Author: Emirates Insight

Luxury homes with a name: Branded residences in Dubai are leading the global marketWhat started as a niche concept tied to luxury hotels has quietly morphed into a city-wide movement, all thanks to branded residences in Dubai. With these homes, carrying names like Bulgari, Armani, and Cavalli, plus around 140 projects on the horizon by 2031, Dubai is leading this global shift in what luxury living looks like.Surge in branded visionImage: Bulgari Lighthouse Dubai websiteOver the past decade, branded homes have soared in popularity, up 160% globally. Dubai is not just keeping pace; it’s leading. With more than 50 completed…

Institutional Bitcoin ETF inflows hit $33.6 billion in the second quarter of 2025. Most of that came from investment advisors, hedge funds, and brokers. That’s a serious wave of capital and another sign that Bitcoin is no longer being ignored in boardrooms. Advisors Take the Lead Investment advisors took the lead, now holding around $17.4 billion in Bitcoin ETF positions. That’s nearly twice as much as hedge funds, which are sitting on about $9 billion. Advisors have clearly embraced ETFs as a way to get Bitcoin exposure without touching the asset directly. JUST IN: Spot #Bitcoin ETFs surged to a record…

Saudi Arabia has reported strong growth of its non-oil exports in June and the second quarter of 2025, according to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). In June 2025, non-oil exports, including re-exports, jumped 22.1 per cent compared with June 2024. Non-oil national exports rose by 8.4 per cent, while the value of re-exported goods surged 60.2 per cent. Saudi exports Despite a 2.5 per cent decline in petroleum exports, total commodity exports still increased 3.7 per cent year-on-year, reducing the share of petroleum exports to 70.2 per cent of the total, down from 74.7 per cent a year earlier.…

Canary Capital has filed a proposal for a new spot ETF that focuses entirely on American-built digital assets. The fund would track what they’re calling the Made-in-America Blockchain Index, spotlighting tokens with strong ties to the United States. It’s a clear attempt to bring national identity into the increasingly global crypto landscape. Only Tokens with U.S. Roots Make the Cut To qualify for inclusion, a token must be created in the U.S., primarily mined or minted on American infrastructure, or operated by a team based in the country. It’s a tight filter that puts geographic origin and operational control at…

Will Japan join BRICS? The BRICS bloc — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and six other members — has often struggled with internal cohesion. But BRICS is now more united than ever. And according to recent reports, they’re eyeing stealing Japan from the G7 economic bloc. Why’s it happening? Two words: Trump’s tariffs. Will Japan Join BRICS? It’s More Likely Than Ever (X) The trade war started when Donald Trump stepped back into the Oval Office. Tariffs hit Japanese cars first, like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan, industries that are built into Japan’s national identity. Nearly a third of those…

It’s tempting to build products and chase revenue now and let workplace culture happen down the line. But if you don’t build culture early, you’ll feel the impact faster than you might think.  Cue confused priorities, unmotivated employees, and missed expectations.  Luckily, you don’t need a full HR department to create a strong and healthy work culture. You just need a strategy.  Let’s take a closer look at why culture makes or breaks your initial employees, and how to foster connection with every new hire. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; false;clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; width: 600px;} /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in…

Dubai Municipality has announced the completion of a landmark heritage development project in Deira’s markets, which includes the creation of three heritage tourist trails covering a total length of 1,784 metres at a cost of nearly AED9.5 million. The project preserves the historic character of traditional markets while enhancing the visitor experience and supporting more than 500 shops within Deira’s Grand Souq. The initiative forms part of Dubai Municipality’s ongoing efforts to protect the city’s cultural and architectural identity, boost tourism, and highlight the emirate’s rich civilisational heritage. It complements Dubai’s heritage sites and buildings protection programme and supports the…

Sheikh Mohamed said the CEPA will drive stronger economic cooperation, stimulate trade, and expand investment and coordination between the UAE and Angolan business communities. He stressed that the agreement is an important step in strengthening the UAE’s partnerships with African nations that share its vision for growth and sustainability. UAE-Angola trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said the agreement expands the UAE’s reach into Sub-Saharan and West African markets, which are seeking to accelerate development through investment and partnerships. He noted Angola’s young population, abundant natural resources, and 2024 GDP growth of…

Dubai Chamber of Commerce, one of the three chambers operating under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, has announced that GCC markets topped the list of global destinations for its members’ exports and re-exports during the first half of 2025. The region accounted for 48.6 percent of total member exports and re-exports, with a combined value of AED83.6 billion. This strong performance reflects the strategic importance of markets in the Gulf among the chamber’s business community. The Middle East region (excluding GCC countries) ranked second, accounting for 29 percent of total exports and re-exports with a combined value of AED49.9 billion.…

Ethereum has been fighting transaction censorship, and its co-founder, Vitalik Buterin, may have just found the solution: the FOCIL framework. But what is the FOCIL framework, and how does it solve one of Ethereum’s biggest issues? Broadly speaking, Ethereum’s censorship risks stem from validators and MEV-boost relays that selectively exclude transactions. Some relays, such as Flashbots, once chose to exclude transactions on Ethereum from addresses sanctioned by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). In fact, at its peak, over 56% of Ethereum’s blocks were OFAC-compliant. (All-Time Percentage of OFAC Compliant Transactions) Buterin, on 22 August 2025, shared a post…