Business Extra

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As one of the world’s most influential business hubs, the Middle East requires expert attention. Business Extra provides those experts, as well as news and insights from The National’s esteemed team of business editors and reporters, who are on top of the markets, technology, the energy sector and more.

4H AGO

How Adnoc Gas is expanding its network to meet AI data centre demands

From powering AI data centres to ensuring long-term energy security, Adnoc Gas is shaping what reliable, sustainable and scalable energy looks like in the modern era. Adnoc Gas is expanding its network of more than 3,500 kilometres of pipelines, reaching new AI data centres in Abu Dhabi and scaling liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity to meet rising global demand, all while maintaining long-term resilience and sustainability. Fatema Al Nuaimi, chief executive of Adnoc Gas, brings two decades of experience as one of the UAE’s leading energy executives, from her early engineering days to leading Adnoc LNG through a historic transformation and now steering Adnoc C Gas into a new era of growth, innovation and inclusion. As the first chairwoman of Adnoc’s Gender Balance Committee, she is also redefining leadership in the energy sector. In this special episode of Business Extra podcast, Ms Al Nuaimi joins host Khaled Abuljebain to reveal how the company secured 15 to 20-year supply agreements and completed the Ruwais Low-Carbon LNG project, the Mena region’s first LNG export facility powered entirely by clean energy.

8 min
DEC 10

Behind the Bitcoin drop: Are we entering a new era for crypto?

Bitcoin lost over $18,000 in November, triggering one of the sharpest monthly declines since 2021. With nearly $3 billion in forced liquidations, headlines declared a crash. But is that the whole story? In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim Essaid sits down with two major voices shaping the global crypto conversation. First, Richard Teng, co-chief executive of Binance, explains what really happened in November. Then Yevgeny Bebnev, chief investment officer at Pelican Investments, argues that crypto has become an institutional asset, and that volatility is a market feature, and shares his outlook for 2026.

17 min
NOV 19

What you need to do to retire comfortably in the UAE

Millions of people move to the UAE for higher incomes, but after working hard for years and even decades, they face the big question: "How much do I need to retire comfortably?" Living costs are rising and foreign residents of the UAE do not have the same pension schemes available elsewhere in the world. This leaves them having to rely on personal planning and savings, which can feel overwhelming. In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim A Essaid explores the options available to maximise savings and grow your money, and asks how to avoid retirement mistakes. To figure this all out, he is joined by Dubai-based financial coach Jay Adrian Tolentino.

22 min
NOV 5

Inside the UAE’s SME strategy

In this episode of Business Extra, Abdulla bin Touq, Minister of Economy and Tourism, joins host Salim Essaid to discuss how the country is positioning itself as the global capital for start-ups and small and medium enterprises. Mr bin Touq explains how new economic reforms, ownership laws and innovation frameworks have reshaped the business landscape, doubling the number of registered companies in just five years to more than 1.3 million. The conversation explores the government’s newly launched cluster-economy strategy, focusing on five priority sectors: food and food processing, financial services, tourism, data and analytics, and space. The minister also highlights the UAE’s growing circular economy, the role of artificial intelligence across industries and the policies designed to boost competitiveness and innovation protection. The conversation also examines how the UAE aims to balance rapid growth with resilience and sustainability while targeting two million registered companies within the next five years.

17 min
OCT 22

How Adnoc L&S became a global logistics power

This episode was produced in partnership with the Adnoc Group Capt Abdulkareem Al Masabi, chief executive of Adnoc Logistics & Services, joins this episode of Business Extra to explore the rise of the UAE’s largest integrated maritime logistics company. Now ranked as the second-largest player in global energy logistics, Adnoc L&S has expanded its role on the world stage with a combination of strategic foresight and resilient leadership. Capt Al Masabi explains how the company has navigated market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty to complete a record IPO. He also outlines the long-term thinking behind its $10 billion fleet expansion and how securing $26 billion in long-term contracts is helping cement the UAE’s place in the energy logistics value chain.

9 min
OCT 15

Why more wealth is leaving the UK and landing in the UAE

A quiet transformation is reshaping the global wealth map. High net-worth individuals are moving their assets from the UK to the UAE. The Revolut co-founder Nikolai Stronsky's recent change of tax residency from the UK to the UAE reflects a much broader trend. Higher taxes, the end of the UK’s non-dom regime, and general regulatory uncertainty are pushing wealthy people to look for stability, predictability and a global lifestyle. In contrast, the UAE is offering zero income tax, long-term residency, world-class infrastructure and an easy environment in which to do business. In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim Essaid explores what’s behind the growing exodus of capital and talent from the UK and why the UAE is increasingly emerging as the destination of choice for wealth migration. He speaks to Philippe Amarante, managing partner at Henley & Partners Middle East, on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in London. He breaks down what is causing the UK to lose more millionaires and what wealthy people are really looking for when deciding where to base their lives and capital. Then, we hear from Khalifa AlMahmoud, director of investor attraction at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office. He outlines why the emirate’s mix of tax benefits, education opportunities and global accessibility makes it a long-term contender for global private capital.

20 min
OCT 8

What can Donald Trump’s Gaza economic plan offer without Palestinian sovereignty?

US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza peace promises investment corridors and special economic zones. But without sovereign control, how can the Palestinian economy survive? In Palestine, everything from the movement of goods to collecting taxes depends on approval from the Israeli government. The result is an economy that functions but is fundamentally constrained. It grows, but only within parameters set by an external power. In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim Essaid delves into one of the world’s most complex economic realities, examining what doing business looks like under constraint, how aid and donor priorities are often misaligned, and why real growth requires more than money. Joining the conversation is Raja Khalidi, director general of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute and a veteran of more than 30 years at the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Together they explore the broader question of whether any international economic plan can succeed if it does not address the underlying structures of occupation.

21 min
OCT 1

TikTok's new owners and what is at stake

As TikTok faces a high-stakes restructuring to divest from its Chinese ownership, a new deal is emerging. Major US players including Oracle and Silver Lake are in the mix, along with MGX, a UAE-based company that could become one of the few overseas owners of the platform’s American operations. This is more than a business deal. It determines who will shape the minds of users on one of the most viewed social media platforms in the world. In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim Essaid looks at the size of the deal, the level of control shareholders have over content and what TikTok might look like if influenced by a Gulf-based owner. The episode also examines how algorithm access, content moderation and ownership dynamics tie into global soft power, and how much that influence really matters.

23 min

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TRAILER

Business Extra is back with a new host

Tune in every other Wednesday for top stories from a global business hotspot, with vital analysis from renowned experts, diverse perspectives from key figures, and exclusive insight from The National's team of reporters.

Jan 15

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1 min

4

out of 5

7 Ratings

Keep it up 👍

08/18/2017

MajidTarish

Great topics.

As one of the world’s most influential business hubs, the Middle East requires expert attention. Business Extra provides those experts, as well as news and insights from The National’s esteemed team of business editors and reporters, who are on top of the markets, technology, the energy sector and more.