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MANUFACTURING-
#1- ADIO has partnered with Multi Level Group (MLG) and China-based autonomous and electric air mobility company EHang to develop eVTOLs in the UAE, according to a statement published on Friday. EHang plans to establish its regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi, focusing on manufacturing, flight operations, R&D, training, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities, which ADIO will support through providing EHang with data, information, and connections to the Abu Dhabi ecosystem and international trade paths.
Not Ehang’s first UAE partnership: Abu Dhabi-based infrastructure investment company Monarch Holding signed an agreement with Ehang Holding last year to establish a manufacturing facility for eVTOL aircrafts and drones.
ADIO has also partnered with Neom-backed electric seaglider manufacturer Regent to develop and produce the vehicles in Masdar City’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry cluster, according to a statement on Thursday. The seagliders are designed with a range of up to 300 km using current battery technology with the potential to increase up to 800 km. Neom’s undisclosed investment in Regent is part of a multi-year partnership to establish electric seaglider passenger operations in the region. Since then, Regent partnered with Aramex to provide sustainable logistics in the UAE.
LOGISTICS-
#1- Global logistics player JAS Middle East broke ground on its AED 35 mn logistics hub in Dubai South, according to a press release. The facility is slated for handover by year’s end, according to a separate release from consultancy Knight Frank MENA, which advised JAS on the investment.
#2- DP World expands its footprint in the Philippines: Dubai-based port operator DP World and Philippines-based port operator Asian Terminals Inc. (ATI) have launched a new barge terminal, dubbed Tanza Barge Terminal, in Cavite in the Philippines, according to a statement released on Thursday. The move comes in a bid to boost the transport of goods and raw materials to and from the Philippines’ capital Manila via sea barging. The terminal will be managed by ATI-subsidiary Tanza Container Terminal Incorporated. No investment ticket was provided as part of the disclosure.
STARTUPS-
Following lands in Dubai: Influencer marketing platform Following has officially launched in the UAE, according to a press release. Founded by Zain Ali Khan (LinkedIn) and Hajar El Youssefi (LinkedIn), the platform offers comprehensive campaign management tools — including direct campaign and billing management, access to pre-verified influencers, real-time campaign adjustments, and in-depth analytics — with a mobile app for content creators. It aims to facilitate direct interactions between brands and influencers without intermediaries.
ENERGY-
#1- Masdar to build a solar plant in Georgia: Renewables giant Masdar and the Georgian Energy Development Fund have signed an agreement to develop a solar plant in Georgia with a capacity of up to 100 MW, according to a statement. No financial details or timeline were disclosed for the project.
Who’s doing what? Masdar and its partners will form a special-purpose vehicle to develop, design, finance, procure, construct, operate, and maintain the project, the statement adds.
We knew this was coming: Masdar signed in January a preliminary agreement with the Georgian Energy Development Fund to establish a joint venture aimed at developing the country’s largest solar power plant.
#2- UAE, China to collaborate in clean energy: Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer met yesterday with a high-level delegation from Chinese power generation and electrical equipment manufacturer Shanghai Electric to ramp up cooperation in clean and renewable energy initiatives, focusing on digital transformation and technology, it said in a statement. The Shanghai Electric delegation was led by Shanghai Electric Chairman Wu Lei.
Shanghai Electric is no stranger to the UAE: The company built the fourth phase of Dewa’s 950 MW Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park as part of a consortium that also included Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power and China’s Silk Road Fund. The park is the world’s largest single-site concentrated solar power (CSP) project combining CSP and photovoltaic solar technologies, with an investment of AED 15.78 bn.
INFRASTRUCTURE-
Drake & Scull subsidiary to expand Khobar’s wastewater treatment plant: Wastewater treatment technology provider Passavant Energy and Environment — a subsidiary of UAE-based contractor Drake and Scull International — was awarded a USD 215 mn project to design and build an expanded wastewater treatment plant in Al Khobar at a capacity of 200k cubic meters per day, according to a statement. The project was awarded to Passavant along with an unnamed Saudi contractor. Passavant’s subcontract was valued at USD 48 mn, the statement said. No timeline for the project was disclosed.
Scope of work: Passavant will supervise process engineering, procurement, equipment supply, plant installation and commissioning.
INVESTMENT-
Ras El Hekma is getting a freezone, tourist port: The Egyptian Cabinet last week approved decisions to set up a freezone, investment zone, and international tourist port in the North Coast’s Ras El Hekma, it said on Wednesday following its weekly meeting. The cabinet has also greenlit a decision to set up a company dubbed Ras ElHekma for Urban Development, which will be given golden licenses to develop both the freezone and investment zone and will also be setting up the tourist port, according to the statement. Cabinet also approved the formation of a board of directors for the investment zone.
Remember: Abu Dhabi wealth fund ADQ inked a landmark USD 35 bn agreement in February, giving it the development rights to Ras El Hekma.
CAPITAL MARKETS-
BHM Capital has introduced a fixed income department to help investors tap into global credit instruments, including traditional and Sharia-compliant instruments, according to a press release. “The buildout of the Fixed Income Desk by BHM Capital arrives in the context of rapidly expanding debt capital markets in the GCC region, with a significant increase in the weighting of GCC bonds and sukuk in widely
followed global fixed-income indices,” Abdel Hadi Al Sadi, CEO of BHM Capital said.
