Follow the latest updates on Expo 2020 Dubai here
Visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai can now download three different apps to streamline their visit.
The official app will help match users' interests with events and attractions, and offer a virtual queuing facility.
The Business App aims to facilitate business connections through an innovative AI-powered algorithm.
Both apps are now available for download through App Store or Google Play.
The Expo 2020 Dubai site is twice the size of Monaco, so organisers recommend people plan their visits ahead of arriving.
What can I use the official Expo 2020 Dubai app for?
Visitors can use the app to buy tickets, or choose from more than 200 dining options and themed culinary events.
Guests can also use the app to manage reservations for Expo 2020’s intelligent Smart Queue system, which has been designed to dramatically reduce queues at popular pavilions.
Using the app, visitors can reserve a convenient time slot to visit the pavilions of their choice.
A chatbot on the app provides information on opening times, parking options and how to reach Expo using Dubai’s public transport options, and the RTA's free bus service.
There is also a GPS-enabled interactive map of the Expo site on the app, and step-by-step directions to places of interest across Expo, so visitors can make the most of their time.
The app also allows users to tailor their visit to Expo 2020, matching individual interests to create a personal schedule of events and attractions.
Where do I get the official Expo 2020 Dubai app?
The free app can be downloaded from App Store or Google Play.
Users then need to create an Expo 2020 account or link to it using their social media account.
How do I book tickets for Expo 2020 Dubai attractions?
Mohammed Al Hashmi, the chief innovation technology officer for Expo 2020 Dubai, said the best way to book tickets to Expo's attractions is through the app.
"Whether you’re interested in boarding our Garden in the Sky observation tower 55 metres above the ground; partying at Expo Beats, our monthly music festival featuring a global cast; or experiencing the spectacular Expo Water Feature, the Expo 2020 app has everything on offer at your fingertips," said Mr Al Hashmi.
What is the Expo 2020 Business app for?
Expo 2020 Dubai is not just designed to wow visitors, it is also designed to offer the world a platform to communicate and do business.
With nearly 200 countries represented on site, all displaying their brightest and best, organisers hope Expo 2020 Dubai will be a great place to make connections.
The Expo 2020 Business App matches users with similar interests and objectives among the business community, with the objective of facilitating meaningful business to business (B2B), business to government (B2G) and government to government (G2G) interactions across geographies and industries.
Thanks to inbuilt artificial intelligence, the app suggests potential matches for users based on their profiles, expertise, goals and interaction patterns.
Where do I get the Expo 2020 Business app?
The app can be downloaded for free of charge through WebApp, App Store and Google Play.
Users then create their own unique profile, highlighting key information and contact details, and then select filters and research potential match partners.
Once a connection is made, users can start engaging, chatting and scheduling meetings with other users, businesses and entities of interest to establish relationships during and beyond Expo.
A small registration fee applies to access the app’s premium features, such as networking, connecting, chatting and scheduling meetings.
Holders of the Premium Experience can enjoy complementary access to the premium features of the Expo 2020 Business App, alongside a host of additional services.
Keep fit at Expo 2020 Dubai with the Glofox app
The Expo 2020 Sports, Fitness and Wellbeing Hub has partnered with the Glofox app to help visitors make the most of all the sport and health-related activities available at the global fair.
There will be a wide variety of sports events for all ages and physical abilities taking place during Expo 2020.
To view timetables and services, book classes and engage with other members and instructors, Expo organisers recommend downloading the Glofox app.
How do I use the Glofox app at Expo 2020 Dubai?
Download the Glofox app through App Store and Google Play
Search for "Expo 2020: Sports, Fitness and Wellbeing Hub", then sign in and start registering for sessions.
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.”
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Read more from Johann Chacko
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
