Mideast private equity down 38%, but higher-value deals dominate Saudi Arabia was the region’s most active market with 13 transactions, followed by the UAE with 12. Saudi Arabia
Wealthy flock to UAE, fueling Dubai’s 32% company surge: What to know Gulf states are diversifying their economies away from reliance on oil, and the UAE is leading the charge, with the country on track to welcome nearly 10,000 high-net-worth individuals this year. United Arab Emirates
Meet Karim Attiyeh, youngest Arab American billionaire of Lebanese origin Karim Attiyeh, a Lebanese-born technologist, has been named by Forbes Middle East as the youngest billionaire of Arab origin in the United States, joining the list of the 125 richest immigrant billionaires in the US. Lebanon
Saudi Arabia to invest $6B in Syria in boost to Sharaa: What to know The kingdom has been at the forefront of diplomatic and economic efforts to support Syria's recovery. Syria
Egypt's Sisi visits Qatar, nabs $7.5B in investments: What to know President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s trip to Doha comes amid Egypt’s moves to improve ties with Turkey and tensions with the UAE over the Gaza war. Egypt
David Petraeus, ex-CIA head, tapped to lead KKR's push into Mideast markets The newly-formed team will identify investment and partnership opportunities in the region, with a focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the private equity firm said. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's Simsek says economy will ride out Trump tariffs without lasting scars Mehmet Simsek stressed that his government’s economic program has made the economy more resilient against internal and external shocks, highlighting that inflation has fallen and continues to drop. Turkey
UAE, Qatar investments fuel Jared Kushner's firm assets to $4.8 billion Commitments from Abu Dhabi–based asset manager Lunate and the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund, increased Affinity’s assets by $1.5 billion over a year. United Arab Emirates
Meet Karim Souaid, Lebanon’s new central bank chief with daunting mission The appointment of a new central bank governor comes nearly two years after the term of embattled governor Riad Salameh ended in July 2023. Lebanon
Imamoglu's arrest triggers emergency market measures as Turkey stocks plunge The Turkish lira and equities have fallen sharply since the arrest last week of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — on corruption charges, which he denies. Turkey
UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia finance startups lead Forbes Middle East Fintech50 Some 119 fintech startups across the Middle East and North Africa raised $700 million in 2024, accounting for 30% of the total MENA startup funding for last year. Saudi Arabia
Analysis A year on, UAE walks BRICS tightrope amid escalating US-Brazil rhetoric Trump is likely to go head-to-head with BRICS this year. He has declared the group to be "dead" and threatened to impose 100% tariffs on all imports from the member states if they planned to move against the dollar. By Jennifer Gnana In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics
UK removes 24 Syrian entities from sanctions list, including central bank The latest decision comes after the European Union lifted several sanctions across banking and energy on Syria on Feb. 24. Syria
Saudi Arabia's PIF bans PwC advisory, consulting services: What to know Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund will stop granting consulting projects to PwC until February 2026, Bloomberg reported. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia markets Middle East's first euro green bond: What to know The kingdom, currently the world’s top oil exporter, looks to have half of its electricity powered by renewable energy by 2030. Saudi Arabia
