The UAE, Singapore and New Zealand are leading the launch of a new trade coalition among World Trade Organization members as a counterweight to the Trump administration’s so-called “napkin deals” that have unsettled global trade.

Expected to draw in about 10 countries, including Morocco, Rwanda, Malaysia, and Norway, the Future of Investment and Trade Partnership initiative aims to promote rules-based trade, strengthen confidence in digital commerce, and ensure equal treatment for paper and electronic trade documents.

“The idea, at the start, is to keep it as a loose coalition to bolster trade openness and international trade rules, but it may evolve into something bigger over time. It is a work in progress,” one of the officials involved in discussions told The Financial Times.

The scheme will be formally announced next month, with a virtual launch in November and an in-person gathering planned for July 2026.

Abu Dhabi-based investment manager Lunate plans to capitalize on the rapid expansion of so-called thematic exchange-traded funds with the launch of a new portfolio of ETFs, starting with a fund based on companies developing quantum computing technology.

The Boreas Solactive Quantum Computing UCITS ETF, which tracks the Solactive Developed Quantum Computing Index, will list on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on Sept. 22, The National reports. 

Holdings of 25 companies will include Microsoft, Nvidia and IBM, as well as quantum computing pure-plays Maryland-based IonQ and California-based Rigetti.

The market for thematic ETFs, which focus on selective investment categories ranging from sustainability to cryptocurrency, has doubled over the past five years to reach $562 billion globally. Lunate said its new range of thematic ETFs would “enable investors to tap into the structural megatrends driving tomorrow’s innovation and growth.”

The company, which is backed by Abu Dhabi’s ADQ and Chimera Capital – investment arms tied to Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed – has more than $50 billion under management and has been rapidly expanding its asset base and suite of investment products in recent months.

Last week it announced a $2 billion deal to acquire a minority stake in global hedge fund powerhouse Brevan Howard to anchor a new investment hub in the Gulf, which will be based in the Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District is picking up traction as its gleaming new office towers are increasingly populated by international law firms, investment banks, private equity funds and multinational corporations.

The growing success and new cachet of KAFD contrasts with close to two decades in which the original $10 billion project was filled with near-empty buildings and seen as a glaring failure, the Financial Times reports.

Now, after nearly a decade of false starts, KAFD is finally filling up as Saudi Arabia accelerates efforts to rival Dubai and Abu Dhabi as the Middle East’s financial capital, the FT writes.

The Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, has moved into Riyadh’s tallest tower while corporate giants such as HSBC and Accenture have set up offices.

Many of the new corporate tenants have come because of the law Saudi Arabia enacted that required companies to establish headquarters in the kingdom as a prerequisite for winning government contracts.

These days, cafés have started to line the central pedestrian zone, construction workers are completing skywalks to shield pedestrians from the desert heat, and a diverse crowd of Saudis and expatriates mingle in the once-deserted complex, the FT reports.

Qatar is moving ahead with its pledge to invest $7.5 billion in the Egyptian economy.

The funds are earmarked for sectors from agriculture and real estate to tourism.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani led delegations that met on Thursday in the northern coastal city of New Alamein to accelerate implementation of the investment package and broaden economic ties, The National reports.

“Qatar’s commitment to pump $7.5 billion into the Egyptian economy has been confirmed,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said after the meeting.

“We have… begun this process and outlined specific ventures to be announced in the coming weeks during a grand ceremony that reflects the depth of our relations,” he said.

Investors from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and across the Middle East are in Syria this week for the war-weary country’s first major economic conference since the overthrow of former President Bashar Assad.

The new Syrian leader, President Ahmad al-Sharaa, opened the 62nd Damascus International Fair on Wednesday night, presenting the forum as an opportunity for rebuilding economic links with foreign partners after years of conflict.

Some 800 foreign investors, corporate executives and senior government officials attended the event, which marked the return of several Gulf states to the Syrian market.

“Since the moment of liberation, the new Syria has made security, stability and economic development its priorities,” al-Sharaa said in his address, highlighting reforms in investment, banking and infrastructure aimed at drawing back foreign capital.

Saudi Assistant Minister of Investment Abdullah al-Dubaikhi, representing King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said Riyadh is implementing previously signed agreements worth about $6.4 billion and expects further deals, particularly in energy.

Sotheby’s, the venerable auction house owned in part by sovereign wealth fund ADQ, is coming to Abu Dhabi in December.

Up for sale will be a collection of jewelry, rare watches, real estate and racing cars, Sotheby’s announced today.

Auctions will take place from Dec. 2 to Dec. 5 during the same week as the Formula One Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, Patrick Drahi, the French telecom magnate who acquired Sotheby’s in 2019 and sold a $1 billion stake to ADQ last year, is the subject this week of a profile in the New Yorker.

Dubai is putting a $1 million spotlight on artificial intelligence, launching the world’s largest prize for AI-generated films at the 1 Billion Followers Summit 2026 in January.

The event will also unveil a $13.6 million Creators Ventures Program, signaling the emirate’s intent to dominate the fast-evolving content economy.

Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and UAE vice president, the summit will honor the winning AI-generated short film, with the top ten entries screened during the gathering.

All submissions must be created entirely with artificial intelligence and will be judged on storytelling, creativity, and humanitarian themes, according to Arabian Business.

“The content economy is an economic power with limitless horizons,” said Mohammad Al Gergawi, the UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs. 

India is on track to becoming the UAE’s largest buyer of liquified natural gas.

Abu Dhabi-owned ADNOC Gas signed a 15-year sales and purchase agreement to supply LNG to Indian Oil Corp. the state-backed Indian energy giant.

The deal covers one million tons a year of LNG that will be sourced mainly from ADNOC’s lower-carbon Ruwais project.

It follows a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed by the UAE and India in 2022, which is projected to double bilateral trade between the two countries to $100 billion by 2030.

“This long-term agreement with Indian Oil underscores the robust energy relations between the UAE and India,” Rashid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, ADNOC Gas Senior Vice president of Marketing, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Global natural gas demand is projected to grow in 2026 after a slowdown in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency. 

ADNOC Gas has been steadily increasing LNG exports to India. In February, it signed a 14-year agreement valued at $7 billion to $9 billion to provide up to 1.2 million tons annually to Indian Oil.

It also signed a 10-year supply contract with Gail India in January 2023.