Red Sea Global, the Saudi developer behind regenerative tourism destinations Amaala and The Red Sea, has joined hands with Bunat Ventures (Bunat VC) to launch an investment fund - a first of its kind in the kingdom - dedicated exclusively to empowering startups specialised in artificial-intelligence (AI) technologies.
The Dubai Land Department is set to host PropTech Connect Middle East 2026, the first regional edition of the real estate technology event, in February. It is expected to attract more than 3,000 participants from across the globe and over 1,500 companies across the real estate ecosystem.
Dubai will host global energy leaders this January as the IPTC Summit on AI for the Energy Industry takes place on January 13–14, 2026 at the Conrad Hotel, bringing together decision-makers, technologists, and domain experts to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping upstream operations and the broader energy value chain.
Tarabut, the largest regulated open banking platform in the Mena region, has announced the acquisition of Servable, a Bahrain-founded full-stack AI engineering company purpose-built for regulated industries. The move is aimed at building the region’s most advanced regulated financial infrastructure.
Wingie, a travel marketplace in Mena, has identified the key travel trends for 2026. While classic vacations remain popular, there's a shift towards experience-driven trips, AI-powered planning, and regional travel. Wingie predicts that in 2026, traditional holidays will continue, but alternatives will gain prominence, with social media influencing destination discovery.
The UAE continues to consolidate its advanced model for building smart cities, underpinned by wide-ranging strategic investments, most notably in data centres, which form the operational backbone of smart urban systems and knowledge-based digital economy, said an industry expert.
After years of bold ambition and heavy investment, artificial intelligence adoption in both Saudi Arabia and UAE is entering a more performance-driven phase amid reports that AI could contribute $135 billion to the kingdom’s economy and $96 billion to the emirates' economy by 2030, said an expert.
HUMAIN, a Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) Company, and the National Infrastructure Fund (Infra) have announced a Strategic Financing Framework Agreement of up to $1.2 billion to support the expansion of AI and digital infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia.
A tsunami is hitting the labour market as AI is quickly reshaping economies; while some roles grow, others will disappear, warned Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Economy and Planning has announced plans to launch an AI-enabled matchmaking partnership network, SUSTAIN, mainly designed to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and accelerate the delivery of sustainable development initiatives in the kingdom.
