In 2025 alone, the UAE welcomed almost 10,000 high-net-worth individuals in net migration, with the vast majority choosing Dubai as their new home. Companies and wealthy individuals relocate here for many reasons. What strikes me most is not the logistics behind these moves, but the ambition. Dubai feels less like a destination people pass through and more like a city being shaped, year by year, by the people who choose to call it home.

The more time I spend working with clients who have made this move, and the more time I spend in the region, the more I understand why. What has surprised me the most was how far the common perception is from the truth. The assumption has always been that people move here solely for tax reasons. The people I meet are drawn by something much bigger: quality of life, ambition, and the chance to build something lasting. They move here for a life. For stability, for opportunity, and for the feeling that, even in a changing world, the years ahead are theirs to shape rather than simply endure.

That desire for solid ground is not hard to understand. Many of the people I work with have spent decades building something – a family business passed down through generations, a career or a body of work – and, in an increasingly complex world, they are thinking harder than ever about how to protect it and pass it on. Dubai speaks to that instinct. My conversations with clients who move here increasingly centre not on tax planning, but on continuity: on succession, on legacy, on giving the next generation something worth inheriting.

Dubai has also shown that it can maintain continuity. No place is immune to geopolitical shocks but the ability to maintain momentum and business continuity is a different art form altogether.

Dubai has also demonstrated an ability to provide continuity of its own. No place is immune to geopolitical shocks or periods of uncertainty. What distinguishes resilient global centres is not the absence of disruption, but their ability to absorb it while maintaining momentum, confidence and business continuity. That is a different art altogether and one that Dubai has become remarkably good at.

Over the course of thirty years in wealth management, including my time at UCAP Asset Management, I have watched waves of entrepreneurs and business owners search for a place to plant new roots. What draws them to Dubai is not one advantage, but an entire ecosystem built for ambition. The Dubai International Financial Centre is now home to more than 500 wealth and asset management firms, 215 of which have arrived in just the past three years. That is not the sound of capital passing through. It is the sound of a financial community being built, methodically, even through periods of regional change.

It would be easy to assume that capital is fickle, that mobile wealth simply drifts to where the terms are best and will move away again just as easily. But the reality is that being a tax nomad is far from an easy option. It comes with a particular lifestyle, one that demands constantly shifting locations, rebuilding routines and starting over in place after place. High-net-worth individuals, like everyone else, are attached to their homes, their habits and their small rituals. They do not leave lightly, and they do not arrive lightly either. People do not relocate to Dubai unless they believe, genuinely, that it is a place where they can build a good life.

And building a life here takes commitment. Family offices bring advisers, educators and colleagues who cannot simply be packed up and moved on a whim. The people who arrive alongside these families enrol their children in schools, join professional communities, form friendships and put down roots. Every one of these connections is a quiet vote of confidence in the city, and together they make Dubai something far more durable than a convenient address.

This is where Dubai truly distinguishes itself. It pairs world-class infrastructure and connectivity, comparable with any global capital, with a depth of financial expertise built over decades. Despite regional uncertainty, Dubai continues to offer businesses security and continuity. DIFC alone now hosts more than 1,052 financial firms. Step outside its towers and you find a city built for people who want to move fast, think globally, and still come home to something that feels like a life. It offers global reach, genuine openness to newcomers, and a skyline that adds a new possibility every year.

That density of talent and expertise is what gives Dubai its real strength. Its network of asset managers, family offices, private banks, legal advisers and succession planners is not something that can be replicated overnight, and it is not going anywhere soon. This tells you everything: Dubai is not simply a place where foreign wealth is held. It is a place where people start companies, raise families, and build careers of which they are proud. It is precisely why so many in my field, me included, now see it as more than a market to serve.

A competitive environment may be what first draws people to Dubai. But what makes them stay is something bigger: a rare mix of ambition, opportunity, connectivity and community that is genuinely difficult to find anywhere else. Dubai is no longer simply an efficient address on a map. It is becoming a true home for wealth, talent and the kind of ambition that wants room to grow. I have watched this story develop over recent years, and I have no doubt the best is still to come.

By Effimia Geraki, Managing Director, UCAP Asset Management, Middle East

Companies that opened a small development team there years ago usually still have it, and it is usually bigger than they planned.

What has changed is the reason employers give. Cost used to be the first thing anyone said out loud. Now it tends to come third or fourth, after the size of the talent pool, after the language range, after the plain fact that a team in Bucharest or Cluj shares most of a working day with colleagues in Dublin, Berlin and, at a stretch, the US east coast.

What actually draws employers toward Romanian talent

Romania built a technical education pipeline long before anyone described it as a hiring market. Universities in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iasi and Timisoara have turned out engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists for decades, and a good share of that output stayed in the country as a local services industry grew up around it.

You notice the effect at interview stage. Candidates have usually worked with distributed teams already, often for foreign clients, and they arrive understanding how a code review across time zones works in practice. That familiarity is worth more than it sounds. A first international hire who has never worked for a company headquartered somewhere else spends the early months learning the shape of remote work rather than learning the job.

Language range is the part employers underrate until they have it. English is standard in technical and commercial roles. French, German, Italian and Spanish appear often enough that Romanian teams have ended up carrying support and finance operations for several European markets at once, which was rarely anyone’s original plan.

The vocabulary problem sitting underneath the plan

Planning gets loose at the moment someone writes “we will use an EOR” on a slide.

Romanian employment law does not recognise a standalone statutory category with that name. What it does recognise is a licensed regime for temporary work agencies, authorised by the responsible ministry, entered on a public register, and subject to conditions that generally include a financial security requirement and periodic renewal of the licence. Under that regime the agency is the legal employer. The person works under the direction of a user company. The assignment runs on a temporary employment contract tied to a specific mission with a defined term and a limited number of renewals set in law.

When a plan says hiring in Romania through an EOR, what sits underneath it is almost always a contract with a licensed agency of that kind. The label travels. The legal structure does not. Worth knowing before you promise a candidate something the paperwork cannot deliver.

How the arrangement runs once someone is actually working

The agency signs the employment contract, runs payroll, makes the statutory contributions, keeps the leave and working time records, and handles the paperwork when an assignment ends. You direct the work itself: priorities, standards, review, the day to day.

Equal treatment is the condition people forget. An assigned worker’s pay and core conditions are benchmarked against what a comparable employee of the user company would receive, so the structure is not a route around local terms. Duration matters too. The mission has a stated purpose and an end point, and both are visible if anyone examines the file later.

Most of the detail sits in the employment code rather than in any single explainer, though a guide to employing in Romania will get a hiring manager oriented faster than the code will.

Where the structure fits, and where it stops fitting

It works well when you are testing whether a Romanian team makes sense, when you need one or two specialists quickly, or when a project has a genuine horizon.

It works less well when the role is permanent, open ended and central to what the company does. At some point the honest structure for that is a Romanian entity with direct employment, and teams that keep extending agency assignments past the point of comfort tend to know it before their advisors say so.

Tax questions belong with your own tax and legal advisors rather than with a hiring plan. Where employment sits, how it is treated, and what it triggers for the company are all fact-specific, and they turn on details a template cannot see.

Questions worth asking before the first Romanian hire

• Is the agency currently licensed, and can you see the registration?
• Who is named as the employer on the contract the candidate signs?
• What comparable role is being used for the equal treatment benchmark?
• What is the stated purpose and term of the assignment, and what happens at the end of it?
• Which statutory benefits and contributions sit inside the quoted cost, and which are billed separately?

None of that is exotic. It is the same diligence you would apply to any supplier about to hold an employment relationship on your behalf. Ask it early and the Romanian hire starts to look like every other hire, which is roughly the point.

CEO has urged Chancellor John Healey to cut spending at next month’s Budget and says government must focus on economic growth

Next boss Lord Wolfson, has called on Chancellor John Healey to rein in public expenditure ahead of next month’s Budget, warning “you can’t spend your way out of a funding crisis”.

Next’s chief executive has pressed the government to curb spending, steer clear of further tax rises and cut through planning bureaucracy in order to stimulate economic growth.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, he said: “The only things that will really change the long-term trajectory [of the economy] are [the] government getting its spending under control and boosting supply-side measures.”

Wolfson, who has led Next for 25 years, added: “You can’t spend your way out of a funding crisis.”

With the October Budget drawing closer, retail chiefs have intensified pressure on the government to overhaul business rates and reduce employment costs, as reported by City AM.

However, Wolfson argued that Labour cannot afford any further tax cuts and should instead prioritise reducing expenditure while committing solely to supply-side measures that require no additional funding. “The UK government is forecast to spend over £100bn more than its income this year, and has little room to increase its borrowing,” Wolfson wrote in Next’s half-year results on Thursday.

“So there is little or no room for the Government to stimulate growth through spending or alleviate inflationary costs in fuel and energy. […] There are only two effective ways out of this predicament: control spending or boost growth, preferably both.”

Wolfson told reporters that asking Labour for tax cuts would be too “strong,” adding that business should instead hope for the tax burden “not to go up more”.

“Any organisation cannot carry on spending significantly more than its income and, in one way or another, that problem has to be addressed,” he said.

Earlier this week, former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane accused Andy Burnham of presiding over a “traditional tax and spend socialist government with better TikTok videos”.

The Prime Minister hit back at Haldane, his former unofficial adviser, claiming that he is prepared to take difficult decisions at what will be a “challenging” Budget for British households.

Wolfson said the Government could stimulate economic growth by cutting the red tape surrounding building regulations, biodiversity rules and archaeological restrictions, which is “holding us back”. “I think releasing that pent-up demand would do a lot to boost growth,” he said.

Lord Wolfson also defended the natural “evolution” of the high street, amid criticism of Andy Burnham’s plans to revitalise UK high streets by clamping down on gambling and vape shops and reducing business rate bills for pubs.

Frasers Group founder Mike Ashley has dismissed Burnham’s high street policies as “populist,” while JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin said it is “not up to” the Prime Minister to choose what is on the high street.

Asked about Burnham’s high street plans, Wolfson said: “The most important thing that the government could do for British high streets is to let them develop. Don’t try to decide ‘this should be a shop and that should be a restaurant and this should be a pub’. Just let the market do its work and transform British high streets into what people most want.”

In the UK, Next’s in-store sales fell by 0.4 per cent in the six months to July, while online sales rose by eight per cent. Wolfson said he anticipates high street sales across the group will continue to decline gradually in the coming years.

He said: “What I’m saying is: don’t try and turn back the clock. If your aim is to get the high street back to where it was, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered a dual message of caution and explosive financial optimism at a recent Scottish summit convened by King Charles, urging the artificial intelligence industry to prioritize “good old-fashioned engineering” while forecasting that his company’s chip sales will double next year.

While addressing mounting public anxiety over AI risks alongside leaders from Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic, Huang made it clear that despite safety hurdles, the global AI gold rush is only accelerating.

When asked about Nvidia’s financial horizon amid broader tech scrutiny, the chief executive delivered a massive projection that underscores relentless international demand.

BESSENT SAYS US NEEDS MORE OPEN-SOURCE AI MODELS TO COMPETE WITH CHINA

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang speaks during the G20 Innovation Ministerial on Sept. 2, 2026, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“I expect Nvidia to sell twice as many chips this next year as we do this year,” Huang revealed, attributing the explosive growth to nations aggressively investing in localized AI infrastructure and cloud data centers.

Despite the bullish market outlook, Huang issued a stark directive to tech developers, warning them to keep half-baked products out of the hands of the public.

Britain’s King Charles III (L) walks with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (R) to attend a conference of leaders from the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and government at Dumfries House in Cumnock, Scotland on Sept. 17, 2026. (Jonathan Brady/AFP via Getty Images)

“It is the responsibility of the AI companies ourselves to develop the technology safely and to properly test it,” Huang told reporters. Acknowledging recent industry incidents, he emphasized they serve as a critical wake-up call. “If it’s not ready, just hold it back. You should go as fast as you can, but no faster than that.”

Huang firmly rejected comparisons between the current AI boom and the largely unchecked rise of social media. He argued that AI is a foundational technology — like a newly developed airplane engine — that requires contained, rigorous testing before release. Rather than entirely new regulatory frameworks, he suggested governments adapt the “incredible number of laws” already governing existing sectors like healthcare and transportation, where AI is being implemented.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang speaks during the 29th annual Milken Institute Global Conference on May 4, 2026. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Environmental concerns were another major focal point, aligning with the King’s mandate that AI must also serve the natural world. Addressing critics who fear massive AI data centers will drain global power grids, Huang acknowledged the “interesting dichotomy” of AI factories requiring immense energy.

However, he argued this relentless demand will actually catalyze a green energy revolution, sparking unprecedented investment in sustainable power options like fusion, fission, air and hydro.

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“We want to be responsible in advancing the technology. Take responsibility and accountability for whenever there are mishaps,” Huang concluded. “But don’t lose sight of the ultimate prize, which is the incredible impact that the technology can bring to all the different economies and societies.”

KANSAS CITY — Expect the number of consumers taking GLP-1 medications to continue rising. Twelve percent of US adults have tried a GLP-1 drug, according to a July 9 webinar hosted by FleishmanHillard, a communications consultancy based in Kansas City. About 25% said they expect to take the drugs in 2026, with Gen Z leading the way at 37%. By 2030 an estimated 35% of US households will have at least one person on GLP-1 medications, according to FleishmanHillard.

FleishmanHillard breaks the GLP-1 category into sub-categories: pre-medication, initiation (weeks 1 to 4), stabilization (weeks 4 to 12), maintenance (weeks 3 to 12 or more), plateau (weeks 6 to 18 or more), discontinuation and post-medication.

“The GLP-1 user is not a monolithic group,” said Kristie Sigler, senior partner and global food and agribusiness sector lead for FleishmanHillard. “Instead, think of them as a kaleidoscope.”

Allison Koch, a registered dietitian in nutrition communications for FleishmanHillard, added, “It’s important for brands marketing to this consumer to recognize what they are looking for varies depending on what phase of use they are in, and what they need today may look very different tomorrow.”

Formulating with fiber requires more nuance than protein, where consumers have a mindset of “more is better,” said Christine Nowakowski, category innovation adviser and corporate fellow for Cargill, Minneapolis.

“It’s about selecting the right fiber, in the right amount, for the right purpose,” she said. “We can broadly categorize fibers into two groups: soluble and insoluble. Think of insoluble fibers like oat fiber and corn bran as scrub brushes for your GI (gastrointestinal) tract, adding bulk and supporting regularity.

“Soluble fibers dissolve in water and support digestive health in different ways, depending on the specific fiber. Some, including soluble corn fiber and inulin, also function as prebiotics, helping nourish beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiome. Certain soluble fibers can also help moderate the body’s blood glucose response by slowing carbohydrate absorption.”

For consumers using GLP-1 medications, nutritional priorities often evolve over time, said Vaughn DuBow, senior director of marketing, North America health and wellness for Chicago-based ADM.

“Those just starting treatment may experience reduced appetite, gastrointestinal discomfort, hydration challenges and feelings of weakness,” he said. “For these consumers, digestive tolerance is often an important consideration when selecting fiber ingredients.”

A bad experience in the initiation phase could turn consumers away from a product, Koch said.

“All of a sudden they eat a large amount of fiber in one sitting, and they have a bad experience, and they are not going to come back to it,” Koch said.

Before starting a GLP-1 medication, consumers should aim for adequate fiber intake, which is 21 to 38 grams daily, depending on age and gender, she said. The approach should shift once they begin taking medications.

“Early-stage users should actually reduce total fiber intake and focus on soluble sources like oats, beans and fruits,” Koch said. “Insoluble fiber found in seeds and plant skins, while important for long-term gut health, can exacerbate medication side effects during sensitive early phases.”

Nowakowski took a different view. She said gastrointestinal side effects often peak early in treatment, causing consumers to focus on managing diarrhea or similar digestive discomfort.

“If they do look for fiber, the bulking benefits of insoluble fiber come to the fore,” she said.

Darren Schubert, vice president of sales and marketing, western operations for Grain Millers, Inc., said, “Users in each sub-group should ensure their diets contain a balance of soluble and insoluble fiber proportioned to their daily nutritional requirements. Too much soluble fiber may cause bloating and gut freezing, while insoluble fiber helps promote smooth passage through the gut and reduces inflammation.”

Insoluble fiber helps maintain regularity in consumers seeking relief from constipation, which happens when GLP-1 drugs slow digestion, said Colleen M. Zammer, vice president of varietal solutions growth and innovation at Bay State Milling Co., Quincy, Mass.

“Consumers looking for gut healing, immune support and precursors to naturally occurring GLP-1 hormones in the body can benefit from fermentable, prebiotic fiber that feeds gut bacteria,” she said, adding that fermented fiber sources like resistant starch provide gut health benefits without uncomfortable side effects like bloating.

More established GLP-1 users continue to consume smaller portions and emphasisze nutrient density in their food choices.

| Photo: ©JAMMER GENE – STOCK.ADOBE.COM

Gradual increases

As gastrointestinal side effects stabilize, typically in weeks 4 to 12 of taking the medications, consumers gradually may increase their total fiber intake, Koch said.

“The key word is ‘gradually’— adding too much too soon may trigger discomfort and resistance,” she said. “Whole food sources are preferable to supplements, though health care professionals like registered dietitians can recommend supplementation strategies when needed.”

More established users continue to consume smaller portions and thus emphasize nutrient density, looking for foods and beverages that deliver nutrition like fiber and protein in less product volume, DuBow said.

“At 6 to 12 months in, there is momentum, with some weight-loss results likely bolstering dual focus on diet and exercise and (the) highest integration of medical advice,” said Emma Cahill, global marketing director, sweeteners, fibers and GLP-1 at Tate & Lyle PLC, London. “We see that the highest reason consumers cease GLP-1 usage is side effects.

“In our survey, we saw the average tenure on the medication was 12 months. At three to six months post usage, it was clear that the healthy habits built on the medication were very difficult to translate upon the return of food noise. We saw food choices fluctuating between healthy habits and old routines.”

Research from ADM’s Outside Voice showed former users experience renewed cravings, and 65% reported concerns about regaining lost weight, DuBow said.

“For this group, ingredients such as prebiotic fibers can help support satiety by delaying hunger cues, stimulating appetite-regulating hormones and promoting feelings of fullness as they establish long-term eating habits,” he said.

‘Boomerangers’

Consumers who discontinue medication tend to fall into two groups, said Keith Albright, senior insights manager for Cargill.

“Some are looking for foods that can help them sustain the progress they’ve made,” he said. “They’re concerned about appetite returning, regaining weight and losing the sense of control they’ve developed while taking the medication. Others simply plan to return to GLP-1 use.

“That brings us to an emerging segment we call ‘boomerangers.’ These are people returning to GLP-1 medications after discontinuing them previously. For many, it’s a planned return. They view GLP-1s as a tool they can return to when they want to lose a few pounds, rather than relying on diet alone to maintain their weight. However, because their bodies must readjust each time they restart therapy, many of these boomerangers will experience the same gastrointestinal side effects all over again.”

Finally, plant-based ingredients may add fiber and protein to products, appealing to users of GLP-1 medications.

“Plant-based flours from quinoa, chickpea, fava and lentil can easily add all-natural, clean label protein and fiber to food products,” said Terry Stover, vice president of special markets for Houston-based Riviana Foods, Inc. “Extruded and ready-to-eat gels made from the same plant flours work well in baked goods, snacks and drink mixes, providing fiber and protein.”

NEW YORK — Cerebelly, a manufacturer of organic baby food and children’s food designed to support brain and cognitive health, has acquired Fresh Bellies, a children’s food brand that manufactures plant-based, freeze-dried snacks without added sugar. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The acquisition brings Cerebelly and Fresh Bellies under shared ownership while operating independently with their own product line, formulation and brand identity, the companies said.

Cerebelly’s product line currently includes purees, smoothies and snack bars. The company said the acquisition will expand its product development capabilities for additional formats and snacking usage occasions.

“We are not merging these brands — we are amplifying them,” said Jodie Wing, chief executive officer of Cerebelly. “The children’s nutrition category is large enough and the unmet consumer need is significant enough that two differentiated brands, operating with shared operational strength, creates more value than either could achieve alone. This is a platform play, not a consolidation.”

The acquisition will enable Fresh Bellies, founded in 2015 by Saskia Sorrosa, access to Cerebelly’s supply chain infrastructure to meet demands.

“Fresh Bellies has always been about giving children a bold, adventurous start with real, whole food,” Sorrosa said. “Joining forces with Cerebelly gives us the ability to say ‘yes’ — yes to more retailers, yes to larger and more frequent orders, yes to more innovation and exciting new products, and yes to meaningful certifications that set our products apart. This partnership gives us the runway to grow in ways we’ve always known we could.”