Is the UAE's exit the beginning of the end for Opec?

Is the UAE's exit the beginning of the end for Opec?

Author: The National News May 13, 2026 Duration: 24:33
The UAE's decision to leave Opec is the biggest exit the organisation has faced since 1960. As the group's third-largest producer and one of the few members with real spare capacity, the departure of the Emirates raises urgent questions about the future of global oil markets and the organisation that has shaped them for decades. This comes at a critical moment. The Iran war is escalating, the Strait of Hormuz is under pressure and Aramco is warning that the market has already lost about one billion barrels. Analysts say it could take until well into next year for the situation to fully recover. In this episode of Business Extra, host Salim A Essaid speaks with Amena Bakr, head of Middle East and Opec+ insights at Kpler, about what the UAE's exit means, whether other members could follow suit and whether the old Opec model still works in a more fragmented world.

Tune into Business Extra for a clear-eyed look at the forces shaping commerce in the Middle East and beyond. Produced by The National News, this podcast moves past the headlines to deliver substantive conversations with the analysts, executives, and innovators driving change. Each episode leans on the deep regional expertise of our editors and reporters, who translate complex developments in markets, energy, and technology into accessible insights. You’ll hear grounded discussions that connect local trends to global patterns, offering a necessary perspective on one of the planet's most dynamic economic landscapes. Whether it's a shift in oil policy, a tech startup's rise, or a new trade agreement, this series provides the context often missing from daily news cycles. For anyone with a stake in understanding how business really works in this pivotal region, Business Extra is an essential listen, blending authoritative journalism with genuine curiosity. The result is a consistently informative podcast that feels less like a briefing and more like a series of insightful conversations with people who have their finger on the pulse.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Business Extra
Podcast Episodes
Why so few UAE SMEs become major companies [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:16
Small and middle-sized companies (SMEs) make up more than 95 per cent of businesses in the UAE and contribute more than 60 per cent of the country’s non-oil GDP. But despite that, the UAE still has relatively few SMEs gr…
Syria’s investment boom: Real opportunity or political mirage? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:39
Syria is becoming part of the economic conversation again. Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about investment and reconstruction, from the first Syrian-Emirati Investment Forum to upcoming business ev…
How the UAE's Aleria is partnering with Nvidia to own its AI future [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:12
As global supply chains face sustained disruption, the UAE is pressing ahead with a plan to build sovereign AI infrastructure, technology and data that the country can control without relinquishing intellectual property…
UAE property: Experts address what is next for the market [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:46
The UAE property market has been one of the strongest stories in the sector globally over the past few years, with record transactions, rising prices and huge numbers of international buyers. What makes the Emirates uniq…
What the energy crisis reveals about how we power world [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:09
In a matter of weeks, energy supply shocks sent oil prices up by 30 per cent, fuel costs surged to record highs, and the ripple effects hit everything from inflation and global growth to household bills. The Internationa…
Uncertainty is certain: Inside the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:44
This year's IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington are unlike any in recent memory. The Iran war has given the annual gathering a geopolitical charge that has drawn an unusually broad crowd, not just the tradit…
Beyond oil: How the Iran war is already hitting wallets [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:31
The economic fallout from the Iran war extends well beyond oil markets and is beginning to be felt in consumers' daily lives. With transport and production costs rising, food prices are beginning to climb globally and ai…
Inside Borouge: The UAE's petrochemical powerhouse [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:56
In this special episode of Business Extra, host Khaled Abuljebain sits down with Yan Martin Nufer, chief financial officer of Abu Dhabi-based Borouge, to explore how one of the region’s industrial giants is driving long-…
How the Iran war is threatening water security in the Gulf [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:47
Water infrastructure, supply chains and agriculture are now increasingly exposed to geopolitical shocks. As the US-Israeli war on Iran led to attacks on infrastructure across the region, attention is shifting to the ener…