Economy Turkish interest rates set to rise in quest to soothe markets Turkish policymakers are likely to raise interest rates on Thursday at their first meeting since veteran leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was re-elected as president. The hike will help to ease inflation and support the ailing lira but could cause banks major headaches. Following Erdoğan’s surprise electoral triumph on May 28, he appointed Mehmet Şimşek as […] June 20, 2023
Economy Dollars make life harder in Lebanon’s cash economy At the checkouts of a busy supermarket on Souraty Street in west Beirut, waiting customers count their dollars. Since the economic crash of 2019, paying by card has fallen out of favour and, increasingly, so has the Lebanese pound. The largest national note, the LBP100,000 bill, is currently worth just $1.07 at market rates. Paying […] June 19, 2023
Trade India predicted to be central to Saudi and UAE exports India is forecast to be one of the fastest growing export corridors for both Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the next decade. The Future of Trade report by Standard Chartered projects that global trade will reach $32.6 trillion with a growth rate of 5 percent by 2030. The combined value of exports from the […] June 16, 2023
Economy Wealth funds likely to increase African investments Sovereign investors from the UAE and wider GCC bloc are likely to ramp up investments across African countries, building on a 50 percent jump in capital flows from the Middle East over the past five years, say experts. Agriculture, energy and infrastructure are sectors likely to benefit from multi-billion dollar deals as the UAE accelerates […] June 13, 2023
Trade UAE tightens Southeast Asia ties with Cambodia pact The UAE has signed a trade deal with Cambodia as it accelerates efforts to strengthen economic ties across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) aims to more than double non-oil bilateral trade from $407 million in 2022 to $1 billion within five years. Similar talks have been launched with […] June 13, 2023
Economy Differing VAT rates complicate intra-GCC trade Differing rates of VAT across the GCC are complicating intra-regional trade and adding costs to exporters and importers, according to experts. The six-member bloc in 2016 signed an agreement to levy 5 percent VAT on the sale of goods and services within their respective countries. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were the first to implement […] June 12, 2023
Energy Bahrain reboots oil and gas to reduce debt and CO2 Bahrain is taking steps to address economic challenges by relaunching its oil and gas holding company as Bapco Energies, with a focus on greater efficiencies and a low-carbon future. The island kingdom’s sovereign rating is one of only two sub-investment grade ratings in the Gulf – with challenges ranging from ageing domestic oil fields to […] June 12, 2023
Food & Drink Fine wine whets appetite of Gulf investors A Methuselah-sized bottle of wine – six litres – was auctioned by Sotheby’s last December for a staggering $361,000. The sale of the 2007 Domaine de la Roman-Conti is an indication that investments of passion – art, cars, watches and wine – may not have been dented by the recent global economic worries. The region’s […] June 9, 2023
Trade Costa Rica sets up UAE for Central America trade Talks to establish a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with Costa Rica could signal a new push by the UAE to strengthen trade ties in Central America. Manuel Tovar Rivera, Costa Rica’s minister of foreign trade, said the proposed Cepa would boost collaboration between the wider Central America and Middle East regions. Experts told AGBI that […] June 9, 2023
Infrastructure Ooredoo to cut losses in Myanmar to tune of $2.3bn Should Ooredoo succeed in selling its Myanmar subsidiary, the Qatari telecom operator will exit nursing multi-billion-dollar losses in what has proved to be a disastrous strategic failure for the former monopoly. Ooredoo Myanmar’s customer base has shrunk by nearly half in just over two years, while its cumulative pre-tax losses from 2013-2022 total QAR8.6 billion […] June 8, 2023
Business of Sport Sport privatisation next goal for Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia has revived a blueprint for the future of sport in the kingdom as it looks to increase revenue significantly and attract more of the world’s biggest football names to its fledgling league. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman revealed plans this week to transform the Saudi Pro League into a SAR8 billion ($2.1 billion) […] June 7, 2023
Markets Etisalat’s bet on Vodafone backfires as shares slump Etisalat has made a paper loss estimated at $2.1 billion on its stake in Vodafone due to a slump in the British company’s share price since mid-2022. Abu Dhabi-based Etisalat, a former monopoly now branded as e&, operates in 16 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Yet nearly two-thirds of its revenue is […] June 7, 2023
Economy Gem of a deal: how Accords unified UAE and Israel It is almost three years since the Abraham Accords brought together the UAE and Israel in a partnership in which trade was always central to the proposition. Amir Hayek, a former president of Israel’s hotel association, was appointed Israel’s ambassador to the UAE in a nod to the importance of economic diplomacy. A free trade agreement […] June 7, 2023
Trade China dominates Saudi trade in Q1 as ties strengthen China’s trade with Saudi Arabia topped SAR91 billion ($24.3 billion) in the first quarter of 2023, making up 19 percent of the kingdom’s total commerce. Data from Riyadh’s General Authority for Statistics (Gastat) said China was the top trading partner for both imports and exports. Exports to China, which are dominated by crude oil, amounted […] June 6, 2023
Trade Gulf telcos nurse FX losses as foreign expansion sours Gulf telecom operators have suffered multi-billion-dollar currency losses arising from their foreign subsidiaries. They would have to recognise these in their income statements should they ever sell or lose overall control of the units in question. As mobile penetration in their home markets topped 100 percent – meaning there were more mobile subscriptions than residents […] June 6, 2023
Lifestyle Rising music streaming propels region’s artists into spotlight Not long ago, the only Arab music artists to make it big were traditional singers like Egypt’s Amr Diab and Lebanon’s Nancy Ajram, firm favourites in wedding playlists and live event calendars the region over. Today, new names and genres are pushing into the mainstream. One recent prominent example is Egyptian rapper Ahmed Ali, better […] June 4, 2023
Retail Saudi shoppers encouraged to support local e-commerce The Saudi e-commerce industry must do more to encourage consumers to spend their riyals with local platforms, as the kingdom’s online shopping sector aims to hit SAR 347.2 billion ($92.57 billion) by 2026. Saudi shoppers are mainly choosing cross-border platforms for their online purchases, according to the latest report from Kearney and Mukatafa. They cited […] June 2, 2023
Banking and Finance Mid-cap stocks offer best dividend yields in Gulf Dividend-seeking Gulf investors are likely to find little value among the region’s blue-chip stocks and should instead target mid-cap companies with steady cash flows and low debt, experts suggest. When interest rates hovered near zero and average dividend yields on GCC stocks were around 4 percent, the difference with the risk-free rate – the return […] June 2, 2023
Economy Bahrain is likely to miss target on balancing books Bahrain is unlikely to hit a target of balancing its books in 2024 but could see lower budget deficits as the government pursues non-oil growth. Preliminary fiscal data for year-end 2022 points to a minor deficit of 1.1 percent of GDP, underpinned by a 97 percent year-on-year increase in nominal tax revenue after doubling the […] May 30, 2023
Tourism Saudi domestic tourism drive takes off at Dubai’s expense Saudi visitor numbers to Dubai are expected to remain high, despite falling considerably from pre-pandemic levels as residents from the kingdom feel the pull of domestic tourism. The 289,000 travellers from Saudi Arabia made it the fourth-largest source market for travellers to Dubai in the first quarter of this year, but this total was still […] May 29, 2023
Tourism Oman tourism goals face an uphill road to success Mounting competition from Saudi Arabia, limited connectivity and a low profile are among the challenges to Oman’s progress on meeting its 2040 tourism goals. “We’ve done great [as an industry] but I think we can do better,” said Amir Golbarg, senior vice-president of operations, Middle East and Africa, at Minor Hotels. “With its landscape, people, […] May 29, 2023
Retail K-beauty is not just a pretty face in Middle East Thousands of UAE fans flocked to Expo 2022 Dubai when some of K-pop’s biggest musical acts took to the stage. From Psy and his mega hit Gangnam Style to girlband (GI)-dle, Korean superstars proved to be some of the biggest crowd pleasers at the world fair. And it would appear that devotees do not only […] May 29, 2023
