Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala has acquired a $1 billion minority stake in Luckin Coffee to finance its international growth. The Chinese coffee chain is now planning commercial launches across the GCC, prioritizing the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Enterprise reported multiple key business milestones across the UAE, including China Securities opening a regional office in DIFC and JD.com subsidiary JINGDONG Property developing a 150,000-square-metre logistics hub at KEZAD. The briefing also covered an investment partnership between First Abu Dhabi Bank and Temasek-owned Seviora Holdings, as well as a $5 million Series A fundraise by UAE startup Amaani to expand its AÏZA brand into Saudi Arabia.
Gulf producers are utilizing short-haul shuttle tankers to transport crude through the Strait of Hormuz for offshore ship-to-ship transfers off Oman and the UAE. According to Arabian Gulf Business Insight, Saudi Arabia adopted the workaround following the disruption of its East-West pipeline, pushing loadings back toward 4 million barrels per day. The crude is transferred off Sohar and Fujairah to long-haul vessels serving Asian destinations including China.
Daily earnings for Very Large Crude Carriers on the Arabian Gulf to China route exceeded $1.2 million per day in late September 2026. According to the Baltic Exchange, round-trip earnings for shipments from Ras Tanura to Ningbo hit $1,235,414 a day amid shipping bottlenecks near the Strait of Hormuz. LSEG data showed spot rates reached an absolute high of $1.27 million on September 21.
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