Qashio, the MENA region’s leading spend management solution, is rewarding its UAE customers with exclusive FIFA World Cup 2026™ fan experiences, including premium viewing access, interactive competitions, and hospitality benefits at Emirates Golf Club’s Footy Central in Dubai. The initiative gives customers the opportunity to experience a dedicated football watch party destination during the world’s biggest football tournament.

Running from 11 June to 19 July 2026, Footy Central will screen live matches alongside themed F&B, interactive games, family-friendly activities, competitions, and matchday entertainment. The programme builds on the global appeal of football’s premier event, which reached more than five billion viewers across all platforms during its previous edition, and reflects Qashio’s value proposition beyond spend management by turning client loyalty into tangible rewards and premium benefits.

The campaign will unlock exclusive access to selected matchday rewards and fan activations for Qashio customers, including F&B vouchers, matchday credits, Viya Points, gaming rewards, and VIP hospitality experiences. Viya Points, the digital reward currency within the Viya App ecosystem, can be redeemed across a premium lifestyle network of 400 venues, extending the value of the campaign beyond the matchday.

Guests can participate in the Ronaldo Header Challenge, where they can test their heading accuracy, while the FIFA Console Zone will host the PS5 FIFA Esports Challenge: Road to the Cup, with guests competing in head-to-head matches for leaderboard positions and daily rewards. Half-time engagement will include lucky draws during key matches, alongside Predict & Win competitions that reward guests for accurate match predictions.

Armin Moradi, CEO and Founder of Qashio, said: “Football is the most popular sport in the UAE among both Emiratis and the broader expat population, which makes the FIFA World Cup 2026™ a powerful moment to celebrate with our customers. Qashio was built to help businesses manage spend with more control and value, and this campaign extends that promise by turning loyalty into memorable experiences for finance leaders and teams across the country.”*

The FIFA World Cup 2026™ customer rewards campaign reflects Qashio’s broader approach to building a spend management platform that combines financial control with meaningful customer engagement. Through rewards, activations, competitions, and hospitality benefits, Qashio is continuing to create value for businesses beyond transactions, while giving customers new ways to engage with one of the most anticipated sporting events in the world.

For more information on the Footy Central experience and partnership opportunities, visit the link.

As UAE residents prepare for summer holidays, international travel and seasonal relocation, Vintage Vaults, Dubai’s premium safe deposit box facility at Mall of the Emirates, is highlighting the importance of secure private vault storage for valuables, documents and high-value personal assets.

From jewellery and luxury watches to family heirlooms, legal documents, precious metals and collectibles, extended periods away from home can heighten concerns around security, accessibility and long-term protection. For residents, expatriates, investors and frequent travellers, secure storage during travel in the UAE has become an increasingly important part of responsible asset protection.

Vintage Vaults provides private safe deposit box rental in Dubai for individuals, families, collectors and business owners seeking a modern, discreet and service-led alternative to conventional safety deposit boxes. Combining advanced security infrastructure with premium client experience, the facility has been designed for clients who value privacy, convenience and peace of mind.

Located within Mall of the Emirates, Vintage Vaults offers client access during mall operating hours, 365 days a year. The facility operates within a 24/7 monitored security environment supported by UL-certified vault infrastructure, biometric authentication, controlled access systems, AI-powered surveillance, CCTV monitoring, motion detection technology and advanced alarm systems. It is also directly connected to Dubai Police and SIRA-linked monitoring systems, further strengthening its security framework.

Clients can choose from seven safe deposit box sizes ranging from XXS to XXL, accommodating a wide variety of assets including jewellery, watches, gold, cash, legal documentation, family archives, artwork and collectibles. Every box comes with complimentary insurance coverage, with protection of up to AED 2 million depending on the selected membership tier.

“Dubai has become home to a growing number of individuals and families who have accumulated significant personal and financial assets over the years,” said Sherif El Haddad, Founder and CEO of Vintage Vaults. “At the same time, we are seeing greater mobility, with people travelling more frequently, spending extended periods abroad, relocating between countries or managing assets across multiple markets. Accordingly, secure storage is becoming an essential part of responsible asset management, particularly during periods when people are away from home.”

Vintage Vaults offers three membership categories — Silver, Gold and Black — providing varying levels of insurance coverage, security features, box access nominees and premium services. Clients also benefit from private consultation and access rooms designed to maintain discretion, alongside a multilingual team trained in security, privacy, client service and asset protection.

For clients requiring additional support, the facility offers premium services including chauffeur arrangements, armoured transportation and bodyguard assistance, creating a comprehensive asset protection ecosystem tailored to high-value holdings.

According to Imran Shoukat Khan, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Vintage Vaults, demand for private vault services is being driven by a broader shift in how residents and expatriates think about protecting their assets.

“Today’s clients expect more than storage. They want confidence that their valuables are protected by robust infrastructure, supported by technology and managed with complete client discretion,” said Imran. “Whether someone is travelling for several weeks, relocating internationally or safeguarding assets for future generations, secure private vault facilities provide essential storage with , protection against theft, damage or loss along with peace of mind.”

The summer season presents a timely opportunity for UAE residents and expats to review how their valuable possessions are stored and protected. For many, a safe deposit box in Dubai offers a practical solution for securing jewellery collections, investment-grade precious metals, luxury watches, important family documents and sentimental heirlooms before extended travel or temporary relocation.

As one of the few independent private safe deposit box operators in the UAE not affiliated with a bank, Vintage Vaults offers a level of discretion, flexibility and service that traditional banking institutions may not provide. By combining advanced security standards, complimentary insurance coverage, flexible storage options and premium client services, Vintage Vaults continues to provide a trusted destination for clients seeking long-term asset protection in one of the world’s most dynamic wealth centres.

Standard Chartered (“the Bank”) Wealth Solutions Chief Investment Office (CIO) has released its Global Market Outlook for the second half of 2026, outlining its investment strategy and key themes as investors navigate a more complex and evolving market environment. The report was launched alongside Global Market Outlook events in Dubai and Abu Dhabi this week, the first of their kind for the Bank regionally for the second half of this year.

The Bank’s CIO expects risky assets to remain supported by a soft-landing macro backdrop, though investors will need to navigate energy prices, equity supply, investor positioning and central bank policy in H2 2026.

For investors in the UAE and wider Middle East, evolving energy dynamics and easing geopolitical risk premiums following the US-Iran interim deal are expected to support sentiment, while stable oil prices and strong regional liquidity continue to underpin investment activity and diversification opportunities.

Against this backdrop, the CIO remains Overweight global equities, with a preference for the US and Asia ex-Japan, alongside selective opportunities in fixed income and alternatives.

Reflecting this stance, the CIO team sees further upside in key asset classes, with a target of 7,950 for the US S&P 500 index and USD 5,100 for gold by mid-2027, underscoring the role of equities as a core growth driver and gold as a strategic portfolio diversifier.

Global equities rose more than 12% year-to-date, supported by strong earnings and AI-driven optimism, despite geopolitical tensions, higher oil prices and elevated bond yields.

While this momentum is expected to extend into H2, investors will need to be more nimble as markets adjust to four key pivot points: energy prices, equity supply, investor positioning and central bank policy.  

In the Middle East, including the UAE, oil market developments remain particularly relevant. While the interim US‑Iran agreement may ease supply constraints and soften prices, the pace of recovery in physical flows and inventory rebuilding is why energy prices are unlikely to immediately return to start-of-year levels, a key factor shaping inflation expectations and investment opportunities.

Ayesha Abbas, Managing Director and Head of Affluent and Wealth Solutions, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and UAE at Standard Chartered, said: “UAE investors are entering the second half of 2026 from a position of strength. The region continues to benefit from supportive liquidity conditions and the stabilisation of oil markets. In this environment, we are seeing strong demand for diversified portfolios that balance growth opportunities in global equities with income strategies such as Emerging Market USD bonds, alongside gold as a strategic hedge. For internationally minded clients in the UAE, staying invested and well-diversified will be key to capturing opportunities as markets evolve.”