“Leadership is about creating lasting impact. It’s about building systems that empower people to live healthier lives today while laying the foundation for future generations,” says Dr Khadija Al Marashda.

As global healthcare shifts from reactive treatment to preventive care and proactive wellness, Dr Al Marashda stands at the forefront of this transformation in the UAE. An Emirati woman, consultant physician and accomplished executive, she leads SEHA CLINICS — Abu Dhabi’s trusted healthcare provider and a key subsidiary of Pure Health, making accessible multispecialty care the strategic foundation of a sustainable, future-ready healthcare system. Through strategic foresight, innovation, talent empowerment, and unwavering focus on patient impact, she shapes a modern paradigm of sustainable healthcare solutions that balances multispecialty expertise and technology with deep human connection.

Her leadership is defined by a clear commitment to advancing sustainable, value-based healthcare systems that align with national priorities while addressing the evolving needs of patients and communities.

REDEFINING HEALTHCARE AT SCALE

Under Dr Al Marashda’s strategic direction, SEHA CLINICS operates an expansive network of over 37 healthcare centres, 19 visa screening facilities, and more than 200 school health clinics across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra, managing over four million patient visits annually.

By championing integrated networks focused on preventive care, chronic disease management, and seamless digital care pathways, she directly aligns SEHA CLINICS with Abu Dhabi’s ambitious vision for a proactive, community-centred health ecosystem.

PIONEERING INNOVATION WITH A HUMAN TOUCH

As a passionate advocate for innovation and digital transformation, a key component of Dr Al Marashda’s forward-looking approach is the strategic integration of advanced health technologies. From deploying AI-assisted diagnostic solutions in radiology to pioneering early-detection tools for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, she actively integrates next-generation tools to sharpen clinical decision-making.

Crucially, Dr Al Marashda maintains that innovation must augment — never replace —the essential human connection at the heart of patient care. Her forward-thinking strategy also ensures equitable access across all communities, leveraging mobile healthcare units and expanding services into underserved regions so that high-quality care reaches every individual.

EMPOWERING PEOPLE AND INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

As a prominent Emirati woman leading large-scale transformation within strategic national industries, Dr Al Marashda embodies the UAE’s commitment to fostering top-tier national talent. Beyond technology and operations, she prioritises human capital, fostering a culture rooted in collaboration, continuous learning, and accountability.

By investing in workforce development as passionately as infrastructure, Dr Al Marashda continues to model what modern, visionary healthcare leadership looks like: driving institutional excellence today while safeguarding the health and well-being of the UAE for generations to come.

The UAE’s aviation sector is heading into the final months of 2026 with airlines stepping up their efforts to attract passengers, expand international connectivity and capture growing demand for both affordable and premium travel.

At the centre of the latest push is Air Arabia, which has launched a limited-time UAE fare promotion offering one-way economy tickets from Dhs269, while simultaneously increasing its Bangkok services from Sharjah. Etihad Airways, meanwhile, is turning strong early demand into a year-round Gothenburg service, while Emirates is expanding its Premium Economy offering on flights between Dubai and Mauritius.

Air Arabia puts fares in the spotlight

Air Arabia’s “Amazing Escapes On Sale!” campaign gives UAE travellers discounted fares across destinations in the Gulf, Middle East, Asia, Central Asia and Europe. The promotional booking window runs until September 10, while the travel period covers September 1 to November 25, according to the airline’s UAE website.

The headline fares include Abu Dhabi-Salalah from Dhs255, Abu Dhabi-Kuwait from Dhs269, Sharjah-Kuwait from Dhs269, Abu Dhabi-Bahrain from Dhs299, and Sharjah-Riyadh and Sharjah-Muscat from Dhs299.

Read more-Emirates adds electric privacy screens to Premium Economy

The promotion also reaches longer-haul markets, with Sharjah-Istanbul fares advertised from Dhs437, Sharjah-Tashkent from Dhs498, Sharjah-Tbilisi and Baku from Dhs549, Sharjah-Colombo from Dhs599 and Sharjah-Bangkok from Dhs798.

The fares are subject to availability, with Air Arabia warning that advertised prices are indicative and can change. The airline says fares displayed on its website are collected within the previous 48 hours and may no longer be available when a customer attempts to book.

Bangkok becomes a bigger play

Air Arabia is also strengthening its Thailand network, announcing a fourth daily non-stop flight between Sharjah and Bangkok from October 25. The new frequency will take the carrier’s Bangkok operation to 28 non-stop flights a week.

The expansion complements 21 weekly flights between Sharjah and Phuket. Combined, Air Arabia will offer 49 weekly non-stop services from Sharjah to Bangkok and Phuket, underscoring Thailand’s importance within its Southeast Asian network.

“Our expanded Bangkok service reflects the strong importance of Thailand within our network and our commitment to supporting growing demand for affordable and convenient travel between the UAE and Southeast Asia,” said Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia.

Etihad bets on demand

Etihad is taking a different route to growth. After announcing Gothenburg as a winter destination only three weeks ago, the Abu Dhabi carrier has now made the Swedish city a year-round destination following what it described as exceptional early demand.

The service begins December 17 with four weekly flights operated by an Airbus A321LR.

“Three weeks in, the market has told us we underestimated Gothenburg, and we are glad to be corrected,” said Arik De, Etihad Airways chief revenue and commercial officer.

The route will connect western Sweden with Abu Dhabi and Etihad’s wider network across Asia and the Indian subcontinent, while also opening Gothenburg to travellers from the airline’s global network.

Emirates adds a premium layer

Emirates is meanwhile using product differentiation to deepen its Mauritius market. From September 1, Premium Economy is being introduced on two of the airline’s three daily Mauritius-Dubai flights, operated by an A380 and a retrofitted Boeing 777.

The upgraded cabin gives passengers more space, enhanced dining and additional comfort, with the A380 offering 56 Premium Economy seats and the Boeing 777 offering 24.

“ Mauritius has always been an important market for Emirates,” said Oomar Ramtoola, Emirates’ Manager for the Indian Ocean Islands.

Taken together, the moves underline the breadth of competition in UAE aviation: low fares and higher frequencies at Air Arabia, network expansion at Etihad and upgraded cabin products at Emirates. For travellers, that translates into more choices. For airlines, it reflects a race to capture demand by combining price, connectivity and experience.

The UAE is set for fair to partly cloudy conditions on Saturday, with a chance of rain as convective clouds develop over eastern areas during the afternoon, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).

The NCM said temperatures are expected to gradually rise, while humid conditions will develop overnight and into Sunday morning across some coastal areas, with a possibility of light fog.

Winds are forecast to be light to moderate, becoming fresh at times as clouds develop. Southeasterly to northeasterly winds will blow at speeds of 10 to 25 km/hr, reaching up to 40 km/hr, a WAM report said.

Rain chances build across eastern and southern areas

The weather outlook also points to the possibility of rainfall across parts of the country as convective clouds form over eastern and southern areas during the afternoon.

According to the NCM, the UAE is being affected by an extension of a surface low-pressure system from the east, accompanied by an upper-air low-pressure system. These conditions are expected to contribute to cloud development and possible rainfall.

Winds may strengthen around cloud formations and could cause blowing dust and sand in some areas. Speeds are expected to reach up to 40 km/hr over coastal areas and islands, while internal and mountainous regions could see gusts of up to 45 km/hr.

Despite the possibility of rain, temperatures will remain high, particularly across inland areas.

Temperatures could hit 46°C

Coastal areas and islands are expected to record maximum temperatures between 37°C and 42°C, with minimum temperatures ranging from 29°C to 33°C.

Internal areas will be considerably hotter, with daytime highs forecast between 41°C and 46°C and overnight lows of 26°C to 30°C.

Mountain areas will be comparatively cooler, with temperatures ranging from 30°C to 39°C during the day and 23°C to 28°C at night.

Sea conditions are expected to remain slight in the Arabian Gulf, while the Sea of Oman will range from slight to moderate.

The NCM’s daily bulletin said the Arabian Gulf’s first high tide would occur at 18:08, while the first low tide would be at 10:27 and the second low tide at 02:56.

In the Sea of Oman, the first high tide is expected at 14:21 and the second at 06:01. The first low tide will occur at 09:37, followed by the second at 22:31.

More clouds and rain possible Sunday

The unsettled pattern is expected to continue into Sunday, when partly cloudy conditions are forecast across the UAE, with another possibility of convective cloud formation over eastern areas during the afternoon.

Humidity is expected to increase overnight and into Monday morning in some coastal areas. Winds could reach 35 km/h, while sea conditions are expected to remain slight.

Fair conditions forecast for Monday and Tuesday

Monday is expected to be fair to partly cloudy, becoming cloudy at times over eastern areas. Southeasterly to northeasterly winds could reach speeds of up to 35 km/hr.

Similar conditions are forecast for Tuesday, although winds are expected to shift to southwesterly to northwesterly directions, blowing at 10 to 25 km/hr and reaching 35 km/hr at times.

Sea conditions are expected to remain slight during the period.

Financial and insurance activities accounted for just 14 per cent of Dubai’s GDP in the first quarter of 2026, yet delivered 37 per cent of the emirate’s overall growth, expanding 6.5 per cent while the wider economy grew 2.4 per cent.

For Sameer Abdi, partner and head of advisory at Grant Thornton, that gap is no statistical quirk but a signal of Dubai’s evolution from a regional banking centre into a diversified international financial hub connecting capital across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Abdi spoke to Gulf Business about what is powering the sector’s outsized contribution, the multiplier effect rippling through real estate, technology and professional services, and the constraints — from talent shortages to intensifying regional competition — that could yet slow the momentum as Dubai pursues its D33 ambitions.

Financial and insurance activities accounted for 14 per cent of Dubai’s GDP in Q1 2026 but generated 37 per cent of its overall growth. What is driving the sector’s disproportionate contribution?
The financial services sector is growing significantly faster than the wider economy and increasingly serves as the financing, investment and transaction infrastructure underpinning growth across multiple industries.

While Dubai’s GDP grew by 2.4 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2026, financial and insurance activities expanded by 6.5 per cent, increasing the sector’s contribution to overall economic growth disproportionately.

Several factors are driving this performance. Banks continue to benefit from strong credit demand, growing deposits and robust liquidity conditions. At the same time, there has been notable growth in advisory services, asset management, capital markets activity, wealth management and payments businesses. This reflects a broader diversification of revenue streams beyond traditional lending income.

Dubai is also benefiting from its position as a regional hub for cross-border capital flows, multinational corporates, private wealth and family offices, which continues to fuel demand for sophisticated financial services.

How much of this momentum reflects structural changes in Dubai’s economy rather than shorter-term market or interest-rate conditions?
The evidence suggests that the majority of the momentum is structural rather than cyclical.

In recent years, Dubai has attracted a growing number of global financial institutions, asset managers, hedge funds, family offices and private investment firms that have established a permanent regional presence. The continued expansion of DIFC, growth in regulated financial institutions, and increasing concentration of private capital all point towards a long-term shift in Dubai’s role within the global financial system.

Interest-rate conditions have undoubtedly supported profitability and liquidity over recent years, but they do not fully explain the current trajectory. Indeed, many financial institutions are now generating growth through fee income, advisory mandates, wealth management services and capital markets activity, reducing dependency on interest-rate-driven earnings.

This reflects a fundamental evolution of Dubai from a regional banking centre into a diversified international financial hub connecting capital flows between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

How is the expansion of financial services affecting other parts of Dubai’s economy, particularly real estate, construction, professional services and technology?
The impact extends well beyond the financial sector itself.

Financial institutions create significant demand for office space, residential accommodation, legal services, consulting, tax advisory, audit, compliance and technology solutions. This has contributed to growth in real estate, construction and professional services, while helping stimulate investment in commercial developments and supporting occupancy demand across key business districts.

Technology is also emerging as a major beneficiary. Financial institutions are increasing investment in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data governance, digital payments and cloud infrastructure. This is creating new opportunities for technology firms and accelerating innovation across the wider economy.

In effect, every new financial institution that establishes operations in Dubai creates a multiplier effect that generates economic activity across several adjacent sectors.

Dubai’s economy is increasingly connected to international capital and cross-border business. What opportunities does that create, and where is the emirate most exposed to global economic or geopolitical shocks?
Dubai’s connectivity creates significant opportunities to position itself as the preferred gateway for investment into the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. This strengthens opportunities across wealth and asset management, private credit, trade finance, insurance, capital markets, fintech and cross-border M&A activity.

The city’s attractiveness stems from its regulatory environment, geographic location, world-class infrastructure and ability to serve both developed and emerging markets from a single platform.

However, greater integration with global capital markets also means increased exposure to external shocks. Changes in global liquidity conditions, interest-rate environments, geopolitical tensions, trade disruptions and shifts in investor sentiment can all impact capital flows and business activity more rapidly than in less connected economies.

The key challenge for Dubai is therefore maintaining openness while continuing to strengthen resilience through robust regulation, effective risk management and diversified sources of growth.

What are the main constraints that could slow the financial sector’s growth?
Talent remains the most significant constraint. Demand for experienced professionals in areas such as investment management, risk, compliance, cybersecurity, digital assets, quantitative finance and artificial intelligence continues to outpace supply.

Cybersecurity and operational resilience will also become increasingly important as institutions digitise more services and rely heavily on interconnected technology platforms.

Regulatory complexity represents another challenge. Maintaining high regulatory standards is essential for investor confidence, but frameworks must continue evolving efficiently alongside innovation in areas such as digital assets, AI and cross-border financial services.

Finally, competition from other regional financial centres is intensifying. Sustaining momentum will require Dubai to continue attracting global talent, capital and institutions while ensuring that businesses view the emirate as a location for substantive decision-making and investment activity rather than simply a regional sales office.

What does the sector’s first-quarter performance signal about Dubai’s progress towards the D33 objectives, and what further reforms or investments are needed?
The strong performance of the financial sector is an encouraging indicator that Dubai is making meaningful progress towards the ambitions of the D33 agenda. Financial services are playing an increasingly important role in attracting investment, facilitating international trade and supporting economic diversification.
However, sustaining this trajectory over the long term will require continued focus in several key areas.

First, Dubai should continue deepening its capital markets by expanding opportunities across equity markets, debt markets, sukuk, private credit and alternative investments.

Second, investment in talent development will be essential to ensure a sustainable pipeline of skilled professionals and future industry leaders.

Third, continued regulatory innovation should seek to balance market competitiveness with investor protection and financial stability. Finally, further investment in technology infrastructure, cybersecurity resilience and digital transformation will be critical to maintaining Dubai’s position as one of the world’s leading financial centres.

Overall, the first-quarter results indicate that financial services are becoming one of the principal engines of Dubai’s economic growth and a critical enabler of the emirate’s long-term economic ambitions under D33.

Most link-in-bio tools, Soniya Rajpurohit realised, are built to send people away. “A creator’s audience clicks through, lands on a page of links, and leaves. There is nothing at the end of the journey to actually buy.” Even when creators tried to sell, she found the setup was scattered: one tool for links, another for payments, another for bookings, and payments in particular can be challenging for creators in the region.

She had spent months talking to creators across Dubai, and the same story kept surfacing: people with real, engaged audiences still living campaign to campaign, dependent entirely on brand deals. “One month you might make Dhs11,000, the next month nothing, and you are back to waiting on someone else to decide you are worth their budget.”

That gap — audiences and expertise on one side, nowhere to sell it on the other — is the problem Creators Blueprint was built to close. The startup is the work of four students in Dubai: Malak Dabjan, studying an LLM in International Law and Human Rights; Soniya Rajpurohit, reading for a BA in Advertising, PR and Branding; and Lebohang Khasipe, an MSc student in Network Management and Cloud Computing, all three at Middlesex University Dubai alongside co-founder Abubaker, a master’s student at RIT Dubai.

Bootstrapped entirely in the emirate, the platform lets creators build and sell digital products, ranging from guides and playlists to planners and eBooks, from a single storefront, using AI to turn what they already know into something their audience can buy.

The engine is an AI layer that reads a creator’s Instagram presence, bio, recent posts, comments, the topics they return to, and combines it with answers from onboarding to suggest products likely to land. “The AI looks for areas where the creator already has knowledge, experience or trust with their audience,” explains Khasipe, who leads the technical build. A fitness creator fielding beginner questions might be prompted towards a starter workout guide, meal planner or eBook; the aim, he says, “is not to generate random ideas and hope one works,” but to connect what a creator knows with what their audience will actually pay for.

Crucially, the platform uses third-party AI models rather than proprietary ones. The value, Khasipe argues, is in the system built around them, and in keeping the creator in charge. He is candid that the feature is still in beta: AI output is never treated as ready to sell, and creators can review, edit or regenerate before publishing. He describes an ‘80/20 split’: AI does the heavy starting work, but “the creator still needs to add their own knowledge, experience, personality and final judgement.”

That insistence on creator control is not incidental; it runs to the heart of how the team thinks, and it is where Dabjan’s legal background reshapes the conversation. “If a creator spends years building their knowledge, audience and personal brand, we believe the technology supporting them should strengthen that ownership rather than dilute it,” she says. Her guiding test for accountability is disarmingly simple: “If we wouldn’t be comfortable explaining something clearly to a creator, should we be doing it in the first place?” On data and copyright, the principle is the same: “access should not mean ownership.” A creator connecting their profile, she stresses, does not hand their content over.

The early traction has come without a marketing budget. More than 150 creators have signed up, and the number Rajpurohit cares about most: more than 130 are actively selling, not just registering. “A signup means nothing on its own,” she says. “What tells us the product works is someone putting their own knowledge behind a price and having people pay for it.” The growth, she adds, came from conversations rather than campaigns: personal outreach, listening more than pitching, and a referral loop that “did more than any campaign could have.” Building with creators rather than for them mattered too — “people stay when they feel some ownership over what we are building.”

One result has become the team’s shorthand for what is possible: an early user who generated Dhs3,850 within 48 hours. The founders are careful not to oversell it. The figure is verified through Stripe, not self-reported: “every sale flows through it, and the creator sees their income on their own dashboard.” She sold a curated Spotify playlist, something her followers had long engaged with. “That is the honest lesson in it, more than the number,” says Rajpurohit. “It was not a huge production or a course that took months to build. It was an offering her audience already wanted from her.” The opportunity, she adds, will look different for every creator.

As Creators Blueprint eyes expansion across MENA, Dabjan is wary of the region being treated as monolithic. The team’s approach is deliberately jurisdiction-specific, treating regulation “as part of product design rather than something sitting separately in a legal document.” For creators to build businesses on the platform, she says, “trust has to grow at the same pace as the platform.”

For now, the focus is on strengthening the foundation before scaling it. Much of what is hard to replicate, Khasipe argues, is not the AI, which most people can access — but the system built around it: CBStudio connects audience analysis, product ideas, eBook creation, design, storefront management, payments and email delivery in one platform.

The team has deliberately separated the key parts, so that if one external service fails, the rest is not heavily affected, and individual services can be improved or replaced without rebuilding everything. For scaling, the platform runs on cloud infrastructure with load balancing, rate limiting and separate processing for heavier AI tasks; on security, access to sensitive information is controlled, connections encrypted and payments handled through Stripe and Stripe Connect, so full card details are never stored by Creators Blueprint itself.

“The first 150 creators have allowed testing the platform properly, identify the weak points and improve the system,” says Khasipe. “We do not expect everything to be perfect immediately, but we are building the platform in a way that allows us to learn, adjust and scale responsibly.”

Built in Dubai, by students, for a creator economy the city is racing to lead — it is a blueprint, fittingly, still being drawn.