Business Extra

What challenges do women still face in the Middle East start-up scene?

The start-up economy is booming in the Middle East, but despite progress, women remain underrepresented, as founders and as recipients of funding.

While women-led start-ups make up 7 per cent of the region’s total, they receive about 1 per cent of available funding, Wamda statistics show.

In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim Essaid speaks with three female founders in the UAE – Yasmin Rose of Rise Birth Centre, Yasmin Megerisi of House of Meena, and Thea Myhrvold, chief executive of Getbee – who share their experiences of navigating the start-up scene in the region.

The host also hears from Hynd Bouhia, a start-up funding expert, who unpacks the numbers behind the gender gap in investment and the biases that continue to shape funding decisions.

Al Masaood Automobiles chief on the future of mobility

This episode is sponsored by Al Masaood Automobiles

The global automotive industry is undergoing dramatic transformation as owners seek more from their vehicles – and technology delivers.

This is evident in the UAE where major distributors such as Al Masaood Automobiles are anticipating and catering to shifting customer demands.

In this episode of The National’s Business Extra podcast, the company’s chief executive, Irfan Tansel, discusses the UAE’s current motoring landscape, as well as the future of mobility, as it experiences disruption across the industry, including the growth of electric vehicles, emergence of autonomous cars, and rising owner appetite for digitisation and connectivity.

Drawing on more than 40 years in the automotive business, Mr Tansel tells host David Dunn about the evolving role of physical dealerships in a digital-first world, Al Masaood Automobiles’ significant sector successes and the enduring legacy of family favourite, the Nissan Patrol.

AI and the Gulf: Where it's been and what's next

In the past decade, Gulf countries have prioritised innovation. It's part of a shift from their prime standing as oil economies to their new goal of using the advent of AI to enhance their economies all around.

 

It's getting attention from global tech hubs. A former Google chief recently said Saudi Arabia has the potential to become the next AI powerhouse. Only last month, Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector economy recorded its strongest expansion in more than a decade.

 

Some of the biggest names in tech are pouring billions into innovation in Gulf countries, from physical infrastructure such data centres to partnerships that support virtual breakthroughs.

In this episode of Business Extra, Salim Essaid hears from tech experts and leaders on the Gulf's AI appeal and where it's going.

IFC's Makhtar Diop on AI, investments and emerging markets

Global leaders, policymakers and industry experts came together in Dubai this week at the World Governments Summit to discuss the most pressing challenges shaping the future. With a focus on sustainability, AI governance and global finance, this year's conversation set the stage for collaborative action in an evolving world, from economic resilience to technological innovation.

 

On this episode of Business Extra, we take you to the World Governments Summit, where The National's Editor-in-Chief, Mina Al-Oraibi, hears from Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corporation.

TikTok, Meta and the Middle East: Social media shifts in the US and what they mean for the region

It’s been a busy few weeks in the world of tech, with big names such as TikTok, Meta and X making moves in terms of policy and business models.

Changes were announced as huge political shifts took place in the US – the start of President Donald's Trump's second term, being one – and some of them were moments for the history books. The timing is no coincidence.

This episode of Business Extra hears a breakdown of these developments and explores the business motives driving them, both in the US and right here in the Middle East, with insights from our reporters and former insiders at Twitter and Meta.

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Trump-Damac Dealing: What's behind it and what's next?

Two weeks before returning to office, US president-elect Donald Trump has his eyes on the Middle East — and business interests that are storied to him, but new to the White House.

The latest one stars one of the biggest business names in the UAE: Damac properties.

Emirati businessman Hussain Sajwani founded Damac in 2002. It’s now one of the leading real estate developers in the region.

Damac reported $2.4 billion in revenue in 2023 and was expected to nearly double it in 2024. In 2021, it launched its Edgnex brand, focusing on digital infrastructure through assets like data centres with operations in 10 countries.

Now, it’s moving stateside.

The $20 billion investment announced at Mar A Lago last week will mean the delivery of data centres - buildings used to house all kinds of computer systems - in phases. Damac and Mr Trump said the first phase will focus on eight US states in the Sunbelt and Midwest regions — places including Arizona and Illinois.

The projects promise to make leaps for data use in the realms of technology, finance, healthcare and retail, to create what Damac called a “ripple effect” that attracts more businesses to data centre hubs.

This latest investment deepens ties that the two established nearly a decade ago. It is a testament to what has come to be a characteristic trait of a Trump presidency — a mesh between his personal business interests and national dealings through his role in the White House.

But what does this move mean for Middle East investors? And for sectors like technology, space and electric vehicles?

On this episode of Business Extra with host and Business Editor Salim Essaid, hear from our own business reporter Fareed Rahman — and an analyst specialising in Middle East and global geopolitics, Ryan Bohl, on what to know - and expect - just days ahead of Trump's inauguration.

Cash, not credit: the enduring power of paper

For the past few decades, slowly but surely, paper cash has increasingly been viewed as antiquated. Digital payment options are in. You can pay by card, by phone and even by smartwatch. Some people even opt to pay via cryptocurrencies.

 

Yet there are those who insist that physical, paper cash has role in future transactions. Some also insist that personal financial freedom and independence depend on it.

 

In this episode of Business Extra, host Cody Combs hears from Jay Zagorsky, a professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, about a topic that some considered passé: physical currency.

How family values continue to drive the progress of Danube Group

This page was produced by The National in partnership or collaboration with Danube Group.

The Danube Group is a prime example of how 1990s opportunities in the UAE combined with business acuity to create a regional success story.

 

Having learnt tough retail lessons selling items from a Mumbai street cart, the brand’s founders went on to create a conglomerate that today employs thousands and contributes to the GCC economy.

The Group includes Danube Home and Milano home improvement products, a highly visible real estate development portfolio, a busy building materials segment and a branded Dubai Metro station beside the company’s Jebel Ali headquarters.

 

In this episode of Business Extra, host David Dunn hears from Danube Group’s vice chairman, Anis Sajan, on the early life events that coloured his outlook and ultimately shaped his successful UAE business journey. During the conversation, Mr Anis emphasises the importance of mentoring and empowering the younger generation for sustainable growth in businesses and communities.

 

Mr Anis's sons Azhar, founder of the upmarket Casa Milano, and Sahil, Milano director, also talk about how they are taking the organisation forward amid a thriving UAE economy.

How NHC is driving the Saudi real estate success story

Saudi Arabia is witnessing a housing boom that is transforming the country’s real estate sector, as home ownership rises and international investors join one of the world’s most dynamic markets.

Leading this transformation, developer NHC is meeting demand for lifestyle communities with mega-projects that anticipate future growth.

The kingdom’s real estate market is on a path to reach unprecedented heights, with a forecasted market value of $2.27 trillion by the end of the year and a goal to develop 1.2 billion square metres of land by 2030. Saudi home ownership is also set to increase to 70 per cent, attracting major players like Egypt’s TMG conglomerate, along with Spanish and Chinese investors partnering with NHC.

In a special Business Extra episode from Cityscape Global 2024 in Riyadh, we explore the evolution of Saudi Arabia’s property sector. The event, themed “The Future of Living”, features more than 400 exhibitors and more than 100 institutional investors, covering diverse developments from stadiums to hotels, signalling the nation’s expanding real estate market.

During the event, NHC announced 75 billion Saudi riyals ($19.96 billion) in investment opportunities available until the end of next year, aimed at both local and international investors.

Mohammed Abaalkhail, NHC’s chief marketing and customer experience officer, joins host David Dunn to discuss how NHC is bringing its vision of “elevating life” to fruition with mixed-use communities and green spaces.

With a plan to develop 284 million square metres of land across the kingdom, NHC, one of the largest developers in the region, is also adapting to meet shifting demands while maintaining its strong market position.