This Week In Business

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 to turn passport buyers into long-term residents and investors, why global founders are increasingly looking to Abu Dhabi, and Arabian Business reporter Rana Tabbara takes us aboard the first Etihad Rail journey between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.Plus, what the Gulf’s next phase of growth could look like when the question is no longer simply whether an investment makes money, but whether it can survive the next shock.

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 General Assembly, new US aviation sanctions and rising Saudi-Houthi tensions.Would you buy RAK’s ‘haunted’ palace? Tala investigates the 35-room property for sale near Wynn Al Marjan Island.Is Amazon leaving the UAE? The company responds to claims that it is moving its regional operations.Why are airlines still buying planes? Rana reports from an Airbus event and shares what its regional boss told her about fleet expansion during the conflict.Plus, The Briefing returns on November 25 in Abu Dhabi, and nominations for the Arabian Business Industry Awards are open until September 28.Read the stories at ArabianBusiness.com. New episodes every Friday.

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 Rana Tabbara about how Dubai's tourism comeback after months of regional disruption. At ATM, airlines and hotels reveal what actually kept the industry moving. The US Federal Reserve’s latest rate hike spells more expensive mortgages, loans and borrowing across the Gulf.And because that wasn’t quite enough for one episode: Singapore has found a new way to stop people doomscrolling. It involves books, virtual coins and an extremely long wait for a cup of coffee.This is This Week in Business, your weekly guide to what happened, why it matters and what to watch next.

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. Plus, the week’s biggest developments in the Strait of Hormuz.Nominations are now open for the Arabian Business Industry Awards 2026, with 28 categories spanning technology, real estate, finance and enterprise. Entry is free. Submit your nomination at ArabianBusiness.com before September 25.

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 million people access to premium AI tools.Tala and Tom then discuss The Away Game, Arabian Business’ September cover story on how Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have turned football investments into global businesses and city-building projects. They also round up the UAE’s corporate tax deadline, Qatar’s surge in foreign-owned companies, Thailand’s visa changes, Careem’s rival-order cashback and Dubai’s growing billionaire population.New episodes every Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.