Julian Nabil

The UAE real estate market kicked off 2026 with strong, broad-based growth across its major emirates, fueled by higher transaction values, rising investor participation, and robust inflows of foreign capital.

UAE's First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has now delivered more than three-quarters of its 2030 target of deploying $136 billion (AED 500 billion) in sustainable and transition finance, signaling accelerating climate-related capital flows across the banking sector.

Gulf oil output has averaged about 14.5 million barrels per day in April—roughly 57% below pre-war levels, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc, which expected recovery to take months after the Strait of ​Hormuz fully reopens.

The global natural gas market is set to remain under sustained pressure through at least 2027, as the Middle East conflict disrupts supply and delays new capacity, according to the latest quarterly report from the IEA.

Crude oil prices have repeatedly moved above $100 a barrel since the start of the Middle East conflict, coinciding with growing interest in electric vehicles (EVs) across key markets as consumers respond to higher fuel costs and seek lower-running alternatives.

Oil prices rose Tuesday over the $100 mark as investors assessed new signals from US–Iran talks, with lingering doubts over de-escalation keeping markets tense.

Women now hold 7% of board seats across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to the GCC Board Gender Index Report 2026, signaling a gradual but steady shift in corporate governance across the region, while the UAE maintains its lead in female board representation.

Nakheel, part of Dubai Holding Real Estate, has awarded contracts worth more than $953 million ( AED 3.5 billion) for the construction of new villas on Palm Jebel Ali , in line with the long-term urban expansion goals of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan.

Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta reported strong revenue and profit growth for the first three months ended March 2026, largely driven by growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services, even as their combined capital expenditures surged to over $130 billion.

Brent crude retreated from a four-year high of over $126 a barrel on Thursday, after earlier gains driven by fears of renewed escalation in the US-Iran conflict and tighter US restrictions on Iranian oil exports.