Opinion Retail UAE Ramadan shopping combines tech and tradition Consumers have been navigating a complex shopping landscape during the holy month April 5, 2024
Finance DAE gets $750m liquidity boost from Emirates NBD Aircraft leasing company Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has secured AED2.75 billion ($750 million) in funding from Dubai-listed Emirates NBD. The five-year unsecured term loan will be used for general corporate purposes and to support the company’s financing requirements, the aircraft lessor said in a statement. NewsletterGet the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox […] April 5, 2024
Banking and Finance UAE investors join Olam Agri’s $625m Islamic facility Investors from the UAE are part of a global consortium providing Singapore’s Olam Group with a $625 million sharia-compliant financing facility. Other investors are from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong, the company said in a statement. Names of the investors were not disclosed. The facility, initially guaranteed by Olam Group, will transfer to Olam Agri […] April 5, 2024
Analysis Finance China and US vie for FDI supremacy in Gulf’s biggest economies China and the United States invested more than $23 billion in projects in the Gulf’s two biggest economies last year. The US more than doubled its “greenfield” foreign direct investment in the UAE to nearly $4 billion, while China’s commitment to Saudi Arabia rose 10-fold to almost $17 billion. Greenfield FDI involves a foreign entity […] April 5, 2024
Transport Investcorp to invest in $4.2bn JFK terminal 6 overhaul Investcorp Capital, an alternative investment company listed on the Abu Dhabi bourse, will help fund the $4.2 billion redevelopment of terminal 6 at New York’s JFK International Airport. The investment will flow through Investcorp Corsair Infrastructure Partners, a joint venture formed with New York-headquartered Corsair Capital. The investment amount was not disclosed. NewsletterGet the Best […] April 4, 2024
Infrastructure UAE to develop Iraq’s port and economic zone Iraq’s Al-Faw Grand Port and its economic zone will receive an investment boost with the backing of a UAE state-backed entity. Abu Dhabi Ports Group has signed a preliminary agreement with the General Company for Ports of Iraq, state-run Wam news agency said. The entities will establish a joint venture to develop the Al-Faw Grand […] April 4, 2024
Video length: 5:33 VIDEO Leisure & Hospitality Merex’s revival of ‘challenging’ City Walk and La Mer Merex Investment is redeveloping its lifestyle beachfront destination La Mer and using its successful transformation of City Walk in Dubai as a benchmark for the revival of its failing assets. La Mer is to be renamed J1 Beach, with 13 new dining and club venues due to open in September 2024. Occupancy rates at City […] April 4, 2024
Banking and Finance Fitch affirms AA rating for Emirates Development Bank Fitch has affirmed the credit rating of Emirates Development Bank after the lender’s contribution to the UAE’s economy rose by 80 percent to more than AED4 billion ($1.1 billion) last year. The agency’s AA rating came with a stable outlook, indicating confidence in the bank’s long-term ability to maintain its financial stability. In its report, […] April 3, 2024
Real Estate Abu Dhabi real estate deals hit $4bn during first quarter The value of real estate deals in Abu Dhabi reached almost AED16 billion ($4 billion) during the first quarter of the year as another beachfront community was launched in the emirate. There were over 5,000 sales and mortgage transactions in Abu Dhabi during the first three months of the year, according to data from the […] April 3, 2024
Manufacturing US battery manufacturer to build $3bn factory in Rakez The American battery manufacturer Statevolt is to construct a $3 billion factory in Ras Al Khaimah. Statevolt Emirates, as the venture will be known, will generate up to 2,500 jobs at its 60 hectare facility in Al Ghail Industrial Zone in Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez). The manufacturing facility is “strategically focused on key […] April 3, 2024
Oil & Gas Abu Dhabi’s Lunate buys stake in Adnoc’s pipelines US companies Blackrock and KKR have sold their 40 percent stake in Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (Adnoc) oil pipeline infrastructure assets to Abu Dhabi alternative investor Lunate. Lunate is backed by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ and has $105 billion of assets under management. The acquisition was made by one of Lunate’s funds. […] April 3, 2024
Trade Red Sea disruptions hit UAE business activity Backlogs of work in the UAE are at their highest levels in 15 years because of supply chain disruptions caused by the Red Sea shipping crisis. As a result growth in the country’s non-oil business sector eased slightly in March, the seasonally adjusted S&P Global UAE purchasing managers’ index shows. The latest PMI dropped marginally […] April 3, 2024
Manufacturing Abu Dhabi’s non-oil growth spurred by manufacturing Abu Dhabi’s non-oil sector expanded by more than 9 percent last year with manufacturing and construction leading the way, according to new figures. The Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi issued preliminary GDP estimates for 2023, revealing non-oil growth of 9.1 percent – slightly down from 9.2 percent in 2022 – as the emirate’s overall economy improved […] April 3, 2024
Real Estate Union Properties to repay $263m debt in 2024 Union Properties plans to repay AED966 million ($263 million) to lenders in 2024 as part of its debt restructuring plan. The developer, which trades on the Dubai Financial Market, has repaid AED290 million ($78.96 million) worth of debts as a result of AED816 million generated from plot sales in the first quarter of 2024. The […] April 3, 2024
Transport UAE carriers expand reach to 603 global destinations UAE carriers were serving 603 destinations worldwide by the first quarter of 2024, compared to 586 at the close of 2023. The three percent increase reflects the rebound in the aviation sector and a surge in travel demand, state-run Wam news agency reported, quoting data released by the national carriers. Air Arabia leads with 215 […] April 3, 2024
Infrastructure DP World teams up with Rumo for new Brazilian port terminal DP World and the Brazilian railway operator Rumo are to build a new terminal at the port of Santos in São Paulo, to handle 12.5 million tonnes of grain and fertiliser a year. The project is intended to make the port Brazil’s primary gateway, and central to trade for South America. Rumo estimates the total […] April 2, 2024
Health Abu Dhabi puts together global life sciences contender A new company to help establish Abu Dhabi as a major global player in life sciences has been announced by the emirate’s sovereign wealth fund ADQ. The new concern, called Arcera, will act as an umbrella entity for ADQ’s shareholdings in the Swiss pharmaceutical company Acino, Birgi Mefar Group of Turkey and Egypt’s Amoun. Arcera […] April 2, 2024
Economy Dubai business licences to get the ‘golden’ touch Dubai is exploring enhancements to its long-term business licensing scheme, offering “golden” licences to entice more investors and business owners to set up in the emirate, company formation experts have told AGBI. Long-term licences in the emirate, including decade-long options, have been primarily available in select free zones. But plans are in motion to extend […] April 2, 2024
Economy UAE economy to grow 4.2% in 2024, says central bank The UAE’s gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to expand by 4.2 percent in 2024, further growing to 5.2 percent in 2025, the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) said in its quarterly economic review. The bank maintained its estimate for 3.1 percent growth in 2023. Non-oil GDP growth is forecast to reach […] April 2, 2024
Finance Drake & Scull to resume trading on Dubai bourse in May Dubai contractor Drake & Scull International (DSI) expects to resume trading on the Dubai Financial Market on May 21 following a five-year suspension. Trading came to a halt in November 2018 when the company disclosed losses exceeded 75 percent of its capital. At the time of its suspension, the stock had fallen 64 percent from […] April 2, 2024
