Business of Sport Saudi Arabia bids to host Asian Winter Games in NEOM The Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SOPC) has officially submitted a letter of interest to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to host the 10th Asian Winter Games in 2029 in TROJENA, NEOM’s global destination for mountain tourism. The letter included a brief introduction about the Saudi Vision 2030, which will support TROJENA to host […] August 4, 2022
Sustainability Australia’s Great Barrier Reef coral at record level in some parts Two-thirds of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef showed the largest amount of coral cover in 36 years, but the reef remains vulnerable to increasingly frequent mass bleaching, an official long term monitoring programme reported on Thursday. The recovery in the central and northern stretches of the UNESCO world heritage-listed reef contrasted with the southern region, where […] August 4, 2022
Banking & Finance UAE’s Al Ansari Exchange mulls IPO early next year UAE-based foreign exchange and remittance firm Al Ansari Exchange plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) early next year, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The company has held initial talks with potential advisers about the Dubai listing, which may happen in the first quarter of 2023, the sources said. Nevertheless, details […] August 4, 2022
Banking & Finance World Bank accuses Lebanese politicians of ‘cruelty’ over deposits The World Bank has said that assertions by Lebanese politicians that deposits kept in the country’s collapsed banking sector are sacred are “cruel” because they “flagrantly contradict the reality.” Lebanon is in the third year of a financial meltdown that has left eight in ten people poor and which the World Bank says is both […] August 4, 2022
Economy Turkey’s inflation surges to 70%, putting Erdogan in bind Turkey’s annual inflation jumped to a two-decade high of 69.97 percent in April, according to data on Thursday, fuelled by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and rising energy and commodity prices after last year’s lira crash. The surge in prices has badly strained households just over a year before presidential and parliamentary elections that could bring the […] August 4, 2022
UAE’s Etihad confirms Airbus A350 freighter order European planemaker Airbus said that Abu Dhabi state-owned carrier Etihad Airways has confirmed seven new generation A350F freighters jets. The freighters will upgrade Etihad’s freight capacity by deploying the most efficient cargo aircraft available in the market, Airbus said in a press statement on August 4, 2022. This order of the A350F sees the UAE […] August 4, 2022
Tourism Airbus axes remaining A350 jet deal with Qatar Airways Airbus has revoked its entire outstanding order from Qatar Airways for A350 jets, severing all new jetliner business with the Gulf carrier in a dramatic new twist to a dispute clouding World Cup preparations, two industry sources said. No comment was immediately available from Airbus or Qatar Airways. The two aviation titans have been waging […] August 4, 2022
Business of Sport Mickelson and others sue PGA Tour in LIV fight Hall of Fame golfer Phil Mickelson and 10 other players filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour on Wednesday, alleging that it broke anti-trust law by refusing them to participate on the tour and the new rival LIV Golf circuit, backed by Saudi Arabia. The lawsuit was led by six-time major champion Mickelson and includes […] August 4, 2022
Banking & Finance Dubai’s TECOM profit jumps 55% in Q2 2022 on economic rebound Dubai business park operator TECOM Group reported a net profit of AED 237.7 million ($64.72 million) in the second quarter of 2022, up 54.5 percent, from AED153.9 million a year ago, thanks to buoyancy in the emirate’s economy and improving business sentiment. Revenues for the three-month period ending June 30, 2022, jumped 18.5 percent year-on-year […] August 3, 2022
Banking & Finance Saudi Arabia sets up investment promotion agency Saudi Arabia has set up an agency to promote investment in the country, a key goal of an ambitious economic reform agenda, the investment minister and state media said on Twitter, citing a cabinet decision. The Saudi Investment Promotion Authority “will be a strong supporter of the investment system in its quest to achieve the […] August 3, 2022
Economy Egyptian non-oil sector continues contraction at slower pace Egypt’s non-oil private sector activity shrank again in July, but at a slower pace than June’s two-year low, as demand remains weakened by inflation and shortages continue to put pressure on supply, a survey showed on Wednesday. The S&P Global Egypt Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) strengthened slightly to 46.4 from June’s 45.2, remaining below the […] August 3, 2022
Economy Kuwait dissolves parliament, delays budget approval Kuwait formally dissolved parliament in a decree issued on Tuesday, state news agency KUNA said, as the Gulf Arab state’s crown prince moved to resolve a standoff between the government and elected parliament that has hindered fiscal reform. Last month Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who took over most of the ruling emir’s duties, […] August 3, 2022
Banking & Finance Turkey’s lira-protection scheme set to survive confidence test Turkey’s attempt to curb demand for foreign currency by protecting lira deposits looks set to survive its biggest test yet with deposits worth tens of billions of dollars being renewed, sources say, but the cost is rising as the lira slumps. President Tayyip Erdogan’s government introduced the scheme, which compensates depositors for lira losses against […] August 3, 2022
Economy Saudi non-oil private sector growth slows in July Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector kept up a steady pace of growth in July, albeit slowing slightly from June, helped by increases in customer numbers, purchasing and output, a business survey showed on Wednesday. The headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the whole economy fell to 56.3 in July […] August 3, 2022
Tech US to resupply Saudi and UAE missile defence systems The US State Department approved the potential sale of Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) missile interceptors to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Patriot missile interceptors to Saudi Arabia in separate deals worth as much as $5.3 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. The potential deals, which would resupply key missile defence systems for […] August 3, 2022
Economy Turkish manufacturing activity contracts for fifth straight month The Turkish manufacturing sector contracted for a fifth consecutive month in July as weakening demand, market uncertainty and price pressures all played a role in moderating output, a business survey showed on Monday. Turkey’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for manufacturing stood at 46.9 in July, down from 48.1 in June, according to the survey by […] August 2, 2022
Abu Dhabi fund leads $300m investment in China’s Taibang China’s Taibang Biologic Group raised $300 million to finance growth in a fundraising led by sovereign wealth funds Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Singapore’s GIC, the biopharmaceutical firm said on Tuesday. Apart from Platinum Orchid, a subsidiary of the United Arab Emirates’ biggest sovereign wealth fund ADIA, and GIC, new investors included state-owned China […] August 2, 2022
Retail Egyptian e-commerce platform Homzmart raises $23m in funding Furniture and home goods e-commerce platform Homzmart has closed one of the past year’s biggest funding rounds for a Middle Eastern and North Africa startup, raising $23 million, its chief executive said. The company, launched in 2020, will use the new funding to expand services, especially logistics, and fill gaps that appear in supply chains, […] August 2, 2022
Energy Kuwait reappoints oil, finance ministers in new cabinet Kuwait reappointed Oil Minister Mohammed Al-Fares and Finance Minister Abdul Wahab al-Rasheed in a cabinet formed on Monday under a new prime minister, largely resembling the caretaker government that resigned in April. Last week the crown prince of the Gulf Arab OPEC producer had named Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as prime minister to replace Sheikh […] August 2, 2022
Banking & Finance Fast food operator Americana appoints HSBC to advise on IPO The Middle East and North Africa franchisee of fast-food restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut has added HSBC to its syndicate of advisers for its potential dual listing this year, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Americana Group has hired HSBC as a joint bookrunner on the initial public offering (IPO), which could value […] August 1, 2022
Banking & Finance Mubadala looks to acquire stake in Burger King’s Brazil franchisee The franchise holder of the Burger King brand in Brazil, Zamp SA, said on Monday that Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala Capital LLC has launched a tender offer to acquire control of the company. According to a securities filing, Mubadala has offered 7.55 reais ($1.47) per share to buy 45.15 percent of Zamp, which would […] August 1, 2022
Central bank, companies clash over Turkey’s new loan rules A big Turkish business group and the central bank clashed on Friday over recent regulations covering loans, with the Istanbul Chamber of Industry’s (ISO) head saying the measures create “irredeemable” problems. Turkish authorities including the central bank and BDDK regulator have taken steps to limit loans to companies except those that are net exporters, as […] August 1, 2022
