Could India make history with a back-to-back win? Or could Bahrain be the first Middle Eastern country to take home a crown?
The Miss Universe 2022 pageant may be postponed to January next year, but pageant fans and followers are already picking their favourites, speculating on who they think could win the competition.
Scroll through the gallery above to see Miss Universe beauty queens crowned in 2022 so far
In their latest ranking, YouTube channel Crown Sisters, which aims to deliver "fresh and fair" pageant news, places Miss India Divita Rai on top. Miss Bahrain, Evlin Khalifa is at No 16, while Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Ashley Ann Carino (No 2) and Miss Philippines Celeste Cortesi (No 5) also rank high.
Sash Factor, another pageant site, places Rai at No 10, while Khalifa comes in at No 12.
Meanwhile, Missotopia, also a pageant fan site, has India at No 9 and Bahrain at No 20.
Following Harnaaz Sandhu's win of the Miss Universe 2021, all eyes are on Rai, 23, an architect from Karnataka in South India, who won the Indian pageant in August. If Rai wins the crown, she will make history as the second country to win a crown back-to-back.
Only Venezuela has achieved that feat before, winning in 2008 and 2009. The pageant-mad country has won the Miss Universe title a total of seven times, second only to the US, which has won eight.
"We have a system placed especially for Miss Universe in observing and analysing the probability for a contestant's placement based on the criteria on what the Miss Universe Organisation is looking for," Brix Vera from Sash Factor tells The National.
Miss Bahrain Khalifa has "huge potential to break and make history", she says.
"During Miss Universe Bahrain 2022, we noticed Evlin Khalifa as the strongest on her batch, and with the proper training and guidance, her placement at Miss Universe 2022 is not impossible. We also have taken note on her modelling career as well as her charitable back stories."
While by no means official, these rankings are not to be taken lightly, says Josh Yugen, the national director for Miss Universe Bahrain.
"These pageant bloggers serve as the soul of the pageant industry as they are true fans of the competition," he says. "They have been following every pageant, from the day a contestant applies for their national pageant until they compete and represent their countries. Most of them are well-informed and have every information about past winners, their looks and even the answers of each candidate.
"It is safe to say that pageant bloggers are the unofficial jury of the pageants as they have in-depth information and analysis about the competition. And most of them can accurately predict the winners."
Yugen, who is also the chief executive of Yugen Group based out of Dubai, says he's excited to help improve representation of women from the Gulf on a global stage.
"Miss Universe Bahrain is the first of its kind to represent the region and this is part of what we are fighting for — representation," he tells The National.
"If you look into Hollywood movies, Disney films and even international Netflix shows or fashion shows, there is not enough representation of women in the Gulf, most are stereotypes that they are covered, intimidating or unapproachable.
"But the women in the Gulf have their own charm, their own beauty and their own personalities that contribute to the modernisation of the society. They are fighters, innovators and most importantly kind-hearted women who also deserve big representation on the Miss Universe stage."
New Orleans in Louisiana will play host to the Miss Universe 2022 pageant, to be held on January 14.
While a number of countries are yet to name their representatives, 70 contestants have already been chosen through national competitions.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
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.”
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
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Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
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