Start-ups and entrepreneurship

Analysis

Gulf investors emerge as key players in US social media giants TikTok, Snap, X

With UAE tech investor MGX set to take a stake in TikTok's US operations, investors from the Middle East could cement their role in America's social media landscape.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

PayPal headquarters pictured in San Jose, California, on Oct. 15, 2015.

PayPal bets $100M as Middle East’s Gulf fintech giants amplify competition

The move from the US payments giant comes amid a flurry of activity that has further cemented the Gulf’s fintech sector on the map for global investors — including Saudi Arabia's Tamara, which recently secured a $2.4 billion financing deal.

United Arab Emirates

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

KFC’s Turkey relaunch tests Western brands’ resilience in Gaza boycott era

From KFC to Carrefour, the Middle East's consumer brand landscape is undergoing significant shifts as the two-year anniversary of boycotts linked to the Gaza war approaches.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

An image of Karim Attiyeh.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

Syria’s internet reboot takes shape amid outreach to Gulf telecoms

Men walk past shops selling mobile phones in the Damascus Tower market, which specializes in the smart phone business, in the Syrian capital on January 12, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

US stock plunge poses dilemmas for Gulf investors while exposing PIF, Mubadala risks

NYSE

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

China’s DeepSeek triumph sparks billion-dollar AI dilemmas for Gulf investors

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Oman’s sleepy tech sector showing signs of promise

Preparations for 44.01's first project in UAE are well underway. This DAC + mineralisation pilot with ADNOCGroup , Masdar and FNRC will be the first carbon negative project by an energy company in the Middle East.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A woman speaks on the phone at a metro station in Cairo February 14, 2011. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: SOCIETY TRANSPORT) - GM1E72E1IGJ01

New phone app helps Egyptian women fight sexual harassment

A group of young Egyptians has developed a mobile phone app to fight sexual harassment by helping women identify and avoid harassment as well as deal with its aftermath.

Ride-sharing app forced off road in West Bank

Only five months after the launch of the Dubai-based ride-sharing app Careem in the West Bank, the company announced that the Palestinian Authority had halted its services.

Women's 'digital heels' leaving impression in Turkey

Turkey's female bloggers — from sleepless mothers to budding entrepreneurs — are taking to social media to share experiences and influence.

Palestinian graduate's thorny business blossoms

Haneen Ghanem's cactus-collecting hobby has flowered into the creation of a cactus nursery on a rooftop in the Jenin refugee camp.

Palestinian farmers harvest peppers at a farm in Gaza City on September 19, 2013. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED ABED (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Gazans have the hots for chili peppers

Peppers — pickled, roasted, stuffed or mashed — make up an essential part of cuisine in Gaza, and for prideful Palestinians in the Strip, the hotter the better.

Bank project offers Palestinian women independence

Hayati, a National Bank program, is making it possible for Palestinian women to start their own businesses, join the labor market and gain financial independence.

Lebanese entrepreneurs discover an appetite for snails

Snails, which are part of Lebanon’s culinary tradition, are juicy business for the country’s entrepreneurs.

New generation of Iranian hostels attract younger tourists

As Iran's tourism industry grows, a new generation of hostels catering to younger travelers is springing up around the country.

New app helps Egypt's Nubians retain traditional tongue

Nubi, an app conceived by a young Egyptian entrepreneur, offers a fun way for young Nubians to keep two of their heritage languages alive.

Migrant domestic workers hold placards and chant slogans during a parade to support the rights of migrant domestic workers, on May Day in downtown Beirut, Lebanon May 1, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RTX2CB24

Website helps Lebanon's migrant workers expose abuse

Migrant domestic workers in Lebanon are not protected by labor laws, but a new website hopes to give them a voice to speak out against abuse.

Moshe Hogeg, Chief Executive of Mobli Media Inc, an Israeli start-up, speaks during the company's launch in Tel Aviv, Israel June 15, 2015. Israeli start-up Mobli Media Inc is taking on Internet giants Google, Facebook and Yahoo with an innovative online search tool to find the latest photos and videos across social media sites, the company said on Monday. REUTERS/Baz Ratner - RTX1GM8C

Israeli startups push crowdfunding as investment in Israel

New funding platforms for Israeli startup companies are making it easier for Jews around the world to invest in the future of Israel.

Men look through rubbish in a garbage dump in Zabbaleen in Cairo October 11, 2012. The Zabbaleen, which means "garbage people", have served as informal garbage collectors for approximately the past 70 to 80 years, living in the nicknamed area "Garbage City". Their community has a population of around 20,000 to 30,000, over 90 percent of which are Coptic Christians. For several generations, the Zabbaleen supported themselves by collecting trash door-to-door from residents for little money and they recycle up

Can new mobile app help solve Egypt's environmental problems?

A new mobile application aimed at collecting and recycling e-waste may face obstacles in Egypt because of a lack of awareness about the importance of recycling and protecting the environment.