CATEGORIES

Meet Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, The World's Richest Self-Made Woman

With a net worth of $28.6 billion as of June 2023, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant is the world’s wealthiest self-made woman, according to Forbes’ 2023 Billionaires list. Here’s a glance into the life of the richest of the world’s 96 self-made women billionaires

Arab Women Ambassadors Behind Global Brands

International luxury brands are paying increasing attention to the Middle East. These Arab women have become brand ambassadors for top global fashion and beauty brands

5 Retail Giants Filing For Bankruptcy In 2022

Between growing debt, dwindling sales, inflation, and changing customer preferences, many retailers have become vulnerable. Here's a look at some retail giants that filed for bankruptcy in 2022

MENA Tourism Startups

MENA startups attracted $1.1 billion in funding in Q1 2023, according to Wamda, with the travel-tech sector accounting for $9 million. Here are four regional travel startups revitalizing the market

Meet Mo Salah, The World's Highest-Paid Arab Athlete

With $53 million in total earnings, Egypt's Mohamed Salah ranked as the highest-paid Arab athlete on Forbes' 2023 list of the World's Highest-Paid Athletes. Here's a glimpse into the life of the legendary sportsman

EGYPT'S TOP 50 LISTED COMPANIES 2023

Events last year, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the rising rate of inflation, put Egypt’s economy in severe trouble, leading to a foreign currency dry-up

BANKING BOOM

U.A.E.-based bank Mashreq saw its profits hit $1 billion in 2022, leading a booming year for the country's banks. Group CEO, Ahmed Abdelaal, is looking to tech and talent for future growth

THE MIDDLE EAST'S TOP 100 LISTED COMPANIES 2023

At this time of high inflation and global unrest, stock markets have been under pressure, with the MENA region not immune to the trajectory. In 2023, the aggregate market value of the Middle East’s Top 100 Listed Companies has decreased marginally by 5%, from $4 trillion in 2022 to $3.8 trillion

GOLD RUSH

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), has been with the sprawling free zone since it was established and has witnessed it grow to become the world's biggest physical gold market. While he's opening up to new trade, he's still betting big on the yellow metal

MOVING FORWARD

Rami El-Dokany, Executive Chairman of the Egyptian Exchange and Secretary General of the Arab Federation of Capital Markets, has been overseeing the North African country's stock exchange as the economy struggles. Still, he's been striving to reposition EGX as a leading stock market regionally

Meet The Middle East's Expat Billionaires

These nine expatriate billionaires are not of Arab descent but call the Middle East home. Combined, they are worth $35.6 billion, according to the Forbes World’s Billionaires list 2023. All listees are based in the U.A.E.

4 Billionaire-Owned Hotel Chains

Of the world’s 2,640 billionaires, 24 built their fortunes from hotels, with the majority coming from the U.S., according to Forbes’ World’s Billionaires 2023 list. Here are four hotel chains backed by billionaires. Net worths are as of April 19, 2023

5 World Record-Breaking Hotels

Hotels around the world have scored some incredible feats. From Dubai to Lebanon, here are five of the world’s record-breaking hotels, according to the Guinness World Records

MOBILIZING AI'S INFANTRY

BRIEFLY BECAME THE WORLD’S YOUNGEST SELF-MADE BILLIONAIRE BY SUPPLYING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COMPANIES WITH THE ONE THING THEY ALL NEED: HUMANS. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF THEM. NOW, HIS $7.3 BILLION STARTUP IS PRIMED TO CASH IN ON THE BIGGEST AI BOOM YET—UNLESS SOMEONE ELSE CAN DO IT BETTER OR CHEAPER

BREAKING GROUND

Having just opened one of the world’s most luxurious new hotels, Philippe Zuber, CEO of Kerzner International, is now launching two new brands to the market. As the Middle East continues to redefine the standards of luxury hospitality, he’s keeping exclusivity in mind while looking to expand

PRIORITY PASS

Adel Mardini, Founder and CEO of private jet terminal operator Jetex, is used to catering to the most demanding of HNWI travelers. As demand for sustainable and personalized travel increases, he’s looking to Africa and the U.S. for expansion.

WORLD'S RICHEST ARABS 2025

The last year has proven challenging for the world’s richest people

THE WORLD'S BILLIONAIRES

FALLING STOCKS, wounded unicorns and rising interest rates translated into a tough year for the world’s wealthiest

40 Years Of Silicon Valley Bank: From Fame To Failure

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) has sent shock waves through global financial systems, leaving many to wonder how the U.S.'s 16th largest lender in terms of assets, which served thousands of innovative tech startups, could break. Here's a brief look at how the now-defunct bank rose to fame and fell to ruin.

A Journey Through Time

Set amongst sand rock formations, ancient dwellings, and monuments that have been carefully carved by the hand of nature, AlUla tells the story of a city that has remained the meeting place of ancient civilizations.

THE MIDDLE EAST'S 50 MOST VALUABLE BANKS 2025

This year has been a tough one so far for the global banking sector, with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank flaming fears of a contagion effect.

THE MIDDLE EAST'S TOP 30 FINTECH COMPANIES 2023

MEET THE REGION'S MOST INNOVATIVE COMPANIES USING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO DIGITIZE BANKING, FINANCE, AND INVESTMENT.

PAYING IT FORWARD

Ashraf Sabry, Cofounder and CEO of Fawry for Banking Technology and Electronic Payments (Fawry), Egypt's largest e-payments network, has had a significant impact on introducing Fintech to the cash-centric country. Despite the backdrop of an economic downturn, he's continuing to ride the digital wave toward banking the unbanked population.

POWER SHIFT

Mark Chahwan, Nadine Mezher, and Jad Sayegh, Cofounders of the U.A.E.-based investment platform Sarwa, have raised $25 million in total funding since establishing their Fintech in 2017. Buoyed by a consumer shift towards digital banking and trading, they're now looking at new ways to scale while navigating an evolving ecosystem.

The Nuclear Option

Old-fashioned fission may be the best way to wean the world off fossil fuels. So BRET KUGELMASS wants to deploy 10,000 inexpensive, off-the-shelf microreactors but not in America.

The Price Of Authenticity

Twitter and Meta are now charging a fee for account verification, while other major networks like YouTube, TikTok, and China's WeChat are sticking to a free verification model-for now.

Notable National Fintechs In MENA

MENA's central banks are disrupting Fintech, laying the groundwork with regulations and launching national gateways to help move to cashless economies. Here are five national payment gateways owned by central and public banks in the Middle East.

5 Billionaires Investing In Fintech

The aggregate net worth of these five billionaires-who are all investing in the Fintech sector-declined by $25.7 billion in over a year, hitting $50.4 billion on March 14, 2023, down from $76.1 billion on March 11, 2022. Here's how their fortunes have changed. Net worths are as of March 14, 2023.

THE MIDDLE EAST'S TOP 100 HEALTHCARE LEADERS 2023

Recent years have witnessed an increasing growth of forward-looking innovations and transformations within the healthcare industry, including emerging biotech - and healthtech startups and initiatives, AI, robotics, and digital integration and automation.

How Digital Technologies Can Improve Saudi Healthcare

There is no substitute for the skills and compassion of medical professionals, but there is a role for more technical capabilities.