Bitesize Business Breakfast Podcast

14 Mar 2024. We get reaction from Dan Richards, senior economist at Emirates NBD, on DIFC's new law covering digital assets and reaction to ratings agency Moody’s raising its outlook on UAE banks to ‘positive’. Plus, what does Ramadan mean for food delivery? We speak to Careem's vice president of food who explains that demand peaks in the final week - with Lebanese food and sweets seeing the biggest spike. The chief legal officer of DIFC, Jacques Visser, breaks down that new groundbreaking digital assets law. And, Google has confirmed it is restricting the types of election-related questions users can ask its AI chatbot, Gemini - NYU Abu Dhabi professor Nancy Gleason tells us more.

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13 Mar 2024. Emirates NBD give us the latest on what US inflation means for next week's Fed decision. Plus, as global olive oil prices rise, we speak to Spinney's general manager, Tom Harvey to find out if customers will feel the impact. The boss of StarzPlay, Maaz Sheikh, joins us live in studio: can Ramadan TV-watching fight off social media and video games? And, car dealers typically sell 50%+ more cars than their yearly average during Ramadan. So, is Ramadan the right time to buy a car? Glenn Harwood, Co-Founder, AlgoDriven tells us more. 

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12 Mar 2024. Abu Dhabi has signed off on 66 billion dirhams worth of infrastructure projects, including parks, cycle tracks and housing developments - but is this a significant new investment and how does it fit with Abu Dhabi’s Vision 2030 economic strategy? We also look at increasing volumes and prices in the Dubai property market with Property Monitor's Zhann Johincke. Plus, as Bitcoin hits new record highs of above $72,000 - Ronit Ghose, Global Head, Future of Finance, Citi explains whether the world needs crypto. And, we'll find out if record gold prices are deterring buyers with the team from Siroya jewellers.

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11 Mar 2024. We get reaction to the Saudi economy shrinking by just under 1 per cent as well as Saudi Aramco posting lower profit but upping dividend. We look at what the UAE's first banking ombudsman means for customers with lawyer Alfred Thornton of Clyde and Co and what the UAE's first banking ombudsman means for the financial sector with the director general of the UAE Banks Federation. Plus, the CEO of Bayut, Haider Ali Khan, tells us how the portal has taken down 30% of property listings since a crackdown by RERA last month. And, finally we'll hear about UAE CEOs predicting bumper revenue and bonuses, with the team from Cooper Fitch.

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08 Mar 2024. Dubai has updated the law when it comes to the 20% tax on foreign banks operating in the emirate outside the DIFC. However, tax accountant Thomas Vanhee explains banks will NOT end up paying more tax, as federal bank tax will be deducted from it. We also speak to Agthia CEO Alan Smith about why they're seeing a 12% growth in revenue. Plus, we get reaction to the ECB's decision to keep rates at record highs with economist Dr Stefan Gerlach. And, on International Women’s Day, fund manager Heather Henyon tells us why all-female start-ups receive just 0.5% of regional Venture-Capital. 

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07 Mar 2024. As the UAE sees a big jump in wealth managers we speak to Insight Discovery boss Nigel Silitoe about that growth in wealth management firms. Plus, our interview with Etihad Airways, CEO Antonoaldo Neves, on profit and a possible IPO. We'll also speak to Dubai Future District Fund CEO, Sherif El Badawi, about the fund's 2024 priorities. And we hear from Espace Real Estate as new rules say real estate brokers must update listings within 3 days. 

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06 Mar 2024. We get reaction to the boom in gold and Bitcoin with Vijay Valecha, Chief Investment Officer at Century Financial: is it the beginning of a bull run, or is the bubble about to burst? BetterHomes CEO, Richard Waind, explains how residential rents in Dubai could be set to rise, following changes to the RERA rental index - but what could this mean for you? Plus, Aviation analyst Vinamra Longani joins us live in the studio to discuss the latest aviation stories including speculation about an Etihad IPO and the rebirth of Air India. And as China sets an 'ambitious' 5% growth target we speak to Tianchen Xu, Senior Economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit in China to get his take on China's vision to double its economy in the next 15 years.

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05 Mar 2024. As China’s National People's Congress in Beijing gets underway, we get analysis from Ed Bell, Senior Director, Market Economics, Emirates NBD
on their 5% growth target and how that will impact the UAE. We'll also look at the Parkin shares which go on sale today. Plus, it's PMI day today - the latest PMI data for the UAE is out: the economist who wrote the report, Ralf Wiegert, gives us his analysis. And, we'll be going through Saudi's latest PMI data with economist Dr Christopher Payne - and looking at how the private sector in the Kingdom is faring. Finally, the CEO of Salik has said they aim to “expand our footprint” and “widen revenue generating opportunities” - we'll go through the Salik numbers with market watcher Sameer Lakhani.

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04 Mar 2024. We speak to OPEC watcher Amena Bakr about OPEC reportedly extending oil cuts into the second half of the year. Emarat is to sell naming rights to 31 of its service stations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates-  Ali Al Falasi of Emarat explains how much naming rights will cost and who will be taking the first station. We also speak to the CEO of Dubai Taxi Company about their 50-plus per cent rise in net profit. And, we have an extensive interview with Tarek El Sakka, the CEO of Dubai Refreshment, the company that bottles Pepsi here.

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01 Mar 2024. We get the thoughts of energy expert Matt Stanley on why petrol prices have risen as well as what could it mean for UAE inflation with economist Khatija Haque. Plus, we unpick the economics of Indian weddings – as the billionaire Ambani family prepare for this weekend’s $100 million nuptials. And, we'll find out how rising cocoa prices are affecting the company behind Ferrero Roche.

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