Dubai International Chamber Plans to Open Representative Office in Tel Aviv

Officials from the Dubai Chamber and Israeli officials hold talks at a recent meeting. (WAM)
Officials from the Dubai Chamber and Israeli officials hold talks at a recent meeting. (WAM)
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Dubai International Chamber Plans to Open Representative Office in Tel Aviv

Officials from the Dubai Chamber and Israeli officials hold talks at a recent meeting. (WAM)
Officials from the Dubai Chamber and Israeli officials hold talks at a recent meeting. (WAM)

The Dubai International Chamber announced plans to open a representative office in Tel Aviv, aiming to facilitate trade and investment between business communities in Dubai and Israel.

The announcement came during a recently held meeting at the Chamber’s headquarters between CEO of Dubai Chambers Hamad Buamim, Israeli Minister of Economic and Industry Orna Barbivay, representatives from the Israeli embassy, ministry, and Dubai Chambers.

Buamim stressed the vital role of promoting Dubai as a global gateway for Israeli companies and attracting foreign investment in critical sectors of mutual interest such as digital economy, information technology, artificial intelligence, smart services, agricultural and food technologies, and space sciences.

“By expanding our presence into Israel, we will be well positioned to achieve the objectives of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed by the UAE and Israel, build new bridges between the two business communities, and boost non-oil trade to reach $10 billion annually within the next five years,” said Buamim.

He noted that trade would remain economic cooperation between Dubai and Tel Aviv and described Israel as a market of strategic importance to Dubai.

He added that Israel is expected to become one of Dubai’s ten top trading partners within a few years, especially since the Chamber has identified the Israeli market as among the 30 priority markets.

The Israeli Minister announced that last week, on behalf of the Israeli government, she signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Israel and the UAE.

She said the UAE-Israel partnership agreement and Dubai International Chamber’s announcement reflect both countries' strong commitment to strengthening economic ties and creating new business opportunities.

Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Amir Hayek described the signing of the trade agreement as a historic step that opens business opportunities for both countries.

Hayek noted that the Chamber’s decision to establish a representative office in Israel is a significant step toward promoting cooperation between the two countries and their business communities.



Bitcoin Drops to 11-day Low amid Tech Selloff

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
TT

Bitcoin Drops to 11-day Low amid Tech Selloff

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Bitcoin fell below $100,000 on Monday, hitting its lowest in 11 days, in a move analysts attributed to a wave of caution after the surging popularity of a Chinese artificial intelligence model sparked a selloff in Western AI-related stocks.

The world's biggest cryptocurrency struggled to make gains last week, as a rally that had seen it break above $100,000 after US President Donald Trump's election ran out of steam, Reuters reported.

At 1156 GMT, bitcoin was at $98,852.17, down around 6% on the day, having fallen sharply in early trading to hit its lowest since Jan. 16.

Technology stocks plunged, as traders worried that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek could threaten Western companies' dominance of the sector, in a move some called AI's "Sputnik moment", referring to the former Soviet Union's launch of a satellite that marked the start of the space race in the late 1950s.

Bitcoin's losses are "seemingly driven by some risk-off sentiment circulating the markets currently due to DeepSeek," wrote eToro analyst Simon Peters.

Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, said a decline in Nasdaq futures had hurt crypto markets, but that disappointment over the Trump administration's announcement about a cryptocurrency stockpile had put digital assets more at risk of a sharp selloff.

Crypto failed to feature in Trump's day-one announcements after taking office last week, leaving some investors disappointed. In an executive order on Thursday, Trump created a working group to draft new crypto rules and explore a crypto stockpile, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) spiked accounting guidance that the industry said had stymied crypto adoption.

The prospect of interest rates staying higher for longer also hurt riskier assets, said Thomas Puech, CEO of digital asset hedge fund Indigo.

US Federal Reserve policymakers meet this week and are expected to keep interest rates on hold.