{"id":109862,"date":"2025-11-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/this-morning-driverless-taxis-are-now-on-uber-in-abu-dhabi-enbd-ceo-breaks-down-plans-post-acquisition-of-rbl\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T00:00:00","slug":"this-morning-driverless-taxis-are-now-on-uber-in-abu-dhabi-enbd-ceo-breaks-down-plans-post-acquisition-of-rbl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/uae\/2025\/11\/27\/this-morning-driverless-taxis-are-now-on-uber-in-abu-dhabi-enbd-ceo-breaks-down-plans-post-acquisition-of-rbl\/","title":{"rendered":"THIS MORNING: Driverless taxis are now on Uber in Abu Dhabi + ENBD CEO breaks down plans post-acquisition of RBL"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, wonderful people.<\/strong> This is your reminder that the long weekend is only one sleep away, in case you (like us) are struggling to keep your eyes open this morning. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s some good news and bad news in this morning\u2019s issue.<\/strong> The good news?<\/strong> Hiring has been on the rise in 3Q 2025, according to Cooper Fitch. <\/p>\n

The bad news?<\/strong> Don\u2019t expect salaries to rise significantly next year, with just a 1.6% average increase expected across the board. We spoke with Cooper Fitch CEO Trefor Murphy to break down why that is, and what that means for businesses\u2019 hiring plans in 2026. <\/p>\n

Plus: <\/strong>We have a new tokenized litigation fund<\/strong> coming to Dubai, and Global South Utilities has committed USD 1 bn to energy projects in Yemen. <\/strong><\/p>\n

PSA- Whether you want to watch yourself or you\u2019re forced to by your spawn: It\u2019s <\/strong>Stranger Things day. <\/strong>We haven\u2019t seen them yet, but the first four episodes of what its producers are calling Volume 1 of the final season dropped on Netflix last night. Three more (Volume 2) drop on 25 December, and the finale will stream on 31 December. Each episode will be well north of an hour long. <\/p>\n

WEATHER- <\/strong>The mercury peaks at 29\u00b0C today in Dubai<\/strong> before cooling to 19\u00b0C, and 29\u00b0C in Abu Dhabi before reaching a low of 20\u00b0C. <\/p>\n

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MORNING MUST-READ- <\/strong>Emirates NBD\u2019s CEO Shayne Nelson spoke with the Economic Times<\/a> ahead of the launch of the open offer to acquire<\/a> a controlling stake in private-sector Indian lender RBL BAnk on 12 December, outlining the strategic rationale for the bank\u2019s USD 3 bn push into India. He cited the country\u2019s need for substantial capital expansion as it is projected to become a USD 7 tn economy by 2030, and also discussed areas of focus post-acquisition, and explained why the bank chose RBL as its target for expansion. <\/p>\n

The choice came as the bank looked to secure meaningful control<\/strong>, with other potential candidates like Yes Bank and IDBI Bank unlikely to support majority ownership under their existing shareholder frameworks, he\u2019s quoted as saying. The regulatory openness to a majority stake acquisition combined with the compelling India growth narrative and institutional strength, was the decisive factor enabling ENBD to make a long-term commitment, Nelson told the daily.<\/p>\n

As for future expansion plans?<\/strong> The bank is focusing on the five markets in which it already operates \u2014 Turkey, India, the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia \u2014 with an eye to grow its market share in Saudi. <\/p>\n

Key takeaways: <\/strong><\/p>\n