Shows / The Smashi Business Show
The Smashi Business Show
The Smashi Business Show tells AI, tech, startup and business stories from the Arab world. For the driven, the dreamers and the doers. Hosted by Abdul Majid Awan, Ward Ahmed, and Wael Hossam El Din.
Episodes
The Smashi Business ShowDubai Loop, Aldar Mubadala, Ronaldo Al-Nassr
HEADLINES:• Dubai Begins Construction of $680m Underground Transport Loop with Elon Musk• Aldar and Mubadala Launch $2.72bn Retail Platform• Ronaldo Misses…
The Smashi Business ShowSmashi Business Show live from Web Summi Qatar 2026 - Day 2
Smashi Business Show live from Web Summi Qatar 2026 - Day 2
The Smashi Business ShowUpscroll 1M, ADQ to Lunate, Gulf Stocks, LIV Golf
HEADLINES:• Upscroll Surges Past One Million Users As Alternative Social Platform Goes Viral• ADQ Chief Steps Down To Join Lunate As Abu Dhabi Targets Rapid…
The Smashi Business ShowPwC Back to PIF, Al Habtoor Exits Lebanon, Bisan Owda TikTok Ban
HEADLINES:• PwC Returns to Pitch for Saudi Arabia’s $1 Trillion Wealth Fund After Year-Long Ban• Al Habtoor Group to Shut Down Lebanon Operations and Fire All…
The Smashi Business ShowMubadala Backs PropertyFinder, Habtoor Flags Lebanon Loss, UpScrolled Charts
HEADLINES:• Mubadala Joins Property Finder’s $170 Million Fundraise• Al Habtoor Group Flags $1.7 Billion Lebanon Losses, Prepares Legal Action•…
The Smashi Business ShowDurov vs WhatsApp, Disneyland Abu Dhabi & Saudi PIF
HEADLINES:• Telegram's Durov Slams WhatsApp Security as "Braindead"• Disney CEO Bob Iger just revealed the location of Disneyland Abu Dhabi• Saudi Arabia's PIF…
The Smashi Business ShowPalestinian App Rises as Saudi Expands Residency, Delays NEOM Games
HEADLINES:• Palestinian App Climbs the Apple App Store • Saudi Arabia Plans to Expand Premium Residency Program • Saudi Arabia Delays 2029 Asian Winter Games…
The Smashi Business ShowDAMAC in the US, Jared Kushner’s Gaza Plan and OpenAI’s Funding Round
HEADLINES:• DAMAC Secures $12bn in US AI Data Centre Projects • ‘There Is No Plan B’: Jared Kushner’s Gaza Master Plan Draws Backlash in Davos• Altman Courts…
The Smashi Business ShowQatar Wealth Fund Shake-Up, Netflix–Warner Deal, NBA Courts Gulf Capital
HEADLINES:• Qatar’s $580bn Wealth Fund Plans Major Portfolio Split• Netflix Goes All-Cash in $30bn Battle for Warner Bros.• NBA Courts Gulf Sovereign Wealth…
The Smashi Business ShowPeace Board, Stargate UAE & Saudi Fundingg
HEADLINES:• UAE Joins Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ as Gaza Plan Anchors New Initiative• First Phase of Stargate UAE to Come Online Within Months• Saudi Banks Turn…
The Smashi Business ShowSmashi & Bahrain, WEF Day 1, Trump-Putin Peace Board & Abu Dhabi AI Energy
HEADLINES:• World Economic Forum Day 1: Who said What? • MENA Media & Entertainment Market Seen Hitting $76.8bn by 2031 • Trump Invites Putin to Join Gaza…
The Smashi Business ShowQatar Oil Sale, Mideast Cyber Hacks, PIF IPO Moves & Clint Khan
HEADLINES:• Qatar to Hold Proceeds of First US-Run Venezuelan Oil Sale• Hacking Campaign Targeted High-Profile Gmail and WhatsApp Users Across the Middle East•…
The Smashi Business ShowIHC’s US Tie-Up, PwC’s Reset and the AI Banking Race
HEADLINES:• IHC Partners With US Investment Arm in Deal Aligned With US Foreign Policy• PwC Names Laura Hinton as Middle East Senior Partner After Saudi…
The Smashi Business ShowUAE’s Tariff Concern, DP World in Venezuela & Emaar’s Alabbar
HEADLINES:• UAE is Worried About 25% Tariff Imposed by Trump on Countries trading with Iran • DP World CEO says ready to Enter Venezuela in 24 hours if cargo…
The Smashi Business ShowUAE as Future Hub | Meta’s New President | $230M AI Bank
HEADLINES:• Dr Sultan Al Jaber opened ADSW 2026 and hailed UAE as 'corridor to future• Meta has appointed Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick as its new president…
The Smashi Business ShowDubai Real Estate Hits AED 917B | Abu Dhabi's New Role
HEADLINES:• Dubai Real Estate Hits Record AED 917 Billion in Historic 2025 Performance• Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Named Chairman of L'IMAD Holding as Sovereign…
The Smashi Business Show1B Followers Summit | Alabbar's JV & $10B Trump Projects
HEADLINES:• 1 Billion Followers Summit concludes• Alabbar’s Symphony Global signs exclusive 20-year joint venture to develop future Armani Hotels & Resorts•…
The Smashi Business ShowLive from 1 Billion Followers Summit Day 3, Prypco in Pakistan; Kris Fade's KS Konnect
Updates from day 3 of the 1 Billion Followers SummitPrypco and Amira Sajwani gauge interest for tokenization in PakistanKris Fade and Sarah Omolewu launched KS…
The Smashi Business ShowNew Media Leadership in UAE; MGX, QIA back xAI; Dubai Property Boom
HEADLINES:• Abdulla Al Hamed Appointed Chairman of UAE National Media Authority • MGX, QIA Deepen Backing as xAI Raises $20bn in Oversubscribed Series E •…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi Stock Market Open, Dubai Basketball & Kayali’s Donation
HEADLINES:• Saudi Arabia Opens Stock Market to All Foreign Investors in Bid to Boost Capital Inflows• Dubai Basketball Takes Long-Term View in EuroLeague…
The Smashi Business ShowCES 2026 Begins, Revolut's Hiring Drive & Dubai Duty Free Hits AED 8.68B
HEADLINES:• Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2026 starting today in Las Vegas • Revolut Launches Major Hiring Drive as UAE Launch Approaches • Dubai chocolate…
The Smashi Business ShowAbu Dhabi’s $1.7tn Wealth, Saudi’s 480MW Data Center, MBC Rebrand Risk
HEADLINES:• Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth hits $1.7tn, rivaling Norway and China• Saudi Arabia launches 480MW Hexagon Data Center in Riyadh • Saudi marcom…
The Smashi Business ShowDubai Courts, Warner Bros, and Saudi Arabia’s Nvidia AI Bet
HEADLINES:• Dubai Court Cancels Dh150 Million Fine in Abu Sabah Money Laundering Case • Warner Bros Discovery Poised to Reject $108 Billion Paramount Skydance…
The Smashi Business Show$1B Rejected, $3B Won | Gulf Pivots From Premier League Takeovers | Adia Backs $6.5B AI Unicorn IPO
What would you do if someone offered you $1 billion for your six-person startup? Jordanian-American founder Amjad Masad said no—and today, Replit is worth $3…
The Smashi Business Show2025 Recap: The Driven, Dreamers and Doers of the Year
2025 Recap: The Driven, Dreamers and Doers of the Year Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModrWhatsApp: https://aug.us/40FdYLUInstagram…
The Smashi Business ShowSyria Resets Currency, Israel Gets F-15 Jets, Presight
HEADLINES:• Syria Just Introduced New Post-Assad Banknotes, Drops Portraits• Pentagon Awards Boeing $8.6 Billion F-15 Fighter Jet Contract for Israel• Presight…
The Smashi Business ShowTikTok Control Battle, CFG Pulls Out of India, CZ Dominates UAE Rich List
HEADLINES:• Leaked Memo Shows TikTok’s New US Owners Won’t Run Core Business• Manchester City Owner CFG Exits Mumbai City FC• Crypto Billionaire CZ Named…
The Smashi Business ShowSkims in Dubai, Al Hilal Sale, Nvidia–Groq Deal
HEADLINES:• Huda Kattan Sparks Influencer Backlash Over Kim Kardashian Store Opening• Prince Alwaleed Nears $400 Million Al Hilal Deal, Semafor Reports• Nvidia…
The Smashi Business ShowDubai Biz Moves: Boucheron, BinDawood, Emaar & Humain AI
HEADLINES:• Boucheron and Al Tayer Group Form Joint Venture for UAE Operations• BinDawood Acquires Majority Stake in UAE's Wonder Bakery• Emaar Founder Alabbar…
The Smashi Business ShowMENA Christmas Spend, Careem CEO's Vision & LG Streaming
HEADLINES:• Christmas spending is getting bigger in the MENA region• We Are Still Dramatically Undershooting Our Potential, Careem CEO• So FAST: The Future of…
The Smashi Business ShowKalshi BNB Integration; Ronaldo Luxury Villas; UAE Chip Exports
HEADLINES:• Kalshi Adds Binance’s BNB for Deposits and Withdrawals• Ronaldo, Georgina Rodríguez buy luxury villas at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea destination• US…
The Smashi Business ShowMusk in UAE, Sequoia Controversy, MGX & TikTok
HEADLINES:• Elon Musk was in the UAE and met the UAE President and HH Sheikh Hamdan• Sequoia Capital Partner Condemned for False Accusation Against Palestinian…
The Smashi Business ShowShahid x OSN+ x Disney+; Citadel Enters Dubai; UAE Launches Media Authority;
Today on the Smashi Business Show, we're discussing three major developments reshaping the Gulf business landscape. First, Ken Griffin's Citadel—the world's…
The Smashi Business ShowBinghatti-Mercedes $8.2B Project, Qatar Airways, CloudKitchens IPO Halt
HEADLINES:• Binghatti And Mercedes-Benz Unveil $8.2 Billion Dubai Megaproject • Qatar Airways Leads Gulf Region With 120,000 Flights, Outpacing Emirates…
The Smashi Business ShowMiddle East Tops Wealth List | Dubai RTA Drones | Kushner Exits WIO
HEADLINES:• Middle East dominates Bloomberg's World's Wealthiest Families list• RTA deploys drones to clean Dubai traffic signals• Jared Kushner's Affinity…
The Smashi Business ShowMBS–Barcelona, Kushner–Belgrade Exit, IHC–Invictus Stake
HEADLINES:• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Reportedly Set to Buy Barcelona for €10 Billion• Jared Kushner Pulls Out of Trump Tower Belgrade Project…
The Smashi Business Show$2B Saudi Football Deal, PIF’s Noon Bet, Palantir Fire
HEADLINES:• Saudi Billionaire Al-Waleed Bin Talal in Final Talks to Buy Al-Hilal for $2 Billion• Noon Raises $500 Million from PIF and Alabbar in New Round•…
The Smashi Business ShowTrump Tower Dubai, OSN’s Warner Ties, Pogba’s Saudi Investment
HEADLINES:• Construction Begins on 350-Metre Trump Tower Dubai• OSN Says Warner Bros. Deal Unaffected by Netflix–Paramount Bidding War• Paul Pogba Takes Stake…
The Smashi Business ShowKhazna in Saudi, UAE Dirham Launch, Abu Dhabi Licensing
HEADLINES:• Khazna Expands into Saudi Arabia with 200MW AI Data Centre in Dammam• UAE Digital Dirham Launch Imminent, Central Bank Confirms Free Access for…
The Smashi Business ShowAugustus Media Acquires UP10, Mubadala’s 60B Dirham Expansion & Wio
HEADLINES:• Augustus Media acquires UP10 Media; MoU signed at Bridge Summit 2025• Mubadala and Aldar Unveil 60 Billion Dirham Expansion of Abu Dhabi Financial…
The Smashi Business ShowParamount’s Warner Bros Bid; Saudi-Qatar Rail Deal; Visa’s Syria Return
HEADLINES:• Gulf Sovereign Funds Back Paramount’s Hostile $108 Billion Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery • Saudi Arabia and Qatar Unveil First-of-its-Kind…
The Smashi Business ShowLive From the BRIDGE Summit: A Special Edition Featuring Gary Vaynerchuk
Live From the BRIDGE Summit: A Special Edition Featuring Gary Vaynerchuk
The Smashi Business ShowRonaldo Invests in Perplexity, Aldar-Mubadala, Microsoft Probe
HEADLINES:• Cristiano Ronaldo Invests in ChatGPT Rival Perplexity, Launches New ‘CR7’ AI Experience• Aldar, Mubadala Capital Unveil New Investment Platform…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi PIF's $55B EA Deal, Gulf Funds Back Paramount Bid, Replit’s $1B Goal
HEADLINES:• Paramount–Skydance’s New Warner Bros. Discovery Bid Secures Backing From Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds: Variety• Saudi Arabia’s PIF Set to Take 93.4%…
The Smashi Business ShowKalshi’s CNN Deal, 40 IPOs on Tadawul, Saudi’s $350B Growth & Wio Family
HEADLINES:• Lebanese Founder Tarek Mansour’s Kalshi Lands Exclusive Prediction-Data Deal with CNN• Saudi Exchange CEO: 40 IPOs Under Review on Tadawul• Saudi…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi Gaming Push, Shark Tank Egypt Backlash, UK Families Flee to UAE
HEADLINES:• Saudi-Owned Savvy Games in Talks to Acquire Moonton From TikTok Parent ByteDance• Shark Tank Egypt Sparks Debate After OKHTEIN Critiques Local…
The Smashi Business ShowMWC25 AI Sovereignty, UAE Salary Growth & Dubai Luxury Market
HEADLINES:• MWC25 Doha Closes with Strong Calls for AI Sovereignty, Telecom Reinvention, and MENA’s Rising Global Role • UAE Salary Growth to Slow in 2026 as…
The Smashi Business ShowLive from MWC25 Doha; Alabbar's New Mall; Lara Dewar of GSMA Talks
HEADLINES:Live from MWC25 Doha; Alabbar's New Mall; Lara Dewar of GSMA TalksWIO Wednesday Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModrWhatsApp…
The Smashi Business ShowStarlink Qatar CEO Cyril Anand on Satellite Future at MWC Doha 2025
HEADLINES: Live From MWC Doha 2025: Starlink Qatar CEO Cyril Anand Reveals What’s Next for Satellite Connectivity Newsletter: https://aug.us/4jqModrWhatsApp…
The Smashi Business ShowUAE's Africa AI push, RedBird-IMI deal, Starbucks closures
HEADLINES:• UAE Launches $1 Billion AI Initiative to Accelerate Digital Development Across Africa• US–UAE Consortium RedBird–IMI Agrees £500 Million Telegraph…
The Smashi Business ShowParamount Denies Gulf Ties, Dubai Aims for No Queues, UAE Fund Boosts FDI
HEADLINES:• Paramount Skydance Denies Gulf Funding Ties in Warner Bros. Discovery Bid• Dubai Airports CEO Sets Ambitious Goal: “Eliminate Queues Entirely”• UAE…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi-US Deals, Nvidia AI Chips, Emirates $12B Invest & Omani Rial Symbol
HEADLINES:• Saudi-US Investment Forum Sparks Billions in Private Deals, Boosting Tech and Energy Ties• US Approves Export of Nvidia AI Chips to UAE and Saudi…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi Crown Prince, South Korea Joins Stargate, Alabbar in Italy
HEADLINES:• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's White House Visit• South Korea Joins UAE’s Stargate AI Project in Strategic Partnership• Burj Khalifa…
The Smashi Business ShowStarlink at Emirates, Saudi–Trump Resort, Arada 2028 IPO
HEADLINES:• Emirates Unveils Major Starlink and Boeing Deals as Dubai Airshow 2025 Opens• Saudi Arabia’s Dar Global and the Trump Organization to Build the…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi PIF Shake-Up; Emirates–Starlink Boost; Jahez Leadership Move
HEADLINES:♦ Saudi PIF Sells U.S. Shares Before Crown Prince’s Washington Trip♦ Emirates Moves Closer to Starlink Deal as Dubai Airshow Nears♦ Snoonu Founder…
The Smashi Business ShowMAF Denies Stake Sale, Arada Backs Brooki, and The Giving Movement Appoints New CEO
HEADLINES:♦ Majid Al Futtaim Rejects Report Claiming Possible Stake Sale ♦ Arada Invests AED 60 Million in Australia’s Viral Brooki Bakehouse ♦ UAE-born The…
The Smashi Business ShowWeb Summit, Comcast’s Saudi Bid, Whoop IPO, Goldman Sachs $110M Fee
HEADLINES:♦ Web Summit 2025 Enters Day 3 in Lisbon ♦ Comcast CEO Explores Saudi Backing for Potential Warner Bros. Discovery Bid ♦ Whoop Eyes IPO Within Two…
The Smashi Business ShowSaudi Residency for Homebuyers, Dubai Luxury Boom & Ronaldo Backs Tourism
HEADLINES:♦ Saudi Arabia To Offer Lifetime Residency To Foreign Home Buyers: AGBI Reports ♦ Saudi Fintech Firm Lean Eyes Expansion And IPO Opportunities ♦…