German retailers' inventory saw DDR5 memory prices stabilizing for the first time in months, with some kits even miraculously seeing price cuts compared to the start of January. This doesn't indicate that the crisis is over, or even that there will be no more price hikes, but rather that the unpredictability is finally starting to wither.
AMD's partners are reportedly preparing a fresh new wave of price bumps for Radeon GPUs that are expected to go live this quarter. AMD Radeon GPUs Are Going To Become More Expensive This Quarter As DRAM Supply Constraints Continue As per a new report published by Board Channels, it looks like AMD partners are preparing a second wave of price bumps on Radeon GPUs. The price bumps follow the original wave, which affected both AMD and NVIDIA GPUs, with up to $40 hikes (based on memory configurations). Once again, the price bump is due to the ever-rising memory prices and […]
In a strategic move to enhance the travel experience for its growing customer base, Etihad Airways has introduced an exciting initiative for its Indian travelers. Starting this year, the airline’s award-winning Etihad Guest loyalty program will offer Indian passengers the opportunity to earn airline miles through everyday activities such as dining, shopping, and even quick commerce services. This new collaboration with several leading Indian brands, including Swiggy, Flipkart, and Shoppers Stop, ensures that Etihad guests are rewarded not just for flying, but also for their daily purchases and indulgences. This expansion aims to deliver exceptional value to the airline’s Indian customers, encouraging more frequent travelers to engage with the brand in novel ways.
Expansion of Etihad’s Presence in India
As one of Etihad Airways’ most critical markets, India plays a central role in the airline’s operations. With a robust network of 185 weekly flights connecting 11 major cities across the country, Etihad has consistently demonstrated its commitment to strengthening its foothold in the Indian subcontinent. This new loyalty program expansion is part of the airline’s ongoing efforts to cater to the increasing number of frequent travelers from India. By partnering with well-known brands, Etihad is blending its world-class travel experience with everyday shopping and dining, providing Indian passengers with a seamless and rewarding experience both on the ground and in the air.
Exciting Partnerships for Etihad Guests
The program’s latest update involves key partnerships with five renowned brands operating across various sectors in India. These partnerships allow Etihad Guest members to earn miles on purchases from top-tier credit cards, e-commerce platforms, hotels, and even food delivery apps. The brands involved include:
BOBCARD: A subsidiary of Bank of Baroda, introducing a co-branded credit card for seamless travel and shopping rewards.
The Postcard Hotel: A luxury hotel chain offering unique experiences for discerning travelers in India.
Flipkart: One of India’s largest e-commerce marketplaces, providing a wide range of products for miles-earning opportunities.
Swiggy: A leading online food delivery and quick commerce platform, ensuring that customers can earn miles even during a meal order.
Shoppers Stop: A premium department store, known for a wide selection of luxury products, where customers can now also earn valuable miles with their purchases.
By partnering with these household names, Etihad Airways ensures that its Indian members can engage with the program in a variety of convenient ways, making travel even more rewarding.
Enhanced Benefits for Etihad Guests
The introduction of BOBCARD Etihad Guest Credit Cards is a noteworthy development. This collaboration offers a credit card that provides tailored benefits for Indian travelers. New members who sign up before the end of February will enjoy a special double welcome miles offer, adding further incentive for individuals looking to maximize the value of their spending. The credit card aims to make international travel more accessible by offering financial flexibility alongside exclusive travel perks, including faster accumulation of miles for upgrades, lounge access, and more.
With these new initiatives, Etihad is reinforcing its promise to offer premium travel benefits to its guests, allowing them to reap rewards long before boarding their flights.
Why This Expansion is Great for Indian Travelers
For Indian travelers, this expansion brings unparalleled convenience and value. Indian travelers can now benefit from a loyalty program that rewards them not only for frequent flying but also for regular purchases. Whether dining at their favorite restaurant, booking a stay at a luxury hotel, or shopping for the latest fashion, every interaction with these popular brands brings them closer to earning free flights, upgrades, and other exclusive perks. This expansion positions Etihad Airways as an airline that truly understands its customer base and is willing to adapt to meet their evolving needs.
Travel Tip: Maximize Your Miles with Everyday Spending
For frequent travelers, the key to maximizing Etihad Guest miles lies in integrating the loyalty program with your daily spending habits. To make the most of this partnership, ensure that you are using your BOBCARD Etihad Guest Credit Card for all major purchases. You can easily accumulate miles with every meal order through Swiggy, indulge in a little shopping spree at Shoppers Stop, or enjoy a luxurious weekend stay at The Postcard Hotel. It’s a great way to make your routine purchases work in your favor and collect miles for your next trip!
The Future of Travel in India: A Growing Market
India’s travel market is expanding rapidly, and airlines like Etihad Airways are seizing the opportunity to cater to the growing demand. With the addition of innovative features to their loyalty programs, airlines are transforming the traditional travel experience. Now, passengers can earn miles beyond the airport and flights, enhancing the overall travel experience and rewarding loyalty in every step of their journey.
As Indian passengers become more accustomed to earning miles for everyday purchases, expect other airlines to follow suit with similar loyalty offerings. Etihad Airways’ initiative places the airline in a strong position as the competition in India’s airline sector heats up.
Why You Should Consider Joining the Etihad Guest Program
For those who haven’t yet joined the Etihad Guest program, now is a great time to start. The combination of earning miles with everyday purchases, access to exclusive offers, and a range of premium travel benefits makes this loyalty program incredibly attractive. As Etihad Airways continues to expand its presence in India, joining the program now could give you access to a world of rewards, from free flights to upgrades and lounge access, all while making the most of your purchases.
In a bold move to strengthen its international presence and re-engage its global diaspora, Indonesia has introduced its Global Citizenship Visa (GCV), which offers unprecedented lifetime residency rights without requiring the renunciation of other nationalities. This landmark initiative aligns Indonesia with global leaders such as Greece, India, Portugal, the UAE, and Qatar, all of which have implemented similar long-term residency programs to attract talent, investors, and citizens from around the world. Indonesia’s new visa program is poised to not only bolster the country’s economic landscape but also enhance its position as a significant global player in mobility and migration.
A Game-Changer for Global Mobility
The Global Citizenship Visa program, launched in January 2026, allows eligible individuals to enjoy permanent residency within Indonesia, with no requirements for renouncing existing citizenship. While the concept of permanent residency is not new, Indonesia’s initiative stands out because it offers such flexibility, unlocking lifetime residency privileges without requiring expatriates to give up their home countries’ citizenships. This groundbreaking decision positions Indonesia as a trailblazer in the realm of global mobility visas, offering unparalleled travel freedom for expatriates and tourists alike.
By introducing this visa, Indonesia is following the steps of countries like Greece, which has long championed Golden Visas for investors, and India, which provides Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) for its global diaspora. Portugal, Qatar, and the UAE have similarly rolled out residency options that cater to international investors, skilled professionals, and their families.
According to the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the GCV aims to target individuals with strong cultural, familial, or economic ties to Indonesia, encouraging long-term engagement with the country while bolstering its local economy. This move signals a significant shift in how nations view and facilitate immigration, focusing on long-term residency over traditional, short-term work or tourist visas.
The Path to Global Citizenship: Who Can Apply?
The GCV is designed with a particular focus on Indonesia’s diaspora and foreign nationals with a connection to the country. The key to eligibility for this pioneering visa program lies in family lineage and economic contributions. It is aimed at:
Former Indonesian citizens (Ex-WNI), who previously relinquished their citizenship but maintain strong ties to the country.
Descendants of Indonesian citizens (children and grandchildren of former nationals) who wish to reconnect with their heritage.
Foreign spouses of Indonesian nationals, who now have a chance to formalize their ties to the country.
Unlike many global residency programs that rely heavily on investment, the GCV also gives weight to cultural and familial connections. As such, the program is uniquely positioned to draw in those who have deep-rooted historical, personal, or economic links with Indonesia, offering them a gateway to reconnect with the country and establish a permanent residence. It is not just about securing investment but also fostering cultural exchanges and strengthening diaspora relations.
The Benefits: Why Choose Indonesia’s Global Citizenship Visa?
The benefits of the Global Citizenship Visa are multifaceted. For many, the main attraction lies in the long-term residency granted without the complications of dual citizenship. Here are the key advantages:
Lifetime Residency: The GCV guarantees permanent residence for approved applicants, allowing them to live, work, and study in Indonesia without the need for frequent renewals or residency checks.
Visa-Free Travel: Holders of the visa enjoy visa-free access to many countries in the ASEAN region and other parts of the world, enhancing global travel flexibility.
No Renunciation of Existing Citizenship: Applicants can maintain their current nationality while benefiting from Indonesian residency rights.
Economic Opportunities: The visa promotes economic engagement through investment in property or local businesses, enabling applicants to contribute to the growth of Indonesia’s dynamic economy.
Entry Requirements and Financial Commitment
Applicants for Indonesia’s Global Citizenship Visa must meet specific financial and economic criteria to ensure their ability to contribute to the country’s growth. Some of the requirements include:
Minimum annual income of approximately US$15,000 or monthly income of US$1,500.
Investment requirements include placing at least US$5,000 in Indonesian government bonds, mutual funds, stocks, or other acceptable forms of investment. Alternatively, applicants can demonstrate property ownership valued at US$1 million.
Additionally, the visa application fee is set at 34.8 million Indonesian Rupiah (approximately US$2,078), making the process financially accessible to a diverse range of applicants, particularly those already in high-income professions or those seeking to establish themselves within the country’s growing economy.
How Does This Compare to Global Residency Programs?
Indonesia’s initiative mirrors the Golden Visa and overseas citizenship programs offered by other nations. In Greece, the Golden Visa program provides a residency permit for foreign investors, often requiring an investment in property valued at €250,000. Investors and their families enjoy the freedom of living in Greece and traveling freely within the EU Schengen Zone without restrictions. Similarly, India’s OCI visa offers a long-term, life-long residency option, but unlike Indonesia’s program, it does not provide the same mobility rights, particularly in terms of unrestricted travel. OCI holders are restricted from holding political office or voting in Indian elections.
The UAE, Qatar, and Portugal offer a combination of investment-driven residency visas and long-term permits, with a heavy emphasis on attracting wealthy foreign nationals who can contribute economically through real estate investments or business ventures. These residency programs generally do not focus on familial or cultural ties as heavily as the Indonesian scheme, which places significant value on heritage-based connections.
Conclusion: The Future of Global Mobility and Indonesia’s Role
Indonesia’s Global Citizenship Visa has the potential to reshape the global landscape of residency and immigration. By prioritizing cultural and familial ties over strict investment requirements, Indonesia is offering a unique pathway for global citizens to establish roots in the country while preserving their connections to their countries of origin. This program is expected to attract global talent, business professionals, and returning expatriates, making it a game-changer for Indonesia’s economy.
In a world where global mobility is becoming increasingly important, Indonesia has solidified its role as a pioneering force in the new era of international residency programs. As more countries look to open their doors to global citizens, Indonesia’s initiative sets a precedent for how to balance economic development, cultural exchange, and unmatched travel freedom for people across the world.
The big three memory chip makers are reportedly becoming stricter when it comes to who buys their chips, ensuring that the demand is real before allowing customers to get them.
Savvy Games Group and NEOM came together to streamline the journey of Saudi gaming startups from incubation to acceleration. This joint initiative aims to strengthen the Kingdom’s end-to-end gaming ecosystem and advance the goals of the National Gaming and Esports Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030.
Together, both Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator Program and NEOM’s ‘Level Up’ Accelerator ensure that startups graduating from Savvy’s Incubator have the training, resources and support required to progress efficiently into NEOM’s Accelerator. This Savvy-NEOM collaboration builds upon the rapid evolution of both programs and shall ultimately support a stronger pipeline of investable gaming studios.
Savvy’s Nine66 Incubator Program has helped early-stage studios validate prototypes, build foundational capabilities, and prepare for investor engagement. Through this initiative, Savvy aims to help startups achieve readiness to move into the subsequent stages of development and scaling.
NEOM’s Level Up Accelerator provides funding and mentorship to scale incubated studios into self-sustaining businesses. Since 2023, it has grown into a multiphase platform supporting more than 45 Saudi startups, deploying 15 investments, and achieving a 100% survival rate within its portfolio – outperforming many global benchmarks. With 17 international partners offering publishing and support, Level Up has enabled more than 170 jobs and facilitated a historic milestone: the Kingdom’s first international publishing deal for a domestic gaming start-up – signed between Fahy Studio and UK-based publisher Kwalee.
Amr Sager, Group Chief of Staff at Savvy Games Group, said: “As the games industry continues to grow at a rapid pace in Saudi Arabia, there is an increasing number of programs and initiatives designed to help emerging studios and entrepreneurs to build, run, and scale their businesses. This momentum is encouraging, and the next step would be to create stronger synergy and alignment across these efforts, so that the journey is smoother and clearer for startups to identify and source the support they need. This is what our partnership with NEOM is really about, and we look forward to working with the team to continue empowering Saudi studios and game makers.”
Toby Evan-Jones, Executive Director and Head of Gaming at NEOM, said: “NEOM Gaming is proud to play a role in nurturing the Kingdom’s gaming ecosystem, in line with the National Gaming and Esports Strategy. From sparking interest within high schools, to investing into young gaming studios via the Level Up accelerator, it’s immensely satisfying to see the green shoots of a viable self-sustaining industry appear. We share a joint view, with Savvy Games Group, that increasing coordination around the startup journey shall benefit all parties, not least the young game makers which we support. We couldn’t be more excited about this alignment.”
The National Experts Program has called on Emirati professionals working in the field of artificial intelligence to join its new Artificial Intelligence track (NEP-AI), with applications scheduled to open on 29 January 2026.
Building on the success of NEP since 2019, NEP-AI is a specialized track of the program, focusing on the nation’s strategic AI priorities with the goal of developing a national cadre of AI leaders.
NEP-AI was launched under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, during the graduation of NEP Cohorts 2.0 and 3.0 in October 2025. The first cohort of NEP-AI is scheduled to begin in May 2026.
NEP-AI is developed in alignment with the UAE National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence 2031 and contributes directly to its vision of positioning the UAE among the world’s leading nations in AI.
NEP-AI participants are selected based on strong academic, professional, and leadership credentials, as well the ability to translate knowledge and expertise into tangible, practical impact across national sectors.
The program spans 25 priority sectors across the national economy, including six core tracks: AI Infrastructure and Hardware, AI Models and Application, AI Productization and Entrepreneurship, Sovereign AI and National Capability, Human–AI Leadership and Foresight, and Applied AI Domains.
NEP-AI is designed to translate national AI strategy into execution. The program places strong emphasis on human capital, governance, ethics, data readiness, and responsible AI deployment, ensuring that participants move beyond theory to delivery.
Participants will work on developing initiatives and projects linked to their respective sectors, addressing multiple institutional and national challenges and enhancing measurable impact. Each participant will present a capstone project connected to their organisation or sector, aimed at achieving scientific solutions with tangible and sustainable impact.
Participants are also supported by a network of NEP-AI mentors, in addition to leveraging global expertise to enhance local capabilities by combining UAE-based centres of excellence with leading international institutions, alongside international study visits aligned with participants’ AI specialization tracks.
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