Business Extra

It’s been a big year for business across the UAE and the wider region and the past 12 months have sprung some surprises and ushered in some major changes. From technology spectaculars like Apple’s launch of the iPhone X, through the country gearing up for the introduction of VAT on January 1, stabilising oil prices, the resurgence of the local and regional IPO sector, to a surprisingly upbeat Dubai Airshow, 2017 gave us plenty to discuss and much to consider. Host Chris Nelson talks to The National’s business journalists John Everington, Deputy Business Editor; Dania Saadi, Assistant Business Editor; Jennifer Gnana, Energy Reporter; Sarmad Khan, Companies and Markets Editor; and Sarah Townsend, Senior Business Correspondent, about the stories that caused a stir this year.

This week, host Mustafa Alrawi and expert David Daly conclude their discussion about value added tax and what it means for the UAE. We look at how value added tax could impact the economy once it is implemented on January 1. Rebecca Bundhun reports from Mumbai on the Indian experience when a country-wide goods and sales tax was introduced in July.

Assistant Business Editor Chris Nelson talks to Craig Moore, the founder and chief executive of the UAE peer-to-peer lending platform Beehive.ae, about the rise and rapid evolution of financial technology in this region. While well established in the US and UK, fintech, as it is called, has only really taken off here in the past two or three years. With the Government keen to push the growth of a knowledge-based economy and encourage the growth of the small and medium-sized business sector, how does fintech fit in with the UAE’s development plans?

Hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Chris Nelson discuss the latest twist in the saga surrounding English football club Newcastle United, which is the subject of interest from a new mystery bidder in the wake of an offer from Dubai financier Amanda Staveley. Also, we look ahead to a bumper month of sporting events in the UAE in December and how the business of sport is a key factor in the growth of the tourism industry in the Emirates.

Mustafa Alrawi and Chris Nelson discuss the surprise resurgence of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries with economics expert and regular columnist Omar Al-Ubaydli ahead of the much anticipated meeting of the group at the end of the month in Vienna, where it is expected to confirm that a crude output restraint deal with non-Opec producers -- including Russia -- to shore up oil prices will be extended to the end of next year.

Host Mustafa Alrawi speaks to Harvard University's Alan Aspuru-Guzik who explains that organic storage technology is the big breakthrough to come for the energy industry and Christian Soemmer, Managing Director of Cadillac Middle East, sets out a vision for cars and transport.

Host Mustafa Alrawi discusses recent developments in the Kingdom with business editor Massoud Derhally. Looking ahead to this weekend's World Economic Forum summit in Dubai, the Wef's Stephan Mergenthaler explains how such a gathering of experts can help meet today's complex challenges and opportunities head on. The Canadian Business Council Abu Dhabi's chairman Gregory Zoughbi talks about the importance of businesses working together.

Host Mustafa Alrawi and Chris Nelson, Assistant Business Editor, look ahead to this month's global aviation event in the UAE as the role of technology takes centre stage; from the impact of more efficient aircraft on the hub model used by Emirates and Etihad Airways, to passenger demand for in-flight connectivity, to the growth of commercial space travel.

Host Mustafa Alrawi discusses the state of the banking sector with Jean Pierre Mustier, the chief executive of Italian lender Unicredit, who was in the UAE capital for the launch of its new corporate and investment banking branch at ADGM. Also in this episode, leadership coach Suhair Fakhoury of the International Coach Federation's Abu Dhabi chapter explains how a greater focus on talent development can help companies in the Arab world become more efficient and productive.

Episode 40: Mustafa Alrawi and The National's Editor in Chief Mina Al-Oraibi, recently returned from her trip to Washington for the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings, discuss how a new world order for trade and investment is emerging, amid an era of unprecedented upheaval, which is no longer dominated by the multilateralist approach led by the US and other developed nations.