Gold and silver rose on Friday, even as they headed for a second week of declines after a global tech stock rout and a stronger US dollar wiped out the precious metals’ gains made during a brief rebound earlier this week.

Spot gold rose 1.1 per cent to $4,822.69 per ounce by 0320 GMT, down 1.2 per cent for the week. US gold futures for April delivery fell 1 per cent to $4,840.40 per ounce.

Spot silver was up 0.4 per cent at $71.50 an ounce after a 19.1 per cent drop in the last session.

Read more-Why gold and silver crashed, wiping out trillions

Friday’s session was a volatile one for silver with prices rising as much as 3 per cent after having fallen 10 per cent to below the $65-level, a more than 1-1/2-month low.

The white metal was down almost 16 per cent for the week. Last week it shed 18 per cent in its biggest weekly fall since 2011.

“Risk appetite does look diminished, stocks are down, and obviously, we’re seeing Bitcoin just come apart at the seams. There’s all kinds of evidence that risk sentiment in general is weakening. In this environment, gold is kind of holding its own and silver is caving in under the risk-off,” said Ilya Spivak, head of global macro at Tastylive.

Global equities extended losses into a third session as a selloff on Wall Street intensified, with precious metals and cryptocurrencies gripped by wrenching volatility.

“There was a sharp fall in (precious metal) prices yesterday, and now it’s rebounding, so it’s not like something has changed overnight. The correction in gold and silver prices came at the right time, just before Chinese New Year. So we could see more buying by Chinese consumers,” said ANZ analyst Soni Kumari, adding that near-term volatility can continue until some unwinding of weak positions.

The US dollar steadied near a two-week high and was poised for its strongest weekly performance since November. A stronger dollar makes greenback-priced assets more expensive for other currency holders.

Dubai Future Foundation (DFF), the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), and Crescent Enterprises have announced a Dubai-based microbiome research and development initiative aimed at building an intellectual property-focused ecosystem for the global longevity and wellness industry.

The initiative, called the Global Microbiome Ecosystem, was launched at The Microbiome Revolution symposium in Dubai. It is designed as a globally oriented platform anchored in Dubai, focusing on microbiome-driven health innovation, research, and commercialisation.

Global Microbiome Ecosystem to accelerate knowledge creation

The partners said the initiative will integrate research and development, innovators, and sector stakeholders to accelerate knowledge creation, support talent development, and generate high-value intellectual property linked to health, longevity, and wellness.

Khalifa Al Qama, chief of research, development and innovation at Dubai RDI, an ecosystem under DFF, said Dubai’s regulatory and innovation sandbox frameworks position the city as a hub for the global microbiome sector.

“By focusing on microbiome-driven health and longevity, this collaboration can accelerate translational research, create globally relevant intellectual property, and reinforce Dubai’s role as a leading hub where frontier science is translated into real-world health impact,” Al Qama said.

Badr Jafar, chief executive of Crescent Enterprises, said the microbiome sector had reached a critical stage where scientific advances, technology, and collaboration could shape long-term health outcomes.

“Translating breakthrough science into real-world impact requires exactly this kind of alignment – across research, innovation, policy, and investment,” Jafar said.

The collaboration builds on Crescent Enterprises’ investments in microbiome innovation and will assess pathways to advance health solutions based on microbiome science and precision health, including clinical adoption and international scaling.

Future Health, a global initiative by Abu Dhabi, has launched a new international innovation challenge with MIT Solve aimed at accelerating the shift from reactive healthcare to predictive and anticipatory health systems.

The Future Health Challenge 2026, titled Building Anticipatory Health Systems through Population Sensing, is seeking solutions that use sensing technologies to improve early detection, strengthen system resilience and improve health outcomes at scale.

The initiative is open to innovators worldwide and is focused on both low-resource and advanced healthcare environments.

Shortlisted teams will be invited to pitch their solutions at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, scheduled to take place from April 7 to 9.

Three winning teams will share prize funding of $300,000, with the top prize set at $200,000 and two runner-up awards of $50,000 each. Selected innovators will also receive mentorship, access to Future Health’s international networks and global visibility.

The challenge is being led by Future Health, with MIT Solve acting as the implementation partner.

Future Health Challenge: Aim and key highlights

The organisers said the initiative reflects growing pressure on health systems globally. While average life expectancy more than doubled between 1800 and 2017, people still spend around half of their lives in poor or moderate health.

Chronic diseases are projected to generate $47tn in global costs by 2030, and nearly half of the world’s population lacks full access to essential health services and early detection tools.

Advances in health sensing, including community-based approaches and digital and AI-enabled technologies, are increasingly being used to detect risks earlier and anticipate how health patterns may evolve.

Differences in access and capability continue to shape how predictive healthcare is applied across regions.

“The Future Health Challenge is about fuelling a global shift from reactive care to true prevention,” said Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. “Working with MIT Solve, we are backing innovators who, through sensing, are turning insight into predictive and preventive impact at scale. We want to help societies recognise risk sooner, prevent disease, build more intelligent hospitals, and help people make informed choices that improve their health.”

The challenge will be delivered as a rapid-cycle innovation programme. Semi-finalists will pitch live at the Future Health Summit, with finalists advancing to a further pitch event to determine the overall winner.

Between five and 10 additional teams will receive honourable mentions and be invited to showcase their work in the summit’s Innovation Zone.

“Anticipating health risks requires connecting innovation, evidence, and action at a global scale,” said Hala Hanna, executive director of MIT Solve. “Through this partnership with Future Health, we are proud to support innovators in developing sensing solutions that can strengthen prediction, prevention, and equity across health systems, and help translate promising ideas into measurable impact.”

Future Health said the challenge is designed to accelerate real-world implementation of new technologies while generating insights to inform health policy, investment decisions and future health system design.

Nearly all chief executives in Qatar expect domestic economic growth to improve over the next 12 months, with confidence levels well above global averages, according to PwC’s 29th Global CEO Survey released on Wednesday.

The survey showed that 97 per cent of CEOs in Qatar expect domestic economic growth to improve over the coming year, while 84 per cent said they are confident in their company’s revenue growth over the next three years.

Deal activity is expected to remain strong, with 90 per cent of CEOs in Qatar planning to pursue at least one significant acquisition over the next three years, more than double the global average of 41 per cent. More than half of respondents, 55 per cent, said their organisations are already competing in new sectors as they seek diversification beyond traditional industries.

“CEOs in Qatar are entering the next phase of growth with exceptional confidence, clarity of direction, and long-term purpose,” said Bassam Hajhamad, Qatar country senior partner and consulting lead at PwC Middle East. “As new investment opportunities emerge, business leaders are scaling AI, pursuing strategic acquisitions, and aligning closely with national priorities to drive efficiency and build a more innovative, resilient, and competitive economy.”

Qatar: 84 per cent of CEOs reported having clearly defined roadmaps for AI initiatives

The survey found that artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to large-scale deployment. In Qatar, 84 per cent of CEOs reported having clearly defined roadmaps for AI initiatives, 81 per cent cited a strong organisational culture that supports AI adoption, and 77 per cent stated they have access to the right technology environment to integrate AI at scale.

AI is increasingly being embedded across core business functions, including demand generation, fulfilment, support services and directly into products, services and customer experiences, PwC said.

Despite ongoing geopolitical and economic risks, most CEOs in Qatar reported that their investment plans remain largely unaffected. Around 61 per cent said geopolitical instability would have little or no impact on their likelihood of making large new investments, reflecting confidence in the domestic operating environment.

PwC also said perceived cyber risk exposure among business leaders in Qatar has declined compared with last year, which it attributed to increased investment in digital resilience and risk management as companies expand technology adoption.

Looking ahead, the survey said growth in Qatar is expected to be driven by companies that can deliver measurable outcomes in areas such as artificial intelligence, innovation and future-ready initiatives, with closer collaboration between business leaders and government on national transformation programmes.

Mastercard has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UAE Cyber Security Council (CSC) to strengthen trust and resilience across the UAE’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem. The collaboration focuses on advancing national cybersecurity capabilities through the exchange of global best practices and support for the development of forward-looking cybersecurity policies.

The agreement was announced on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit 2026 in Dubai, alongside the launch of a joint report examining the current state of cybersecurity in the UAE.

The UAE Cyber Threat Insights Report highlights the growing complexity of cyber threats facing organisations, detailing the diverse objectives and increasingly sophisticated techniques used by threat actors. It shows that critical sectors and high-value national assets are being prioritised by malicious actors, reflecting a broader escalation in cyber risk. The report also points to sustained government efforts to strengthen national cyber resilience, particularly through deeper public-private coordination aimed at improving collective preparedness and reinforcing the UAE’s global leadership in cybersecurity.

Through the partnership, Mastercard will apply its global expertise in combating cybercrime and fraud to help strengthen the UAE’s cybersecurity posture. Since 2018, the company has invested $10.7bn in cybersecurity-related acquisitions and future-ready solutions, while its AI-driven tools have prevented $70bn in fraudulent transactions worldwide over the past decade.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, cybercrime is expected to cost the global economy $15.6tn by 2029, making it equivalent to the world’s third-largest economy. CSC has previously warned that the UAE faces more than 200,000 cyberattacks every day, with over one-third targeting government entities.

“As the UAE advances its digital transformation, exposure to cybercrime grows, with risks to critical sectors escalating exponentially, driven by AI and other threats. In this rapidly evolving landscape, CSC and Mastercard share an unwavering commitment to building a secure and prosperous digital future. We aim to use the company’s global know-how and advanced technology to bolster the UAE’s cybersecurity framework, enhance the country’s readiness to combat increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks and consolidate its leadership in this space. Together, we will launch the next wave of innovation that will strengthen our nation’s ability to anticipate and mitigate threats,” said Mohamed Alkuwaiti, head of cyber cecurity for the UAE Government.

“At Mastercard, we are dedicated to safeguarding the UAE’s digital ecosystem in line with the ‘UAE 2031’ vision and the National Cybersecurity Strategy. The MoU with the UAE Cyber Security Council reinforces our position as a trusted partner, technology provider and policy advisor to the UAE government and a thought leader in the field of cybersecurity. Our collaboration will help CSC assess emerging cyber-risks and protect both people and organisations against them,” said Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., vice chairman and president, strategic growth at Mastercard.