Author: josh
At the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, the newly appointed Syrian minister of social and labor affairs, Her Excellency Hind Kabawat, spoke about the future of a nation emerging from nearly 14 years of civil war under a new administration. The country’s only female minister, Kabawat described her passionate appeals to Syria’s new president—and to the international community—to make sure that her status as Syria’s only female minister ends soon, with more women joining her. The veteran diplomat, a former nonresident fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Syria Project, has assumed a central role in Syria’s transitional government. “First of all, quotas…
Women’s sports revenue is expected to hit a record-breaking $2.35 billion this year—a whopping 25% year-over-year increase, according to a 2025 Deloitte report. That stat alone shows how rapidly the women’s sports industry is growing, but doesn’t show the entire picture of why. But Alexis Ohanian, founding control owner of Angel City FC and Los Angeles Golf Club, and creator of professional women’s track and field event series Athlos, said at the Fortune Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday said it’s due to the rise in team valuations investments. Investments in women’s sports were historically “surpressed,” said Ohanian,…
Weeks after winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long fight to restore democracy to Venezuela, opposition leader María Corina Machado is calling for what she describes as the most ambitious economic transformation in the nation’s history—a sweeping privatization aimed at reversing the policies of President Nicolás Maduro and what she calls “the disaster this socialist system has wrought.” Appearing virtually on the Fortune Global Forum stage in Riyadh, Machado, currently in hiding from the Maduro regime, unveiled a bold vision to rebuild Venezuela’s shattered economy through large-scale private investment. “Venezuela will be the single biggest economic opportunity for decades…
Speaking at Fortune’s Global Forum in Riyadh, IBM’s Ana Paula Assis said businesses must transform their operating models to fully realize AI’s potential. She said companies need a systemic, organization-wide approach that integrates data, technology, and trust to realize the benefits of technology. While AI adoption is growing rapidly, most organizations still struggle to achieve measurable returns due to knowledge gaps and limited integration. AI has the potential to boost productivity within organizations, but only once business models have been transformed, according to Ana Paula Assis, Senior Vice President and Chair, EMEA and Growth Markets, IBM. Assis told the audience…
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the lovely mountain town of Lugano, Switzerland, whose appeal lies in that it is basically Italy but administered by the Swiss. That’s according to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, one of the prime backers of Plan B, a Bitcoin conference where I hosted a discussion on the growing trend of nation states embracing the original cryptocurrency. The event had an upbeat vibe—not surprising since everyone there worshipped Bitcoin—but it was also clear there was trouble in paradise. It turns out there is a growing schism over Bitcoin’s codebase, and whether it should be modified…
You’ve got little savings but want to buy a rental property. You see so many “no money down” investing strategies, but how do you know you won’t get burned trying them out? If you want to learn how to invest in real estate with no money, the right way, you need to take tips from those who have done it successfully without overleveraging themselves. Today, we’ve got two experts who bought rentals with very little savings and did it the legitimate way.Deandra McDonald went from $5,000 in credit card debt and a $28,000 salary to financial freedom with rentals in…
Southeast Asian deaths linked to air pollution could rise by up to 10% by 2050, costing the region nearly $600 billion, even as overall pollution levels decrease, according to a new study published in the Environment International journal on Oct. 8. The study, led by Steve Yim, head of the Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Health at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University, estimates the economic cost of pollution-linked deaths under different emissions scenarios: low, medium and high. The study estimates that the region will take a $447 billion hit from air pollution-related deaths under the low emission scenario, and $591…
Good morning from Riyadh, where we are hosting the Fortune Global Forum. We’ve had some fascinating conversations about the business implications of the convergence of technology, geopolitics, demographics and more. AI was top of mind, from Google president Ruth Porat’s predictions about curing cancer to influencer Jordi van den Bussche’s business that’s built on creating 10,000 videos of himself every day, using an AI-generated avatar. With its investments in AI infrastructure and obvious strengths on the power front, Saudi Arabia is a country that is building out data centers and positioning itself as a hub for AI, entertainment, sports, finance,…
Brazil’s leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva expressed confidence on Monday that his country and the United States will reach a trade deal. U.S. President Donald Trump also signaled that a deal is likely. The statements came a day after the two presidents held talks on the sidelines of a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s capital, which Lula described as a “very good meeting.” Trump, who headed to Japan from Malaysia, also said he and Lula “had a great meeting” on Sunday. “We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo. “They’d like to do a deal.” Earlier,…
Barclays Plc is returning to Saudi Arabia after an 11-year absence, marking both a strategic expansion for the British lender and a symbolic validation of Riyadh’s growing status as the Middle East’s corporate command hub. The move, first reported by Bloomberg, comes as the kingdom accelerates efforts under the country’s Vision 2030 plan to diversify its oil-driven economy and attract multinational headquarters into its capital. The bank, which exited Saudi Arabia in 2014, is now securing a new investment banking license and plans to open offices in Riyadh by early 2026, CEO C.S. Venkatakrishnan said in an interview with Bloomberg TV,…