Author: Emirates Insight
Over the summer break, Startup daily is republishing some of its most read and favourite stories from 2025. Today it’s about Canva’s profitabilty, published in September. It’s just shy of 20 years since US political satirist Stephen Colbert coined the term ‘truthiness’. He described it as “something that seems like truth – the truth we want to exist”. In corporate circles, there’s a fiscal truthiness where everyone’s wealthy and successful right up until the moment they lodge tax filings with the government. “Profitiness” allows company execs to tell investors they’re doing well and rolling in cash, while informing the tax…
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) transported more than 2.8 million passengers during New Year’s Eve 2026 celebrations, achieving ridership growth of over 13% compared to last year’s over 2.8 riders. This was delivered as part of an integrated traffic and operational plan that included the management and regulation of traffic movement and implementation of temporary road closures across the Emirate, in direct coordination with Dubai Event Security Committee, as well as relevant authorities and strategic partners. The results reflect the readiness and efficiency of the transport system and its ability to ensure smooth mobility and public safety, while reinforcing…
Saudi Arabia’s Social Development Bank has reported a strong performance in 2025, reaching 100,000 citizens and businesses through financing and development programmes while expanding support for entrepreneurs, freelancers and productive families. The results were announced during the Board of Directors meeting for the fourth quarter of 2025, chaired by Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Chairman of the Bank’s Board of Directors. Social Development Bank said total financing provided to entrepreneurs and small and emerging enterprises reached SR3.1bn ($826m), benefiting 8,000 businesses. Saudi Arabia’s Social Development Bank Financing extended to freelancers and productive…
The firm suggests digital wallets could eventually handle payments at a scale rivaling global card networks. Venture capital firm a16z Crypto has outlined its top expectations for the digital asset sector in a post shared on X on January 1, pointing to major shifts in payments, privacy, and blockchain use cases in 2026. The list framed a future where stablecoins will rival global card networks, privacy tools will become a key competitive advantage, and crypto firms will move beyond trading as markets prepare for a possible rebound. The Main Story: A Vision Beyond Trading The firm’s detailed list framed…
Every year, TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield pitch contest draws thousands of applicants. We whittle those applications down to the top 200 contenders, and of them, the top 20 compete on the big stage to become the winner, taking home the Startup Battlefield Cup and a cash prize of $100,000. But the remaining 180 startups all blew us away as well in their respective categories and compete in their own pitch competition. Here is the full list of the media/entertainment Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on why they landed in the competition. Alltroo What it does: Helps celebrities manage their charity giveaways and…
The Dubai real estate market generated AED681bn ($185.5bn) in sales in 2025, cementing one of the most transformative years in the sector’s history. Record transaction volumes, accelerating population growth and disciplined supply delivery combined to push the market into a new phase of expansion — one increasingly defined by permanent residents rather than short-term investors. According to Provident Estate’s 2025 Market Overview, Dubai recorded 213,700 residential transactions last year, representing a 6.9 per cent year-on-year increase. Average sale prices rose 7.6 per cent, underscoring a structural upward trend shaped by lifestyle-driven relocations and long-term settlement, rather than speculative turnover. Loai…
UAE-based Indian businessman Balvinder Singh Sahni, also known as Abu Sabah, will spend five years in prison after the Dubai Court of Cassation rejected his final appeal in a high-profile AED150 million ($40.8 million) Bitcoin money-laundering case. He will also be deported after completing his sentence. The court waived the AED150 million fine, as the amount had already been recovered through seized assets Three companies owned by Sahni were each fined AED5 million, while all other penalties remain in place. The case Sahni, 53, founder and chairman of the Raj Sahni Group, was first convicted in May 2025 after Dubai’s…
CC has skyrocketed by over 130% monthly. Bitcoin’s underwhelming price performance at the end of 2025 continued as the asset was stopped at $89,000 and ultimately finished the year in the red. Most altcoins have fallen in the past 24 hours, aside from Canton’s CC, which trades in a world of its own as of late. BTC With 7% Yearly Decline The primary cryptocurrency spent December in a consistently narrowing range, which began with two boundaries at $94,500 and $84,500. However, as the month progressed, the boundaries tightened, and BTC has remained sideways between $86,000 and $90,000 for the…
Emirates moved 55.6m customers in 2025, circled Earth 29,290 times on nearly 180,580 flights and placed orders for 73 new aircraft, capping a year that underscored its scale, ambition and long-term investment in the future of aviation. While the airline celebrated its 40th year of operations in October, 2025 was defined less by nostalgia and more by momentum, as Emirates accelerated fleet renewal, expanded premium offerings, deepened connectivity and reinforced its global brand across travel, sport and service excellence. Here are the 10 highlights that shaped Emirates’ year. Emirates A350 takes off The first Emirates A350 entered commercial service in…
Although iconic founders like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg famously didn’t finish college, multiple studies show that the vast majority of successful startups had founders with bachelor’s or graduate degrees. Despite this data, the appeal of a dropout founder persists, though VC enthusiasm for the ‘un-degreed’ is far from constant. It is a phenomenon that cycles in and out of fashion, and right now it is certainly having a moment amid the AI boom. This trend is particularly evident during Y Combinator Demo Days, where founders are increasingly touting their dropout status in their one-minute pitches. “I don’t believe YC…