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In today’s newsletter:

Arabian Business covered exciting stories on Thursday, featuring a range of topics that shaped the region's landscape.

Stay up to date with the latest trending stories handpicked by our editors, in case you missed them yesterday:

In a world of volatile markets and economic uncertainty, investors are progressively exploring alternative realms for their investments – Cryptocurrency, NFTs, and precious metals have been prominent areas for capital allocation in recent years. However, one such ‘safe haven’ that is growing in popularity is – watches.

In the real estate sector, the property market cycle in Dubai is expected to enter a new phase, with a resurging apartment market and more tempered growth in the villa market, according to a new report by ValuStrat.

Another major development in Dubai was Sheikh Mohammed's announcement of a $41m content creator fund and a permanent headquarters for social media influencers in the city at the 1 billion followers summit.

Aside from this, the UAE and Saudi Arabia's inclusion in the BRICS bloc will take its economic and political clout to new heights, but also points to increasing momentum behind potential efforts to challenge the US dollar’s dominance in global trade.

As for Saudi Arabia, additionally, NEOM announced Aquellum, a new luxury development built into mountains and accessed via an underground canal and floating marina. The latest addition to the Saudi megadevelopment in the northwest of the Kingdom has foundations steeped in cutting-edge technology, avant-garde architecture and forward-thinking concepts.

THE LONGER READ:

Estimated to cost AED18 billion (approximately $4.9 billion) in total investments, the Dubai Metro Blue Line will be the emirate's newest and most significant public transit initiative when it opens for service on October 9, 2029.