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UAE, Egypt Sign Reinsurance Agreement to Bolster Trade and Economic Cooperation

UAE, Egypt Sign Reinsurance Agreement to Bolster Trade and Economic Cooperation
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UAE, Egypt Sign Reinsurance Agreement to Bolster Trade and Economic Cooperation

UAE, Egypt Sign Reinsurance Agreement to Bolster Trade and Economic Cooperation

Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the UAE Federal export credit agency (ECA), and its Egyptian counterpart Export Credit Guarantee of Egypt (EGE) have signed a reciprocal reinsurance agreement to support Emirati and Egyptian projects in their respective countries as well as their collaborative initiatives around the world.

The agreement between the two state-owned firms will strengthen trade and economic cooperation as well as boost exports.

The broad range of trade credit insurance amongst these two entities will help anticipate and mitigate risks they might encounter due to various political, commercial, and non-commercial reasons.

It follows the alliance formed between ECI and EGE at the end of 2019, which propelled non-oil trade to surge despite the challenging economic cycle triggered by pandemic fallout.

Massimo Falcioni, CEO of ECI, commented on the strategic collaboration between his organization and EGE: "The Emirates have maintained a strong, historical bilateral relationship with Egypt since its establishment, and their non-oil trade relations have also remained strong."

“Deepening our existing partnership, this reinsurance agreement will give rise to unparalleled trading opportunities for local businesses to improve their regional and global competitiveness."

In the meantime, Managing Director and General Manager of EGE Mohamed Azzam stated: "The UAE has always been our leading trading partner in the region, with significant mutual business cooperation prevailing among the citizenry of both nations for a long time."

The UAE's Ministry of Economy reports that non-oil trade between the UAE and Egypt amounted to AED 25.8 billion in 2020, a 14.34 percent increase over AED 22.1 billion in 2019, demonstrating a solid and enduring strategic relationship between the two countries.

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UK Pledges More Funding to Guard Against AI Risks

FILE PHOTO: The words "AI Artificial Intelligence", a keyboard, and a robotics hand in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The words "AI Artificial Intelligence", a keyboard, and a robotics hand in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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UK Pledges More Funding to Guard Against AI Risks

FILE PHOTO: The words "AI Artificial Intelligence", a keyboard, and a robotics hand in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The words "AI Artificial Intelligence", a keyboard, and a robotics hand in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

The UK government on Saturday outlined plans to expand funding for artificial intelligence safety amid growing concerns over the cyber risks posed by the increasingly advanced technology.

"The economic opportunities from AI will only be realized if our critical infrastructure, public services and businesses are resilient to cyber, biological and emerging AI-enabled threats," the government said in a statement ahead of its annual budget update on Wednesday.

Concerns about AI safety have escalated in recent months after models developed by OpenAI and Anthropic were involved in security incidents during testing, piling pressure on governments to regulate the technology and protect against threats.

As part of a package of AI-related measures in the budget, the government will invest an additional £120 million ($161 million) in Britain's AI Security Institute, which tests the most powerful AI models before they are released.

According to AFP, it will also invest £100 million to establish a national AI Biosecurity Lab, which will use AI to detect and track biological threats.

"As AI becomes more powerful, Britain must have the capabilities to protect its people and shape its own future," said AI minister Kanishka Narayan.

"That means staying ahead of emerging threats, from cyberattacks to biological risks, while building more of the critical technology our security depends on," he added.

The plans include investment in AI tools to identify cyber vulnerabilities across critical infrastructure.

Governments and companies around the world shut down websites Thursday as they raced to protect themselves from hacks after AI models uncovered critical flaws in a widely used programming language called PHP.

Cybersecurity experts fear state-of-the-art AI technology could be used to hack banks, hospitals and government systems.

Last month it emerged that a rogue OpenAI model bypassed safeguards during training and hacked an Australian government health statistics website.

Business

Trump Lifts Some Canada Tariffs Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
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Trump Lifts Some Canada Tariffs Ahead of Midterms

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump's administration lifted some tariffs on Canadian imports Friday, two weeks ahead of midterm elections, after a vulnerable Republican candidate said she'd lobbied for the change.

The easing of tariffs will apply to products including "plywood sheets, some paper products, certain machinery and refrigeration equipment," the White House said in a statement.

The change could help Senator Susan Collins, who faces a strong challenge from a Democrat in the US-Canada border state of Maine, which has been hit hard by Trump's trade war.

She posted on social media that she had "secured" the exemptions for "products crucial to Maine's agricultural industries, including blueberry, potato, apple, and seaweed producers."

Democrats are targeting Collins's seat in their attempt to win control of Congress from the Republicans in the November 3 midterms.

The economies of the United States and Canada are heavily inter-connected, with roughly 70 percent of all Canadian exports heading to the United States.

Tensions between the North American neighbors have been high since trade talks broke down in August, with Trump imposing a slew of new tariffs in response.

Friday's action lifts tariffs on certain goods, but imposes levies on new ones, including carpets, certain valves and waste products, the White House said. The new measures will take effect on October 30.

"The Canadian government takes note of these recent tariff measures adopted by the United States," Dominic LeBlanc, Ottawa's minister in charge of US-Canada trade, said in a statement to AFP.

"While evaluating these recent measures, Canada remains ready to work together in a constructive and good-faith manner" with the US, he added.

Collins said many farmers in her state "rely on specialized equipment, packaging materials, and other products from Canada that are either unavailable from American suppliers or cannot be replaced without incurring significant expense."

Previous Trump levies on autos, steel, aluminum and lumber have hit Canada hard, forcing job losses and stunting growth. Canada has entered a technical recession this year after two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.

Trump's tariffs enforced after the talks broke down impacted around $20 billion worth of goods, or 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the United States, targeting products ranging from hockey sticks to cement.

Since taking power in his second term, Trump has upended the global trade order by imposing wide-ranging tariffs on friend and foe alike, saying that other countries have been taking advantage of the United States.

He has also explicitly tied some threatened tariffs to political or foreign policy objectives.

Business

Saudi Arabia Ranks First in GCC, 12th Globally in 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Ranks First in GCC, 12th Globally in 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranked first among GCC states and 12th globally out of 55 pension systems in the 2026 Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index. The Kingdom's overall score climbed to 73.2 out of 100, up from 67.6 in 2025, continuing an upward trajectory that has seen it advance 15 places since 2022.

The Kingdom achieved notable gains across the index's three primary pillars. In the Integrity sub-index—which evaluates regulatory governance, member communication, and participant rights—Saudi Arabia scored 83.5, up 9.3 points from the previous year, securing an A rating, the highest classification in the category.

The Kingdom's Sustainability score increased to 61.2 points from 54.6, while Adequacy rose to 77.2 from 75, maintaining an overall B grade, SPA reported.

With its 73.2 score, Saudi Arabia outperformed established international pension systems categorized within the B band, including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, Belgium, Ireland, and Hong Kong, while leading all participating Gulf nations.

The index noted that Saudi Arabia's advancement was driven by sustained governance reforms, regulatory enhancements, data modernization, and stronger safeguards for scheme beneficiaries.

These results reflect ongoing modernization within the national social insurance ecosystem led by the Social Insurance, aimed at expanding benefit adequacy and safeguarding long-term fiscal sustainability.

Published in collaboration with the Monash Centre for Financial Studies, the 18th edition of the Marsh CFA Institute Global Pension Index evaluates retirement systems covering two-thirds of the world's population across more than 50 sub-indicators.