Photo via South China Morning Post

Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on

Read the original at South China Morning Post ↗
Cite

Mukherji, B. (2026, September 23). Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on. South China Morning Post. https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3368387/gulf-tech-firms-turn-hong-kong-and-singapore-iran-war-grinds?utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

South China Morning Post · collected 2026-09-23 · by Biman Mukherji

Quick Summary

Paul Bratby, founder of Dubai-based xBratAI, accelerated plans to establish an entity in Hong Kong due to the ongoing Iran conflict, moving up the timeline from a few years later to early 2026. This decision reflects a broader trend among Gulf tech firms adopting a "dual-hub" model by using secondary Asian bases like Hong Kong and Singapore to mitigate geopolitical risks.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Paul Bratby, founder of Dubai-based xBratAI, an AI-powered trading signals platform, accelerated plans to expand into Hong Kong due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and other Middle Eastern nations. Originally set for a few years later, Bratby established the Hong Kong entity in early 2026 as geopolitical tensions escalated. Analysts are noting an increasing trend among Gulf tech firms towards adopting a 'dual-hub' model by setting up secondary bases in Singapore and Hong Kong to mitigate risk associated with regional instability.

Written for “Iran War Business Shifts” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Iran War Business Shifts
Economy/Business · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Hong Kong's role in international finance and technology without describing the same specific incident.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles cover different topics within the technology and financial sectors but do not describe the same specific incident or occurrence.”
South China Morning Post
Hedges 0 of 4 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles discuss different topics related to business strategies in Hong Kong but do not describe the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
2
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 2 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
South China Morning Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

South China Morning Post · 3417 article(s) · 6 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 6 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Biman Mukherji
16 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
🔮 Japan’s push to expand industrial and port cooperation with Bangladesh could transform the South Asian country into a regional trade gateway, analysts say, connecting markets in Southeast Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific while diversifying Dhaka’s economic ties.
🔮 “We need to induct two fighter squadrons every year,” Singh said on October 3, noting that “between 36 and 40 aircraft” would need to be produced annually to meet India’s target of having 42 fighter squadrons in service.
🔮 India’s proposed social media ban for under-18s wins parents’ backing Lawyers, however, advise against a sweeping ban, saying children could benefit from access to online educational content Digangana Mukherjee, a mother of a six-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy, has banned television at her home in the Indian city of Mysore because she does not want her children to become addicted to watching content on screen.
🔮 Is Ambani the real boss of India?” he wrote, suggesting Reliance Group chairman Mukesh Ambani – one of India’s wealthiest tycoons whose sprawling conglomerate has a major footprint across the economy – might wield undue influence over the licensing process.
🔮 The victim, 23, who later died from her injuries, was dubbed Nirbhaya – the fearless one – as she could not be named under Indian law.
🔮 India’s Modi faces dual pressure from ‘cockroach’ movement, opposition parties The two groups’ objection to the revised voter rolls has fuelled speculation that they could become a new potent political force Leaders of around 20 parties in the opposition India National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, rallied against the Election Commission’s revised voter rolls, which critics say have potentially removed millions of eligible voters from the electoral register.
🔮 The new iPhones might not make sense financially in India, but the desire for one is not always rational, analysts say The iPhone 18 Pro starts at 164,900 rupees (US$1,700) and goes up to 179,000 rupees, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at 179,900 rupees and maxes out at 329,900 rupees.
🔮 Leaders of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) on Thursday demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, after a local newspaper reported allegations that his handling of voter-list revisions could disenfranchise eligible voters and undermine confidence in India’s electoral process.
🔮 Saudi oil pipeline closure puts Asia’s economic resilience to the test Experts say the loss will hit Asian refiners first before feeding through to inflation, currencies and economic growth across the region Asian economies heavily dependent on imported energy are facing an even sharper squeeze after the shutdown of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline removed a key escape route from the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, deepening an energy shock that has already pushed crude oil above US$100 a barrel. Analysts said the loss of that bypass would hit Asian refiners first before feeding through to inflation, currencies and economic growth across the region.
🔮 India and Vietnam aim to turn ‘China plus one’ rivalry into trade gains New Delhi and Hanoi are looking to join market scale with manufacturing capacity to build new trade links, analysts say Such a shift could deepen both nations’ roles in global production networks across high-value industries – from electronics and pharmaceuticals to renewable energy – while giving companies reliable alternatives as they diversify supply chains beyond China. The idea has gained momentum after Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung called for closer economic integration with India, including new economic corridors and supply chains and a potential bilateral free-trade agreement.
Also by Biman Mukherji
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 16 articles by Biman Mukherji →

Topics

Asian Hong Kong Iran Singapore xBratAI

Subjects

Hong Kong GPE · 3× Iran GPE · 2× Asian NORP · 1× Dubai GPE · 1× Paul Bratby PERSON · 1× Select ORG · 1× Singapore GPE · 1× xBratAI ORG · 1×

Narrative

Advertisement Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on Analysts point to growing adoption of a ‘dual-hub’ model, using secondary Asian bases to hedge against geopolitical risk 3-MIN READ3-MIN Paul Bratby had already drawn up plans for expanding to Hong Kong when war broke out in the Middle East earlier this year. But the founder of xBratAI, a Dubai-based AI-powered trading signals platform, soon brought that timeline forward as the Iran conflict dragged on and widened in scope.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
2026-09-23 · South China Morning Post
Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on · assertive framing

Claims (2 extracted, 0 hedged)

Advertisement Gulf tech firms turn to Hong Kong and Singapore as Iran war grinds on Analysts point to growing adoption of a ‘dual-hub’ model, using secondary Asian bases to hedge against geopolitical risk 3-MIN READ3-MIN Paul Bratby had already drawn up plans for expanding to Hong Kong when war broke out in the Middle East earlier this year. But the founder of xBratAI, a Dubai-based AI-powered trading signals platform, soon brought that timeline forward as the Iran conflict dragged on and widened in scope. asserted
conflict → turn → scope
“Our Hong Kong entity had been scheduled for a few years later, but we established it in early 2026,” he said. asserted
he → schedule → 2026
💬Give feedback
🕘History 🎫Support