Author: Emirates Insight
Abbas Sajwani has turned a $120m bet on one of Dubai’s most recognisable unfinished landmarks into a $600m windfall before the building has even opened its doors, according to Bloomberg. The 26-year-old son of Damac founder Hussain Sajwani acquired the 71-storey Al Yaqoub Tower from Commercial Bank of Dubai last year and has already sold 95 per cent of the units in what is now called AHS Tower, Bloomberg has reported. The building, known locally as ‘Big Ben’ for its resemblance to London’s Elizabeth Tower, has stood empty since 2013 following a financial dispute between the previous owners and CBD.…
Bitwise’s filings span DeFi, layer-1s, privacy coins, and AI-linked tokens, signaling a broad bet on altcoin demand. Asset manager Bitwise has submitted filings for 11 new single-asset cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This batch targets major altcoins, including Aave (AAVE), Uniswap (UNI), and Sui (SUI), signaling a direct challenge to current regulatory boundaries that have largely confined ETF approvals to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and, more recently, Solana and XRP. Bitwise Pushes Deeper Into Altcoin ETFs According to the filings, the proposed products will sit under the Bitwise Funds Trust and trade on NYSE…
Over the last several years, fusion power has gone from the butt of jokes — always a decade away! — to an increasingly tangible and tantalizing technology that has drawn investors off the sidelines. The technology may be challenging to master and expensive to build today, but fusion promises to harness the nuclear reaction that powers the sun to generate nearly limitless energy here on Earth. If startups are able to complete commercially viable fusion power plants, then they have the potential to upend trillion-dollar markets. The bullish wave buoying the fusion industry has been driven by three advances: more…
The United Arab Emirates is preparing to welcome the New Year 2026 with an unprecedented celebratory spectacle, featuring exceptional fireworks and light displays stretching from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah. The events are set to create a global tableau of joy and wonder, reaffirming the UAE’s position as a capital of major celebrations and safe, world-class events. Al Wathba area in Abu Dhabi will host one of the largest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the country and the region, as the Supreme Organising Committee of the Sheikh Zayed Festival has finalised preparations for an extraordinary programme combining the longest and largest…
The total proceeds of the 120th open auction of distinctive vehicle number plates, launched by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on the evening of Saturday, 27th December, reached AED109,026,000, representing the highest revenue recorded in the history of distinctive number plate auctions since their launch. Plate number BB12 recorded the highest value at the auction at AED9.66 million, followed by plate number AA25 at AED8.04 million, plate number BB30 at AED6.74 million, and plate number CC100 at AED4.21 million. These results underscore the success of the strategy adopted by RTA in managing both open and electronic auctions. The strategy…
Bitcoin nears the end of a 6-week triangle pattern, with traders watching for a breakout toward $100K or a drop to the $70K–$75K range. Bitcoin (BTC) is nearing the end of a six-week consolidation phase. The asset has been moving within a tight symmetrical triangle, and traders are now watching for a breakout or breakdown. As of press time, it is trading at around $88,500, showing a slight rise over the last 24 hours. Price Structure Signals Pressure Build-Up For the past month and a half, Bitcoin has been forming a symmetrical triangle, which reflects a balance between buyers…
The World Sports Summit concluded in Dubai today, underlining the emirate’s growing stature as a global meeting point for iconic athletes and sports leaders, and a platform for celebrating achievement, sharing experience and shaping the future of sport. Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Brazilian football legend Cafu said the summit plays a vital role in honouring sporting excellence and strengthening dialogue across disciplines, noting that recognising stars for their careers reflects well-deserved appreciation for their contributions. He stressed that such gatherings reinforce the value of sport and foster meaningful connections among athletes, administrators and fans. British mixed martial…
The top podcasts across the UAE, according to Spotify listening data for 2025, show a strong focus on business, leadership and entrepreneurism. Topping the UAE charts is The Diary Of A CEO, hosted by entrepreneur Steven Bartlett. Its popularity reflects a strong appetite for long-form conversations focused on leadership, failure and discipline. The show’s appeal lies in its candid exploration of personal setbacks and practical lessons, themes that resonate with founders and executives operating in high-pressure environments. Also ranking highly on Spotify is The Joe Rogan Experience, one of the few titles to overlap with the US top five. Its…
Over the Summer break, Startup Daily is republishing key stories from 2025. This analysis by QUT’s Cameron Shackell, compares the introduction and hype around electricity in the 1920s – and those who profiting from it with AI today, and the lessons to learn, and was popular with readers when it came out in October. The electrification boom of the 1920s set the United States up for a century of industrial dominance and powered a global economic revolution. But before electricity faded from a red-hot tech sector into invisible infrastructure, the world went through profound social change, a speculative bubble, a…
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has activated the e-scooter riding permit application service across all official channels, following its earlier availability exclusively through the RTA website (www.rta.ae). The service has now been integrated into the RTA Dubai application and the Dubai Now application, eliminating the need to visit service centres. This step forms part of RTA’s ongoing efforts to keep pace with Dubai’s ambition to become the world’s smartest city, accelerate digital transformation, and enhance access to services, thereby saving customers time and effort. Applying for the e-scooter riding permit through RTA app is now available to customers via…