After a cautious first half of the year, signs of recovery are appearing in public markets. Sweden’s IPO momentum is signaling renewed investor confidence, Saudi Arabia’s record gaming acquisition underscores shifting capital firepower, and the UAE is steadily translating AI ambition into pilot projects across mobility and agritech. Read on for more details.

The Stockholm Stock Exchange has become Europe’s hottest market for IPOs in 2025, according to Bloomberg. Companies are expected to raise $6.8 billion, ranking Sweden fifth globally, after the U.S., China, Hong Kong, and India.

Verisure’s $3.7B IPO in Stockholm last week was Europe’s largest listing of 2025; shares jumped 25% on debut.

Swedish digital bank NOBA surged 27% on its first trading day on Nasdaq Stockholm, reaching a $4.7B valuation, backed by Nordic Capital and Sampo. The listing marks Sweden’s third major financial IPO this year, following Klarna’s $15.1B New York debut and Verisure listing.

Nothing, London/Stockholm-based consumer electronics startup co-founded by Carl Pei, raised $200M Series C led by Tiger Global and other investors, reaching a $1.3B valuation. The company plans to launch its first AI-first smartphone next year. The new funding takes Nothing’s total funding to over $450 million.

Sana, a Stockholm-based AI learning platform helping organizations create and share knowledge, was acquired by Workday for $1.1B.

Modal, an AI infrastructure company founded by Swedish Spotify veteran Erik Bernhardsson, raised $87M at a $1.1B valuation, becoming Sweden’s latest unicorn. Modal provides a serverless computing platform that helps developers easily build and scale AI applications.

The newly released EAT–Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable, and Just Food Systems delivers a stark message: our global food system is pushing the planet beyond its limits.

Key findings:

The figure below illustrates how current food systems push multiple planetary boundaries beyond safe limits, a clear reminder that climate, health, and justice are deeply interconnected.

EA goes private in a record-breaking $55B deal led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, marking the largest all-cash sponsor buyout in history. Under the agreement, shareholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a 25% premium to EA’s unaffected stock price. The move aims to accelerate EA’s long-term strategy to advance the future of entertainment, while solidifying sovereign wealth and private equity as dominant forces reshaping the global gaming industry.

Dubai aims for 25% of all trips to be self-driving by 2030, while Abu Dhabi has been trialling autonomous taxis on Yas Island since 2021.

With strong regulatory frameworks and active pilots by Cruise, Bayanat,  Waymo, and Navya, trialling autonomous vehicles in cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the Emirates is positioning itself as a global hub for autonomous transport.

In July, China’s Baidu received Dubai’s first autonomous driving trial permit and 50 test licenses for its self-driving platform Apollo Go. Its sixth-generation vehicles began operating on public roads in August under exclusive rights from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Tourism, logistics, retail, hospitality, and construction have become the Kingdom’s key growth drivers. In Q1 2025, international visitor spending rose 9.7% year-on-year, reflecting strong momentum across non-oil sectors.

In 2024, electronic payments made up 79% of all retail transactions, surpassing the Vision 2030 target of 70%, a milestone in Saudi Arabia’s digital and economic transformation.

Abu Dhabi–based Presight and Shorooq Partners have unveiled a $100 million global AI fund aimed at backing early-to-growth-stage startups in AI, machine learning, smart cities, energy, fintech, AR/VR, Industry 4.0, and deep tech.

The Presight–Shorooq Fund I will offer not only capital but also access to GPUs, strategic partnerships, and global distribution networks, leveraging the UAE’s infrastructure to cement Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for AI solutions.

San Francisco-based AI startup Emergent, founded in 2025, has raised $30M, led by Lightspeed, to expand its no-code app-building platform for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The company plans to enter the MENA region, aligning with UAE and Saudi Vision 2030, after reaching $15M in ARR just 90 days post-launch.

Revolut founder Nik Storonsky has reportedly relocated from London to Dubai, following recent UK tax reforms that ended long-standing benefits for non-domiciled residents.

Storonsky, whose stake in Revolut is valued at over $7.9 billion, joins Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris, investor Christian Angermayer, and developers Ian and Richard Livingstone, all of whom have recently shifted their residency to the UAE.

His ties to the region have been growing, with Revolut opening a Dubai office, securing a local operating license, and receiving backing from Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala sovereign wealth fund.

UAE-based agritech platform Aydi has raised $7.5 million in seed funding to launch Orth, an AI-powered agronomy assistant that delivers personalized, real-time insights to help growers boost productivity and sustainability.

The initiative highlights growing VC confidence in AI-driven agriculture, aiming to equip smallholder farmers with tools to improve yields & reduce environmental impact.

We’re proud to share that our Founder and CEO, Magdy Shehata, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mohamed Aboulnaga (Nagaty), Founder of Foras AI, during the Techne Alexandria 2025 Summit, in the presence of H.E. Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, the Ambassador of Sweden to Egypt.

The partnership paves the way for the AI Park, a regional hub for smart applications, research, and AI entrepreneurship, bridging Swedish expertise with Egypt’s digital vision to drive collaboration and sustainable growth.

We were delighted to welcome H.E. Dag Juhlin-Dannfelt, the Swedish Ambassador to Egypt, to our office in Alexandria.

The visit included an office tour where our team presented Söderhub’s operations and cross-regional focus. Magdy Shehata, Founder and CEO; Mohamed Hamada, Regional Manager; and Alex Kovbasko, Strategy Lead, shared our vision, mission, and initiatives that connect markets and create opportunities between the Nordics and the MENA region.

Discussions focused on emerging industries in Egypt and sectors with strong potential for Swedish companies, from technology to green growth and other high-impact fields shaping the local economy. Together, we explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration and support sustainable development.

We extend our appreciation to the Embassy of Sweden in Cairo and look forward to continuing to build stronger bridges between Sweden and Egypt.

The EU Artificial Intelligence Act, adopted in June 2024, is the world’s first comprehensive legal framework for AI — setting a global benchmark for trustworthy, safe, and human-centric AI.

The regulation has officially come into force, meaning companies must now strengthen the security of their AI systems, classify risk levels, and implement continuous monitoring across development, operation, and third-party agreements.

While full implementation is expected by mid-2026, 2025 is the critical year to act. The Act also introduces measures to help SMEs and startups adapt, offering guidance to build their compliance roadmaps early.

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