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United Arab Emirates

August 28, 2026

Abu Dhabi 1:06 pm

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UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi (L) and Lebanese Economy Minister Amr al-Bisat after signing a memorandum of understanding, Beirut, Aug. 27, 2026.

Lebanon, UAE ink deals, deepen economic ties on Emirati Beirut visit

An Emirati business delegation signed the agreements in Beirut and met with President Joseph Aoun, indicating the UAE's interest in deepening economic ties with Lebanon.

Lebanese Presidency

Large UAE delegation set to arrive in Lebanon in major investment push

A large Emirati delegation of around 70 business leaders and government officials is heading to Beirut, in the latest sign of thaw between the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

Latest News

Analysis

UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy

Khor Fakkan Container Terminal

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

King Abdullah Centre

Middle East fintech funding sees 650% spike in 2020-2023

Fintech is one of the most funded and transacted industries across the MENA region, according to a MAGNiTT report, accounting for 24% of all venture investment in the region in the first half of 2024.

Yahya Sinwar addresses supporters during a rally marking Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people celebrated annually on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, in Gaza City, on April 14, 2023.

Netanyahu priority may be Sinwar, not Gaza cease-fire

A recap of Al-Monitor reporting from Israel, Iran, the UAE and Turkey.

Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir takes part in the Jerusalem Day Flag March in the Old City on June 5, 2024 in Jerusalem.

Saudi Arabia, UAE speak out against Israeli far right's moves on Al-Aqsa

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have called for an end to provocations at one of Islam's holiest sites amid comments by Israel's national security minister about building a synagogue on the site.

A vendor selling dates walks across a street in Islamabad on July 8, 2024, as cash-strapped Pakistan adopted a $68 billion budget laced with tax-raising measures on June 28, seeking to secure a new bailout from the IMF.

Pakistan to raise $4B from Middle East banks amid economic turbulence

For many years, Pakistan has relied on China and Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to roll over some of its debt to avoid having to repay it sooner.

Jennifer Gnana event

Al-Monitor expands Gulf coverage with new talent led by Jennifer Gnana

Pavel Durov, CEO and co-founder of Telegram, speaks during day one of TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2015 at Pier 70, San Francisco, Sept. 21, 2015.

UAE asks France for 'urgent' consular services to arrested citizen Telegram’s Durov

Russian-born Pavel Durov has been a resident of the UAE since 2017 and a citizen of the Gulf state since 2021.

United Arab Emirates

ABU DHABI, 4th June, 2024 (WAM) -- President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received an Afghan delegation led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior Affairs.

Analysis

Qatar rivalry, security concerns drive UAE thaw with Afghanistan’s Taliban

The UAE has formally acknowledged a Taliban-appointed representative, making it only the second country, after China, to do so.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images

Who is Taliban’s first UAE envoy since its return to power?

The United Arab Emirates is only the second country to accept an ambassador from the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, after China.

United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (C), who was recently named to head the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, looks at a model of the Capital City District project.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala invests in UK cloud data center developer Yondr

It marks Mubadala’s third major investment in cloud data centers in three years, as the wealth fund looks to cash in on the ballooning demand for data center infrastructure.

United Arab Emirates

Pro-Palestinian activists and supporters wave flags and hold placards along with a Guy Fawkes mask as they walk past a McDonald's during a protest in central London on March 30, 2024, calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Analysis

Global brands still can’t shake Israel boycotts hitting Starbucks, McDonald’s

Consumer backlash continues hitting the bottom line of multinationals as the Gaza war nears the one-year mark.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Gantry cranes are seen behind signage for ports operator DP World at an entrance to the Port Botany compound in Sydney on Nov. 13, 2023.

UAE port operator DP World's profits fall 60% amid Yemen's Houthi Red Sea attacks

The Dubai-based logistics firm reported $265 million in profit for the first half of 2024 ending June 30, down from $651 million the same time last year.

United Arab Emirates

Co-founder and Ceo of Starz Play Maaz Sheikh poses in his office in Dubai on April 23, 2019. Streaming services in the Middle East are competing for Arab audiences with US giant Netflix set to release its first Arabic production in June, chasing a slice of a potentially lucrative market. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Netflix in crosshairs as Middle East streaming competition mounts

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech