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AI + Innovation (MENA) 
Infrastructure 
UAE hiring wins back its spring losses, but talk of a renewed war on Iran clouds the outlook
Lana Nusseibeh enters UN top-job race | EUR 15 bn more for Greece | Arada raises USD 400 mn sukuk
Friday, 23 October 2026
Cloudy outlook
UAE hiring was up 4% in 3Q 2026, recovering almost all that it lost in the Spring in a September surge. But Cooper Fitch tells us several large employers in Saudi Arabia have already asked it to pause searches, and its CEO, Trefor Murphy, expects UAE hiring to be flat or only slightly up in 4Q as the escalation casts a shadow on the region.
Today at a glance
Editor's choice
M&A Watch
FINANCE
HSBC taps Sami Abouzahr to run its Middle East wealth business
The bank recently opened its first wealth center in Dubai
Funding for healthtech + AI film startups, Congo lists bonds on Nasdaq Dubai, Goanna joins ADGM, Edge backs High Lander
Phoenix Venture Partners led the USD 3 mn pre-Series A round for Nabta
Newsmakers
Mashreq's CFO on how a regional war changed the bank’s capital playbook, not its growth ambitions
Norman Tambach speaks on Mashreq’s AT1 raises, its risk optimization strategy, and a CBUAE backstop Mashreq says it didn’t need —…
My morning routine
Emirati CEOs claim nearly a third of Forbes Middle East’s Top 100 CEOs list
The Emirati CEOs span sectors such as energy, finance, real estate, defense, utilities, and aviation
Moves
Regulation
Legislation Watch
New golf venues coming to the UAE + Dubai issues law governing gov’t outsourcing
The AED 1 bn golf push from XRange and Akcel…
Regulation Watch
UAE eases e-invoicing rules ahead of 2027 rollout
Corporate tax groups get a two-year reprieve on internal transactions,…
Cabinet Watch
The UAE’s next phase: Scaling space, reshaping healthcare, and tightening food policy
New national strategies set hard targets to scale space output,…
CBUAE
THIS MORNING: Wartime loan deferrals reach AED 15.9 bn + ADIB shareholders give thumbs up to rights issue
Plus: UAE-based school operator Alephya eyes KSA’s Ajialuna
Startup watch
CNTXT AI opens US office to bring robots back to Gulf, eyes Europe and China next
The startup is scaling its team in the US and becoming the latest Abu Dhabi firm to export AI into the market
Agility Global locks in USD 560 mn credit facility, DP World secures Bangladesh concession agreement, PVP backs COFE Tech
Plus: DP World gets 15-year Bangladesh port concession
MENA VC survives on bigger bets
Regional startup funding fell 22% y-o-y in 1H
