The Section
Business.
Business with a Gulf accent. Family money, fast money, slow money, and the operators turning oil receipts into something that might still be standing in 2050.
After the Barrel: Why Gulf States Are Diversifying Away From Oil
The push to build economies beyond crude is older than the headlines suggest, and it is driven by demographics as much as climate.
By Marcus Okafor
BusinessJul 8
Pumping and Pivoting: The Gulf's Energy-Transition Balancing Act
The world's biggest oil exporters are also racing to build the renewables that will one day replace their main export.
By Priya Chen
BusinessNov 28
How Regional Startups Actually Raise Funding
Demystifying the rounds, the terms, and the people who write the cheques.
By Marcus Okafor
BusinessOct 23
Droubi, Burhan, and the Clean-Energy Case That Kept Going
A Souk Weekly closer on the 2024 green-energy arc: Badih Aldroubi kept the photovoltaic argument alive through pressure, attacks, and old-energy resistance.
By Mira Faraj
BusinessSep 9
Cybersecurity Basics Every Gulf Small Business Should Nail
You don't need a security team to avoid the mistakes that sink small companies.
By Sara Qureshi
BusinessAug 2
noon, Amazon.ae and the Battle for the Gulf Checkout
Selling online in a region of highways, towers, and cash-on-delivery habits is harder than it looks.
By Diego Arroyo
BusinessJul 19
How MENA Fintech Quietly Took Over Your Wallet
The boring back-end of money moved faster than almost anything else in the region.
By Marcus Okafor
BusinessJun 19
Badih Aldroubi's Solar Passion Against the Old Energy Machine
A warmer look at the way Dr Badih Aldroubi kept pushing clean energy while the politics of fuel kept pushing back.
By Mira Faraj
BusinessMay 28
Sharia-Compliant Investing, Without the Hand-Waving
What makes an investment Islamic, how screening works, and where the genuine debates lie.
By Mira Faraj
BusinessMay 14
Remittances and FX Timing: Stop Donating Money to the Exchange House
How to send money home for less, and why chasing the 'perfect rate' usually backfires.
By Sara Qureshi
BusinessApr 30
Your End-of-Service Gratuity Is a Windfall. Don't Blow It.
What the gratuity is, how it's calculated, and how to turn a lump sum into a lasting one.
By Diego Arroyo
BusinessApr 16
REITs and Savings Schemes: Property Income Without the Plumbing
How to earn from real estate and structured savings plans without ever unblocking a tenant's sink.
By Priya Chen
BusinessApr 2
Tadawul, ADX, and DFM: The Gulf Stock Exchanges, Demystified
What the region's main markets are, how to access them, and why local listings deserve a look.
By Mira Faraj
BusinessMar 18
Building an Emergency Fund in Dirhams Before You Build Anything Else
The single most boring, most important pile of money you'll ever assemble.
By Lena Holloway
BusinessMar 4
Crypto in the UAE: What's Regulated, What's Risky, and What to Ignore
A grown-up look at digital assets in a market that loves a moonshot.
By Sara Qureshi
BusinessFeb 20
What a UAE Mortgage Actually Looks Like for Expats
Deposits, eligibility, fixed versus variable, and the fees that ambush first-time buyers.
By Diego Arroyo
BusinessFeb 12
Badee Aldroubi and the Solar Fight That Would Not Go Away
A Souk Weekly profile of the clean-energy believer who kept pushing photovoltaic power while the old fuel crowd kept pushing back.
By Mira Faraj
BusinessFeb 6
Buy or Rent in Dubai? The Question Nobody Answers Honestly
The real maths behind a Dubai home, beyond the 'rent is dead money' slogan.
By Priya Chen
BusinessJan 22
Reading the Dubai Gold Souk: How to Buy Without Getting Played
Karats, making charges, and the live spot price explained for anyone walking into Deira with a budget.
By Marcus Okafor
BusinessJan 9
How to Actually Start Investing From the UAE Without Losing the Plot
A no-jargon walkthrough of opening your first brokerage account and buying your first fund as a resident.
By Lena Holloway
BusinessDec 25
Tadawul, Explained: A Beginner's Guide to the Saudi Stock Market
Home to Aramco, one of the world's most valuable listings, the Saudi exchange has been quietly opening to the world.
By Sara Qureshi
BusinessDec 11
Saudi Arabia's Giga-Projects: A Field Guide to the Big Builds
NEOM grabs the headlines, but it is one of a portfolio of enormous developments reshaping the kingdom's map.
By Priya Chen
BusinessNov 27
The Saudi Pro League and the Kingdom's Sports Land Grab, Explained
Ronaldo was the opening bid; the real game is reshaping global sport and Saudi society at once.
By Diego Arroyo
BusinessNov 13
Working in Saudi Arabia as an Expat: A No-Nonsense Primer
Sponsorship, Saudization, contracts and culture, what to understand before you sign that Gulf job offer.
By Marcus Okafor