Driving Regional Trade Forward: DHL Express and Octopios Partner to Empower MENA SMEs with Seamless Cross-Border Logistics
By leveraging DHL's presence in over 220 countries, Octopios users now have a launchpad for sustainable global expansion. The collaboration is a major step toward strengthening MENA's position as a competitive player in the global digital economy.
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Al Bawaba
34 minutes ago
- Al Bawaba
eToro survey: 85% of UAE retail investors back local stocks
A whopping 85% of UAE-based retail investors are currently invested in local stocks, and many are buying even more in response to global trade tensions, based on the latest edition of the UAE Retail Investor Beat by trading and investing platform eToro. Strong belief in the UAE economy and marketsThe study, which surveyed 1,000 retail investors across the United Arab Emirates, revealed that UAE-based investors are strong supporters of their local market. 85% are currently invested in locally listed equities, with 39% of respondents holding Abu Dhabi stocks, 28% holding Dubai stocks, and 18% holding both. These investments reflect their confidence in the UAE economy. 63% of investors stated they are 'very confident' in its current performance, and a further 29% indicated they are 'somewhat confident'. When it comes to the long-term performance of locally listed stocks, 59% expressed that they are 'very confident', with a further 32% who are 'somewhat confident'. Looking ahead, 48% of investors forecast significant gains in the UAE stock market over the next 12 months, while 34% expect steady growth. This conviction is also evident in investors' long-term expectations. 58% believe that the Middle East will deliver the most substantial returns over the next five years, followed closely by the U.S. (50%). When asked which UAE sectors evoke the most optimism for investments over the next 12 months, real estate topped the list at 55%, followed by technology (48%), financial services (37%), and energy (37%).Commenting on the findings, George Naddaf, Managing Director at eToro MENA, shared: 'The DFM and ADX are among the best-performing stock exchanges in the world this year, outperforming the S&P 500 by a considerable margin. Against this backdrop, our research confirms that investor confidence in the UAE market remains strong, supported by resilient performance across local indices, solid macroeconomic indicators, and sustained earnings across key sectors. Investors are favouring real estate, technology, financial services, and energy, as these sectors continue to benefit from government-backed initiatives. The fact that 85% are already invested in UAE equities reflects a clear preference for local opportunities in the current environment.'Global tensions drive home bias and commodity interestDespite strong confidence in their local market, geopolitical risk is firmly on the minds of investors: 90% say tariffs and trade wars will significantly impact their portfolios in the next six months, and 89% have already adjusted or plan to adjust their investments in response. While the most common way investors are adjusting their portfolios in response to trade tensions is by increasing exposure to UAE equities (53%), a close second is increasing allocations to commodities (51%). This corresponds with respondents choosing gold or precious metals as the most resilient type of asset in a volatile trade environment (49%). Crypto (45%) was the second-most popular option, and it is already the most held asset class among UAE investors, currently with 54% Naddaf added: 'With 90% of investors anticipating an impact from tariffs and trade wars, and 89% adjusting their portfolios accordingly, UAE investors show an impressive level of adaptability. Besides local stocks, many are reallocating towards commodities such as gold and oil, which are viewed as reliable hedges against external volatility. This suggests a disciplined, dual-track approach: reinforcing exposure to domestic markets that are shielded from the impact of tariffs, while managing risk through defensive asset classes.' Uncertainty is not deterring investors from continuing to seek opportunities in the market. 65% of UAE retail investors have already increased contributions to their investment portfolios over the previous months, and 76% expect to increase contributions over the next three months.
Al Bawaba
2 hours ago
- Al Bawaba
NBB Appoints Mohamed Al Hammadi as Group Head of Financial Institution & Transaction Banking Sales
The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has announced the appointment of Mohamed Ahmed Al Hammadi as Group Head of Financial Institution & Transaction Banking brings two decades of experience across the Middle East and GCC, with a proven record in leading institutional and corporate banking operations. Prior to joining NBB, he held multiple leadership roles at Citi, including Head of Financial Institution Sales – Middle East, Pakistan, Jordan and Lebanon and Head of Treasury & Trade Solutions for Corporate, Commercial and Public Sector– Bahrain. In these roles, he managed strategic client relationships and large-scale portfolios across financial institutions, public sector entities, and multinational holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Information Systems from the University of Bahrain, and a Master's Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Technology Bahrain. The appointment supports NBB's efforts to expand its market reach, broaden service offerings, and reinforce the Bank's position through strategic business development. © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba ( Signal PressWire is the world's largest independent Middle East PR distribution service.
Wamda
17 hours ago
- Wamda
Professional.me secures $3.1 million seed round led by Raha Beach Ventures
an Abu Dhabi-based HRtech, raised $3.1 million in seed funding led by Raha Beach Ventures, bringing its total to $4.6 million. Founded by Ryan Adams in 2024, the platform replaces résumés with personalised micro-LLMs, trained on data from 167 industries and 1.2 million tasks, designed to enable more inclusive hiring. will use the funding to expand engineering, strengthen partnerships, and scale access across EMEA and beyond. Press release: an AI-powered recruitment platform, has raised $3.1 million in a seed funding round led by Raha Beach Ventures, bringing its total funding to $4.6 million. The company previously raised $1.5 million in a pre-seed round, also led by Raha Beach Ventures. and Raha Beach Ventures were both founded by Ryan Adams. Raha Beach Ventures operates as a startup studio, providing founders with engineers, designers, financial expertise, marketing, networks, and mentoring in exchange for equity ranging from 35% to 50%, depending on support levels. Launched in October 2024, positions itself as an alternative to traditional résumé-based hiring. The platform uses personalised 'micro-LLMs'—custom language models that create detailed professional profiles for both job seekers and employers, trained on data from 167 industries and 1.2 million tasks. Its bias-aware models are designed to support more inclusive hiring practices. 'We're not digitising résumés; we're replacing them,' said Ryan Adams, founder and CEO of 'Each company and professional gets their own micro-LLM that acts as a context-aware advocate, surfacing the best-fit matches automatically and meaningfully.' Since launch, has processed over 300,000 professional profiles, serving clients across Europe, the UK, and the MENA region. The platform claims its AI can reduce resume screening time from two minutes to 15 seconds, integrating with existing applicant tracking systems to deliver 'AI-driven shortlists' and skill matching. Pricing starts with a free tier for up to 100 candidates monthly, with premium rates starting at $0.24 per candidate. With the fresh funding, will expand its engineering team, deepen data and research partnerships, and scale access to employers across EMEA and beyond.
