Similar to regional broadcasters battling it out for eyeballs with new and exclusive content, major streaming sites are vying for our ears this Ramadan.
Many have created special pages packed with in-house curated playlists evoking the reflective spirit of the month.
Here is what you can listen to online now.
Anghami goes all out
From eclectic playlists featuring Moroccan and Levant Ramadan anthems to spiritual and cooking podcasts, Anghami remains the platform to beat when it comes to the breadth of content on offer.
With its signature My Ramadan playlists, Anghami’s team of curators have created a winning collection based on themes related to the holy month.
For instance, the Amal Kheir list, translated to Good Deeds, has songs evoking the generosity and gratitude of Ramadan.
Asmaa Allah Al Hosna (99 Names of Allah), meanwhile, comprises a series of tender songs by Arab spiritual and folk artists extolling the various virtues of God.
In addition to the spiritual children's song collections under the Ramadan Kids subsection, another handy feature is the Ramadan Tips.
Offering advice on everything from nutrition and exercise to ways to handle that headache while fasting, these Arabic audio reminders – spanning 10 to 20 seconds each – are useful and easy to digest.
Vibe along to Spotify’s Ramadan hub
Spotify has set up what it calls a "Ramadan hub", complete with a title banner featuring Islamic geometric patterns.
The content is split between playlists and popular albums from nasheed artists.
When it comes to the former, the six playlists are impressively eclectic, echoing the various cultures spanning the Muslim world.
Ramadan Spirit is an exhaustive collection of popular spiritual songs sung by pop stars and leading nasheed artists, such as the UK's Sami Yusuf, Sweden's Maher Zain, Palestine's Mohammed Assaf and Syrian singer Reem Nasri.
For those looking for a different spin on the genre, Salam! is an evocative five-hour collection of Ramadan-themed songs from South-East Asia, featuring Malaysian soul singer Yuna, popular Indonesian rapper Too Phat and Malaysian crooner Fattah Amin.
And, if you are feeling nostalgic, Ramadan Series brings together opening theme songs of Ramadan dramas of the past.
A selection for every mood with Deezer
Deezer has curated its playlists around the various vibes of the holy month.
Under its Ramadan Mood selection of playlist, titles include After Iftar, Family Time and Ramadan Energy Boost.
For those expecting the third to be a collection of club-ready anthems, you are half right.
Up-tempo Amr Diab track We Redet and Ramy Sabry's slightly boisterous Bitaa Banat are in the mix, however, none of the material is so hedonistic as to go against the spirit of Ramadan.
A standout selection is Ramadan Focus.
Its mix of evocative instrumental pieces by the likes of composers Omar Khairat and Ziad Rahbani serves as an ideal and unobtrusive soundtrack to the working day.
For those looking for more than tunes, Deezer also offers a number of podcasts such as Hikayat Ramadan (Ramadan Stories), a series of narrated old Arabic folk tales and Hudou (Calm) which explores the principles of mindfulness.
Interesting playlists on Apple Music
While Apple Music hasn't launched a section dedicated to Ramadan, the platform still has a number of strong playlists suitable for the season.
Inspired by Faith is an expansive selection of faith-based songs by popular artist across the Mena region, including Kuwait's Abdallah Al Rowaished, Turkey's Mesut Kurtis and Morocco's Samira Said.
Qadisiah, meanwhile, is dedicated to melodic prayers and chants provided by leading exponents, including Kuwait's Mishary Rashid Alafasy and Egyptian folk band El Tanbura.
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Read more:
28 of the best Ramadan TV shows to watch in the UAE
Ramadan 2021: 15 global celebrities who observe the holy month
Ramadan 2021: How to donate food and supplies to vulnerable people in the UAE
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RESULTS
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CREW
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
Total Clients: Over 50
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
