Real Estate Abu Dhabi developer Aldar reports $520m first quarter profit Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s largest real estate developer, has reported a rise in first-quarter profits driven by sales to international buyers. Net profit after tax increased 22 percent year on year to AED1.9 billion ($520 million). Revenue was up 39 percent to AED7.8 billion. Overseas investors and expatriates living in the UAE accounted for AED7.4 […] April 29, 2025
Construction Emaar EC reschedules loan with consortium of Saudi banks Emaar the Economic City (Emaar EC), the developer of King Abdullah Economic City, has signed an agreement with four Saudi banks to reschedule a total of SAR3.4 billion ($904 million) in existing financing. The agreement also includes securing a new credit facility of SAR287 million from Alinma Bank, Saudi Awwal Bank, Banque Saudi Fransi and […] April 29, 2025
Petrochemicals UAE’s Borouge to expand its production capacity UAE petrochemical company Borouge, a specialist in polyethylene and polypropylene, has unveiled expansion plans to increase annual production capacity to more than 6.6 million tonnes by 2028. The expansion is expected to contribute $165-$200 million in earnings before interest, tax and depreciation, the company said in a statement. Borouge, backed by Abu Dhabi National Oil […] April 29, 2025
Banking & Finance First Abu Dhabi Q1 profit rises by nearly a quarter First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) reported an increase in profits in the first quarter of this year, fuelled by higher revenue from its retail, wholesale and investment banking segments. FAB’s net profit rose 23 percent to AED5.1 billion ($1.4 billion) in the January to March period, while revenue saw an 11 percent growth to AED8.8 […] April 29, 2025
Telecoms Q1 profits and revenue up for Saudi Telecom Company Profits at Saudi Telecom Company (STC) rose in the first quarter of this year, pushing the share price of the kingdom’s biggest telecoms operator to a yearly high. Net profit rose 11 percent year on year to SAR3.6 billion ($973 million) in the first three months of 2025. Revenues for the quarter rose 2 percent […] April 29, 2025
Banking & Finance UAE card payments to surpass $150 billion in 2025 Card transactions in the UAE are projected to reach AED565.5 billion ($154 billion) this year, according to research company GlobalData. The shift toward electronic payments is being driven by increasing consumer preference for digital transactions and government support for financial inclusion. Last year, UAE card payment values rose 13 percent year-on-year to AED511 billion. GlobalData […] April 29, 2025
Finance Saudi Arabia reports record non-oil exports in 2024 Saudi Arabia’s exports of goods and services – excluding oil – hit a record SAR515 billion ($137 billion) last year, the state-run SPA news agency reported, as the world’s second largest oil producer seeks to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons. The exports, which include re-exports, rose 13 percent over the last year and have […] April 28, 2025
Aviation Oman Air cuts a quarter of workforce after losses Loss-making national airline Oman Air has let go of at least 900 people – equivalent to almost a quarter of its workforce – after posting yet another loss last year, newspapers including the Times of Oman reported. Of the 900, more than 500 are expatriates and the remaining 400 Omani nationals, Saeed bin Hamoud Al […] April 28, 2025
Economy Saudi Arabia and Qatar to settle Syria’s World Bank debt Saudi Arabia and Qatar have jointly agreed to cover Syria’s arrears of $15 million with the World Bank. “This commitment will pave the way for the World Bank Group to resume support and operations in Syria after a suspension of more than fourteen years,” Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry said in a statement, according to UAE […] April 28, 2025
Real Estate Dubai ad portals exploring IPOs as real estate rises Dubai-based classified ad portals Dubizzle and Property Finder are both said to be exploring the idea of selling shares to the public in an initial public offering, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Dubizzle is preparing to meet with potential investors and could raise at least $500 million in a possible IPO, the […] April 28, 2025
Tourism International visitors to Dubai rise 3% Dubai welcomed 3 percent more international visitors in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, with the largest single group coming from Western Europe. More than 5.3 million people visited the emirate – the most populous of the seven-member UAE federation – with those from Western Europe accounting for […] April 28, 2025
Renewable Energy Oman to build 400km hydrogen pipeline network Oman’s natural gas network operator OQ Gas Networks (OQGN) is planning to build a dedicated hydrogen pipeline by 2030, in line with a strategy to develop the sultanate’s renewables sector. The funding approval for the 300-400 kilometre project is expected by 2027, Oman Daily Observer reported, citing the majority state-owned company’s 2024 annual report. OQGN […] April 28, 2025
Real Estate Value of Abu Dhabi property deals up by a third in Q1 Abu Dhabi recorded strong real estate activity in the first quarter of 2025 as property deal value grew by around a third annually to AED25 billion ($7 billion) across 6,896 transactions. The value of sales and purchases rose 27 percent to AED15.5 billion, while the volume grew by 11 percent to 3,819, according to the […] April 28, 2025
Transport Morocco launches 430km high-speed train project Morocco has started construction of the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line in the capital city of Rabat. This phase will add 430 kilometres of high-speed rail connecting Kenitra (an industrial centre on the coast in north-western Morocco) to the country’s economic hub, Casablanca, and further south to the historic city of Marrakech, serving the airports of […] April 28, 2025
Aviation Saudi aircraft lessor AviLease secures $1.5bn credit facility Saudi Public Investment Fund unit Aircraft Leasing Company (AviLease) has finalised a $1.5 billion credit facility to fund aircraft purchases and business expansion, a local newspaper reported. The three-year facility, which was oversubscribed, garnered interest from 25 international and domestic banks, Arab News reported, citing AviLease CEO Edward O’Byrne. “Together with our existing revolver of […] April 28, 2025
Finance Saudi Exim Bank’s credit doubling aids non-oil growth The Saudi Export-Import Bank (SEIB) doubled its credit facilities last year, helping to develop non-oil exports of the world’s second largest oil producer, the local Arab News reported. Credit facilities jumped 103 percent to SAR33.5 billion ($8.9 billion) compared with the year before, with export financing rising 70 percent to around SAR12 billion, the newspaper […] April 28, 2025
Telecoms Surge in connected devices spurs Omantel revenue growth Omantel, Oman’s largest telecommunications provider, reported a rise in revenue and profitability last year, helped by a strong surge in “Internet of Things” (IoT) subscriptions Revenue at the state-controlled telco rose 4 percent year on year in 2024 to OR920 million ($2.4 billion), driven by strong performance across its business lines. The company recorded significant […] April 25, 2025
Banking & Finance Dubai Islamic Bank reports first quarter profit increase Dubai Islamic Bank’s profits rose in the first quarter of this year, as deposits increased by more than a third and the non-performing financing ratio improved. Net profit after taxes rose 8 percent annually to AED1.8 billion ($490 million) in the first three months of 2025, driven by quality growth in earning assets. Pre-tax profit […] April 25, 2025
Oil & Gas Morocco invites bids to build its first LNG plant Morocco has invited companies to bid to build the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal as it seeks to diversify its sources of fuel, Morocco World News reported. A gas pipeline will also be built to link the terminal at Nador West Med Port on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast to the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline, […] April 25, 2025
Aviation Oman Air posts 2024 loss while airport passenger numbers rise Oman Airports, the company managing Muscat International Airport and three others, posted a 15 percent increase in net income last year on more passenger throughput, a local newspaper reported. At the same time, national carrier Oman Air reported a OR72 million ($187 million) loss, before interest and taxes, for 2024. The airline has made an […] April 25, 2025
Markets Fuel delivery startup Cafu considers IPO Fuel-on-demand vehicle service Cafu is working on selling shares in an initial public offering (IPO). The UAE-based startup, founded in 2018, is working with financial advisory and asset management company Lazard, Bloomberg reported this week, without identifying its sources. Bloomberg said the Cafu IPO discussions are at a preliminary stage and no final decisions have […] April 25, 2025
Finance First Abu Dhabi among banks for Adani’s $750m loan India’s Adani Group is in discussions with a group of lenders including First Abu Dhabi (FAB) bank to secure a loan of as much as $750 million for its airport division. The other lenders are Barclays and Standard Chartered Bank, Bloomberg reported this week, without identifying its sources. The funds raised will be used to […] April 25, 2025
