Section
The financiers, economists and capital allocators shaping the Gulf economy.
15 published profiles
“A tax regime is a country explaining, in the least ambiguous language it has, what it wants more of.”
Managing Partner — Adel & Reyes Tax Advisory
Yusuf Mansour Adel is managing partner of Adel & Reyes Tax Advisory, a Dubai practice he co-founded in 2019 in anticipat…
“A bank earns its licence twice: once from the regulator, and every morning after that from the customer.”
Group Chief Executive — Meridian Gulf Bank
Rania Al-Mabrouk has spent the better part of two decades inside the machinery of Gulf retail banking, and she talks abo…
“Conviction is cheap in a rising market. The portfolio you are willing to defend in a bad year is the only one…”
Chief Investment Officer — Falcon Ridge Capital Partners
Leila Nasser-Fahim runs investment strategy at Falcon Ridge Capital Partners, a Dubai-based growth equity firm managing…
“In Dubai I see a city that has mastered the art of making.”
Banking Pioneer. Digital Transformer. Trailblazer. — State Bank of India
the impossible routine. That is the highest ambition in . ." business." Arundhati Bhattacharya is a trailblazer in India…
“I have invested across continents, but the UAE clarity of.”
Titan of Telecom. Investment Pioneer. Builder of Nations. — America Movil
vision and execution is unmatched anywhere in the world." ." Carlos Slim Helu is Latin America's most celebrated busines…
“Africa future will not be built by aid. It will be built by investment, trade, and institutions. The UAE model…”
Global Economist. Author. Challenger of Development Orthodoxy. — Dead Aid
Dambisa Moyo is one of the most influential economists and commentators on global affairs of her generation. Born in Lus…
“The UAE has created formal systems of ownership and.”
Economist. Author. Champion of the Poor's Right to Prosper. — The Mystery of Capital
enterprise that turn every citizen into a potential . ." capitalist. That is the true secret of its prosperity." Hernand…
“Dubai has built the infrastructure of trust that global.”
Banking Most Influential Voice. Strategist. Statesman. — JPMorgan Chase
finance requires. It is genuinely one of the world great . ." financial cities." Jamie Dimon is the longest-serving CEO…
“The UAE has invested more per capita in sustainable.”
Architect of the SDGs. Development Economist. Poverty Fighter. — SDGs Architect
development than any comparable nation. This is not . . charity. This is strategic civilisational leadership." ." Jeffre…
“The UAE fiscal discipline and economic diversification is a.”
Global Finance Leader. Reformer. Voice of Economic Stability. — ECB President
model that many sovereign nations would do well to ." study." Christine Lagarde is one of the most powerful figures in g…
“The UAE proves that the state can be entrepreneurial. It takes risks, it invests in the future, and it shapes…”
Economist. Author. Champion of Mission-Oriented Public Investment. — The Entrepreneurial State
Mariana Mazzucato is one of the most influential economists in the world of innovation and public policy. Born in Rome…
“Poverty is not the natural condition of humanity it is a failure of institutions. The UAE has chosen to build.”
Nobel Laureate. Father of Microfinance. Architect of Social Business. — Grameen Bank
institutions that succeed." Muhammad Yunus is the father of microfinance and the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2…
“The UAE has built systems that are antifragile that gain from disorder. This is not luck. It is the highest fo…”
Philosopher of Uncertainty. Author. Risk Theorist. — The Black Swan
institutional intelligence." Nassim Nicholas Taleb is one of the most original intellectual voices of the 21st century…
“The UAE has shown that geography is not destiny. A nation reach is determined by the boldness of its vision.”
Trade Champion. Economist. Voice of the Global South. — WTO Director-General
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is one of the most formidable figures in global economic governance. Born in Delta State, Nigeria in…
“Development is about expanding human freedoms, not.”
Nobel Laureate. Philosopher of Freedom. Architect of Human Development. — Nobel Economics
merely increasing GDP. The UAE has grasped this . distinction more fully than most nations." ." Amartya Sen is one of th…
Two years in, the practical effect of UAE corporate tax has been less about rates than about record-keeping, and the gap between groups that prepared and groups that did not is now visible.
25 July 2026
Non-bank lenders now underwrite deals that would have stalled two years ago. The risk is priced, not hidden.
24 July 2026
Several UAE issuers are preparing without press. Bankers describe an unusually disciplined window.
14 July 2026
