The Gulf is still spending billions on AI. The question is no longer whether the money is coming. It is whether investors are still willing to accept the same risk to earn it. On October 7, Gulf stock markets gave an early warning. Saudi Arabia’s TASI fell 0.5% to 10,542 points, Abu Dhabi’s ADX lost 0.3%, Dubai’s DFM fell 0.2%, and Qatar’s index declined 0.5%. None of these moves is large enough to suggest that investors are suddenly leaving the Gulf, and that is not what is happening. The...

Microsoft is investing over $10 billion in the next generation of digital infrastructure in the Gulf. Over the next ten years (between now and 2030), Microsoft intends to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure throughout the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait. Additionally, Microsoft intends to invest over $400 million in subsea and terrestrial connectivity in the Middle East. While the magnitude of this investment is notable, the strategic approach taken by Microsoft in terms of the...

The Saudi Arabian fintech market is no longer an emerging stage experiment. Recent investments related to Tabby and barq are indicators that the sector is entering a significantly more capital intensive phase where billion dollar valuations are becoming a standard metric for success instead of being an outlier. Tabby is currently valued at approximately $6.5 billion which is nearly $2 billion more than what it was valued at during its secondary sale in October 2025. In addition, barq has...