In one of the largest one-day losses recorded in the past 13 years, the world’s top 500 billionaires lost $208 billion after US President Trump announced a sweeping tariff policy.
American tycoons like Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg were hit hardest. Amazon’s stock dropped 9%—its worst fall since April 2022, cutting Bezos’ wealth by $15.9 billion. Over in Europe, Bernard Arnault lost $6 billion as the EU braced for a new 20% tariff on exports to the US.
But there was a notable exception: the Middle East.
Middle Eastern billionaires were the only group to post net gains amidst the chaos. Carlos Slim, Mexico’s richest man, also saw a 4% jump in his net worth to $85.5 billion, thanks to Mexico being excluded from the tariff list.
Let’s look at some other notable developments!
NIO’s battery swaps and the rise of Chinese EVs in the Gulf
In Abu Dhabi’s Al Maryah Island, Mohammed Maktari, CEO of NIO MENA, spearheads a different kind of shift. His plan? Introduce battery swapping technology to the luxury EV market across the Gulf.
Tesla, which had over 40% of the UAE EV market share in 2022, now holds only 16% in early 2025, losing ground to aggressive players like BYD and NIO.
The first Power Swap Station in MENA went live last month in Abu Dhabi, allowing drivers to replace EV batteries in minutes, instead of waiting for a charge.
Maktari isn’t just building a car brand he’s building an ecosystem. From R&D centres for AI and autonomous driving to a joint venture with CYVN Holdings, NIO is deeply embedded in the region’s mobility transformation.
NIO in numbers
| Metric | Value |
| Vehicles delivered globally (Feb 2025) | 698,619 |
| Premium NIO brand deliveries | 667,897 |
| Revenue (2024) | $9.01 billion (up 18.2% YoY) |
| Q4 2024 vehicle margin | 13.1% (vs 11.9% previous year) |
NIO’s approach works well in the Gulf, where luxury meets efficiency. EVs aren’t just functional they’re status symbols. And battery swaps, which solve range anxiety in scorching 45°C summers, feel tailor-made for the region.
Dubai doubles down on real estate and tokenisation
Meanwhile, Dubai is rewriting real estate investing. The Dubai Land Department (DLD) and Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) signed a deal to expand tokenised property investments, aligning with the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33) and the Dubai Real Estate Strategy 2033.
Through this initiative, fractional real estate ownership could become mainstream, opening up premium property investments to small investors. The vision: AED 1 trillion ($272 billion) in transaction value and 70% growth in sector value over the next decade.
And that vision is already materialising:
- Q1 2025 saw 42,269 real estate transactions, up 23.11% year-on-year
- Transaction value hit $31 billion, a 29.19% jump from Q1 2024
- Ready property sales jumped from AED 43.9bn to AED 60.2bn.
- Rents surged by 14%, led by Dubai South (up 26.37%) and Al Furjan (up 21.56%)
This momentum is backed by an increasingly digital, investor-friendly environment, where virtual assets are not just buzzwords but regulatory priorities.
Dubai real estate highlights – Q1 2025
| Metric | Q1 2024 | Q1 2025 | YoY Change |
| Number of transactions | 34,334 | 42,269 | 0.2311 |
| Value of transactions | $24 billion | $31 billion | 0.2919 |
| Average rent per sq ft (AED) | 71 | 81 | 0.14 |
Maseera’s $1 billion move for financial inclusion in North Africa
In consumer finance, Maseera Holding made waves by acquiring ADVA, a platform aiming to reduce barriers for the underbanked in Egypt. Maseera, backed by 2PointZero, has committed $1 billion to create a transcontinental platform for financial inclusion.
This deal marks a significant step in the effort to bring personalised lending and digital finance to Egypt’s underserved populations. Maseera’s partnership with AI technology is expected to revolutionise the speed and accessibility of credit services, dramatically changing how financial products are offered to the middle and low-income segments in Egypt.
Conclusions
From tech-driven real estate tokenisation to luxury EV battery swaps and Middle East wealth growth in a turbulent global market, the Gulf region is making moves that signal a new financial order.
These aren’t isolated events. They’re part of a broader shift where emerging technologies, regional ambitions, and geopolitical recalibrations align to give the UAE and broader MENA region a unique edge in 2025.
And as global powers grapple with tariffs, stock crashes, and tech transitions, the UAE market news shows one thing clearly: the region is not just keeping pace—it’s setting the tempo.
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