Abu Dhabi has been officially confirmed as the host city for the Games of the Future 2025, a pioneering international phygital sports competition set to take place from December 18 to 23.

The announcement was made by Phygital International, the global governing body of the event, which merges physical athleticism with digital gaming to create a new class of competitive sport.

The games will feature hybrid disciplines such as Phygital Football and Phygital Shooter, where athletes compete in both virtual and real-world formats, with final results determined by combined performances.

Games of the Future: Venue and games coordinator

The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) has been selected as the official venue, providing a world-class stage for the multi-sport event. The competition is expected to attract thousands of athletes, clubs, and spectators from across the globe.

ASPIRE, the programme development arm of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), has been appointed as the UAE Delivery Authority for the games.

ASPIRE will lead coordination among stakeholders, oversee the event’s innovation agenda, and align government and sponsor funding frameworks.

Ethara, a leading regional live event management company, has been named the Event Delivery Partner. Ethara will be responsible for end-to-end event execution including venue operations, logistics, fan experience, and commercial activation.

“We’re thrilled that Abu Dhabi will welcome thousands of phygital athletes, clubs, and fans for the Games of the Future 2025,” said Nis Hatt, CEO of Phygital International. “With its bold vision for sport and technology, the UAE is the ideal stage for this groundbreaking event.”

Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE, added: “As the UAE Delivery Authority, ASPIRE is proud to help shape the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 – a global platform where sport, technology, and imagination converge.”

Beyond competition, the event will also include VR fan engagement zones, cultural activations, and technology showcases. The inaugural edition of the Games attracted over 2,000 athletes from more than 100 countries, reaching a global broadcast audience and drawing more than 300,000 fans.

The 2025 edition in Abu Dhabi marks a significant step for the phygital movement, expanding its global footprint into the Middle East, where innovation and technological experimentation are rapidly evolving.

Read: Saudi esports, gaming sectors to boost GDP by $13.3bn

Tahaluf, the organiser of Saudi Arabia’s flagship technology event LEAP, has announced a strategic partnership with global investment firm ewpartners to launch LEAP East, a new Asia-Pacific edition of the mega event.

It will take place in Hong Kong from 8-10 July 2026, marking the first time LEAP is held outside the Kingdom.

The move underscores Saudi Arabia’s deepening strategic focus on Asia and positions Hong Kong as a new gateway for Middle Eastern engagement with China and the broader region.

“With this timely and strategic expansion, we are bringing LEAP’s award-winning vision and world-class innovation into this exciting new Hong Kong venture, creating a powerful platform for entrepreneurs, investors, and businesses to connect, collaborate and build the future of technology,” said Faisal AlKhamisi, chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones (SAFCSP), during an announcement at LEAP 2025 in Riyadh.

“Attendees will engage directly with the world’s leading innovators, investors, and industry pioneers, making LEAP East a must-attend event for anyone shaping the digital future,” he added.

LEAP East is expected to attract over 25,000 visitors, more than 200 speakers, and 300+ exhibitors across AI, fintech, healthtech, deeptech and more. Featured speakers will include Luanne Lim, CEO of HSBC Hong Kong; Jeanne Lim, CEO of beingAI and co-creator of Sophia the Robot; and Harry Man, founding partner at Matrix Partners.

The event will also feature investment zones, startup showcases and exclusive networking sessions such as LEAP East Nights.

The announcement was made during the opening of ewpartners’ new Hong Kong office, attended by over 100 senior officials and business leaders from Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong. Attendees included representatives from OASES, HKEX, UBS, and HSBC.

Peter Yan, director general of Hong Kong’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES), said LEAP East “could serve as a dynamic bridge between Hong Kong and the Middle East, empowering enterprises to collaborate, co-develop innovations, and unlock new market opportunities together. We appreciate ewpartners’ pivotal role in making this initiative a reality, strengthening cross-regional partnerships, driving global growth through shared success, and reinforcing Hong Kong’s position as a global innovation hub.”

LEAP was launched in Riyadh in 2021 through a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and SAFCSP. In 2025, the event drew 215,000+ attendees, 1,800+ exhibitors, and 1,600+ investors, generating $14.9bn in announced deals and an economic impact of $820m.

Annabelle Mander, executive vice president at Tahaluf, said: “LEAP was created in Riyadh to position Saudi Arabia as a global innovation hub. After four record-breaking editions, we’re taking our next bold step, bringing LEAP to Hong Kong. This city is not only a gateway to Asia, but a proven launchpad for global ambitions. Through our partnership with ewpartners, we’re proud to build a platform that unites Saudi and Asian-Pacific innovators on one world stage.”

Jessica Wong, founder and managing partner of ewpartners, added: “Our mission at ewpartners is to unlock high-value opportunities between the Middle East and Asia. We have been partnering with Tahaluf on LEAP for 5 years, and LEAP East further reflects that mission in action. Hong Kong has the connectivity, credibility, and creativity to host Asia’s most ambitious tech platform, and we are honoured to help bring it to life.”

The collaboration aims to mirror the impact of LEAP’s Riyadh editions and drive significant business tourism and cross-border partnerships across Asia.

Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to cut off government contracts to Elon Musk‘s companies and the world’s richest man suggested the US president should be impeached, marking a stark end to an unlikely alliance and leaving onlookers wondering what was next.

The hostilities between the former allies intensified when the president criticised Tesla CEO Musk in the Oval Office and the pair then lobbed verbal barbs at each other on their social media platforms: Trump‘s Truth Social and Musk‘s X.

“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Governmental Subsidies and Contracts,” Trump posted.

Tesla shares closed down over 14 per cent on Thursday, losing about $150bn in market value in the largest single-day decline in value in its history.

Minutes after the closing bell, Musk replied, “Yes,” to a post on X saying Trump should be impeached, an unthinkable move in Congress where Trump‘s Republicans hold majorities in both chambers.

The trouble between the two started brewing days ago, when Musk denounced Trump‘s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill.

The president initially held his tongue while Musk campaigned to torpedo the bill, saying it would add too much to the nation’s $36.2tn in debt.

Trump broke his silence on Thursday, telling reporters he was “very disappointed” in Musk.

“Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don’t know if we will anymore,” Trump said.

As Trump spoke, Musk responded in real time on X.

“Without me, Trump would have lost the election,” wrote Musk, who spent nearly $300m backing Trump and other Republicans in last year’s election.

In another post, Musk asserted that Trump‘s signature tariffs would push the US into a recession later this year.

Musk‘s businesses also include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink.

Musk, whose space business plays a critical role in the U.S. government’s space programme, said that as a result of Trump‘s threats he would begin decommissioning SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft. Dragon is the only US spacecraft capable of sending astronauts to the International Space Station. Late on Thursday, Musk backed off the threat.

And in a sign of a possible detente to come, Musk subsequently wrote: “You’re not wrong,” in response to billionaire investor Bill Ackman saying Trump and Musk should make peace.

Late one May evening, the Burj Khalifa’s LED façade burst into red and white.

The world’s tallest tower was celebrating 40 years of bilateral trade between Singapore and the UAE, its pin-sharp stripes forming the flag of the Lion City.

From an apartment a few streets away, Ranjit Khanna – head of private banking for Bank of Singapore in the Middle East and Europe – watched, phone in hand, capturing the moment. It was, he says, “so wonderful” to see the city he now calls home illuminate the country that shaped his career.

The flash of colour is a neat metaphor for Khanna himself: a banker whose roots stretch from high-school days in Dubai to three decades on the trading floors of Singapore, London and New York – and whose mission today is to fuse Asian expertise with Gulf ambition.

Khanna’s biography reads like a map of the modern private-wealth industry. Born to a banker father who was posted around the region, he finished school in Dubai, started university at the American University in Cairo, then crossed the Atlantic to begin his career with American Express Bank in 1990. Four years later he was back in the UAE as a relationship manager for Standard Chartered; by 2010 he was leading Coutts’ Southeast Asia franchise out of Singapore. In 2023, the call came to return once more to Dubai – this time to anchor Bank of Singapore’s push across the Middle East and Europe.

Today, he leads a team of around 140 people, a figure that he says “has grown headcount almost threefold in the last four or five years”.

Much of that expansion has been on the front line: last year alone the DIFC branch increased its private-banker ranks by over 20 per cent, while simultaneously beefing up product and advisory benches. The client base is diverse but focused, serving three core segments: Global South Asia (including Indian and Pakistani entrepreneurs based in Dubai), GCC high-net-worth families, and international expats from the UK, Europe and increasingly, China.

“This region has long-standing cultural and economic ties to South Asia,” says Khanna. “Many of our clients or their families have been part of the entrepreneurial fabric of the UAE for generations. That affinity, combined with Dubai’s openness and strategic location, makes it a natural centre for private wealth.”

He compares the regional trading culture with Singapore’s own development, where merchants from Fujian, especially those from the Hokkien-speaking south, helped shape a nation.

Read: Navigating super trends: Bank of Singapore’s Ranjit Khanna on AI, geopolitics and Asia’s rise

The power of a three-hub model

Bank of Singapore’s own evolution mirrors that same cross-cultural dynamic. Its parent, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC), is “the oldest Singaporean bank” – founded more than 90 years ago to serve overseas Chinese merchants across Southeast Asia.

In 2010, OCBC acquired the Asian and Middle East franchise of ING Private Bank, and formed a fully fledged, stand-alone private bank under the name, Bank of Singapore. Khanna sums it up crisply: “We are the only independent global Asian private bank.”

The Dubai office continues to expand on the deep client roots built from the bank’s ING Asia heritage. Under CEO Jason Moo – appointed March 2023 from a Swiss rival – Bank of Singapore now operates a three-hub model. Hong Kong covers Greater China; Singapore leads ASEAN; and Dubai oversees all business west of the Strait of Malacca, including offices in Luxembourg and London.

Traditionally, institutions like Bank of Singapore would have run EMEA operations from Europe. Khanna explains that the bank deliberately reversed this: “We believe the Middle East has a much more important role to play.” This shift reflects Dubai’s growing global influence, not just as a financial centre but as a magnet for wealth and talent.

Indeed, the DIFC hub now accounts for a significant share of Bank of Singapore’s global business, with ambitions to grow that further in line with the emirate’s D33 vision. “For simplicity’s sake, my title is head of Middle East and Europe, ,” Khanna says. “But really, anything west of Singapore comes under the Dubai hub.”

That ambition comes at a time when private wealth dynamics are shifting. After a post-pandemic boom in asset prices, 2022 brought a correction: global wealth shrank by 4 per cent. Yet the UAE saw wealth grow by 8 per cent.

“That is on the back of really positive government federal policies, as well as investments in business and communities… and the sheer generation of wealth,” says Khanna.

What’s more, Dubai is now home to the world’s second-largest millionaire migration after Singapore, according to the likes of Henley & Partners.

“In many ways, the UAE in particular has been a beneficiary of the largest millionaire migration in the world, rivalled only by Singapore. So for us, we are in the two of the best markets.”

Building resilience, not just returns

As expectations rise, so too does the need for deeper insight.

“Clients in the Middle East have become far more engaged and discerning, and they are looking for advisors who can deliver not only performance but also perspective — clarity amid volatility,” says Khanna.

Bank of Singapore’s answer has been to invest heavily in advisory strength and insight generation. “To help clients navigate uncertain times, we are committed to building intellectual capital, bringing together leading minds and encouraging diversity of thought,” he says.

The bank established its CIO Global Advisory Council in 2024 to support this effort. Bank of Singapore released the inaugural CIO Supertrends Report, and has continued to refine it with updates in 2025. “The idea is to look at things from a five-year horizon rather than the immediate here and now,” Khanna notes.

In February 2025, Bank of Singapore held its CIO Summit in Dubai, where thought leaders discussed strategy in a multi-polar world. This year will also see the launch of a new global asset allocation framework, which Khanna calls a major milestone.

“We employed a rigorous process to review over 60,000 portfolios, putting each portfolio through more than 24,000 stress tests… more than 1.4 billion stress tests conducted in total across eight months,” he says. “We construct portfolios to perform reasonably well across a range of plausible scenarios, even if the forecasts of individual asset classes do not meet expectations.”

The bank’s diversification strategy spans equity styles, fixed income and alternatives. “Diversification today goes beyond geography and asset class,” Khanna says. “We are regularly discussing low volatility and high-quality equity strategies… Fixed Income at these yield levels and with rate cuts priced across key Developed Markets remains an important component… alternatives provide diversification benefits with less directional exposure to both equity and credit markets as well as inflation hedging characteristics.”

Guiding families through generational transitions

While investment performance is essential, legacy planning is just as critical for many families. “We see increasing interest and awareness among our ultra-high-net-worth clients and families in relation to generational wealth transfer,” Khanna says.

Bank of Singapore’s Financial Intermediaries, Family Office and Wealth Advisory (FFWA) unit works directly with families to structure wealth transitions. “They want to start this conversation early, and they are looking for suitable tools and wealth protection solutions,” he says.

“An equally important role of a private bank in supporting clients in their succession and legacy journey is fostering conversations among family members to align values, vision, and responsibilities,” Khanna adds. “It is not just about the transfer of the financial capital but also about the human, social and cultural capital that is intrinsic to maintaining the family legacy.”

The bank also advises families on philanthropy, multi-family office structures, and governance models depending on complexity and scale.

A bridge between capital flows

Looking ahead, the growth corridors between the Gulf and Asia will only deepen. “Our clients in the Middle East are increasingly looking East,” says Khanna. “The core of our investment team is based in Asia… this facilitates on-the-ground research and networks helping us identify long-term opportunities that align with our clients’ return and risk appetite.”

That value is matched by Singapore’s status as a trusted booking centre. “Singapore offers a powerful trifecta: political stability, robust regulation, and global connectivity. It is a neutral and trusted gateway to Asia: ideal for asset diversification and international wealth structuring.”

“We do not just carry the ‘Singapore’ name; we embody the ‘Singapore’ identity, reflecting the reliability that our clients seek,” Khanna says.

At a time when the Middle East and Asia are becoming the two dominant centres of new wealth creation, Bank of Singapore’s footprint and focus feel prescient. “We are Asia’s global private bank – Asian in values, global in capabilities and perspectives.”

That blend of cultural alignment, institutional rigour, and global insight is what brought Khanna back to Dubai in the first place. “For me to be successful, what do I want? I want a great brand – box checked. I want a great platform – box checked. I want to make sure I’m working with an institution that’s got the right balance sheet so that we can help our clients – box checked.”

Success, he insists, is not about league tables. “If you look at the number of people we employ in the private bank, we’re the third largest in the DIFC,” he says. “What matters is when clients think about a private bank, they want to engage, we’re top of mind.”

As the lights of the Burj Khalifa glow once more this year – maybe next time to mark a new milestone for the bank itself – it’s clear that the relationship between Singapore and Dubai is more than symbolic. It’s strategic.

Dubai Municipality has announced the designation of four public beaches exclusively for families during the Eid Al Adha holiday. The beaches include Jumeirah 2, Jumeirah 3, Umm Suqeim 1, and Umm Suqeim 2, all managed and operated by the municipality.

Read- Eid Al Adha 2025: Dubai’s action plan from safe festivities to free parking

The initiative aims to regulate visitor numbers during the holiday period, when beaches typically see high footfall from various segments of the community. By dedicating specific beaches to families, the municipality seeks to offer a more comfortable, secure, and enjoyable recreational environment, a Dubai Media Office report said.

Enhanced safety measures and on-ground support

To support this initiative, Dubai Municipality has deployed a dedicated safety and rescue team comprising 126 qualified personnel equipped with advanced tools and logistical equipment. Their presence will help ensure the highest levels of safety for beachgoers. Additionally, a team of 100 trained inspectors will oversee field operations, including crowd and traffic flow management, beach security monitoring, and incident response.

Commitment to family-friendly public spaces

Dubai Municipality reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing the recreational experience at public beaches by offering integrated, family-friendly facilities that reflect the emirate’s wider efforts to improve quality of life. The initiative is part of a broader strategy to position Dubai’s beaches as inclusive destinations that serve both residents and tourists.

In collaboration with its strategic partners, the municipality will continue to monitor beach operations throughout the holiday to ensure a safe, comfortable, and accessible environment for families.

Dubai Municipality is responsible for managing the emirate’s waterways and public beaches, overseeing infrastructure development, and providing world-class services and amenities to support a vibrant and welcoming recreational experience for all.