Business Extra

Donald Trump has been vocal about his planned tariff war since setting foot on the campaign trail – in both his first and second times in office. Mr Trump began his first stint in the White House with a trade war against China. Some of those tariffs were preserved by Joe Biden’s administration when he began his term in 2020. But throughout his campaign, Mr Trump made clear he’d come back with tariffs at full force. What we’re seeing now is a return of that foreign economic policy – broadened, fast-tracked and intensified. On this episode of Business Extra, we’re hearing from experts about what this means in the political sphere, but also outside of it; for the everyday consumer perhaps uncertain about what a trade war can mean, and for economic machinery here in the region.

The start-up economy is booming in the Middle East, but despite progress, women remain underrepresented, as founders and as recipients of funding. While women-led start-ups make up 7 per cent of the region’s total, they receive about 1 per cent of available funding, Wamda statistics show. In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim Essaid speaks with three female founders in the UAE – Yasmin Rose of Rise Birth Centre, Yasmin Megerisi of House of Meena, and Thea Myhrvold, chief executive of Getbee – who share their experiences of navigating the start-up scene in the region. The host also hears from Hynd Bouhia, a start-up funding expert, who unpacks the numbers behind the gender gap in investment and the biases that continue to shape funding decisions.

This episode is sponsored by Al Masaood Automobiles The global automotive industry is undergoing dramatic transformation as owners seek more from their vehicles – and technology delivers. This is evident in the UAE where major distributors such as Al Masaood Automobiles are anticipating and catering to shifting customer demands. In this episode of The National’s Business Extra podcast, the company’s chief executive, Irfan Tansel, discusses the UAE’s current motoring landscape, as well as the future of mobility, as it experiences disruption across the industry, including the growth of electric vehicles, emergence of autonomous cars, and rising owner appetite for digitisation and connectivity. Drawing on more than 40 years in the automotive business, Mr Tansel tells host David Dunn about the evolving role of physical dealerships in a digital-first world, Al Masaood Automobiles’ significant sector successes and the enduring legacy of family favourite, the Nissan Patrol.

In the past decade, Gulf countries have prioritised innovation. It's part of a shift from their prime standing as oil economies to their new goal of using the advent of AI to enhance their economies all around.   It's getting attention from global tech hubs. A former Google chief recently said Saudi Arabia has the potential to become the next AI powerhouse. Only last month, Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector economy recorded its strongest expansion in more than a decade.   Some of the biggest names in tech are pouring billions into innovation in Gulf countries, from physical infrastructure such data centres to partnerships that support virtual breakthroughs. In this episode of Business Extra, Salim Essaid hears from tech experts and leaders on the Gulf's AI appeal and where it's going.

Global leaders, policymakers and industry experts came together in Dubai this week at the World Governments Summit to discuss the most pressing challenges shaping the future. With a focus on sustainability, AI governance and global finance, this year's conversation set the stage for collaborative action in an evolving world, from economic resilience to technological innovation.   On this episode of Business Extra, we take you to the World Governments Summit, where The National's Editor-in-Chief, Mina Al-Oraibi, hears from Makhtar Diop, managing director of the International Finance Corporation.