This Week In Business
This Week in Business is Arabian Business’s weekly news podcast on the stories shaping life, work and power across the Gulf. Every Friday morning, Arabian Business reporters discuss the week’s most important news, from billion-dollar deals and government decisions to property, technology, aviation, energy and the changes being felt by businesses and residents across the region. The podcast cuts through the noise to explain what happened, why it matters and what comes next, with sharp analysis and informed debate.
Episodes
This Week in Business: Rockefeller moves into Dubai, Netanyahu’s uncertain future and the business of living to 150
Can money buy you a longer life? Why is the Rockefeller family betting on Dubai? And could Israel's election deadlock have consequences for the wider Gulf?In this week's episode of This Week in Business, Arabian Business Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Head of News Tom Evans unpack the biggest stories shaping the Gulf's business and political landscape, from renewed fears of an escalation in
This Week in Business: Macron's diesel diplomacy, Musk's $5 trillion merger and the growing Houthi threat
French President Emmanuel Macron turns to the Gulf as an energy crisis fuels unrest at home. The UAE makes a bid for one of the world's most powerful diplomatic positions. And Elon Musk considers a $5 trillion merger that could reshape the global technology industry.In this episode of This Week in Business, Arabian Business Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Head of News Tom Evans unpack the big
This Week in Business: Turkey changes its pitch to millionaires and and Hormuz edges towards a breakthrough
The Gulf has spent years trying to diversify beyond oil. But after a year of geopolitical disruption, is diversification itself being redefined?This week, Tala Michel Issa and Tom Evans look at how the GCC is rethinking economic resilience, infrastructure and regional integration, as negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz edge closer to a potential breakthrough.Also on the show: Turkey’s attempt t
This Week in Business: Venezuela next out of OPEC? RAK’s ‘haunted’ palace and Amazon HQ rumours
Could Venezuela follow the UAE out of OPEC? Hosts Tala Michel Issa and Tom Evans unpack that question and the other stories shaping business in the Gulf this week. Arabian Business reporter Rana Tabbara joins them for the aviation story.Venezuela next out of OPEC? Why leaving the group would not suddenly bring more Venezuelan oil to market.What happened to the Hormuz talks? The latest from the UN
This Week in Business: Syria could be the big winner from the Hormuz crisis, here's why
Is Syria about to become one of the biggest economic winners from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz?This week, Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Head of News Tom Evans unpack President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s extraordinary pitch to turn Syria into a $200 billion economy, and why its Mediterranean ports could suddenly matter far beyond the country’s reconstruction.We hear froom Business Reporter
This Week in Business: Lebanon's bid to win back Gulf capital, Selling Sunset comes to Dubai and LIV Golf goes bankrupt
Can Lebanon win back Gulf investment? Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Head of News Tom Evans examine what the country must do to rebuild trust and attract long-term capital.They also discuss how Saudi-backed LIV Golf ended up in Chapter 11 despite billions in funding, why Selling Sunset’s Oppenheim Group is making a multimillion-dollar bet on Dubai and ITP Media Group’s expansion into Asia. P
This Week in Business: LEAP 2026, US-Iran latest and how Gulf money changed European football
In this episode, Tala Michel Issa and Tom Evans unpack a tense week across the Gulf, beginning with the renewed Iran-US exchanges and the risks around the Strait of Hormuz.Tala reports from LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, where sovereign AI, data centres, start-ups and Saudi-built intellectual property dominated the conversation. They also examine Saudi Arabia’s $4bn Adobe partnership, giving more than 27 mi
This Week in Business: Missiles, millionaires who refuse to retire and the $5,000-a-night train
In this week’s episode, Tala Michel Issa is joined by Justin Harper to discuss the UAE’s brief missile alert, the official response and the commercial fallout from disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.They examine how rerouted shipping, delayed payments and force majeure claims are testing contracts agreed before the conflict, alongside record activity at the DIFC Courts. They also look at Saudi
This Week in Business: Cold War 2.0, Assad's death sentence and the psychics profiting from war
Is the Strait of Hormuz becoming the frontline of Cold War 2.0?This week, Arabian Business Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Head of News Tom Evans examine the proxy battles, new alliances and economic risks emerging around one of the world’s most important trade routes.They also unpack Bashar al-Assad’s death sentence in absentia and what the landmark verdict means for Syria as Gulf investors
This Week in Business: Hormuz breakthrough, FIFA's crisis and an inside look at Etihad Rail
In this episode, Head of News Tom Evans and Senior Contributor Justin Harper sit down to discuss the biggest developments from August 3 to August 7, 2026.They break down: Iran and Oman's preliminary agreement on a designated shipping channel in the Strait of Hormuz, and the major structural sticking points that remain.FIFA's humiliating U-turn on its secretive $21 billion commercial spin-off propo
This Week in Business: Hormuz, Dubai’s wealth boom and Syria’s next chapter
In this episode, Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Head of News Tom Evans sit down to discuss the biggest developments from July 27 to July 31, 2026.They break down:Oman’s Gulf-backed proposal for managing the Strait of Hormuz, the debate over voluntary shipping fees and Trump’s warning of fresh strikesWhy Dubai is now home to more than 80,000 millionaires, what DIFC’s growth reveals about the
This Week in Business: Bab al-Mandab, Hormuz danger pay and what Burnham’s premiership means for the Gulf
In this episode, Head of News Tom Evans and Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa sit down to discuss the biggest business developments of the week ending July 24, 2026.They break down:- How the Iran conflict expanded across the Gulf, with attacks on civilian infrastructure and a new Houthi threat to Saudi shipping in the Red Sea- Why sailors are being offered as much as 500% more to cross the Strait o
This Week in Business: Hormuz, Trump and the deals defying the Gulf crisis
In this episode, Head of News Tom Evans and Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa sit down to discuss the biggest business developments from July 13 to July 17, 2026.They unpack:* Trump’s Hormuz U-turn, Gulf airspace warnings and the wider cost of regional uncertainty* Why Gulf job openings fell 3%, Qatar was hit hardest and Saudi Arabia continued to grow* The UAE’s global energy and trade ambitions, f
This Week in Business: US-Saudi nuclear deal, Lebanon-Gulf relations and the latest on Hormuz
In this episode, Arabian Business Managing Editor Tala Michel Issa and Senior Contributor Justin Harper break down the biggest stories from across the region this week.This week, Tala and Justin break down:Strait of Hormuz talks as Iran and Oman work on a shipping corridor dealUS officially removes Syria from terrorism listSaudi Arabia-US nuclear deal sent to CongressUAE schools reopen with AI tra
This Week in Business: World economy poised for AI boom, Dubai strengthens China ties, UAE reaches for the stars
Is the global economy heading for an AI-driven boom? And why is Dubai looking to China to help transform its manufacturing and technology sectors?This week, Tom Evans and Rana Tabbara unpack Rana’s exclusive interview with Nouriel Roubini, including his confidence in AI-driven economic growth, his criticism of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and why he believes financial markets can force gove
This Week in Business: Trump accused of treason and Dubai's Michelin guide sparks backlash
What happens when an “America First” ally accuses Donald Trump of betraying American interests? And what does the fallout mean for the Gulf?This week, Tom Evans and Rana Tabbara unpack Tom’s exclusive interview with Tucker Carlson, including his fierce criticism of the Iran war, his account of private Oval Office conversations and his praise for the UAE's leadership.Also on the show: the latest es
