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Intelligence for the New World Economy

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Intelligence for the New World Economy
Semafor World Economy
Kelsey Warner

Kelsey Warner

Reporter

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Dubai billionaire Al Habtoor leaves Lebanon, blames government for $1.7B in losses

The billionaire’s real estate conglomerate has invested more than $1 billion sinc 2001 across Lebanon’s hospitality, retail, leisure, real estate, and finance sectors.
A view of Beirut.Emilie Madi/Reuters

Dubai real estate portal Property Finder raises $170M in new financing

The portal that has now raised nearly $1 billion in equity and debt financing from a host of blue-chip backers, including Mubadala, Blackstone, and HSBC.
A Property Finder office.Courtesy of Property Finder

Visa splits Middle East operations

The kingdom brought in a rule in 2024 that any company wanting to bid for government contracts would have to set up their regional headquarters there.
The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh.Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters

AI changes shape of foreign investment flows

Declining appetite for infrastructure and a slowdown in renewables investments were partly supplanted by the capital poured into data centers and semiconductors.
With snow-covered Flat Top Mountain in the background, construction workers build a new Facebook data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah.George Frey/Reuters

AI dominates Gulf deals in Davos

Dubai-based Damac Properties, whose chairman is a Trump ally, secured land and power capacity in the US worth $12 billion.
WEF sign.Denis Balibouse/Reuters

G42 pitches digital embassy plan to foreign governments

A data embassy would store information beyond a country’s physical borders but under its laws.
A technician works at an Amazon Web Services AI data center in New Carlisle, US.Noah Berger for AWS/Reuters

UAE, India deepen ties with energy, trade and defense deals

ADNOC signed a $3 billion deal on Monday to supply liquefied natural gas to India, making it the UAE’s top customer for LNG.

Abu Dhabi’s ALTÉRRA and Spain’s BBVA launch climate fund

The proposed $1.2 billion fund will back climate-aligned infrastructure, private credit, and private equity.

Jerusalem VC looks to ‘go bigger’ in Dubai, post-Gaza

JVP sees AI as crucial to spurring economic cooperation with the UAE.

US clean energy investors see bull case for renewables

CleanCapital said this week it had secured a $300 million financing package that will help it increase its capacity 50% in the next 12 months.

Masdar eyes renewables in the US despite Trump policies

With billions to invest, the Abu Dhabi renewable energy giant is eyeing struggling assets in the US and doubling down in Africa and Europe.

Gulf countries join rush to debt with new bond issuances

The coming year is expected to be another busy one for borrowing as Gulf nations forge ahead on ambitious diversification drives.

Qatar and UAE join Trump administration’s Pax Silica agreement

The US-led initiative aims to secure AI and semiconductor supply chains, including critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and computing power.

Trump dents budget of Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy agency

Even before withdrawing from IRENA last week, the US has failed to honor funding commitments.

Gulf project spend plummeted in 2025, preliminary data shows

The drop was mainly caused by delayed megaprojects and a drop in energy sector spending, according to an analysis from MEED.

Influencers flock to Dubai for 1 Billion Followers Summit

Touted as the world’s largest gathering for content creators, the three-day event kicked off Friday with 30,000 attendees expected.

Kuwait deports thousands of foreign workers in nationality crackdown

Nearly 40,000 expatriates were deported from Kuwait in 2025, and 69 citizens and their dependents were stripped of their nationality, Arab Times reported.

Gulf AI deals in 2025 reveal ambitious national strategies

The biggest announcements came during US President Donald Trump’s visit in May.