Gulf leaders count takeaways from Trump trip at Qatar summit

After committing more than $2.7 trillion in U.S. investments over the next decade while President Donald Trump toured the region last week, Gulf financial leaders are starting to connect the dots on what that will mean for their economies.

Analysis of the Trump trip was center stage today at the Qatar Economic Forum, where cabinet ministers and investors dissected last week’s events in Doha, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi – from U.S. tariffs and gas prices to Qatari airplanes.

Qatar Investment Authority CEO Mohammed Al Sowaidi, said the sovereign wealth fund expects to at least double its spending in the U.S. compared to the past five or six years.

“We believe in the growth and robustness of the U.S. system,” Al Sowaidi said during the first day of the three-day conference.

The QIA chief said last week that Qatar would invest an additional $500 billion in the U.S. over the next 10 years, focusing on artificial intelligence, data centers and health care, according to Bloomberg, the chief media partner for the conference which was underwritten by the Qatari government.

Earlier, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani defended the government’s decision to give the U.S. a Boeing 747 jumbo jet to replace the 40-year-old Air Force One aircraft that has been the subject of Trump’s complaints.

“I don’t know why people consider it as bribery or Qatar trying to buy influence with this administration,” he told the forum, calling it a routine transaction between nations. “We need to overcome this stereotype.”

BlackRock joins Abu Dhabi’s IHC in $1 billion reinsurance venture

Wall Street titan BlackRock is teaming up with Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Co. to create a $1 billion reinsurance firm with its foundations in AI.

The venture announced Thursday is one of a cavalcade of deals that are being cooked up amid Trump’s tour of the Gulf next week, which will take him to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, followed by Qatar and the UAE.

BlackRock, the world’s largest alternative investment firm, and Abu Dhabi asset manager Lunate will join as minority partners, according to a statement issued by IHC.

The new company will be chaired by Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of ADNOC. Mark Wilson, the former chief executive of Aviva and AIA Group, will serve as CEO.

Lunate, which was founded two years ago and manages $110 billion, will provide expertise in private and public markets to the reinsurance company, which will operate from the capital city’s free zone financial center, ADGM.

Also in the run-up to the Trump visit, the U.S. is developing a fast-track process for screening foreign investments, which could smooth the process for sovereign wealth funds such as the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the UAE’s Mubadala, and the Qatar Investment Authority to sign contracts next week, Bloomberg reports.

Abu Dhabi’s ADIA joins sovereign wealth’s $1 trillion club

As 2024 careens to its close – with financial markets jumping even as geopolitical conflicts multiply – Gulf sovereign wealth funds continue to pile up assets.

Leading the way has been ADIA, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which entered the elite $1 trillion club this year with assets reaching $1.06 trillion – trailing only Norway and China – the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute reports.

Among regional neighbors close to joining the club, the Kuwait Investment Authority holds $980 billion in assets and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has about $950 billion. The Qatar Investment Authority stands at $530 billion, according to the SWF ranking.

In Abu Dhabi, a regional center for investing sovereign wealth, Mubadala trails ADIA with $330 billion, followed by ADQ with $250 billion.

Saudi Arabia seals acquisition of 15% stake in London’s Heathrow

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund concluded its yearlong quest to buy a chunk of London’s Heathrow Airport, joining an ownership group that includes the sovereign wealth funds of Qatar and Singapore.

The PIF will own a 15% stake in FGP TopCo, the holding company that controls Europe’s busiest airport, after the deal was finalized on Thursday. The Saudi fund bought into Heathrow at the same time that Paris-based private equity firm Ardian acquired a 22.6% stake in the airport, which has a market value of about 8.7 billion pounds, or  $11 billion.

“Heathrow acts as a crucial gateway to the world, and we look forward to supporting Heathrow’s management in its efforts to secure the sustainable growth of the airport and to continue to maintain its position as a global aviation hub,” Turqi Al-Nowaiser, PIF Deputy Governor and Head of International Investments, said in a statement.

The Saudi fund, which manages some $930 billion in assets, has acquired a range of holdings in the U.K. that includes the Newcastle United football club and large stakes in Selfridges department store and the Rocco Forte luxury hotel group.

Among Heathrow’s owners are the Qatar Investment Authority, which holds a 20% interest, Singapore’s GIC sovereign fund and the Australian Retirement Trust.

The Weekly Circuit: NEOM’s management shakeup + MBZ in Baku for COP29

👋 Hello from the Middle East!

In the Weekly Circuit today, we’re looking at the UAE leaders who traveled to Azerbaijan for COP29, the Qatar Investment Authority new chief executive, Mubadala’s credit partnership with Apollo Asset Management and ADQ’s acquisition of stakes in three Egyptian oil companies. But first, NEOM’s longtime CEO is out the door.

Saudi Arabia’s banner NEOM project is getting a management shake-up. The Public Investment Fund-owned company running the kingdom’s $500 billion development along the Red Sea coast announced the departure on Tuesday of CEO Nadhmi al-Nasr.

The move follows months of reports on rising costs and delays for the megaproject, which aims to build a 110-mile linear city called The Line for 9 million people and has been a centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 blueprint for modernizing the Saudi economy.

Aiman al-Mudaifer, the head of PIF’s Local Real Estate Division since 2018, was named as NEOM’s acting CEO. “As NEOM enters a new phase of delivery, this new leadership will ensure operational continuity, agility and efficiency to match the overall vision and objectives of the project,” the company said in a statement.

A year after the UAE hosted the United Nations’ annual environmental summit in Dubai,the torch passed this week to Azerbaijan as officials and activists from 197 nations converged on the capital city of Baku for the two-week event known as COP29.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, who attended a special COP29 session for world leaders on Tuesday, said his country will maintain a leadership role in the global transition to sustainable fuel resources.

Noting that COP28 introduced the first “Global Stocktake” assessing progress in achieving the environmental goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, Sheikh Mohamed said joint steps to pursue environmental goals should not be seen as a burden.

“Continued constructive international collaboration on climate action can pave the way for a new era of sustainable economic and social growth that benefits all nations,” the UAE leader said in a statement.

Among the speakers at COP29’s opening event on Mondaywas Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, who was President of COP28. He is also CEO of Abu Dhabi-based national energy company ADNOC and the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology.

“I urge you all to prove once again that we can unite, act and deliver,” Al Jaber said. “Let positivity prevail and let it power the process.”

Welcome to The Weekly Circuit. Read on for the stories, deals and players at the top of the news across the MENA business landscape. Please send comments and story tips to [email protected].

CIRCUIT INTERVIEW

UAE’s Falcon Mamba breaks new ground in artificial intelligence

At a time when Microsoft is investing $1.5 billion with the UAE’s G42 artificial intelligence firm and Nvidia is consulting on new computer chip development, the Gulf state is turning into a regional research hub for commercial applications of AI technology, The Circuit’s Omnia Al Desoukie reports.

Leading much of the UAE’s international collaboration is Dr. Hakim Hacid, Chief Researcher at the Technology Innovation Institute’s Artificial Intelligence and Digital Science Research Center. It was in his lab, part of Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Center, that scientists developed Falcon Mamba, a new platform for AI architecture that can process massive amounts of data and was launched in August.

In an interview with The Circuit, Dr. Hacid describes Falcon Mamba’s ability to handle enormous  files without overloading memory capacity. He also explains how the government-owned research center decides where to devote its resources.

Click here to read the full interview.

Share

📷 Photo of the Week

The Weekly Circuit: PIF grows larger and choosier + Qatar fund swells

👋 Hello from the Middle East!

This week we’re looking at the new radar imaging satellite launched into orbit by the UAE, Saudi Arabia’s $1 trillion budget for capital expenditures, a 23% jump in the Qatar Investment Authority’s assets under management and the Dubai court ruling that employees can be paid in cryptocurrency. But first, the Saudi PIF is growing larger and choosier.

Amid indications that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is tightening its belt, the sovereign wealth fund’s coffers grew at a higher rate last year than in 2022.

The PIF, which bankrolls a wide range of the kingdom’s investments including Neom, Riyadh Airlines and LIV Golf, reports that assets under management increased to $765 billion at the end of 2023, a growth rate of 8.7% compared to 8% in the previous year.

Reviewing the fund’s performance in its annual report released on Monday, Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan said the PIF “has continued to deliver on its mandate as the driving force of Saudi Arabia’s sustainable economic transformation and diversification.”

After years in which the fund became a go-to source for bankers, venture capitalists and dealmakers pitching investments around the world, the PIF is narrowing its focus to concentrate on priorities closer to home, the Financial Times reports.

With oil prices slumping, Saudi officials are applying more conditions when dispensing cash, often demanding the hiring of local employees and investment in domestic companies and projects, the newspaper said.

Welcome to The Weekly Circuit. Read on for the stories, deals and players at the top of the news across the MENA business landscape. Please send comments and story tips to [email protected].

LOW ORBIT

UAE launches radar imaging satellite into lower earth orbit

The UAE launched a satellite into lower earth orbit on Friday in the first step of a three-year program to develop a string of radar imaging devices in space to monitor conditions below, The Circuit reports.

Take Off: The Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California by UAE companies Yahsat and Bayanat.

Launch Pad: The two companies are in the process of merging to create a $4.1 billion AI-powered space technology business called Space42 – possibly creating one of the most valuable publicly listed space companies.

Click here to read the full story.

Share

SUPER-CYCLE

Saudi $1 trillion in capital spending aims to shift economy

Saudi Arabia is headed into what Goldman Sachs terms a “capex super-cycle” as it plows more than $1 trillion into the economy and aims to strengthen industries outside the oil and gas sector, The Circuit’s Jonathan Ferziger reports.

Oil Out: In an analysis of the kingdom’s projected capital expenditures for the next five years, the New York-based investment bank expects about 73% to be spent on non-oil industries, up from its previous estimate of 66%.

Renewables In: Clean energy should get $235 billion in funding, up from a previous forecast of $148 billion, with the increase driven mainly by renewables as Saudi Arabia more than doubles its 2030 capacity target, Goldman Sachs said.

Click here to read the full story.

Share

💲 Sovereign Circuit

Public Investment Fund: The PIF is in exploratory talks to line up Boeing and Airbus freighters for a new cargo airline, as it looks to turn the kingdom into a logistics hub to rival Dubai and Doha, Bloomberg reports. Saudi healthcare startup Athir raised an undisclosed amount from Wa’ed Ventures, the VC unit of PIF-backed national oil company Aramco. And, the PIF-owned Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co., known as SALIC, has agreed to sell its 40% stake in Alasmak, the Saudi Fisheries Co., to businessman Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Humaid for about $33 million.

Mubadala: The Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund has invested in London-based hyperscale data center developer Yondr Group, its third major data center investment in three years, via a fund managed by Apollo. Meanwhile, Egypt’s electric company signed an agreement with a group led by the Mubadala-backed Masdar sustainable energy company in the UAE and its Africa unit Infinity Power to build a 200-megawatt wind power plant in the Gulf of Suez.

Mumtalakat: The Bahraini sovereign wealth fund appointed a new board of directors for Gulf Air Group, which runs the country’s national airline and airports, naming Khalid Hussain Taqi as chairman.

ADQ: The Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund is collaborating with Ne’ma, the UAE’s National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, to support its work across the UAE.

Qatar Investment Authority: The Qatari sovereign wealth fund’s assets under management increased 22.6% since the beginning of 2024 to $526 billion.

↪↩ Closing Circuit

🛢️ Oil Ships: Bahri, Saudi Arabia’s biggest oil shipping company, signed a $1 billion agreement to buy nine supertankers from Piraeus, Greece-based Capital Maritime and Trading Corp.

👃 Scent of Success: Saudi perfume manufacturer Al Majed for Oud Co. plans to launch an IPO on the kingdom’s Tadawul stock market, releasing 30% of its issued share capital for sale to investors.

💰 Hedge Launch: Dubai-based Magellan Capital Holdings plans to open a $700 million hedge fund next month with seed capital from the family wealth of Hassan El Ali, who founded Zakher Marine International and sold it to a unit of Adnoc two years ago, Bloomberg reports. 

☀️ Solar Storage: China’s Huawei Technologies Co. is working with Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Global to build the world’s largest solar energy storage microgrid, which will power some 50 hotels and more than 1,000 residential properties under construction on the kingdom’s western coast.

🩺 Heart Startup: Johnson & Johnson signed an agreement to buy Israeli cardiology startup V-Wave for $600 million upfront and as much as $1.1 billion in additional payments based on commercial milestones.

🗣 Circuit Chatter

🇶🇦 Growth Path: Qatar is on track to double the size of its economy by 2031, drawing on its natural gas reserves to export LNG while trying to diversify its economy to build non-fossil fuel industries, according to research published by Standard Chartered.

🦅 Fancier Bird: A peregrine falcon chick from American breeder Pacific Northwest Falcons broke sales records at the 2024 International Falcon Breeders Auction in Saudi Arabia, selling for $106,601.

✈️ Delayed Delivery: Flydubai canceled new routes to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia planned to start in October because of delays in the expected delivery of new Boeing jets and other logistics problems.

🐩 Pet Set: Pet owners can take their furry companions on a luxury private charter flight aboard a Gulfstream GV, complete with treats and areas to relieve themselves in the air, The National reports.

₿ Crypto Paycheck: A Dubai Court ruled that companies can pay employee salaries in cryptocurrency as long as the terms of the contract are clearly spelled out.

🌍 Power Circuit

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is the subject of a two-part BBC documentary that traces his path to becoming heir to the throne and explores how he has managed to overcome international condemnation and amass power. The program also reports that Saudi Arabia is planning to build a version of the Louvre museum in Riyadh – patterned after the branch in Abu Dhabi – as a magnet for global tourism.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia chaired a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday for the first time since issuing a royal decree on Aug. 8 that allows the Cabinet to convene in his absence, or that of Crown Prince Mohammed.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed visited Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Prime Minister of Afghanistan, who is currently receiving treatment in a hospital in the UAE. 

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, held a phone call with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to discuss trade, investment and the Middle East conflict.

Zaki Nusseibeh, Cultural Adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University, signed the transport fund for the satellite “ALainSat-1,” the university’s first satellite project, on Monday.

➿ On the Circuit

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund; Laurence Fink, CEO of BlackRock; Stephen Schwarzman, Chairman and CEO of The Blackstone Group; Hani Enaya, Chief Investment Officer of Sanabil Investments; Anne Walsh, Managing Partner and CIO of Guggenheim Partners; Marc Rowan, Co-Founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management; Josh Harris, Founder of 26North;  Nir Bar Dea, CEO of Bridgewater Associates; David Solomon, CEO of Goldman Sachs; Harvey Schwartz, Chairman of The Carlyle Group and Jenny Johnson, President and CEO of Franklin Templeton, will be among the speakers at Saudi Arabia’s annual Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, which starts Oct. 29.

Ryan Breslow, founder of $11 billion e-commerce software startup Bolt, is reportedly returning as CEO after stepping down two years ago and bringing with him $450 million in new investment from firms in the UAE and the U.K., according to The Information.

Mohammad Shawkat Odeh, director of Abu Dhabi’s International Astronomical Centre, discovered a giant asteroid at least six times bigger than the Burj Khalifa.

Hassan Abdalla, head of the Central Bank of Egypt, had his term extended for another year in a step aimed at showing the country’s commitment to monetary reform after its devastating economic crisis.

🎶 Culture Circuit

📚 Literary Revival: A new generation of writers are enlivening Saudi Arabia’s literary scene, spurred on by well-funded competitions and other government initiatives. “This newfound openness to knowledge and literature … has enabled young people to make significant leaps in literary production,” Ibraheem Al-Sinan, head of editorial at Raff Publishing, tells Arab News.

📽️ Movie Magic: Four Arab films were awarded prizes in Switzerland’s Locarno Film Festival over the weekend. Titles from Tunisia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine were included in the line-up at the festival, which is in its 77th year. Among those to be recognised was French filmmaker Sylvie Ballyot’s “Green Line,” which follows a woman growing up during the Lebanese Civil War in the 1980s.

🎤 Center Stage: Bahrain’s Dar Disku and Palestinian-Chilean singer Elyanna are leading Arabic pop’s breakout moment on the western music scene, the Financial Times reports. Far from being confined to the world music genre, as they may have been in the past, Arabic-language artists are gracing the stage at Coachella and climbing Billboard’s dance charts. Spotify scouts are even trying to unearth “the next Despacito” in Arabic, one music insider told the FT.

📷 Photo of the Week

🗓️ Ahead on The Circuit

Aug. 24-25, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. New Global Sports Conference. Uniting top players to showcase how esports can create new global opportunities. Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh.

Aug. 31-Sept. 8, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX). The premier event for hunting, falconry and equestrian enthusiasts in the Middle East. ADNEC.

Sept. 1-7, Dubai, UAE. Dubai Fashion Week. Promoting Dubai’s creativity and fashion businesses to a worldwide audience. Dubai Design District.

Sept. 10-11, Dubai, UAE: Global Vertical Farming Show 2024. Annual event brings together investors, growers, and executives in the vertical farming industry from around the world. Le Méridien Dubai Hotel & Conference Centre. 

Sept. 11-12, Dubai, UAE: Dubai AI & Web3 Festival. Bringing together the brightest minds to explore and expand the commercial possibilities of AI and Web3 technologies. Madinat Jumeirah.

Sept. 12, Dubai, UAE: U.S.-U.A.E. Space Relationship. U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosts luncheon featuring astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, Minister of Youth; Salem Al Marri, Director General of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre; and U.S. Ambassador Martina Strong. Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC.

Sept. 15-19: Abu Dhabi. Loop Beyond Borders. Luxury travel fair brings together hotel owners, tour operators, travel agents and government officials. Saadiyat Rotana Resort & Villas and Anantara Qasr Al Sarab.

Sept. 24-25, Dubai, UAE: ACT Middle East Treasurers Summit. Corporate treasurers and financial professionals from across the region gather for policy discussions on issues ranging from cash management to sustainability. Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Sep. 30-Oct. 2, Dubai, UAE: Future Hospitality Summit. The global conference for leaders in the hospitality industry expands this year at a new location with dedicated space for ESG planning, country pavilions and a larger exhibition area. Madinat Jumeirah.  

The Daily Circuit: Trevor Noah headlines Hub71 + Qatar invests $1B

👋 Hello from the Middle East!

Today in The Daily Circuit, we’re looking at rising import prices for Red Sea cargo, the Qatar Investment Authority’s new $1 billion fund of funds, a jolt to the Egyptian bond market and the new AI bot attending Board meetings at Abu Dhabi’s IHC. But first, Hub71 brings the A-List to the UAE.

It wasn’t until this morning that Hub71, the bustling startup accelerator in Abu Dhabi, staged a celebrity reveal for its showcase Impact event. Splashing the news on social media, Hub71 announced that comedian Trevor Noah would appear onstage fresh from his appearance at Web Summit in Qatar on Monday. The annual Hub71 conference highlights emerging tech companies in the UAE ecosystem and provides opportunities for startup leaders to rub shoulders with investors.

Besides Noah and Idris Elba, the British actor, DJ and investor who was interviewed onstage by The Circuit’s Kelsey Warner, speakers at the two-day conference included Badr Al-Olama, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office; Ahmad Ali Alwan, CEO of Hub71; Eddy Farhat, Executive Director of e& Capital, and Nadine Mezher, Co-founder of the Sarwa investment platform.

Joe Kawkabani, CEO of OSN Group and Elie Habib, Co-founder of Anghami, also spoke to Warner onstage, the first public appearance for the media executives since announcing their merger in November.

More investors, corporate executives and government leaders will appear on Wednesday at the UAE’s Investopia conference on Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island. Among the keynotes will be UAE Minister of the Economy Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak; Anthony Scaramucci, Founder and Managing Partner of SkyBridge and Eric Cantor, the former U.S. House Majority Leader and Vice Chairman of Moelis.

⛏️ Gold Rush: Saudi mining company Ma’aden plans to increase gold exploration after CEO Bob Wilt said a find in the Mecca region could set off “the world’s next gold rush.”

⚓ Sustainable Ports: UAE-based DP World and Masdar renewable energy company agreed to set up solar and energy storage systems in the region’s seaports, starting with Saudi Arabia, Senegal, and Egypt.

👟 Just Doing It: Adidas plans to open 100 stores in Saudi Arabia by next year and sign commercial partnerships with the Saudi Arabia Football Federation and Saudi Pro League.

🚗 Parking Lots: The Dubai government will sell a 25% stake in Parkin, the company set up to manage municipal parking operations in an IPO planned for March 21.

🩺 Hospital Bonds: Middle East Healthcare Co., which runs Saudi Arabia’s German Hospital, concluded its $267 million offering of Islamic sukuk bonds that will be traded on the Tadawul Exchange in Riyadh.

💰 Venture Platform: Dubai’s Cotu Ventures said it will launch a $54 million fund to invest in early stage startups across the Middle East and North Africa. Cotu’s limited partners include Mubadala, Lunate, the Dubai Future District Fund and Arab Bank.

💼 Personnel Management: Workday, which helps companies manage human resources functions, announced its intent to acquire Israeli HR startup HiredScore for an undisclosed price.

🐙 Octopus Target: Codefresh, an Israeli-U.S. software integration startup, was acquired by Australia’s Octopus Deploy for a reported $40-$50 million, Calcalist reports.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani begins a state visit in Paris today with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, the UAE Finance Minister and First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, hailed the importance of training young government officials for future senior posts in an address to mark the completion by 10 ministry officials of the “Second-Line Leaders Edge Program,” designed by the University of Arizona’s Eller Executive Education Center.

➿ On the Circuit

WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told trade ministers meeting in Abu Dhabi on Monday that global trade is unlikely to reach the organization’s 3.3% growth forecast because of  geopolitical tensions.

James Humfrey was appointed by Xlinks as CEO of the $25 billion Morocco-UK Power Project, which is building an undersea cable to bring solar and wind-generated electricity to Britain’s power grid.

🎶 Culture Circuit

😂 Just for Laughs: Aziz Ansari and Tom Segura will headline the inaugural Abu Dhabi Comedy Week, to be held from May 18-26 at Etihad Arena. Tickets go on sale on Thursday.

📷 Photo of the day

📅 Circuit Calendar

Feb. 25-27, AlUla, Saudi Arabia: AlUla Future Culture Summit. Conference on art and culture in Saudi Arabia. Daimuma Cultural Oasis.

Feb. 26-27, Abu Dhabi UAE: Hub71 Impact. Founders, investors and government discuss the impact of the UAE startup ecosystem. Abu Dhabi Global Market North Pavilion.

Feb. 26-29, Doha, Qatar: Web Summit Qatar. A Middle East edition of the technology crowd mega-event, gathering investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders. Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. 

Feb. 28-29, Abu Dhabi, UAE: Investopia. A gathering of investors hosted by SALT and Investopia, an investment platform launched by the UAE Ministry of Economy and backed by Mubadala and the Department of Economic Development. St. Regis Saadiyat. 

Feb. 29-March 2, Sakhir, Bahrain: Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Bahrain International Circuit. 

March 1, Abu Dhabi, UAE: Abu Dhabi Family Office Summit. One of the largest meetings in the region for family office leaders and investors. Saadiyat Rotana.  

March 4-7, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: LEAP. A global technology conference for developers, startups, investors, C-suite and media. King Abdul Aziz International Conference Center.

March 5-6, Doha, Qatar: International LNG Forum. Gathering of industry leaders and key stakeholders to discuss the future of gas in a key export market. InterContinental Doha Beach.

March 5-6, Jerusalem, Israel. Life Science & Health-Tech Week in Israel. Healthtech company executives, investors, and government leaders join the annual conference. International Conference Center.

March 7, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Bloomberg Power Players Jeddah. Investor conference focusing on the impact of money on professional sports. Jeddah Yacht Club.March 7-9, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Formula 1 STC Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit.