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Melissa Hancock

Melissa Hancock

Fortune

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A growing security premium threatens Saudi Arabia’s investment project

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

14.10.2026 4

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi’s economic transformation collides with war and falling FDI

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

07.10.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

‘The secret world of secondaries’: How a niche area of finance is emerging as a new liquidity engine in the Gulf

As global and regional liquidity tightens, a nascent Gulf secondary market is giving investors, founders, and early backers a new route to...

07.10.2026 100

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

From IPO boom to standoff: Saudi Arabia’s capital markets ambitions meet a reluctant investor base

Saudi Arabia’s IPO market is struggling to sustain the momentum of recent years, as weak post-listing performance, valuation gaps, and geopolitical...

30.09.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

From rift to rapprochement: Saudi-UAE reset over Yemen

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

30.09.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Satellites, Security and Sovereign Cash: Inside the UAE’s Space Strategy

As the UAE significantly expands its satellite capabilities and attracts new investment, its space ambitions are taking on growing commercial and...

23.09.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Trump faces Gulf pressure for diplomacy as world leaders gather in New York

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

23.09.2026 9

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

The Gulf’s female startup ecosystem is flourishing. So, where’s the funding?

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

16.09.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

The Middle East’s female founders are on the rise. Why isn’t the funding following?

While progress has been made to address a lack of funding for MENA female-founded startups, structural hurdles in how capital is sourced and...

16.09.2026 100

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi’s Humain turns to outside investment as the kingdom reins in fiscal spending

Humain is lining up an IPO and billions in new capital to supercharge its data center buildout and broader AI ambitions. But sequencing projects and...

09.09.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi’s Humain is planning an IPO and a $2.5 billion fund to fuel its expansion plans

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

09.09.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi fires up Gulf AI race with $15 billion tech deals at LEAP

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

02.09.2026 10

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

How the UAE has emerged as a ‘leading light’ for tokenization

Coinbase's decision to base its global tokenization hub in Abu Dhabi is the latest sign that the emirate's bet on regulated digital assets is paying...

19.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Coinbase establishes Abu Dhabi tokenization hub

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

19.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

The Gulf wants to break free from the world’s data chokepoints

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

12.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

The Gulf’s AI boom is driving the race to control the data highways

The Gulf’s AI ambitions are spurring governments and telecom giants to invest in building out the cables, fiber networks and data centers that will...

12.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Qatar’s Ooredoo, Nvidia, and Nokia unveil multi-billion-dollar AI compute platform—and Southeast Asia is their target

In an exclusive interview with Fortune, the CEO of Qatar’s Ooredoo reveals why Southeast Asia represents the next big play in its transformation...

06.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Could a UN-backed plan to reopen Hormuz break the deadlock?

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

04.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

As confusion reigns over Hormuz talks, Fortune gets exclusive access to a UN-backed plan to reopen the strait

The Strait of Hormuz is the key battleground in the U.S.-Iran war, with vital ship traffic all but halted in recent months. There is a project to...

04.08.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Jeff Zucker is banking on the UAE to help build his new $8 billion entertainment empire

The $8bn Banijay-All3Media merger has created a global media and entertainment powerhouse—and Jeff Zucker believes the Gulf has a starring role to...

28.07.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

‘The UAE has been a fantastic investor’: Jeff Zucker hails UAE partnership after Banijay merger

In this week’s Fortune Gulf Brief.

28.07.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Shipping transits slow to a trickle as Strait of Hormuz faces “worst-case scenario”

From shipping lane to battleground: Hormuz crisis forces industry rethink.

21.07.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Money talks—as the Iran war continues, options for the Strait of Hormuz are coalescing around one solution – tolls

With missiles replacing merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz, activity in the world's most critical energy corridor is grinding to a halt—and a...

21.07.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Amid the Gulf’s increasingly competitive investment landscape, Bahrain is carving out a distinct investment strategy

As Gulf states compete through scale and headline-grabbing mega-projects, Bahrain EDB’s CEO H.E. Noor is pursuing a different path—leveraging...

14.07.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Bahrain EDB’s CEO H.E. Noor is doubling down on growth amid mounting regional headwinds

As Gulf states compete through scale and headline-grabbing mega-projects, Bahrain is pursuing a different path—leveraging regulatory innovation,...

14.07.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Bahrain EDB bids to win investors despite mounting headwinds

As the race for Gulf capital intensifies, Bahrain is competing on its own terms

14.07.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

OPEC+ to pump more oil as market fears shift from shortage to glut

OPEC is opening the taps again, extending its production increases as Gulf oil flows recover and prices cool. But with supply rising faster than...

07.07.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

From missiles to malware: Why the Gulf is stepping up its operational resilience

As cyberattacks intensify and AI reshapes the digital battlefield, Gulf states are racing to strengthen the defenses protecting their most critical...

07.07.2026 50

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Gulf bond markets extend their rally despite uncertain outlook

GCC debt markets have rallied since the ceasefire, but tight liquidity remains a key hurdle

30.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

GCC debt markets have rallied since the ceasefire, but tight liquidity remains a key hurdle

The easing of geopolitical tensions has fueled a surge in GCC bond and sukuk issuance. But with the Federal Reserve expected to keep rates on hold,...

30.06.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi Aramco’s chairman calls for “energy realism”

As the world grapples with the greatest oil shock in history, Saudi Aramco's Chairman calls for "energy realism"

23.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund wants the kingdom to become a global investment center

After deploying billions in capital around the world, Saudi now wants to attract global investment to the kingdom

23.06.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Gulf private credit opportunities shine amid global volatility

The Gulf is no longer just a source of capital for private credit. Increasingly, it is becoming one of the industry's most important markets.

16.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

U.S.-Iran interim deal: What could a Gulf bounce back look like?

The U.S.–Iran peace deal has sparked relief across global markets, but investors are still waiting to see whether the breakthrough can translate...

16.06.2026 20

Fortune

Melissa Hancock

Saudi economy redraws ambitions—‘going local’ is the new buzz phrase

After a decade of dizzying investments, Saudi Arabia is now focused on domestic priorities.

10.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa hancock

The Gulf states are betting big on AI: who’s investing where?

Gulf states are now frontrunners in the AI race but competition will only intensify.

09.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa hancock

The Big Story: SpaceX IPO means more to the Gulf than you might expect

The windfalls Gulf sovereign wealth funds are poised to receive will offer a nicely timed boost to their balance sheets.

09.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa hancock

The U.S. and Europe feared the Iran conflict would curtail the Gulf’s appetite for global investments. The opposite is true

The five biggest spenders–split across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar–collectively spent almost $26 billion during March, April and May.

02.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa hancock

Property prices are down in Dubai. Is it a war-induced blip, or something more serious?

Dubai’s real estate market has often defied expectations.

01.06.2026 40

Fortune

Melissa hancock

The Iran conflict has disrupted oil supply. Gulf states are now looking to multi-billion-dollar investments in renewables

The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has triggered the largest oil supply disruption in history, accelerating Gulf diversification efforts and promoting...

01.06.2026 30

Fortune

Melissa hancock