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The Gulf

Industry, culture, and capital across the Gulf.

32 posts

Creative Collaboration as Currency: How China and the UAE Can Turn Culture into Capital

Creative Collaboration as Currency: How China and the UAE Can Turn Culture into Capital

The next wave of China-UAE growth won't be built on trade agreements alone. It will be shaped by museums, designers, and chefs who create the familiarity that turns tourists into investors.

By Chloé Reuter • 4 min read

The UAE's Economic Ambition Finds a Strategic Partner in China

The UAE's Economic Ambition Finds a Strategic Partner in China

With Chinese New Year and Ramadan taking place this week, their timing highlights a deepening cultural and economic exchange: Chinese capital and collaboration play a strategic role in the Emirates’ ambition to double GDP by 2031.

By Julienna Law • 4 min read

Private Shopping Salons Redefine Luxury Retail in the Gulf — Del Core Collaboration With Harvey Nichols For Its First Presence in Dubai. Image: Harpers Bazaar Arabia

Private Shopping Salons Redefine Luxury Retail in the Gulf

Across the GCC, VIP programmes are evolving into intimate salons that mirror majlis culture. Trust, family dynamics, and cultural alignment now shape purchasing decisions more powerfully than exclusive access alone, writes Taqua Malik, founder of Freedomvisory.

By Taqua Malik • 3 min read

In Conversation: Nicola Turner, Principal at Heidrick & Struggles

In Conversation: Nicola Turner, Principal at Heidrick & Struggles

From London to Dubai, Nicola Turner has placed senior leaders across luxury, retail and beauty. Now she shares insights on the Gulf's talent landscape, why cultural fluency and global acumen must coexist, and what leaders will need by 2028.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read

Culture

Identity, creators, media, arts and how taste is curated here.

17 posts

Creative Collaboration as Currency: How China and the UAE Can Turn Culture into Capital

Creative Collaboration as Currency: How China and the UAE Can Turn Culture into Capital

The next wave of China-UAE growth won't be built on trade agreements alone. It will be shaped by museums, designers, and chefs who create the familiarity that turns tourists into investors.

By Chloé Reuter • 4 min read

The UAE's Economic Ambition Finds a Strategic Partner in China

The UAE's Economic Ambition Finds a Strategic Partner in China

With Chinese New Year and Ramadan taking place this week, their timing highlights a deepening cultural and economic exchange: Chinese capital and collaboration play a strategic role in the Emirates’ ambition to double GDP by 2031.

By Julienna Law • 4 min read

In Conversation: Nicola Turner, Principal at Heidrick & Struggles

In Conversation: Nicola Turner, Principal at Heidrick & Struggles

From London to Dubai, Nicola Turner has placed senior leaders across luxury, retail and beauty. Now she shares insights on the Gulf's talent landscape, why cultural fluency and global acumen must coexist, and what leaders will need by 2028.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read

In Conversation: Georgette Davey, Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy – Les Roches

In Conversation: Georgette Davey, Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy – Les Roches

From Switzerland to Shanghai and now Abu Dhabi, Georgette Davey reflects on three decades of hospitality education and why the Middle East represents the next frontier for Swiss academic excellence, one that meets Emirati cultural heritage.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read

Luxury

Brands, retail, experiences, and the business of luxury.

16 posts

Private Shopping Salons Redefine Luxury Retail in the Gulf — Del Core Collaboration With Harvey Nichols For Its First Presence in Dubai. Image: Harpers Bazaar Arabia

Private Shopping Salons Redefine Luxury Retail in the Gulf

Across the GCC, VIP programmes are evolving into intimate salons that mirror majlis culture. Trust, family dynamics, and cultural alignment now shape purchasing decisions more powerfully than exclusive access alone, writes Taqua Malik, founder of Freedomvisory.

By Taqua Malik • 3 min read

The UAE’s Niche Luxury Opportunity

The UAE’s Niche Luxury Opportunity

The UAE luxury market has shifted from spectacle to curation. Today's discerning consumers seek intimacy and originality over logos, creating unprecedented opportunities for founder-led brands with distinctive points of view.

By Chloé Reuter • 5 min read

In Conversation: Rebecca Bemhena, VP Content at Shoptalk Luxe

In Conversation: Rebecca Bemhena, VP Content at Shoptalk Luxe

As Shoptalk Luxe makes its Abu Dhabi debut, Rebecca Bemhena reflects on technology as luxury's new craftsmanship, how heritage maisons and disruptor brands forge the future together, and why invisible AI creates space for deeper human intimacy in elevated retail.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read

Luxury Made Local: Hospitality, Discretion, and Enduring Equity in the Gulf

Luxury Made Local: Hospitality, Discretion, and Enduring Equity in the Gulf

In the second of two pieces on luxury and cultural fluency in the Gulf, Taqua Malik, founder of Freedomvisory, explores how hospitality, discretion and community contribution transform presence into lasting equity.

By Taqua Malik • 3 min read

Technology

Startups, AI, fintech, and the engines of innovation.

10 posts

In Conversation: Lara Varjabedian and Jonathan L. Hasson, Co-Founders of UBQT

In Conversation: Lara Varjabedian and Jonathan L. Hasson, Co-Founders of UBQT

From Dubai, an AI-powered platform is attempting something radical: getting people off their phones and back into real life. Lara Varjabedian and Jonathan L. Hasson reflect on digital minimalism, proximity-based connection, and why the UAE provides the ideal testing ground for their work.

By Staff Writer • 6 min read

The Passport Moment: Why Luxury’s Next Advantage Is Proof, Not Promise

The Passport Moment: Why Luxury’s Next Advantage Is Proof, Not Promise

The most valuable logo in luxury won’t sit on a clasp or heel: it will live inside a code. DPPs are moving from regulation to relevance, turning provenance into the industry’s next competitive edge.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read

How Hub71 Is Rewiring the Gulf’s Startup Ambition — Image: Hub71

How Hub71 Is Rewiring the Gulf’s Startup Ambition

Abu Dhabi’s founder ecosystem is maturing fast — combining policy, capital, and AI depth to attract a new generation of global builders.

By Julienna Law • 3 min read

AI meets Arabic: the race to build culturally fluent chatbots — Photo by Immo Wegmann / Unsplash

AI meets Arabic: the race to build culturally fluent chatbots

For 400 million Arabic speakers, ChatGPT falls short. Local AI is filling the gap.

By Staff Writer • 4 min read

In Conversation

Q&As with the innovators shaping culture, capital, and tech.

9 posts

In Conversation: Nicola Turner, Principal at Heidrick & Struggles

In Conversation: Nicola Turner, Principal at Heidrick & Struggles

From London to Dubai, Nicola Turner has placed senior leaders across luxury, retail and beauty. Now she shares insights on the Gulf's talent landscape, why cultural fluency and global acumen must coexist, and what leaders will need by 2028.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read

In Conversation: Lara Varjabedian and Jonathan L. Hasson, Co-Founders of UBQT

In Conversation: Lara Varjabedian and Jonathan L. Hasson, Co-Founders of UBQT

From Dubai, an AI-powered platform is attempting something radical: getting people off their phones and back into real life. Lara Varjabedian and Jonathan L. Hasson reflect on digital minimalism, proximity-based connection, and why the UAE provides the ideal testing ground for their work.

By Staff Writer • 6 min read

In Conversation: Rebecca Bemhena, VP Content at Shoptalk Luxe

In Conversation: Rebecca Bemhena, VP Content at Shoptalk Luxe

As Shoptalk Luxe makes its Abu Dhabi debut, Rebecca Bemhena reflects on technology as luxury's new craftsmanship, how heritage maisons and disruptor brands forge the future together, and why invisible AI creates space for deeper human intimacy in elevated retail.

By Staff Writer • 3 min read

In Conversation: Georgette Davey, Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy – Les Roches

In Conversation: Georgette Davey, Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy – Les Roches

From Switzerland to Shanghai and now Abu Dhabi, Georgette Davey reflects on three decades of hospitality education and why the Middle East represents the next frontier for Swiss academic excellence, one that meets Emirati cultural heritage.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read

Highlights

Editor’s picks: essential reads, curated.

8 posts

East Meets West: The Cultural Architecture of Market Entry

East Meets West: The Cultural Architecture of Market Entry

For international SMEs, the Middle East represents opportunity and complexity in equal measure. Success requires more than market research: it demands cultural intelligence, patient partnership and strategic design from day one, writes Taqua Malik.

By Taqua Malik • 4 min read

Abu Dhabi’s bold bid to become a global art capital — Opening in December 2025, the Zayed National Museum will feature six permanent galleries spanning 300,000 years of history. Image: Abu Dhabi Media Office

Abu Dhabi’s bold bid to become a global art capital

Pouring billions into museums and fairs, Abu Dhabi leads the Gulf’s cultural development. But it has grander ambitions: to become the world’s next art capital.

By Staff Writer • 5 min read

Luxury Made Local: Hospitality, Discretion, and Enduring Equity in the Gulf

Luxury Made Local: Hospitality, Discretion, and Enduring Equity in the Gulf

In the second of two pieces on luxury and cultural fluency in the Gulf, Taqua Malik, founder of Freedomvisory, explores how hospitality, discretion and community contribution transform presence into lasting equity.

By Taqua Malik • 3 min read

Luxury in Translation: From Words to Meaning in the Gulf

Luxury in Translation: From Words to Meaning in the Gulf

Global luxury codes matter in the Gulf, but cultural fluency is what transforms transactions into lasting relationships, writes Taqua Malik, founder of Freedomvisory, a leading Middle East cultural intelligence advisor.

By Taqua Malik • 3 min read

Capital

Investment trends, new economies, regional venture shifts.

3 posts

The UAE's Economic Ambition Finds a Strategic Partner in China

The UAE's Economic Ambition Finds a Strategic Partner in China

With Chinese New Year and Ramadan taking place this week, their timing highlights a deepening cultural and economic exchange: Chinese capital and collaboration play a strategic role in the Emirates’ ambition to double GDP by 2031.

By Julienna Law • 4 min read

How Hub71 Is Rewiring the Gulf’s Startup Ambition — Image: Hub71

How Hub71 Is Rewiring the Gulf’s Startup Ambition

Abu Dhabi’s founder ecosystem is maturing fast — combining policy, capital, and AI depth to attract a new generation of global builders.

By Julienna Law • 3 min read

In Conversation: Snow Li, Investor and Art Collector

In Conversation: Snow Li, Investor and Art Collector

From Shanghai to Abu Dhabi, from manufacturing to museums, Snow Fei Nan Li’s journey is one of scale and purpose: shaping industries, bridging continents, and redefining what cultural diplomacy means in the 21st century.

By Staff Writer • 4 min read