Yemen’s Houthis release crew of seized Emirati cargo vessel The Houthi movement that controls most of northern Yemen has released the crew of the United Arab Emirates cargo ship RWABEE that was seized on January 3, the group’s spokesman said. The release of the crew – 11 in all according to sources familiar with the matter – was agreed with the assistance of Oman, spokesman Mohammed […] April 27, 2022
Saudi Al Rajhi Bank reports 24% rise in Q1 profit Saudi Arabian lender Al Rajhi Bank has announced a nearly 24 percent rise in quarterly earnings, fuelled by a jump in net financing for customers, and higher investment income and fees from banking services. The bank reported a net profit of 4.1 billion riyals ($1.09 billion) for the first quarter ended March 31, up 3.34 […] April 27, 2022
Tech Saudi agtech startup Red Sea Farms raises $18.5m Saudi Arabian agriculture technology startup Red Sea Farms has raised an additional $18.5 million to help expand its fresh produce line, and also to sell its technology to users in harsh, water scarce environments. The funding was raised from Saudi Aramco’s Wa’ed, The Savola Group, KAUST Innovation Fund and OlsonUbben, the company said. Red Sea […] April 25, 2022
Tech firm lands tasty deal FOODICS, a cloud-based technology firm serving restaurants in the Middle East, has raised $170 million from investors led by Prosus and Sanabil Investments, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF. The series ‘C’ funding would support regional and international expansion by FOODICS, including its merger and acquisition (M&A) strategy to increase market […] April 20, 2022
Markets Oil drives rise in Gulf stock markets Major Gulf bourses closed higher on Wednesday, with a rise in oil prices driving the Saudi index up more than one per cent, while geopolitical tensions weighed on sentiment in Egypt. Oil prices rose 1.4 per cent on a drop in US oil inventories and concern over tighter supplies from Russia and Libya. Saudi Arabia’s […] April 20, 2022
Development Saudi gives Yemen money and urges peace talks Saudi Arabia welcomed the Yemeni president’s decision to transfer his powers to a new presidential council, urged the body to start negotiations with the Houthi group and said it would arrange $3 billion of support to the war-torn country’s economy, state news agency SPA said. Two billion dollars would come from Riyadh and another $1 billion […] April 6, 2022
Banking & Finance Saudi non-oil private sector maintains solid growth Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector kept up its solid pace of growth in March as output expanded at the fastest rate in over four years, a survey showedon Tuesday. The headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the whole economy rose to 56.8 in March from 56.2 in February, exactly […] April 5, 2022
Banking & Finance Saudi Arabia deposits $5bn in Egypt’s central bank Saudi Arabia has deposited $5 billion in Egypt’s central bank, the Saudi state news agency reported on Wednesday, and the kingdom is expected to invest further as the Ukraine war adds to the pressure on the Egyptian economy. Last week Egypt said it was in talks with the International Monetary Fund for potential funds and […] April 1, 2022