Middle East finance executives report substantial confidence in economic growth prospects for the year ahead, according to the 2018 Global Business and Spending Outlook survey by American Express Middle East.

The findings are based on a survey of 870 CFOs and other senior finance executives at companies with annual revenues of over $500m from more than 21 countries worldwide.

In this edition of the AB Roundtable podcast Jeremy Lawrence talks to Saud Swar, vice president commercial business and head of UAE,  and Graziela Martins, vice president merchant business at American Express Middle East and North Africa, to discuss the findings, and ask what it means for the future of business in the region.

What top regional CEOs predict for the years ahead

Cryptocurrencies took hold of the imagination among investors earlier this year as valuations shot through the roof, before falling back to earth rather dramatically in more recent months. Nevertheless, cryptos - and the underlying blockchain technology - still have a vital role to play in the region, once we figure out what to do with them.
In this edition of the Arabian Business Roundtable podcast, Jeremy Lawrence asks four experts where they think the technology is heading next. The panel is comprised of:
- Hicham El Khaoudy, Head of Global Transaction Banking Sales & Services at Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
- Jan Grabski, director of enterprise scaling at Consensys, a blockchain software technology company
- Osama Al Rahma, vice chairman of Foreign Exchange & Remittance Group and CEO of Al Fardan Exchange
- Tobias Young, head of hydrocarbons at Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange. Also sits on Global Blockchain Council of Dubai and the DMCC Blockchain working group.
The podcast was recorded live at the Arabian Business Start Up Academy.

The future of crypto currencies in the UAE

it's the big question: what is the true state of the UAE economy? To cut through the chatter, Arabian Business editorial director Jeremy Lawrence is joined Trevor McFarlane, founder and CEO of Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research (EMIR), a research, briefing and networking service that supports senior executives overseeing the Middle East & Africa. In this role, McFarlane is well-placed to pass on the well-informed views of senior business leaders whose job is to know what is really happening out there in the field.

What's really happening with the UAE economy?

What does the future of medicine look like in the region? Will we be living longer, better quality lives? And how can hospitals adapt to new technologies? Dr Rakesh Suri, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, is in a good position to answer these questions. He talks to Arabian Business editorial director Jeremy Lawrence in this edition of the AB Roundtable podcast.

What will the future of UAE healthcare look like?

According to the 2018 Cigna 360 Well-Being Survey, UAE residents have experienced a marginal decline in overall wellness during the past year, dropping 1.6 points from 63.1 to 61.5 - though still ranking higher than the global average and countries such as the UK, France, and Singapore.

The slight decline was primarily driven by people having less personal time and concerns about meeting the needs of family members, 

Physical wellbeing also diminished slightly since the 2017 survey with the sharpest decline observed in the ability to exercise regularly.

Only 23 percent of respondents reported that they exercise on a regular basis compared to 29 percent in 2017, while 45 percent said they get sufficient sleep compared to 49 percent the previous year.

The survey showed that workplace wellness programs are considered crucial for employees in the UAE, with 81 percent of respondents agreeing that such initiatives are important in choosing between two potential employers.

In this edition of the Roundtable podcast, Jeremy Lawrence talks to Art Cozad, CEO, Cigna Insurance Middle East, to find out more about the report’s conclusions.

How happy are UAE employees?

Arabian Business talks to Toons Gyssels, Talabat’s chief operating officer, on the challenges of the food delivery business in the GCC and Jordan, as well as the rise of e-commerce and the unique market conditions present in the region.

Inside Talabat’s regional food delivery empire

Dutch historian Rutger Bregman discusses his latest book, Humankind: A Hopeful History, and why we need to tell less cynical stories about our species and understand what remains our greatest strength – our ability to collaborate.

Rutger Bregman on taking a positive view of humanity

Arabian Business is the Middle East’s leading weekly business title, focusing on the English and Arabic speaking communities. The multi-platform brand provides up-to-the-minute news along with in-depth analysis of the latest local, regional and international news and its influence on business in the Gulf.

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