Retail India’s Tata Group in talks to acquire stake in Damas Titan Company, the watches and jewellery arm of Indian conglomerate Tata Group, is in talks with Qatar-based Mannai Corporation to acquire a significant stake in Damas Jewellery, a news report said. The discussions, which began a year earlier, revolve around Damas’s valuation, estimated at Rs 45 billion ($518 million), the Economic Times, an Indian financial […] February 18, 2025
Aviation Australia likely to approve Qatar Airways-Virgin deal The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is leaning towards approving a five-year deal between Qatar Airways and Virgin Australia, allowing them to sell long-haul return flights starting in June, the watchdog said. The approval, if granted, will allow the two airlines to commence 28 new weekly return flights between Doha and Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. […] February 18, 2025
Leisure & Hospitality Chinese tourists visiting Dubai up by a third The number of Chinese tourists visiting Dubai surged by nearly a third year on year in 2024, according to a news report. The emirate welcomed 824,000 Chinese tourists last year, an increase of 31 percent, the Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency reported, citing data from the Department of Economy and Tourism (DET). Dubai focused on […] February 18, 2025
Sustainability Turkey receives climate funding from Beijing agency Turkey has secured a $5 billion investment commitment from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a Beijing-based multilateral funding agency, to support its long-term climate strategy. Turkish finance minister Mehmet Simsek and AIIB president Jin Liqun signed a memorandum of understanding for the investment programme, at a conference in Saudi Arabia, the bank said. The programme […] February 18, 2025
Finance Mubadala buys stake in Germany’s Apleona Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company will acquire a minority stake in Apleona, a German facility management services company. Mubadala’s investment was made through a consortium led by Bain Capital’s private equity team and will support Apleona’s growth and development across Europe. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals. No financial details were given. Apleona provides […] February 17, 2025
Markets Mecca project developer targets $533m from Saudi listing Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction (Umm Al Qura), the developer of Masar, a mixed-use project in Mecca, expects to raise between SAR1.8 and SAR2 billion ($480-$533 million) through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi stock exchange. The company has set the IPO price range between SAR14 and SAR15 per share. This month […] February 17, 2025
Logistics UAE’s AD Ports profit up to $1bn Abu Dhabi state ports business AD Ports Group reported around $1 billion in net profit in 2024, a 24 percent year-on-year increase, as revenue rose by nearly half to AED17 billion ($4.6 billion). Total assets grew by 15 percent year on year to AED64 billion last year. Group CEO Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi said the […] February 17, 2025
Manufacturing Turkey’s Togg considers factories in Asia Turkey’s electric vehicle (EV) maker Togg is looking to expand manufacturing to Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan, President Tayyip Erdoğan has said. Pakistan has already expressed interest in producing Togg vehicles, Daily Sabah reported citing the president. Erdoğan has given Toggs to each of the leaders of the three nations, saying it is […] February 17, 2025
Infrastructure Neom spends $37bn on infrastructure development Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion giga-project Neom has spent more than SAR140 billion ($37 billion) on infrastructure development so far, a senior company executive has said. Several real estate projects are still under development, with work on infrastructure and utilities continuously progressing, chief development officer Denis Hickey told PIF Private Sector Forum last week. The developer has two […] February 17, 2025
Retail Adia-backed Lenskart to raise $1bn from Indian IPO Lenskart, a high profile optical retailer which is backed by the UAE’s sovereign fund Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), is planning to file for a $1 billion initial public offering (IPO). The company’s potential valuation has doubled to $10 billion from $5 billion last year after it raised $200 million from a secondary round, the Economic […] February 17, 2025
Real Estate Emaar to up investments in Egypt by another $7bn Emaar Properties, Dubai’s largest listed developer by market capitalisation, intends to increase its investments in Egypt to $25 billion over the next three years, up from the existing $18 billion, the company’s founder Mohamed Alabbar has said. The increase reflects growing confidence in Egypt’s real estate market, Al Arabiya, an Arabic-language news channel, reported citing […] February 17, 2025
Economy Spending pushes Saudi fiscal deficit to $31bn in 2024 Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit reached SAR116 billion ($31 billion) in 2024, driven by a 6 percent rise in expenditure, according to the ministry of finance. The deficit was in line with revised predictions made in September but roughly 50 percent higher than the SAR79 billion ($21 billion) projected at the start of the fiscal year. […] February 14, 2025
Real Estate Emaar hits record sales in 2024 after launch of 62 projects Sales at Emaar Properties, Dubai’s largest listed developer by market capitalisation, hit an all-time high of AED70 billion last year ($19 billion), while revenues reached AED36 billion, the company has reported. A revenue backlog from sales of property which has not yet been delivered exceeded AED110 billion, up 55 percent year on year. This indicates […] February 14, 2025
Aviation Regional tensions fail to dampen Air Arabia’s ascent Fourth-quarter profit of Air Arabia, which trades on the Dubai Financial Market, rose 56 percent despite regional tensions and effective cost control, the company said. The low-cost airline, in which the government of Sharjah also has a stake, reported a net profit of AED351 million ($95.6 million) in the last quarter of 2024, compared to […] February 14, 2025
Trade Turkey and Pakistan target $5bn bilateral trade Turkey and Pakistan plan to increase bilateral trade to TL180.5 billion ($5 billion) after it rose 30 percent year on year to $1.4 billion in 2024. “The bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Pakistan reached its highest level in 2024,” Daily Sabah newspaper reported, quoting President Tayyip Erdoğan’s speech at a business forum in Islamabad. […] February 14, 2025
Energy Taqa’s capex rises 60% amid new projects Capital expenditure of Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) rose by nearly two-thirds to more than AED9 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2024 due to the construction of new projects in the UAE. The spend was primarily focused on the Mirfa 2 and Shuweihat 4 reverse osmosis desalination projects, the company said in a filing to […] February 13, 2025
Logistics AD Ports to operate customs centre in Jordan Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group has won a contract to manage and operate a new customs centre in Amman, Jordan, the company said in a statement. The company aims to increase cross-border trade, reduce clearance times, and enhance supply chain efficiency at the 1.3 million sq m Al Madouneh Customs Centre, which opened last June. […] February 13, 2025
Manufacturing Top Turkish defence firm to build drones in Indonesia Baykar, a leading defence supplier based in Turkey, has signed a deal with the Jakarta-based defence company Republikorp to build a drone manufacturing plant in Indonesia, according to a local newspaper. The deal was among several agreements signed during President Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Indonesia, media reports said. Baykar, a private Turkish defence company chaired […] February 13, 2025
Markets Alpha Data to sell 40% stake in IPO on Abu Dhabi bourse A 44-year-old UAE-based technology company, Alpha Data, is to list 40 percent of its capital, or 400 million shares, on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the company has said. Alpha Data’s initial public offering (IPO) subscription will run from February 20 to 25 for UAE retail and professional investors. The offer price will be […] February 13, 2025
Manufacturing Bahrain space agency explores satellite manufacturing Bahrain’s National Space Science Agency (NSSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a Hong Kong-listed industrial satellite manufacturer to cooperate in satellite manufacturing. In addition, NSSA will work Uspace Technology Group in satellite telemetry, tracking and controlling, and data application activities, according to a statement to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Uspace plans to […] February 13, 2025
Tech Saudi pension fund invests in Tabby as valuation tops $3bn Buy now, pay later (BNPL) operator Tabby has raised $160 million through a new funding round, more than doubling its valuation to $3.3 billion. The Series E financing round was led by Hong Kong-based investor Blue Pool Capital and Saudi pension company Hassana Investment Company, in addition to Saudi Technology Ventures and Wellington Management. Founded […] February 12, 2025
Energy NMDC Group to pay $191m dividend as revenue rises The board of Abu Dhabi’s NMDC Group has recommended paying a cash dividend of AED701 million ($191 million) after revenues surged 57 percent year on year to AED 26 billion in 2024, according to UAE state-owned Wam news agency. The payout is subject to shareholders’ approval. If approved, the group’s dividend yield will reach 13 […] February 12, 2025
