Banking & Finance Abu Dhabi tops agencies’ GCC sovereign ratings UAE capital Abu Dhabi is the highest-rated sovereign in the GCC, while Bahrain and Oman are the only sub-investment grade credit ratings, according to the three major US agencies – Fitch, Moody’s and S&P Global. All three ratings agencies use similar systems, although there are differences in the way their ratings are conveyed. In the […] May 24, 2023
Energy Petchems sector shows signs of recovery after torrid Q1 Saudi Arabia’s petrochemicals industry is showing tentative signs of recovery, although product prices are likely to remain under pressure despite the re-opening of the major market of China, analysts say. The sector is the kingdom’s most important earner after oil. Saudi has become a global petrochemicals player thanks to an abundant supply of feedstock gas […] May 22, 2023
Banking & Finance Saudi fund buys into US gaming and e-payments firms Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has bought shares in gaming, electronic payment and alternative energy companies, increasing the value of its US holdings by 14 percent in the first three months of this year. The total value of holdings held by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in US listed companies was $35.52 billion as of […] May 18, 2023
Food & Drink Champagne sales in the Gulf fizz by 91% World Cup fans and wealthy expats led to Champagne imports to the Gulf almost doubling in 2022. After a strong marketing push by French producers helped luxury bubbly become more mainstream, the number of bottles of Champagne shipped to the region surged 91 percent last year. Comité Champagne, the industry body representing French producers, told […] May 18, 2023
Banking & Finance Qatar’s QIA challenges UBS Credit Suisse takeover The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is said to be considering taking legal action against the Swiss financial authorities following the forced takeover of Credit Suisse by domestic rival UBS. The Qatari fund increased its stake in Credit Suisse in late 2022 as part of the ailing lender’s ultimately failed attempts to bolster its finances following […] May 18, 2023
Construction The Pointe is latest rebuild in Dubai’s property upswing The Pointe is the latest in a string of retail and leisure destinations in Dubai that are being repurposed as landowners seek to capitalise on the emirate’s growing property market. State-owned Nakheel Properties confirmed this week that it plans to shut down and redevelop its 130,000 square metre The Pointe on Palm Jumeirah from next […] May 18, 2023
UK debates merits of GCC bloc trade versus separate deals The UK’s International Trade Committee has voiced doubts about the country’s ability to strike a free trade deal with the GCC. As negotiations approach a fourth round, a new report from the cross-party committee that scrutinises spending policies of the Department for International Trade raised a number of issues. These include differing net-zero targets, agri-food […] May 18, 2023
Aviation Emirates’ record dividend lifts total paid to Dubai past $6.5bn The record AED4.5 billion ($1.2 billion) dividend paid by Emirates Group for 2022-23 has pushed the Dubai government’s total earnings from its flagship airline past $6.5 billion. The group’s annual report released last week showed that over the past 34 years, it has paid 28 dividends to its owner – the Investment Corporation of Dubai, […] May 16, 2023
Lebanon’s export orders rise for first time in two years In spite of an overall decline in business activity, Lebanon recorded an increase in its export orders during April owing to improved currency stability. “Lebanon’s currency started to stabilise, particularly around mid-April,” Wael Menhem, a partner in the Beirut office of Lundy Investors, said. “It’s the first time in a long time that the currency […] May 15, 2023
Business of Sport US sports the latest goal for Mena investors The $500 billion American sports market could be the next target for Middle East investors, analysts have said, as two more NBA teams unveil plans to play pre-season games in the UAE. The Dallas Mavericks will face the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in October this year. They follow in the […] May 14, 2023
Economy Gulf awaits vital Turkish election results The Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections on Sunday will be keenly watched by Gulf investors who have bet billions of dollars on the world’s 19th-largest economy. Should incumbent president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling AK Party again prevail in the votes, Turkey will maintain its unorthodox monetary policies. The central bank has slashed interest […] May 12, 2023
Energy UAE in position to plug South Africa’s energy crisis Energy is likely to drive a new era in trade relations between the UAE and South Africa as the latter’s power supply crisis will dominate debate at next year’s general election. Experts say UAE energy powerhouses Masdar and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) could be attracted to South Africa in light of the crippling […] May 12, 2023
Banking & Finance Tadawul and DFM are overvalued, data shows The companies that operate Dubai and Saudi Arabia’s bourses are providing investors with scant returns because of high valuations and low dividend yields following a prolonged Gulf stock trading slump. Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was the first Gulf bourse to go public, in 2007, while Boursa Kuwait and Saudi Tadawul Group followed suit in 2020 […] May 11, 2023
Construction GCC construction dilemma as Saudi ‘sucking up’ skilled talent Saudi Arabia’s huge construction projects are luring workers out of neighbouring countries in the GCC and resulting in skills shortages, say experts and builders. Construction executives in the UAE and Oman in particular have voiced concerns about the overall resource demands of the region as Saudi Arabia’s market continued to show strong growth during the […] May 10, 2023
Video length: 03:07 Aviation How the battle for the Gulf’s skies has intensified Across and around the Arabian Gulf regional airlines find themselves returning to a very different and increasingly volatile market after the pandemic. Pre-Covid, aviation in the Gulf and many neighbouring nations was largely defined and dominated by Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad. Now, as the Big Three pursue resurgence, they are being increasingly challenged, not […] May 8, 2023
Tourism Turkey pins hopes on return of Gulf tourists Turkey is anticipating an increase in visitors from the Gulf countries in the coming months, following devastating earthquakes and Ramadan. Foreign tourist arrivals in the first quarter rose over 26.7 percent year-on-year to 6.2 million, reported the Daily Sabah newspaper, citing data from the Culture and Tourism Ministry. Industry officials expect an average 20 percent […] May 8, 2023
Banking & Finance Saudi reports budget deficit as revenue hits $75bn in Q1 Saudi Arabia reported revenue of SAR280.94 billion ($74.89 billion) in the first quarter of 2023, the finance ministry said in a budget report. Expenditure reached SAR283.86 billion, falling 21.9 percent from SAR 363.7 billion in Q4 2022. The kingdom’s non-oil revenue rose nine percent to SAR102.34 billion in Q1 2023, up from SAR94.26 billion a […] May 8, 2023
Manufacturing UAE and Saudi Arabia race to develop defence industries Saudi Arabia and the UAE are spending big to develop homegrown defence industries. The two governments aim to reduce their reliance on foreign arms and equipment manufacturers by partnering with some of their own top suppliers to nurture local expertise and capabilities. Relative to the size of their economies, Middle Eastern countries are among the […] May 1, 2023
Tourism Gulf hospitality market banks on hotel-building surge Following the chaos of Covid and a surge in visitors for the Fifa World Cup and Expo 2022, the Gulf hospitality market might have been expected to return to a period of relative normality. But major tourism investment drives are afoot as GCC states seek to further diversify their economies. Almost 170,000 hotel rooms are […] April 30, 2023
Economy Middle East military spend shoots up after Saudi splurge A surprise hike in Saudi Arabia’s defence budget combined with higher spending by Qatar and the UAE contributed to an increase in total military spending in the Middle East in 2022, after years of contraction. Two specialist think tanks that made this observation believe the trend is set to persist as steady oil prices support […] April 27, 2023
Banking & Finance Mergers push Islamic banking forwards in Bahrain Hundreds of Islamic banking executives are descending on Bahrain next month for the Islamic Finance Innovation Day on May 30. Under the patronage of the Central Bank of Bahrain, it will focus on embedding environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing into Islamic finance. The event comes as analysts predict that Islamic banking’s market share will […] April 26, 2023
Banking & Finance Arab banks tighten lending for Gulf-UK property investors Middle East banks are reviewing lending criteria for GCC clients in the UK, responding to high interest rates and a trend towards investors diversifying portfolios to capture better yields. For several years – and especially since interest rates shot up in the past 12 months – yields in sectors traditionally popular with Gulf investors, such […] April 26, 2023
