Business Extra

As the world awaits a vaccine, technology is stepping in to help us cope in the meantime. To take steps to return to a new normal, health care tech, artificial intelligence and remote work tools are all being turned to and tested like never before. After years of hype over tech’s potential to take care of us - such as wearable health monitors and apps - has its moment in health care finally arrived? And to what end? 

Patrick Noack, an executive director at the Dubai Future Foundation, joins co-hosts Kelsey Warner and Mustafa Alrawi to discuss the foundation’s work on a series of reports titled ‘Life After Covid’. They also dig into the future of manufacturing, where the new health technologies may lead and what other trends may be accelerated in life after the pandemic.

In this episode:

How do contact tracing apps work? (0m 49s)

Dr. Shirley Yu on China's response (4m 11s)

Patrick Noack on tech trends and 'Life After Covid' (6m 37s)

Headlines (24m 34s)

Read more on our website:

• Working from home will be the ‘new norm’, Dubai Future Foundation predicts

• Coronavirus: Doctors urge public to help track Covid-19 cases with tracing app

• Emirates' Tim Clark: Coronavirus is a black swan event for the airline industry

• Adnoc unlocks $1bn in value from digital hub as Covid-19 crisis accelerates roll-out of technology

• Power of AI has limits in fight against Covid-19, experts caution

• Dubai's Careem cuts 536 jobs as lockdowns hit ride-hailing across Middle East

As manufacturing and trade is disrupted by physical distancing rules and quarantine orders across the world, the resilience of supply chains for pharmaceutical and medical supplies, food and industrial and consumer products is in focus.

Deploying blockchain technology could be the answer, according to the World Economic Forum.

Co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner are joined by Nadia Hewett, blockchain and digital currency project lead at the World Economic Forum to talk about the new toolkit the organisation rolled out on Tuesday.

In this episode:

Blockchain technology and Covid-19 (0m 38s)

Nadia Hewett on the blockchain 'toolkit' (1m 24s)

Headlines (18m 11s)

Read more on our website:

• Blockchain could be a solution to supply chain problems

• NMC Health seeks delisting of shares from London Stock Exchange

• US crude futures fall further triggering fears of slide into negative territory

• China takes steps to become first cashless society after Covid-19

For the first time in history this week, the US oil price turned negative on Monday, plunging below zero as output exceeded storage capacity and subdued demand due to the coronavirus pandemic grinds the world economy to a halt. What does this mean and where do energy producers go from here?

Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and future editor Kelsey Warner are joined by The National’s energy columnist and chief executive of Qamar Energy, Robin Mills to discuss. Later in the episode, the chief executive of Draper & Dash, Orlando Agrippa, on helping Abu Dhabi with its Covid-19 response through its AI platform, and the next six weeks for the country.

In this episoide:

Robin Mills on the negative oil prices (0m 34s)

How is Abu Dhabi responding to Covid-19? (11m 58s)

Headlines (17m 05s)

Read more on our website:

• How US oil prices tanked into negative territory

• UAE Federal and emirate governments have launched 100 economic incentives in 45 days

• UAE Central Bank says lenders have used 30% of Covid-19 support fund

• Deutsche Bank sets up sustainable finance team to meet demand for ESG products

From Tehran to Tangiers, there is a devastating toll on human health. Some 140,000 people across the region have been infected with the coronavirus, thousands have died and thankfully tens of thousands have recovered. Meanwhile, the pandemic is causing significant economic turmoil in the region through the twin shocks of disruption to trade and production and plummeting oil prices. The International Monetary Fund says the priority is to save lives as the Middle East and North Africa region face the toughest fight in 100 years. What does the rest of 2020 look like for the region?  

Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, are joined by the IMF's Jihad Azour, director for Middle East and Central Asia, and a former Lebanon finance minister, to discuss.

In this episode:

Mustafa and Kelsey on economy (0m 42s)

IMF's Jihad Azour on outlook and response (2m 05s)

Headlines (22m 54s)

Read more on our website:

• Middle East's coronavirus fight is biggest challenge 'in the last 100 years', IMF's Jihad Azour says

• Middle East and Central Asia acted fast to support economies in face of twin shocks, IMF says

• JPMorgan Chase to tighten mortgage borrowing standards as economic outlook weakens

• Oman's Taageer Finance and Sohar disclose 4.67m rial exposure to NMC

• Communication changes during pandemic will shape the future, du CEO says

NMC Health, one of the largest private healthcare companies in the UAE, is under pressure as dozens of creditors locally and internationally move to mitigate their exposure to the indebted group. Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, are joined by The National's Michael Fahy, who has been covering the unfolding saga.

The 46 year-old company founded by BR Shetty is at risk of going into administration amid allegations of fraud. Management, board members and the founder have parted ways with the company.

Later in the show, an update on how artificial intelligence is underpinning some of the global Covid-19 response, 100 days into the pandemic.

In this episode:

The fate of NMC (0m 42s)

BR Shetty on Finablr listing (16m 05s)

AI and Covid-19 (18m 35s)

Headlines (19m 56s)

Read more on our website:

• UAE companies declare exposure to NMC Health as administration looms

• NMC Health's new chairman calls for debt standstill as ADCB seeks to appoint administrators

• Finablr appoints industry veteran Bhairav Trivedi as chief executive

• Gulf states back Riyadh's call for emergency producers meeting

• Oil gains as producers look to historic production cut deal

• Zoom’s chief executive admits to security flaws but vows to win back users’ trust

• Airline emissions to fall 38% in 2020, study finds

When should we expect the world to get back to normal?

The People’s Curfew is underway in India – stalling commercial activity in one of the world’s most important economies and impacting people’s lives. Authorities are attempting to slow the spread of the coronavirus and are concerned the peak of the outbreak there is still weeks away. From Mumbai, India’s financial hub, The National’s correspondent Rebecca Bundhun joins to talk about business sentiment.

Meanwhile, the fledgling beat of commerce is returning to Wuhan, where the coronavirus outbreak was first detected at the very end of last year. Two months of heavy restrictions on the movement of 11 million people have been eased and travel and shopping are possible again. What can we glean from the China experience in terms of what a recovery could look like? To explore this, Doug Guthrie, head of China initiatives at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a former managing director at Apple in Shanghai, joins the conversation.

Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, look at the state of the public health and economic responses from two powerhouse economies, India and China. 

In this episode:

How is India coping? (1m 05s)

Restrictions ease in China, what can we learn? (8m 27s)

Headlines (20m 19s)

Read more on our website:

• China’s central bank cuts interest rate on loans to banks by biggest amount since 2015

• India's unprecedented virus lockdown will have consequence for already struggling economy

• Lebanon to finalise turnaround plan by year-end to mend 'broken' economy, finance minister says

• Abu Dhabi's Hub71 marks first year as it adapts to challenging times

• US oil price slumps to near 18-year low as coronavirus hits demand

Globally, airlines and the people working in the aviation industry are in urgent need of support as the coronavirus pandemic grounds flights and closes borders. It will take hundreds of billions of dollars but that still may not be enough to stop many failing. In the UAE, the industry is saying it is resilient enough to cope. “As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, Emirates Group chairman and chief executive, said this week. But he vowed: “I’m confident that Emirates can tackle this challenge and come out stronger."

 

The National’s Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, are joined by aviation correspondent Deena Kamel.

In this episode:

The aviation industry and Coronavirus (0m 44s)

What is Boeing and Airbus doing? (10m 08s)

What is happening in the US? (13m 32s)

Headlines (19m 09s)

Read more on our website:

• 'Unprecedented' virus crisis prompts airlines to take tougher measures amid new travel bans

• Details of the last flights in and out of the UAE before airports close to passengers

• Emirates to suspend most passenger flights amid 'unprecedented' coronavirus pandemic

• Etihad Airways taking measures to deal with virus outbreak, chief executive says

• Boeing suspends Puget Sound production as Covid-19 pandemic hits aviation

• SoftBank announces plan to sell assets worth Dh149bn

• Saudi Aramco prepared to meet all customer delivery commitments, CEO says

• Sol Kerzner, creator of Dubai's Atlantis resort, dies aged 84

Mustafa Alrawi assistant editor-in-chief and Kelsey Warner the future editor speak with Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar energy, about the coronavirus’ impact on the energy markets. As the world makes concerted efforts to help with the impact of the coronavirus public health crisis on people’s lives, business, trade and commerce could still end up permanently altered.

In this episode:

The financial crisis around the world (0m 49s)

Robin Mills (9m 51s)

Headlines (21m 15s)

Read more on our website:

• UAE Central Bank rolls out Dh100bn stimulus package

• Coronavirus: Fed slashes rates in emergency move

• What the energy industry will look like after the coronavirus

• Ultra-wealthy turn to private jets to avoid virus risk - but for how long?

• Saudi Aramco 'comfortable' with oil at $30 or lower, senior executive says

• Aldar Properties to invest Dh2 million in Abu Dhabi's first social impact bond

For any tech start-up the aim is reaching a $1 billion valuation - but how do you get there and how hard is the path to unicorn status? We find out from someone who has done it.

Hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner are joined by Ankur Shah, who was formerly the chief financial officer of ride-sharing company Careem and departed this year once the $3.1 billion sale of the company to Uber had been completed.

In this episode:

Ankur Shah on Careem (0m 35s)

What can start-ups do today? (14m 09s)

Headlines (26m 45s)

Read more on our website:

• Uber completes $3.1 billion deal to buy Dubai's Careem

• Business Extra: What the Uber-Careem deal means for tech in the UAE and the Middle East

• Global oil demand to contract for the first time in more than a decade, IEA says

• 'Back to basics' approach helping Etihad Airways face industry challenges

• Android phones lose trade-in value faster than iPhones, says report

The future of work, trade and commerce is in sharp focus as the implications of the global effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus shows how we are falling short of being digitally equipped enough to keep regular levels of activity going through crises – health or otherwise - which we should expect to happen regularly in a more interconnected world. We should potentially expect a surge in investment in digital capabilities and technologies that will make every company resilient and nimble enough to shrug off the next outbreak.

Mustafa Alrawi, assistant editor in chief at The National, and Kelsey Warner, future editor, is joined by Leon Smith, founder of crypto asset exchange DEX.

In this episode:

Are we digitally capable enough for a crisis? (0m 47s)

Leon Smith on Cryptocurrency and DEX (10m 28s)

Headlines (18m 33s)

Read more on our website:

• CERAWeek energy forum cancelled over coronavirus concerns

• MIPIM global property convention postponed

• Emirates Group offers staff voluntary leave as coronavirus outbreak dents air travel demand

• Coronavirus: British Airways hits turbulence as pandemic fears stalk airline industry

• Lack of investment in digitalisation squeezes refining margins, survey says

• With Bitcoin topping $10,000 once again, is now the time to invest?

• Abu Dhabi Global Market issues new guidelines on digital assets

• Wizz Air Abu Dhabi to begin flying in the autumn

• Former GE chief executive Jack Welch dies aged 84