Business Extra

By The National NewsBusiness Entrepreneurship Investing

Business Extra episodes

June 06, 2019 Apple's second bite at content and a robust economic picture for Abu Dhabi
Apple will break up iTunes into Apple Music, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV as it revamps how it delivers content.

Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor and Chief, and Kelsey Warner, Assistant Business Editor, explain what the US company's changes could mean for its own future, as well as that of the media and technology landscape and not least, consumers.

Zahabia Gupta, Associate Director, Sovereign and International Public Finance Ratings at S&P Global Ratings is in the the studio to talk about the ratings agency's latest report on Abu Dhabi’s economic outlook which says that growth will will average 2.5 per cent over the next three years, before rising to 3 per cent off the back of increased government spending and higher oil production.
Zahabia runs through the potential risks to S&P's assessment for Abu Dhabi – both to the upside and downside.

In this episode:
- Top news headlines (44 seconds)
- We discuss Apple's big announcement about iTunes (2 minutes 27 seconds)
- S&P's Zahabia Gupta talks about Abu Dhabi's outlook (12 minutes)

Read more on our website:
• Abu Dhabi economy to grow by 2.5% till 2022
• Apple iTunes demise will usher in a trio of better apps
• Airlines to inspect Boeing 737s after US regulator says some jets may have defective parts
• Debt and aggressive credit card selling among top UAE consumer complaints, says Central Bank
• Oil continues slide as Opec pledges to do 'whatever it takes'
31 min
May 30, 2019Careem gets on its bike with Cyacle acquisition
Ride-hailing platform Careem has acquired UAE-based bike-sharing company Cyacle for an undisclosed sum, its first foray into "micro-mobility" — an increasingly popular concept for providing easy access to scooter and bike rentals in urban areas.

Magnuss Olsson, Careem’s co-founder, sees that increasing bicycle availability and expanding bike routes will transform how people commute in the region.

Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, and Kelsey Warner, Assistant Business Editor, discuss the potential of such fresh solutions for transport’s ‘last-mile’ problem.

Also, Chris Nelson, Assistant Business Editor speaks to Andrea Petti, managing director of PTV Group, the traffic and logistics software company owned by Porsche. Mr Petti explains what he thinks will be the main factors behind the mainstream adoption of autonomous transport in the future.

In this episode:
Top news of the week (36 seconds)
Careem’s purchase of Cyacle (3 minutes 40s)
Interview with PTV Group’s Andrea Petti (11m 30s)

Read more on our website:
Careem acquires Abu Dhabi's Cyacle bike-share company
Cryptocurrencies bounce back with Bitcoin rising to highest level in a year
Lebanon 2019 budget is start of a long economic recovery process, Saad Hariri says
Dubai Land Department and Mashreq bank sign e-mortgage deal
London home sellers offer ever-growing discounts
31 min
May 23, 2019 Permanent UAE residency is a reality with the Golden Card
Thousands of foreign investors and residents have been identified for a "golden card" permanent residency scheme, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai announced on Tuesday.

Top business leaders from across the Emirates said the move will give investors greater confidence to settle in the country. They also believe it will create greater demand for buying property, boosting a sluggish property market in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, and Kelsey Warner, Assistant Business Editor, discuss the potential impact that the 'Golden Card' could bring (1.50).

We then discuss the latest developments around Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei which is being targeted by Washington over concerns its 5G domination could open a back door for Beijing (8.50).

Also in this episode, Chris Nelson interviews Zeina Akkawi (14.45), a co-founder of The PlayPreneurs Club, which helps Emirati entrepreneurs access mentoring to build their businesses.
28 min
May 16, 2019Why rent prices in Dubai have been falling
According to brokers, Dubai rental rates continued the downward trend experienced during 2018. Asteco noted “an increasing number of price-conscious tenants … irrespective of location, size or quality".
However, year-on-year rents are down in most categories not just luxury. What is driving the prices to fall? Hosts Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief and Chris Nelson, Assistant Business Editor delve deeper.
In this episode:
A round-up of the business news you need know from thenational.ae. (0.50)
How rents have fared in the different areas of Dubai this year. (1.52)
The latest on US-China trade war. (7.39)
And we speak with Jennifer Gnana, The National’s energy correspondent about the upcoming Opec meeting in Saudi Arabia amid a week in which part of the Kingdom’s oil installations came under attack. (12.41)
18 min
May 08, 2019 Abraaj: a cautionary tale
The National has been covering the Abraaj scandal from New York, London and Abu Dhabi as our editorial team brings you the key developments.
In this episode, host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, talks to Massoud Derhally, The National’s Business Editor who himself has been producing some quite compelling investigative journalism into what happened at the failed private equity firm, founded by Arif Naqvi
He explains that in September 2017, about five months before Abraaj collapsed, two whistleblower emails warned investors not to invest in a $6 billion fund.
Also in this episode, Assistant Business Editor Kelsey Warner speaks to Mahmoud Adi, the head of Hub71. She hears about what he hopes for the new tech start-up centre in Abu Dhabi and what investors and entrepreneurs can expect from the space, and what he’s learned as a founder and VC himself in the UAE.
Read more about today's topics at thenational.ae:
Abraaj whistleblower emails warned investors ahead of scandal and collapse of firm
Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi remains in jail after not posting £15 million bail
Abu Dhabi starts Dh535m fund to support start-ups and venture capitalists
Abu Dhabi Government sets up tech hub luring SoftBank, Amazon and Microsoft
38 min
May 02, 2019 A hyper week for aviation and travel in Dubai
Host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, talks about the latest news from Arabian Travel Market. Deena Kamel, our aviation correspondent, discusses Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed of Emirates and FlyDubai offering some home truths for Boeing over the 737 Max which has been grounded following deadly crashes. Business correspondent Sarah Townsend shares how leading hotel operators including Jumeirah, Rotana and Hilton have an upbeat outlook.
Also Chris Nelson, Assistant Business Editor, speaks to CASS Business School’s Scott Moeller about mergers and acquisitions, what they mean for companies and shareholders, and the collapsed Deutsche Bank-Commerzbank merger negotiations.
Listen here:
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34 min
April 24, 2019 Huawei and the promise of 5G
The promise of lightning-fast internet speeds and a hyper-connected world that will spawn a new era of automation and AI is at the heart of the promise of 5G technology. Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, is both building this bright future and being accused of facilitating the darker side of this technology.
The United States and allies such as the United Kingdom are determined to prevent Huawei from being part of the building of their respective 5G networks. They fear this will provide a gateway for Chinese security agencies to spy on them.
Huawei denies this is a legitimate concern and other nations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East – including the UAE – have given work to the firm. The company says its business outside of the US is not affected and is taking steps to seize other opportunities.
How much is this focus on Huawei part of the broader trade row? Are these concerns over Huawei about more than just politics? Should we fear Chinese technological hegemony anymore than we should worry about US dominance? Also, is the promise of 5G real enough that it won’t matter which country dominates the technology if all have access to it? And what does that mean for investors in this region?
In this week's episode of the Business Extra podcast, host Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor in Chief, explores these themes with Dr John Rutledge, Chief Investment Officer at global investment firm Safanad. Dr Rutledge has been an economic advisor to the Reagan and Bush administrations and is advising the current Trump White House on recent China trade negotiations.
Also in this episode, The National's Chris Nelson and Jennifer Gnana join to run through top news stories including the latest Abraaj arrest and the US decision not to renew sanctions waivers on Iranian oil imports for eight countries and what that means for energy markets and global economic growth.
29 min
April 17, 2019 'Dr Doom' Nouriel Roubini upbeat on global outlook
Nouriel Roubini is the professor of economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business. He is also chief executive of Roubini Macro Associates, and he became famous after his prediction of the financial crisis, several years before it happened, turned out to be correct. For this, he has sometimes been referred to as "Dr Doom" in the media. He is also a very outspoken critic of Bitcoin – which he has called the mother of all scams.
Host Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor in Chief caught up with him on the sidelines of Mediaquest’s Top CEO forum in Bahrain and at least in terms of the global economy, he wasn’t making any gloomy forecasts. Bitcoin not so much …
Also, professor Roubini explains the link between rising intolerance of minorities and populism.
13 min
April 11, 2019 What to expect at this year's CityScape Abu Dhabi
CityScape Abu Dhabi, the UAE’s most prestigious property exhibition, takes place next week at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Running from Tuesday to Thursday, this year’s event comes at a time when the local and regional real estate market is on the up. The show draws home-based, regional and global developers, investors and real estate asset managers eager to market their latest projects and it serves as a snapshot of the property sector both here and internationally.
In this week’s Business Extra Podcast, host Chris Nelson is joined by The National’s Business Reporter Sarah Townsend to take a look ahead to CityScape Abu Dhabi. We also talk to Henry Bott, portfolio manager at Swire Properties, the Hong Kong-based developer behind the huge Taikoo Place commercial building complex located in the Island-city’s Quarry Bay area.
29 min
April 03, 2019 The dietary, ethical and economic benefits of going meat-free
Agriculture is one of the primary drivers of climate change, estimated globally at making up 14 to 15 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, half of which is generated directly by livestock, says University of California, Berkley.
US science magazine Scientific American, meanwhile, says producing a half-pound hamburger patty the size of two decks of cards releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 1.3 tonne car nearly 15km.
But the tide is turning in favour of meat-free products for a variety of reasons.
In this episode of the Business Extra podcast, Chris Nelson talks to Jacek Plewa, general manager of Global Food Industries, part of the major UAE conglomerate Albatha Holding, about how the company is addressing this growing demand.
21 min

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As one of the world’s most influential business hubs, the Middle East requires expert attention. Business Extra provides those experts, as well as news and insights from The National’s esteemed team…