United Arab Emirates - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

February 7, 2026

Abu Dhabi 2:44 am

20°C

Participants visit the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025.

Crypto crash collides with UAE’s big bet on digital assets

After hitting record highs in 2025, Bitcoin’s sell-off is roiling global markets and making waves in the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

US Department of State's senior advisor to the president for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends the Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2026.

US says Sudan warring parties back withdrawal plan as donors pledge $700M in aid

State Department senior adviser Massad Boulos announced Tuesday that a "comprehensive peace plan" has been approved by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though it still needs to be approved by Sudan's warring parties.

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

How US-India trade deal could impact Mideast energy, trade routes

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025.

UAE’s MBZ reportedly cancels Japan visit amid US-Iran standoff: What to know

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives for a welcoming ceremony prior to talks with the Russian president at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Jan. 29, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Gulf markets recover after gold rout, buoyed by Iran de-escalation hopes

A woman checks a window shop at a jewelry store in Dubai, on March 10, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Caught in the Gulf crossfire: Pakistan navigates Saudi-UAE rivalry

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, meets with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at Za’abeel Palace in Dubai on Jan. 28, 2026.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Kamala Harris

The COP28 scorecard: US leads methane charge, China to slash emissions

COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber also announced a deal to cut methane emissions from the fossil fuel industry, with ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil firm Aramco being among the 50 businesses that signed up.

United Arab Emirates

IMF

IMF chief urges governments to increase carbon prices, reduce fossil fuel subsidies

Kristalina Georgieva was addressing an audience of business leaders and philanthropists at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

United Arab Emirates

António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Türkiye and His Highness Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi during the UN Climate Change Conference COP28 at Expo City Dubai on Dec. 1, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Gaza overshadows COP28 as Turkey’s Erdogan blasts ’Israeli aggression'

The leaders of Iraq, Jordan and Turkey acknowledged the plight of the Palestinians, which took the attention off the country's climate targets.

United Arab Emirates

COP27 and COP28 presidents

COP28 opens in UAE amid intense scrutiny over fossil fuel links

A breakthrough was made on the first day of the UN climate summit as world leaders established a loss and damage fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change.

United Arab Emirates

Chinese flag

UAE-China ink multibillion-dollar deals as ties grow

The United Arab Emirates and China are major trade partners and have strengthened cooperation in both finance and energy in recent months.

COP28

Interview

IEA calls COP28 'big opportunity' to slash methane emissions

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the International Energy Agency's chief energy economist, Tim Gould, said the climate summit should focus on methane as well as climate finance for the developing world.

Tim Gould

Tim Gould

Chief Energy Economist of the International Energy Agency

Fatih Birol

Middle East state oil firms ‘should set the tone’ for lowering emissions at COP28, IEA says

Chief energy economist Tim Gould said it was “a legitimate expectation that these companies should be doing more” to support the clean transition.

United Arab Emirates

Carbon capture

Oil & gas industry must not hide behind carbon capture 'illusion,' says IEA

Some of the major carbon emitters have ambitious plans to capture greenhouse gases, but those alone won't be enough to help the planet avert a climate crisis, the agency warned.

United Arab Emirates

Omar Olama

Interview

Fear shouldn’t overtake rationality in approach to artificial intelligence, says UAE AI minister

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, UAE AI Minister Omar Sultan Al Olama discusses how states should govern the technology and whether fears about machine intelligence are founded.

Omar Sultan Al Olama

Omar Sultan Al Olama

UAE Minister of State

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

UAE’s Masdar opens world’s largest single-site solar plant ahead of COP28

The Al Dhafra solar plant spans more than 12 square miles of desert.

United Arab Emirates

Aermacchi MB-339 trainer aircraft of the Fursan al-Emarat (UAE Knights) aerobatics team release smoke as they fly over during the Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central, Al-Maktoum International Airport, Nov. 14, 2023.

Russia and China big participants at Dubai Airshow

At this year's event, the UAE is balancing friendly relations with the United States as well as with China and Russia, including via the BRICS alliance.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Singapore exchange Crypto.com receives Dubai license in boost to UAE's scene

Cryptocurrency firms are continuing to move to the United Arab Emirates despite regulatory challenges and the market crash.