition, sustainability practices, innovations in power generation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

#5- The World Local Production Forum is running from Monday, 7 April to Wednesday, 9 April at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. The World Health Organization-backed event will bring together global leaders to discuss localized, sustainable, and diversified medicine production, and strategies to enhance access to quality assured health products.

#6- The Fujairah Bunkering and Fuel Oil Forum (FUJCON 2025) will take place from Monday, 7 April until Wednesday, 9 April at DoubleTree by Hilton Fujairah. Organized by S&P Global Commodity Insights, in collaboration with the Fujairah government, the Port of Fujairah, and the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, the event will bring together energy leaders to discuss geopolitical and decarbonization impacts on shipping and bunkering, fuel quality, market trends, and technological advancements.

#7- AWS GenAI Loft Dubai 2025 will take place from Monday, 7 April to Friday, 11 April at Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) Innovation One building. The five-day event will see industry startups, business leaders, investors, developers, and AI enthusiasts attend workshops and lectures on generative AI technologies and their practical applications across industries.

#8- The World Crisis and Emergency Management Summit will take place in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, 8 April and Wednesday, 9 April, state news agency Wam reports. Under the theme Together Towards Building Global Resilience, the event will bring together global leaders to discuss improving international cooperation in crisis management, emergency planning, and risk prediction. The event will also feature two exhibitions — Crisis Management Technologies and Generation Readiness — to showcase new sector-specific technological tools.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

It’s all about tariffs in the foreign press this morning, as the world awaits a raft of new trade barriers set to be unveiled by US President Donald Trump later today.

Trump has touted 2 April as “liberation day” for the US, as he looks to slap tariffs on imports from a host of countries. The White House is reportedly still deliberating the fine print, Bloomberg reports, with sources saying talks are coming down to the wire. Trump has floated reciprocal tariffs — which will match tariffs to existing ones made by countries on US goods — while others claim Trump is also mulling a flat 20% global tariff, or a tiered system that implements tariffs on countries depending on how they treat US goods.

The White House has said tariffs will kick in “immediately,” while a 25% levy on auto imports is already set to kick in tomorrow.

The story is everywhere in the global press: Reuters | Bloomberg | Washington Post | Guardian | Financial Times

ALSO- Another ceasefire is now under threat, after Israel struck a suburb in Beirut yesterday, killing four people, including a Hezbollah official, Reuters reports. The strike was the second in five days.

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