Good morning, lovely people. We have another heavy dose of India-related M&A news for you this morning, with capital flows going both ways in two separate acquisitions this morning.

The bigger of the two: Tata Group’s jewelry arm Titan just acquired a majority stake in Dubai’s Damas. Plus: The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority invested USD 200 mn in yet another Indian firm ahead of its IPO.

ALSO- Dining payment platform Qlub secured USD 30 mn to expand across the GCC; Dubai’s offices saw a slightly cooler 2Q after a red-hot start to the year; and we break down DIFC’s latest legislative amendments.

⛅WEATHER- Brace yourself for another gloomy, hot day. Temperatures in Dubai will peak at 46°C, before cooling to an overnight low of 32°C. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi will see the mercury rise to 38°C, and dip to 33°C overnight.

PSAs-

#1- You can now pay court fees in AE Coin in Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department will accept payments in AE Coin — a central bank-regulated stablecoin — for court fees and services, making it the first government entity in the Middle East to accept crypto payments, according to a press release. The move comes after it partnered with Al Maryan Bank, which will enable the payments through the AEC Wallet.

REMEMBER- AE Coin became the UAE’s first AED-pegged stablecoin to receive final approval from the Central Bank of the UAE in December 2024. The stablecoin is also now accepted for Air Arabia flight payments and taxi rides in Abu Dhabi.

#2- The AjmanNuVentures Center Freezone (ANCFZ) has rolled out a new pay-as-you-go business package, reducing upfront costs during company setup, Khaleej Times reports. The new option allows businesses to add services — such as visas, documentation, or office upgrades — only as needed, to minimize costs.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

Citizens will soon have a dedicated branch within Dubai Courts’ Center for Amicable Settlement of Disputes to handle housing contract conflicts, under a new resolution aimed at handling citizen housing construction contracts outside of the courtroom, according to the Dubai Media Office. The law takes effect on 1 January 2026.

How it works: The center will provide mediation within 20 days, and this can be extended for another 20 days if both sides agree. If mediation isn’t successful, a committee of a judge and two technical specialists will make a formal judgement within 30 days, which can also be extended. Appeals can be raised within 30 days as well.

DATA POINTS-

#1- Some 15.8 mn passengers passed through Abu Dhabi Airports’ sites in the first half of this year, marking a 13.1% increase compared to the same period in 2024, state news agency Wam reports. Zayed International Airport (AUH) alone accounted for 15.5 mn passengers, up 13.2% y-o-y.

More flights, larger network: The airport network recorded a total of 133.5k flights during this period, representing 9.2% growth y-o-y. The network added 16 new destinations in 1H and formed new partnerships with China Eastern Airlines, Air Seychelles, and Fly Cham.Cargo operations processed 344.8k tons of freight, supported by infrastructure developments.

#2- Trade in telecoms services grew 4.3% y-o-y to AED 10.2 bn in 2024, Al Bayan reports, citing data from the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center. Exports rose 6.5% to AED 4.9 bn, while imports grew 2.4% to AED 5.3 bn. The fourth quarter of the year alone saw trade grow nearly 13% y-o-y.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

The White House is stepping up its pressure campaign on the Fed. Chills went down the spines of business leaders and bankers around the world yesterday after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called for a probe into “the entire Federal Reserve institution,” telling CNBC that “What we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve institution and whether they have been successful.” Trump and his allies have been putting pressure on Fed boss Jay Powell to cut interest rates. The story leads the front page of the Financial Times this morning.

The stock market shrugged off Bessent’s remarks, with the S&P 500 notching another record high yesterday.

MEANWHILE- China is “stoking the anxiety” of foreign investors with moves against three foreigners, including a US government employee and a senior US banker (both of whom have been forbidden from leaving the country) and a Japanese pharma exec (now sentenced to jail). The New York Times has the story, noting that the moves come even as Beijing continues to court foreign capital.

The worsening situation in Gaza has prompted 28 countries to call for an immediate end to the war and to condemn Israel for the “drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians” who are seeking food and water. The countries include the UK, France, Canada, Italy, and others. (Reuters | Guardian | BBC | France 24)

Israel yesterday launched an air and ground offensive in Deir al Balah, the last place in Gaza which until now had not suffered significant damage from the war due to suspicions that Israeli hostages were held there. Meanwhile, talks for a ceasefire are continuing, though Hamas officials told Reuters the ongoing attacks are only complicating the situation. (Reuters | Guardian)

ALSO- If your company uses a hosted SharePoint server, expect some disruptions. Microsoft has warned of active cyber attacks affecting its SharePoint collaboration software, impacting so far 100 organizations who use the server on-prem. The problem? The attack has run deep, providing full access to systems and content, allowing hackers to execute code over the network and even bypass future potential fixes. If your firm is one of the many affected, Microsoft issued guidance for entities using the server to patch their on-site systems. (Reuters | CNBC | AP | Bloomberg)

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