1/ 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia and France agreed a €6bn Dragon Ball Z theme park near Paris, expected to create around 22,000 jobs. Aramco also signed $3.7bn+ of agreements with French companies, including work on industrial AI. (Reuters)
2/ 🇦🇪 UAE: The UAE–Russia trade and investment agreement entered into force, reducing market-entry barriers and easing movement of professionals. Dubai’s economic zones also reached 96% occupancy, pointing to continued demand from international businesses. (The National)
3/ 🇴🇲 Oman: Oman’s startup ecosystem attracted fresh capital, with Cyfr Capital investing in five Omani startups through its Seed Fund alongside Oman Future Fund. Sohar International also launched an innovation hub focused on fintech. (جولة)
4/ 🇯🇴 Jordan: Jordan used King Abdullah’s China visit to deepen economic ties, with discussions focused on investment, technology and industrial cooperation. The King also visited robotics manufacturer AgiBot in Shanghai. (The National)
5/ 🇲🇦 Morocco: Morocco and India are looking to expand bilateral trade and investment across industrial and commercial sectors, with the two sides meeting this week for their 2026 Economic Forum. (Devdiscourse)
6/ 🇧🇭 Bahrain: Bahrain is stepping up investment in local food producers as it builds a more resilient domestic supply chain, with home-grown companies such as Awal Dairy attracting greater attention. (http://gdnonline.com)
7/ 🌍 MENA Startups: Regional founders secured at least $7.4m in new funding last week across AI, education and fintech. The week also saw a new Saudi growth-stage fund, five Omani startup investments and an Egyptian private-capital acquisition. (Arab News)