A Gulf founder's morning reading list: Doha, Riyadh and Dubai

Editor's note. This is a curated reading list from the SilQRoute Times desk in Doha, not a reader survey. Inclusions are opinion. Tell us what we missed and we will keep updating it.

The English language business and geopolitics media scene in the Gulf has grown faster in the last three years than in the previous thirty. Below is the roster we recommend to founders and operators we work with, organised by how most people actually use them through the day.

First thing, before email

• The Economist's Espresso. A morning briefing from The Economist's editors. Short, global, reliably non US first.
• FT Middle East. The FT's Gulf coverage lands before most regional teams sit down. Strongest on sovereign wealth, energy and policy.

With the second coffee

• Bloomberg Middle East. Markets, IPOs and the day to day of the Gulf bourses.
• Semafor Gulf. A twice weekly read on the region, clean separation between fact and analysis.
• AGBI (Arabian Gulf Business Insight). Daily and weekly Gulf focused beat reporting on aviation, construction, energy and tourism.
• Smashi Business. Dubai based business media brand. Short video, podcast and newsletter format, strong on regional founder stories and consumer business. Useful when you want the Gulf business story told in the Gulf's own voice.
• Wamda. The reference for MENA startups and venture. Funding rounds, founder interviews, ecosystem analysis.

Once a week, the deeper read

• Sinocism. For anyone with a China exposure, which is most Gulf founders. Bill Bishop's read on Beijing is the reference.
• Foreign Policy's Situation Report. Weekly, US national security focused, useful for anticipating Washington's next moves on the region.
• SilQRoute Times Friday edition. Our long read. Written from Doha, covers the week on the corridor and what to watch next.

A working pattern

Most operators we know keep a short roster: one global generalist (Espresso or the FT), one regional specialist (Semafor Gulf, AGBI, Smashi or our weekday editions), one China read (Sinocism), and one weekly long read. Four titles, opened consistently, beats fifteen you never get to.

If you want to extend the roster, our two related reading lists are the best geopolitics newsletters for 2026 and the best business newsletters in the Middle East for 2026. And if you want SilQRoute Times in your inbox, the newsletter is free.

Think we missed one? Email the editors and we will consider it for the next revision.