{
  "id": 9225470,
  "title": "Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/gulf-tech-firms-turn-to-hong-kong-and-singapore-as-iran-war-grinds-on",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T00:00:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3368387/gulf-tech-firms-turn-hong-kong-and-singapore-iran-war-grinds"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "As the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate, Gulf tech firms are turning to Hong Kong and Singapore as primary growth markets. Paul Bratby, founder of xBratAI, an AI-powered trading signals platform based in Dubai, moved his Hong Kong entity forward in 2026 due to the ongoing Iran crisis. Digital businesses and investors are increasingly establishing a presence in these Asian hubs. Anndy Lian, a Singapore-based adviser, calls this a \"dual-hub\" model, noting that Gulf firms are no longer relying on a single operational anchor. Bahrain's Ali Moosa, executive vice-chairman of Singapore Gulf Bank, believes the conflict has accelerated Gulf businesses' use of Asian financial hubs. The closer the Gulf becomes to Asia, the more capital and opportunities they can access, according to Moosa. Singaporean financial institutions are setting up cross-border digital networks and multicurrency settlement methods to facilitate Gulf capital flow into Southeast Asia, which is undergoing a significant infrastructure boom. With the Asia-Pacific's financial services industry expected to nearly double in value to US$4.8 trillion by 2035, Gulf sovereign wealth funds are eager to invest in Asia's consumer digital economy and industrial supply chains. Iranian attacks on data centers in Bahrain and the UAE have fueled interest in Southeast Asian alternatives for technology companies, but the Gulf remains central to the global AI buildout due to existing investments and government backing.",
  "summary": "Paul Bratby had already drawn up plans for expanding to Hong Kong when war broke out in the Middle East earlier this year. But the founder of xBratAI, a Dubai-based AI-powered trading signals platform, soon brought that timeline forward as the Iran conflict dragged on and widened in scope. “Our Hong Kong entity had been scheduled for a few years later, but we established it in early 2026,” he…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "The question Hong Kong charities must answer",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/22/the-question-hong-kong-charities-must-answer",
        "published": "2026-09-22T21:30:05.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}