Markets

Buying gold in Dubai in 2026: how the daily rate is set, 22K vs 24K, the tax-free advantage, the Gold Souk vs malls, and smart tips to avoid overpaying.

A potential SpaceX IPO is generating sustained Gulf sovereign fund attention because Starlink — the world's most commercially advanced satellite internet constellation — represents the connectivity layer that is conspicuously absent from portfolios that already cover AI models, chips, and data centre infrastructure.

Gulf sovereign wealth funds deployed nearly $26 billion across global assets in March to May 2026 — treating regional volatility as a buying opportunity rather than a deterrent. AD Ports Group's AED 3 billion acquisition of Brazil's CLI port terminal operator anchors the infrastructure theme.

Kuwait Investment Authority crossed $1.072 trillion in assets under management as of May 2026 — one of just five global sovereign funds to break the trillion-dollar barrier — and deployed its first major act of that scale into the Microsoft and BlackRock-backed $30 billion AI Infrastructure Partnership.

Gulf equity markets posted broad gains on June 10, 2026, with Saudi Arabia's Tadawul rising 1.3% to 11,115 on USD 2 billion in turnover, Dubai DFM gaining 0.9%, Abu Dhabi ADX up 0.8%, and Qatar's QE Index surging 1.9% as ACWA Power climbed 7.7%.

UAE crypto regulation in 2026 under VARA is the most developed in the GCC, with stablecoin adoption accelerating across the banking system, MGX's $2 billion Binance investment cementing Abu Dhabi's digital asset ambitions, and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain building competing frameworks.

GCC stock markets in 2026 present a tale of sharp divergence: Dubai's DFM rose 17.2 per cent in 2025 and Abu Dhabi's ADX gained 6 per cent, while Saudi Arabia's Tadawul fell 13 per cent — its worst annual performance in a decade — creating contrasting opportunities for investors across the region.

Gold has pulled back from its recent high of $1,919 per ounce, trading closer to $1,859 as geopolitical premium fades, while COMEX copper futures reached a record $6.7160 per pound in May 2026 — a divergence in commodity markets that carries specific implications for Gulf investors.

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has successfully priced a USD 15 billion green bond issuance across 5-year, 10-year, and 30-year tranches, the largest...

The question of GCC monetary union has been debated by economists and policymakers for decades without resolution. Yet the underlying logic, combining dollar-pegged currencies...

Saudi Arabia's Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) programme, the Digital Saudi Riyal, has expanded its domestic pilot from 6 to 20 participating banks, with...

The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), established in 1953, holds the distinction of being the world's oldest sovereign wealth fund, predating most modern institutional investment...