Week ending 24 October 2026: Saudi Arabia postpones its biggest investor conference

The FII Institute said on Monday 19 October that its Future Investment Initiative conference, scheduled for 26 to 29 October in Riyadh, is postponed to next year, with a 2027 date to be announced very soon. Al Jazeera reports the Iran backed Houthis have hit military, energy and civilian infrastructure across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh’s international airport, with at least 18 people killed. Government agencies told staff to work from home, and firms in the King Abdullah Financial District did the same.

Maha bint Mishari Al Saud, CEO of the FII Institute, said the decision comes from a deep commitment to partners, members, speakers and delegates.

Do this. If you had investor or buyer meetings lined up around the conference, move them to video calls this week and confirm the new arrangements in writing. Ask your bank how it will handle any delayed Riyadh receivables before they age.

The UAE Ministry of Finance issued Ministerial Decision 197 of 2026 on 19 October, amending the e invoicing decision of 2025. It took effect on 1 October. Transactions between members of the same tax group are excluded for 24 months from 1 January 2027. E invoice records no longer have to be stored in the UAE, though they must be kept for the legal period and made available to the Federal Tax Authority. The duty to report system failures within two business days is repealed.

Separately, Deloitte’s guidance states that businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more must appoint an accredited service provider by 30 October 2026, with go live on 1 January 2027.

Do this. If your revenue is AED 50 million or more, appoint your accredited provider before Friday 30 October. Smaller businesses should ask their accountant which phase applies to them. Clean e invoice data will matter when lenders ask for receivables evidence.

Sharjah’s Ruwad foundation published its third quarter report on 18 October. It financed 10 projects worth AED 3.727 million, of which nine received direct financing (AED 2.727 million) and one was financed through the bank indirect programme (AED 1 million). Year to date through September, it has financed 14 projects worth AED 5.361 million. Some 168 new projects joined as members, and 198 government contracts worth AED 1.971 million were awarded to members across 33 government entities.

Do this. Sharjah micro businesses should look at Ruwad’s direct financing, which was about 73% of Q3 value. The average government contract was roughly AED 10,000 (our calculation), so public work is a steady source of small orders rather than large mobilisation needs.

Dubai based CapQuest closed a USD 1 million pre seed round on 20 October, led by Oraseya Capital and AMKM Family Office. The platform helps startups and established companies manage cap tables, employee equity plans, vesting schedules, fundraising transactions and shareholder communications. It was founded in 2023 by Antoine Bruna, Marco Banfi and Anvita Varshney. Bruna, CEO, called the funding an important milestone and a strong validation of the vision.

Do this. Before you raise from anyone, get your shareholder register and any option promises into one clean record. Investors and lenders ask for it early, and gaps slow the deal.

Ziina became the first homegrown UAE fintech to hold Central Bank licences across payments, stored value and exchange, according to Builders in Fintech on 23 October. Wamda reported the approvals on 22 October for retail payments and exchange services. Licence conditions and product plans were not detailed in the coverage we could verify.

Do this. Check that any payment or wallet provider you use for business collections holds the right UAE Central Bank licence. It protects your funds and keeps your bank comfortable with the flows.

In an interview with Finance Middle East on 20 October, Fawaz Ghazal, CEO of Flooss, said Shorooq can provide much larger amounts of capital despite the ongoing Iran war. Shorooq backed a credit facility for Flooss in Bahrain in January. No new amount was announced.

Do this. If you borrow from a non bank lender, ask who funds its book, on what terms and for how long. A lender whose capital is committed through a conflict is worth more than one with a lower headline rate.