Something significant happened in the first quarter of this year that did not get the attention it deserved. Foreign investors put a net $1.47bn into GCC equity markets between January and March, reversing the net selling of the previous quarter. That is a signal worth reading: international money is treating the financial markets of this region as serious, deep and worth a considered position.

The structural case behind that move is real. Since 2022, more than 170 GCC listings have raised over $50bn, and the composition has changed. Where issuance was once concentrated in energy, financials and utilities, it now spans consumer businesses, healthcare, technology and real estate.

Saudi Arabia opened its capital market to direct foreign participation in February, removing the Qualified Foreign Investor restrictions that had long kept international money at arm’s length. The exchanges are deeper, the investable universe is broader, and the regulatory frameworks carry more credibility than they did five years ago.

Access, for the most part, has been solved. The harder question now is whether the market is ready to serve investors well once they arrive.

I spend a lot of time looking at the data from CFI’s own platforms, and it tells me the investor showing up in this region today is not the one this industry was built to serve. In the first quarter of 2026, we processed $2.3tn in trading volume, the majority of it originating from the GCC and wider MENA region, more than 90 per cent of it through mobile devices, across more than 37 million individual trades. The majority of the people behind those numbers arrived already informed: they had engaged with financial content, compared platforms and formed views on asset classes before they opened an account.

That baseline has raised the bar for what useful engagement looks like, and the industry has been slow to catch up. The investor-facing markets in 2026 are dealing with conditions more complex than the current engagement model was built for. Gold has fallen around a quarter from its January peak, yet retail sentiment stays cautious, with many investors conditioned to buy on fear rather than value and few equipped to tell a price correction from a structural change in the asset. The AI debate, meanwhile, is dominated by comparisons to the dot-com bubble that are partly right and largely misleading.

The dot-com era was built on companies with no revenue and no business model. The current AI build-out runs on real capital spending on real infrastructure, chips, power and data centres, by companies that already carry substantial revenues. Speculative excess and genuine structural change are present at the same time, and treating them as one thing produces the wrong conclusion. Then there is SpaceX, which listed on Nasdaq in June in the largest IPO on record, with close to a third of the offering set aside for retail investors. Exposure to that kind of asset, once the preserve of sovereign wealth funds and private markets, is now a click away for the individual investor.

The open question is whether that investor has any framework for valuing a company worth close to $2tn that is still posting heavy losses. These are not fringe conversations; they are what people are discussing in the majlis and on every morning business segment, and the industry has not built the means to help investors work through them.

This is not abstract. When complex conditions arrive, and in this region they arrive fairly often, the investor without the means to read them makes the wrong decision at the wrong moment. They cut exposure during a pricing anomaly they read as systemic risk. They cluster in familiar assets, gold, oil, regional banking stocks, without seeing that all of those can move on the same underlying variable at the same time. The diversification they believe they hold is often cosmetic. Volatility is visible; concentration is quiet. An industry that has not invested in investor understanding has left its clients exposed to the quieter risk.

The responsibility for closing that gap sits with the platforms that have benefited from the participation. A business handling the volume we handle, in markets where financial literacy is still developing, carries an obligation beyond execution quality and competitive pricing. It owns some responsibility for the quality of understanding its clients bring to their decisions.

That thinking sits behind the choices we have made on investor education, market transparency and how we talk about the realities of trading. We have said plainly that trading is hard, that most retail participants lose money over time, and that informed participation takes sustained effort. None of that is easy to say commercially. It is honest, and honesty sustained over years is the only foundation genuine trust is built on.

The GCC has done the structural work, and the markets and the capital are now in place. The next phase will turn less on who builds the best platform and more on who builds the most informed investor base. That is the work still in front of us, and it is the more important half of the job.

Dubai Airports has launched a series of hospitality experiences at Dubai International Airport (DXB) aimed at welcoming residents returning after the summer, visitors arriving in the emirate and passengers transiting through the airport.

The “Dubai Welcome” experiences are running throughout August across Terminal 3, spanning baggage claim, arrivals and transit areas, Dubai Airports said.

The initiative includes welcome activities for families, refreshments for passengers and live entertainment, as the airport operator looks to bring elements of Arabian hospitality into different stages of the passenger journey.

Mascots from Dubai Police and the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs welcome younger travellers, while a local musician performs in the arrivals area.

Families and friends waiting for arriving passengers can create personalised signs at a “Make Your Welcome Home Sign” station using stickers and Dubai-themed embellishments.

Complementary treats

Passengers continuing their journey by Dubai Taxi are offered complimentary refreshments, cold towels and treats provided by Mirzam, Emirati District, Emirates Flight Catering and oneDXB partners.

Transit passengers can also watch a live performance inspired by regional music, while refreshments and treats are being distributed at transfer desks by Project Chaiwala, Mirzam, Emirati District and Garrett Popcorn.

“DXB is the gateway to Dubai and, for many guests, their first point of connection with the city,” said Michelle Lee, vice president of brand and communications at Dubai Airports.

“From the moment people arrive or travel through the airport, we want those moments to reflect what makes Dubai distinctive: its energy, warmth, diversity and the people who bring the city to life.”

Lee said the airport’s focus was on turning everyday passenger touchpoints into memorable experiences, whether travellers were returning home or spending only a few hours at DXB between flights.

Dubai Airports has also installed an interactive “I Heart DXB” experience near Gate B28. Travellers can upload a selfie to become part of a shared portrait of Dubai displayed in the colours of the UAE flag.

The installation includes a wall where passengers can leave handwritten messages of pride and gratitude, with limited-edition stickers and pins also available.

Dubai Airports operates DXB and Dubai World Central-Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC).

A busy period for DXB

DXB handled a record 95.2 million passengers in 2025, the busiest year in its history and the highest annual international passenger traffic recorded by an airport, according to Dubai Airports.

Dubai is also developing DWC as its longer-term aviation hub. Expansion plans announced in 2024 involve an investment of $35bn, with the airport expected to accommodate 150 million passengers annually over the next decade and eventually expand to a capacity for 260 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of cargo a year.

Parkin Company (Parkin), Dubai’s largest provider of paid public parking facilities and services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bahrain Car Parks Company (Amakin) B.S.C., a leading parking and mobility solutions provider in Bahrain, to explore opportunities across parking technology, digital mobility services and regional business development.

The agreement creates a framework for the companies to combine their technology, operational expertise and market capabilities to enhance customer experience, improve efficiency and support the development of smarter parking and mobility services across the GCC, a WAM report said.

Digital platforms, payments in focus

Under the MoU, Parkin and Amakin will assess opportunities to integrate their digital platforms, with the aim of streamlining operations and creating a more seamless experience for customers.

The companies will also examine the feasibility of enabling customers to access and pay for parking across both networks through their respective mobile applications. The initiative could support a more connected UAE-Bahrain parking experience while making digital payments more convenient.

Read more-From Dubai to Cairo: Parkin takes smart parking strategy into Egypt

Data analysis will also form part of the collaboration, with both companies looking to analyse mobility data to identify emerging trends and develop data-driven parking solutions in their respective markets.

Engineer Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali, CEO of Parkin Company PJSC, said the partnership would help extend the company’s smart parking capabilities beyond Dubai.

“At Parkin, we are constantly exploring opportunities to apply our technology and operational expertise to enhance the parking experience,” Al Ali said. “Our partnership with Amakin represents a significant milestone in expanding our smart parking capabilities beyond Dubai, bringing together our complementary technologies and digital platforms to deliver a seamless customer experience and unlock future growth opportunities across the GCC and beyond.”

Focus on customer convenience

Tariq Ali Aljowder, CEO of Amakin, said the collaboration would focus on practical digital solutions tailored to the Bahraini market.

“Our priority is to make parking simpler and more convenient for our customers,” Aljowder said. “Working with Parkin gives us the opportunity to explore practical solutions that combine digital innovation with our understanding of the Bahraini market to improve customer experience, including faster payment options and more accurate space availability for the communities we already serve.”

Beyond technology integration, the MoU provides a framework for Parkin and Amakin to explore joint business opportunities across the GCC and selected international markets.

Dubai Central Laboratory, part of Dubai Municipality, has introduced advanced automated technology to test the quality of oils and fats, cutting testing time from two hours to just two minutes while significantly expanding laboratory capacity.

The technology enables accurate and reliable analysis without human intervention, supporting the early detection of indicators linked to the oxidation and quality of oils and fats during manufacturing and storage, a WAM report said.

The move strengthens Dubai Municipality’s proactive food-control capabilities and supports the safety and quality of food products available across the emirate.

Testing capacity rises 900%

The new technology marks a major advancement in oil and fat quality testing by automatically generating results and accelerating sample processing. It increases the laboratory’s daily testing capacity by 900 per cent, from six samples to 60 samples per day.

Read more: Dubai to roll out ‘Work from Park’ spaces in push to blend productivity with green areas

The higher capacity allows Dubai Central Laboratory to process a significantly greater volume of samples more efficiently, helping regulators respond faster to potential quality concerns across the food manufacturing sector.

The system also supports the laboratory’s adoption of green practices by eliminating the chemical consumables required under conventional testing methods. This improves resource efficiency and reduces the environmental impact of laboratory operations while maintaining the accuracy and reliability of results and compliance with international standards.

Technology strengthens food safety

Hind Mahmoud Ahmed, director of the Dubai Central Laboratory Department at Dubai Municipality, said the introduction of the technology represents an important step in the continued development of the laboratory’s testing capabilities through advanced scientific and technological solutions.

“The adoption of this technology enhances the efficiency and speed of laboratory testing while maintaining the accuracy and reliability required to support food safety and consumer protection,” she said.

“By increasing testing capacity and enabling faster analysis, we can strengthen proactive regulatory processes and respond more efficiently to developments within the food manufacturing sector.”

She added that the technology would also help strengthen consumer confidence in the safety and quality of food products available in Dubai.

“It enables regulatory authorities to identify potential quality issues more rapidly and helps ensure that products comply with approved international standards and specifications,” Ahmed said.

Dubai Central Laboratory continues to develop its technical capabilities and laboratory services through advanced technologies that enhance accuracy, efficiency and sustainability.

These efforts support consumer protection and contribute to ensuring the quality and safety of products available across Dubai.

Fujairah International Airport and GODOBA Travel and Tourism have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic framework for cooperation focused on enhancing travel services, improving the passenger experience and supporting the airport’s commercial and operational growth. The agreement signals a broader push to strengthen Fujairah’s appeal to travellers.

The MoU was signed by Ebraheim Alqallaf, deputy director-general of Fujairah International Airport, and Raad Al Abri, Chief Executive Officer of GODOBA Travel and Tourism, during an official ceremony in Fujairah, according to a WAM report. It brings together the expertise and capabilities of both parties to pursue joint initiatives.

The partnership will promote the airport’s existing flights and destinations while contributing to the development of integrated travel and tourism opportunities.

Read more: How Etihad Rail could transform Fujairah into the UAE’s next tourism hotspot

Both sides will exchange market insights and explore measures to support destination and route development, while promoting travel services that can broaden awareness of Fujairah’s connectivity and attractions regionally.

Digital focus

Digital solutions will be part of cooperation, with the two organisations exploring ways to improve access to travel information and booking services. The focus is to make trip planning more convenient for passengers while creating opportunities to connect travellers with destinations, flights and offerings available through Fujairah International Airport.

The agreement also aims to strengthen regional air connectivity and support Fujairah’s continued development as a business and leisure destination. For the airport, the partnership can build stronger links between aviation, travel services and tourism demand, supporting growth.

The partnership also reflects a growing focus across the travel sector on digital tools and commercial cooperation to improve the end-to-end passenger journey. Both parties will assess practical initiatives to strengthen traveller engagement, encourage demand and support traffic.

Airport leaders highlight growth plans

Alqallaf said, “This MoU represents an important step in strengthening Fujairah International Airport’s cooperation with the travel and tourism sector. By working closely with GODOBA Travel and Tourism, we aim to explore practical initiatives that enhance the passenger experience, support the growth of travel through Fujairah, and contribute to stronger air connectivity.”

Al Abri said, “This MoU provides a strong foundation for cooperation across a range of areas, including travel services, digital solutions, destination development, and passenger engagement. We look forward to working together on initiatives that make travel more accessible and convenient while supporting Fujairah’s growing role within the regional travel and tourism sector.”

Both sides reaffirm their commitment to sustainable passenger growth, enhanced travel services and a stronger role for Fujairah’s tourism economy.