Emirati artist Abdulla Lutfi and Amazon are teaming up once again for the Eid holidays.
Lutfi, known for his quirky black-and-white drawings, collaborated with the online retailer in 2022 to create limited-edition electronic Eid gift cards.
This year, they’ve joined forces again to design gift cards, inspired by Amazon’s effort to celebrate eidiyah, the tradition of giving money to children during Eid. Lutfi's designs capture different aspects of the celebration, from family meals to traditional attire and visits to grandparents.
The Emirati artist, who is on the autism spectrum and has savant syndrome, says his inspiration comes from fond childhood memories of the occasion.
“I remember visiting my grandparents' house with my family and receiving traditional gifts and eidiyah. I also drew inspiration from our family meals together, which always felt warm and special. I wanted my artwork to capture the joy and togetherness that Eid brings to families," he says.
Stefano Martinelli, vice president of Amazon Mena, says the company wanted the artwork for the gift cards to be a “celebration of both local artistic talent and regional heritage”.
“We are particularly proud of our renewed partnership with talented Emirati artist Abdulla Lutfi, whose exceptional work for our 2022 Eid eGift Cards collection captured hearts and led to our exciting, renewed collaboration with him.”
This is the fifth year in which Amazon has released Eid-themed gift cards for the holiday, and the second collaboration with Lutfi. Martinelli says the Emirati artist's distinctive monochromatic artistic style beautifully captures the warmth, joy, and togetherness of Eid celebrations.
“As a savant artist on the autism spectrum, Abdulla brings a fresh and deeply personal perspective to his work, making this year’s Eid eGift Card collection even more meaningful," says Martinelli.
He adds that Lutfi’s artwork reflects Dubai’s cultural identity, capturing its unique balance between tradition and modernity.
“His illustrations often depict moments of everyday Emirati life, showcasing the city’s iconic landmarks alongside its deep-rooted customs. Through his signature monochromatic style, Abdulla’s work celebrates the UAE community, making his art instantly recognisable and deeply connected to the region.”
Martinelli also says that Amazon will continue to collaborate with Emirati artists on their electronic gift card designs. “We remain committed to discovering and showcasing diverse artistic voices from across the UAE, each bringing their personal interpretation of Eid's magical moments and cherished traditions to share their art.”
Meanwhile, in addition to the gift cards, Lutfi has also had his work shown in exhibitions. During the opening of his exhibition Luffy Lutfi: Emirati Manga in December, the artist sent a message to parents: “Please parents, do not disrespect the autistic people. Just love and accept them the way they are and help them support their life better and give them hope."
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
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Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
