Aviation UAE and Qatar in race for Pakistan’s privatisation deals Investors from the UAE, Qatar and Turkey have shown interest in Pakistan’s national airline and airports as the South Asian nation accelerates its privatisation programme. Other investors are from Germany, France, Netherlands, Malaysia and local groups, ARY News, a Pakistani news channel, reported. Defence and aviation minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has discussed outsourcing airports and […] March 27, 2024
Finance UAE’s bank branch network shrinks amid digital push The number of bank branches in the UAE is expected to decline by 10 to 15 percent in the next two years. Between 2019 and 2022, 157 branches merged or closed due to digital transformation, according to German strategy consultancy Roland Berger. “The UAE has been one of the leading countries in reducing the number […] March 27, 2024
Real Estate Abu Dhabi launches $953m housing project for citizens The Abu Dhabi government will build an AED3.5 billion ($953.08 million) residential project through a public-private partnership in the emirate to meet the housing needs of its citizens. The project, comprising 1,146 residential villas on Al Raha Beach, was launched by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi […] March 27, 2024
Real Estate RAK government to raise stake in property developer to 34% The Ras Al Khaimah government is planning to raise its stake in the emirate’s flagship real estate developer to more than a third. Shareholders in RAK Properties have approved a capital increase with the issuance of 920 million new shares, each with a nominal value of one dirham, effectively increasing the company’s capital by AED920 […] March 26, 2024
Trade Abu Dhabi buys majority of Georgia logistics centre Abu Dhabi Ports Group is buying a 60 percent stake in the Tbilisi Dry Port, a new logistics centre in Georgia. The project, which is scheduled to be operational by the end of this year, will be developed in phases on two parcels of land, while an additional 88,000 sq m of land is available […] March 26, 2024
Tech Abu Dhabi’s E7 signs international security contracts An Abu Dhabi printing and security provider has signed contracts to supply identity cards and driving licences to three countries in Africa and Latin America. E7 Group said in an ADX bourse filing on March 26 that it had signed contracts valued at AED 13 million ($3.5 million) to manufacture and supply the identification cards […] March 26, 2024
Transport UAE motorists fuelling demand for second-hand EVs Demand for second-hand electric vehicles in the UAE may be in its infancy but it is accelerating fast as more people turn to the environmentally friendly option. Electric vehicles (EVs) now account for around 1 percent of the UAE’s used car market and a little over 1 percent of all cars in the country, according […] March 26, 2024
People & Lifestyle Mubadala to buy pharma company Kelix Bio Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kelix Bio, a specialty pharmaceutical business in the UAE that focuses on delivering complex generics across emerging markets. The Kelix Bio acquisition is set to boost the UAE’s global standing in life sciences, state-own Abu Dhabi Media Office reported, quoting a Mubadala statement. […] March 26, 2024
Construction Egyptian builder blames currency turmoil for revenue slump Egyptian construction giant Orascom has reported a 19 percent decline in revenue to about $3.4 billion last year, attributing most of the drop to the devaluation of the Egyptian pound. Orascom said that without the country’s foreign exchange issues, it would have reported a 5.5 percent increase in revenue compared to 2022, after completing a […] March 25, 2024
Finance UAE invests $2.5 trillion overseas, with US the top recipient The UAE has invested an estimated $2.5 trillion overseas as of early 2024, with the United States the prime destination. “The UAE has strengthened its position in the global economy,” Jamal bin Saif Al Jarwan, secretary-general of the UAE International Investors Council, was quoted as saying by the state-owned Wam news agency. “It ranked first […] March 25, 2024
Opinion Transport If EVs can make it here, they can make it anywhere The battery powered car is on the up, even in the oil-soaked Gulf March 25, 2024
Analysis Real Estate What Dubai’s united nations of property buyers want When purchasing a property in Dubai amenities are important to Brits, while Indian buyers are all about the return on investment, according to real estate experts. Last year Dubai recorded 1.6 million real estate transactions, a record 17 percent year-on-year increase, according to data from the Dubai Land Department. The demand comes from a largely […] March 25, 2024
Video length: 03:31 VIDEO Industry Borouge to treble production despite lacklustre demand The UAE petrochemicals company Borouge is to treble annual production capacity at its $6 billion polyolefin complex, despite forecasts of an oversupply in the sector. Once completed next year, Borouge 4 will be the world’s largest single-site producer of polyolefins, plastics mainly obtained from oil and natural gas. Borouge’s CEO, Hazeem Al Suwaidi, told AGBI […] March 25, 2024
Industry Abu Dhabi’s IRH completes Zambian copper mine deal Abu Dhabi’s International Resources Holdings (IRH) has completed its acquisition of Mopani Copper Mines in Zambia and is reported to be interested in acquiring more of the country’s minerals industry. IRH is part of International Holding Company, Abu Dhabi’s most valuable company. Previous reports said IRH would invest $1.1 billion through the deal in return […] March 22, 2024
Construction Dubai approves PPP projects worth nearly $11bn The Dubai government has approved public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth AED40 billion ($10.89 billion) to boost economic growth and infrastructure development. The new PPP portfolio, managed by the emirate’s finance department, will include a range of projects to boost cooperation and build new collaborations between the public and private sectors, state-run Wam news agency reported. […] March 22, 2024
Retail UAE’s Lulu selects banks for potential $2bn IPO UAE’s retail conglomerate LuLu Group International has appointed local and international banks to lead its proposed $2 billion initial public offering (IPO), according to a media report. The company, which is among the largest hypermarket chain operators in the Middle East, has selected Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Citigroup, Emirates NBD Capital and HSBC Holdings to […] March 22, 2024
Analysis Tourism Abu Dhabi’s futuristic vision of an Egyptian metropolis By 2052, Egypt’s Ras El Hekma will be “competing with the most important cities of the world,” according to the new project’s promotional video. Published on February 23, the day the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ bought development rights to this stretch of coastline as part of a $35 billion deal, the video shows […] March 22, 2024
Industry Emirates Global Aluminium buys German recycling business Emirates Global Aluminium, the UAE’s biggest non-oil industrial company and one of the world’s largest aluminium producers, has signed a binding sale and purchase agreement to acquire a German aluminium recycling business. The transaction to acquire 100 percent of Leichtmetall Aluminium Giesserei Hannover, a subsidiary of an investment fund managed by Quantum Capital Partners, is […] March 21, 2024
Real Estate Dubai mortgage holders squeezed by end of low fixed rates Purchasing a home in Dubai for AED2 million ($544,600) in 2021 meant manageable monthly mortgage payments of about AED7,600, at a 2 percent interest rate secured for three years. With these fixed-rate contracts now expiring, home owners have told AGBI that banks are rolling over to rates as high as 7 percent, resulting in monthly […] March 21, 2024
Analysis Markets Gulf weightings increase on MSCI Emerging Markets The MSCI Emerging Markets Index has increased the weightings of Gulf countries since their inclusion on the benchmark, as regulators loosened rules and companies ease foreign ownership restrictions to make it easier to invest. According to MSCI, more than $1.3 trillion in assets under management (AuM) was benchmarked against its emerging markets indexes as of […] March 21, 2024
Industry Abu Dhabi industrial sector attracts foreign investors The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce has said that the number of industrial licences issued by the emirate last year increased by 51 percent. The total now stands at 363, excluding free zones. Statistics from Abu Dhabi Chamber also revealed that 46 foreign companies secured industrial licences in the emirate, with mining support services attracting […] March 21, 2024
Aviation Dubai Aerospace secures $420m from Chinese lenders Aircraft lessor Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has signed a $420 million five-year unsecured term loan with Chinese entities to support its business expansion. The DIFC branch of China Construction Bank and China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation offered the loan facility. “This term loan will serve to further strengthen our already exceptional liquidity, which stood at […] March 21, 2024
