Before he became the president of Hawkers or built a nine-figure investment portfolio, Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt LĂłpez spent his mid-20s selling industrial turbines across a multi-region infrastructure project and then founding an engineering firm that outperformed multinational competitors on both cost and delivery scale. Those years produced a working theory of risk that no academic program delivers on its own. What Was Betancourt LĂłpez Doing Before He Became an Investor? Most profiles of Leopoldo Alejandro Betancourt LĂłpez start with Hawkers. The eyewear brand is the most recognizable chapter of his career, and the one that generated the most coverage. The…
Author: Stuart
Stuart
Business & Finance Editor, Dubai Week 📍 Based in Dubai — With over a decade of experience dissecting global markets, fiscal policy, and corporate strategy, Stuart Wagner leads the finance desk at Dubai Week, delivering in‑depth analysis tailored to UAE and GCC audiences.
Raspberry confit meets aromatic basil, wrapped in white chocolate kataifi and finished with vanilla ice cream. That’s the composition Blume Restaurant will serve to every female guest who walks through its doors on Saturday, March 8. No purchase required. No minimum spend. Just turn up. The Dubai-based restaurant—which operates locations at Dubai Mall and Dubai Marina—has designed the Raspberry Mousse specifically for International Women’s Day, offering it complimentary from opening until close at both branches. It’s available whether guests order a full meal or simply stop by for the dessert itself. The all-day offer runs from 10am to 2am at…
Bessan Ismail has spent years building credibility across the Arab world—through music, acting, and a digital presence that bridges Syrian heritage with UAE ambition. On Thursday, that cultural capital translated into a concrete retail partnership: Max Fashion named her the face of its Ramadan 2026 collection. The announcement from Dubai positions the Landmark Group-owned retailer squarely in the competitive Ramadan fashion market. With 830 stores across 16 countries, Max Fashion is betting that Ismail’s authenticity will resonate with families preparing for the holy month—and that her image will move linen-blend garments off shelves at price points the company describes as…
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 series in Dubai on Friday with an unusual proposition: pick your AI assistant. Where Apple locks users into Apple Intelligence and Google pushes its Gemini platform, the S26 offers three options—Bixby, Gemini, or Perplexity—accessible through a single button press. The February launch centred on what Samsung calls proactive AI, designed to act on context rather than wait for commands. Take Now Nudge, the feature that surfaces suggestions based on what’s happening on screen. A friend asks for holiday photos via message, and the S26 pulls relevant images from Gallery without manual searching. Someone mentions a…
Founded by CEO Gemma Contrino, the female-led brokerage goes beyond property transactions to help relocating families understand communities, schools, and the true cost of living in Dubai Nuvello Real Estate has opened for business in Dubai. The female-led brokerage, founded by Gemma Contrino, focuses on UK families relocating to the UAE. Where most brokerages centre their services on completing transactions, Nuvello builds its offer around helping families understand the full picture of life in Dubai before they commit to a property. Gemma Contrino set up Nuvello after relocating to Dubai herself with her four children. The experience left her with…
Dom Art Projects will open three exhibitions simultaneously in mid-April, a bold move for a gallery that only opened its doors last November. The convergence—an Art Dubai debut on 17th April plus two shows launching on 12th April in its Al Khayat Avenue space—marks the most ambitious programming yet from the private institution. The timing isn’t accidental. Alisa Bagdonaite, co-founder and chief curator, framed the triple launch as part of a broader curatorial vision. “This season, Dom Art Projects continues its reflection on space and time through the group exhibition Time That Grows Slowly and a solo presentation by Kirill…
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra controls how individual pixels disperse light to keep your screen visible to you whilst rendering it illegible to anyone glancing from the side. The company calls it Privacy Display, and claims it’s the first built-in implementation in the industry. The feature debuts on Tuesday as part of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series launch in Dubai, where the Korean manufacturer unveiled three models—S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra—positioning them as its third generation of AI-focused smartphones. Privacy Display operates at the hardware level. Users can toggle between Partial Screen Privacy, which obscures notifications whilst leaving the main content readable,…
Invest Bank returned to profitability on Monday evening with an announcement that would have seemed improbable 24 months ago. AED 161 million in net profit. Seven years of losses, over. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and the bank’s chairman, revealed the turnaround at the House of Wisdom on 25th February, coupling the financial results with two other pivotal announcements: a return to trading on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the unveiling of a new corporate identity. The synchronised timing wasn’t accidental. The numbers tell a stark story. Net operating income reached AED…
Just kilometres from the Burj Khalifa, Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road will soon host another supertall. This one stretches 725 metres across 140 storeys, and as of Monday, apartments inside start at AED 4.97 million. Burj Azizi, scheduled for completion in 2029, will claim the title of second tallest building ever engineered. The pricing announcement from Azizi Developments marks a shift in positioning for the project, which has been under construction with little public detail on entry costs until now. For AED 4.97 million, buyers secure access to a vertical city that bundles residences, a seven-star hotel, retail, dining, and what…
By year four, most UAE car owners face an uncomfortable choice: pay premium prices for agency repairs that protect their five-year manufacturer warranty, or save money at independent garages and risk voiding coverage altogether. Agency repair access, readily available in the first 24 months, tightens by year three and virtually disappears by year four. Policybazaar.ae launched a motor insurance product on 23rd February designed to eliminate that trade-off entirely. The digital insurance marketplace partnered with Watania Takaful and Pitstop Automotive Services to create what they’re calling the UAE’s first garage-backed comprehensive motor insurance plan. The product—Watania Takaful PB Auto Care…