In this episode, Tala Michel Issa and Tom Evans unpack a tense week across the Gulf, beginning with the renewed Iran-US exchanges and the risks around the Strait of Hormuz.

Tala reports from LEAP 2026 in Riyadh, where sovereign AI, data centres, start-ups and Saudi-built intellectual property dominated the conversation. They also examine Saudi Arabia’s $4bn Adobe partnership, giving more than 27 million people access to premium AI tools.

Tala and Tom then discuss The Away Game, Arabian Business’ September cover story on how Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have turned football investments into global businesses and city-building projects. They also round up the UAE’s corporate tax deadline, Qatar’s surge in foreign-owned companies, Thailand’s visa changes, Careem’s rival-order cashback and Dubai’s growing billionaire population.