Forbes Middle East
Licensed Middle East edition of Forbes, publishing a monthly magazine in Arabic and English, a business website, rankings and summits. It is produced by Arab Publisher House, founded in 2010 and led by Khuloud Al Omian.
Industry: Business media and publishing | Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates | Founded: 2010
About Forbes Middle East
Forbes Middle East is the Arab-world edition of Forbes, a business magazine and website published in Arabic and English. It is produced by Arab Publisher House FZ LLC, which holds an exclusive licence from Forbes Media to publish Forbes Middle East content in print and online across the Middle East and North Africa. Coverage of its 2010 launch placed it in Dubai.
Forbes announced the arrangement in July 2010 with Arab Publisher House, which Campaign Middle East described as a newly formed joint venture of Saudi investors. Khuloud Al Omian, named editor-in-chief at launch, said winning the rights took a year of negotiations. The edition followed Forbes Arabia, which DIT Group published from 2004 until it closed in April 2009. Campaign Middle East reported that the first issue was planned for October 2010 in Arabic, with an English edition due in early 2011 and an initial circulation of 25,000. Al Omian's biography says she founded Arab Publisher House in 2010, and she is now its chief executive and the magazine's editor-in-chief. Nasser Al Tayyar was president of Arab Publisher House at the launch.
The company's website says the monthly print magazine appears in English and Arabic, and that its website and social channels cover billionaires, business, investment, technology, the economy, entrepreneurship, leadership and luxury lifestyles. It publishes original monthly lists and rankings built on methodologies from Forbes Media.
An events business, Forbes Middle East Events, runs summits under the brand. Its October 2026 listing shows past events including the Healthcare Leaders Summit in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, the Sustainability Leaders Summit in Abu Dhabi, Fintech Forward in Bahrain and the Medical Tourism and Wellness Summit in Dubai, plus a Davos hub in 2026 and another planned for 2027.
Daniyal Baig, who spent more than 12 years in media and fintech in the region, was most recently chief operating officer of Forbes Middle East, according to Wamda's June 2026 report on his move to co-found Revora. No funding, ownership structure or financial results for the company were found in the sources reviewed.
Leadership
- Khuloud Al Omian, Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief
- Nasser Al Tayyar, President, Arab Publisher House (at the 2010 launch)