Food & Drink World’s largest chocolatier plans factory in Egypt The world’s largest producer of chocolate has said it plans to build a $30 million factory in Egypt. Switzerland’s Barry Callebaut is the world’s largest manufacturer of chocolate, with about a 40 percent market share in volume terms, and is the largest processor of cocoa beans with about 20 percent market share. Vamsi Mohan Thati, […] October 7, 2024
Food & Drink Spinneys to build processing unit in Food Tech Valley The UAE supermarket chain Spinneys has signed a deal to build a 500,000 square foot food processing unit in Dubai’s Food Tech Valley as part of the plan to increase its locally sourced produce. The deal, which will last for 27 years, is intended to foster innovation in food processing as part of the wider […] October 7, 2024
Tech Oman to acquire its first national satellite Oman is in the process of acquiring its first national satellite, the head of the country’s space programme has revealed. As part of the sultanate’s national development plan, Vision 2040, it aims to have the information and communication technology sector, which includes space technology, contribute 10 percent to the overall GDP by 2040. “Oman is […] October 7, 2024
Banking & Finance Largest caterer in UAE gears up for IPO ADNH Catering, which claims to be the UAE’s largest provider of food services, has announced details of a float on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) that could raise up to $235 million. Abu Dhabi National Hotels Company, the owner of ADNH Catering, will make available 900 million of its shares in the catering company, […] October 7, 2024
Aviation Conflict risk leads Gulf airlines to cancel regional routes Gulf airlines are among airlines that have cancelled and rerouted flights across the Middle East as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalates. They are avoiding Iranian airspace and many have cancelled routes entirely following a major missile attack by Iran against Israel on Tuesday. Immediately after the attacks about 80 flights operated by carriers […] October 4, 2024
Education Dubai school operator Taaleem increases profit by 55% Dubai school operator Taaleem has reported revenue of AED945.2 million ($257.3 million) for its 2023-24 financial year – a 15.5 percent year-on-year increase. More student enrolments and the opening of new schools helped Taaleem to increase net profit before tax by 55 percent, to AED182 million, in the financial year ending August. Taaleem’s shares were […] October 4, 2024
Banking & Finance Mubadala-backed Shein courts investors before London IPO Chinese fashion retailer Shein, which is backed by the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, is courting European investors before an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange. Shein is due to hold informal meetings to answer questions and test the investment appetite of major investors in the coming weeks, before its planned IPO […] October 4, 2024
Tech Four-fold boost to Saudi data centres planned Saudi Arabia plans to boost its data centre capacity four-fold to more than 1,000 megawatts over the next five years, according to one of the country’s leading data centre providers. The current capacity in the kingdom is approximately 250-300MW. Abdullah Al Ghamdi, CEO of Al Moammar Information Systems (MIS), revealed the target in an interview […] October 4, 2024
Mining Saudi-backed Vale plans to increase copper output Brazilian miner Vale, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), aims to increase copper production after conceding that it had lost ground to competitors in its output of the key metal. Vale is a top global iron ore producer but also operates base metal projects including copper and nickel. In his first […] October 4, 2024
Economy UAE non-oil growth weakens while Gulf neighbours improve Growth in the UAE’s non-oil sector has slowed to its weakest point in three years, but activity in the Gulf countries continues to be the bright spot among survey results for economies in the Middle East. The UAE purchasing managers’ index (PMI) from S&P Global signalled the emirate’s slowest expansion in non-oil business activity for […] October 3, 2024
Telecoms Chinese brands gain ground as Mena smartphone sales surge Economic stability and rising populations have fuelled a 20 percent year-on-year surge in the sale of smartphones in the Middle East and North Africa. Chinese brands have made significant gains on other, more established manufacturers. Smartphone shipments in the Middle East reached 11.5 million units in the second quarter of 2024. That was a 20 […] August 20, 2024
Trade India pushes for more rupee-dirham payment in UAE trade India’s central bank has told lenders dealing with the UAE to settle at least part of their trade payments directly using the rupee and dirham. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has not provided specifics of the targets, but has asked banks to report back the extent of rupee or dirham-denominated payments, Reuters reported, citing […] August 19, 2024
Analysis Telecoms UAE broadband users pay dearly for lack of competition Telcos may have generated nearly AED94 billion ($25 billion) in revenue for the UAE government, but a lack of competition and steep costs means that residents have been hit with the highest broadband bills in the Gulf. With an average price of $142.65 per month, people in the UAE are paying more than double than […] August 18, 2024
Manufacturing Strong aluminium prices push Alba profit up Aluminium Bahrain, better known as Alba, reported profit for the first half of 2024 of BD93 million ($247 million), an increase of 83 percent year on year, helped by the falling cost of raw materials and rising sale prices. Alba’s profits in the second quarter surged even higher, jumping 102 percent year on year to […] August 15, 2024
Tourism Surge in Yemeni visitors to Oman The tourism sector in Oman recorded a 5 percent year-on-year increase in visitors to 2 million visits in the first half of 2024, up from 1.9 million visits recorded over the same period in 2023. Visitors from Yemen more than doubled, to just under 108,000, from 52,000 in the first half of 2023, Omani local […] August 14, 2024
Banking & Finance Gulf IPOs raise 45% more in Q2 than last year The money raised in IPOs in the Gulf region soared in the second quarter of the year, with 14 deals worth a total of $2.64 billion struck in the healthcare, education and technology sectors. The number of IPOs rose only slightly year on year, from 13 listings in the second quarter of 2023, but proceeds […] August 13, 2024
SPECIAL REPORT Real Estate Turkish housing crisis persists despite construction surge Activity in the Turkish construction industry is picking up pace, fuelled by the need to rebuild after the February earthquakes — but economic woes mean the road could be long, experts tell AGBI. Even before the February earthquakes, which killed 50,000 people, injured 100,000 more, and made 3 million homeless overnight, the country of 83 […] December 5, 2023
Banking & Finance Bank of America ousts Goldman as top Mena M&A adviser Bank of America was the top M&A financial adviser in the Middle East and Africa during the first half of 2023, according to research from GlobalData. The US bank advised on two deals worth a combined $9.86 billion in H1. This was more than double the sum recorded by JP Morgan, which took second place […] July 31, 2023
Tourism Turks decide there is no place like home for a holiday A sharp decline in the lira has boosted domestic tourism in Turkey as a growing number of people opt to holiday at home. Turks are spending more money than ever on food and drink and helping to spread the country’s wealth to poorer, rural areas, analysts have observed. In the first quarter of 2023, Turks […] July 31, 2023
Retail Italian fashion label Zegna’s UAE revenue up 50% Italian fashion retailer Ermenegildo Zegna Group’s sales in the UAE soared by 50 percent in the first half of this year, more than double its global average. Sales of €31.9 million in the UAE surpassed those in the UK, which totalled €28.8 million. This is despite the UK’s population being nearly seven times as big […] July 28, 2023
Analysis Food & Drink North Africa to the rescue as Europe’s olive oil dries up A caesar salad may be the ideal light meal on a summer’s day, but you might have noticed it is weighing heavier on your wallet. That is because the price of olive oil is at an all-time high. Prices have jumped by nearly 80 percent in just one year, according to data from YCharts. European […] July 28, 2023
Exclusive Energy Acwa Power bids to turbocharge Saudi’s green targets When it comes to the green transition, Saudi Arabia has got some catching up to do. The country is targeting a 50-50 split in electricity generation between renewables and gas by 2030, but in 2021 just 0.2 percent of electricity came from renewable sources. To achieve this Vision 2030 goal, the country has tasked its […] July 28, 2023
