Real Estate Bahrain and UAE sign $4bn real estate deal A UAE property investment and development company has signed a $4 billion deal to develop real estate across Bahrain. Abu Dhabi’s Eagle Hills International has finalised a joint cooperation agreement to set up Binaa Al-Bahrain, with a focus on residential, commercial and entertainment projects across the kingdom. The new company will work with Edamah, the […] February 22, 2024
Renewable Energy Dewa and Masdar secure funding for sixth phase of solar park Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) and Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy major Masdar have achieved the financial closing of the 1,800-megawatt (MW) sixth phase of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The funding has been jointly provided by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC, Standard Chartered […] February 22, 2024
Industry UAE’s Edge sets up venture with Italian shipbuilder The UAE’s state-owned defence company Edge Group and the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri have agreed to launch a new venture to manufacture naval vessels. Edge will hold a 51 percent stake in the venture, which has a commercial pipeline worth nearly €30 billion ($32 billion). Fincantieri will manage the new entity. The Abu Dhabi-based joint venture […] February 22, 2024
Trade UAE’s Cambodia trade deal sets $1bn non-oil target The UAE’s comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with Cambodia has come into force as the countries aim to more than double non-oil trade by the end of the decade. The agreement will remove or reduce tariffs on more than 92 percent of product lines, eliminating barriers to trade and improving market access for service exports. […] February 22, 2024
Analysis Transport Abu Dhabi signs hydrogen transport deal with Shenzhen Abu Dhabi has signed a partnership with Shenzhen, one of the largest cities in China, to develop a green hydrogen complex to power buses and cars by 2025. The deal will look at collaboration on projects including green mobility, technology, autonomous solutions, sustainability and urban development, officials said. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Ali […] February 21, 2024
Sustainability Take action to keep climate goal in reach, urges Al Jaber The UAE consensus achieved at the Cop28 summit in Dubai set a clear roadmap for keeping global temperature rise to within 1.5C. Now the world must turn the plan into action and results, said Cop28 president Sultan Al Jaber. Al Jaber told the International Energy Agency roundtable in Paris on Tuesday that all stakeholders must […] February 21, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Oil & Gas UAE’s Crescent can help Iraq meet its energy needs, says CEO Iraq’s energy needs offer great potential for growth for Crescent Petroleum, the oldest private oil and gas company in the UAE, its group chief executive Majid Jafar has told AGBI. The Sharjah-headquartered company has built an important presence in Iraq, where it has invested nearly $4 billion, mainly in the Kurdistan region. “We operate the […] February 21, 2024
Construction Nakheel’s 3D concrete printing project seen as catalyst Dubai’s first licence for 3D concrete printing in a building project is a catalyst for the technology to become the norm in the construction sector by the end of the decade, experts believe. The licence was issued in December by Dubai’s planning and development department, Trakees, the regulatory body of the Ports, Customs and Free […] February 21, 2024
Aviation Mubadala weighs buying stake in Heathrow airport Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company is studying the possibility of acquiring a stake in the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, according to a media report. The UAE sovereign wealth fund is weighing an investment after being approached by Paris-based buyout company Ardian, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Discussions are ongoing and no agreements […] February 21, 2024
Finance Vodafone dividend helps push e& to record profit Telecommunications company e&, formerly known as Etisalat, reported record net profit in 2023. The Abu Dhabi-listed company said profit was driven by higher dividends from Vodafone Group, higher income from associates and lower tax expenses. Net profit for the full year reached AED10.3 billion ($2.80 billion), up three percent year on year, as revenue rose […] February 21, 2024
Banking and Finance VC firm Shorooq focuses on AI, biotech and gaming Venture capital company Shorooq Partners will target companies specialising in sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotech and gaming, a senior executive told AGBI. Shorooq is based in Abu Dhabi and manages about $350 million in assets and invests in startups in the Middle East and North Africa and beyond. It is focused on on fintech […] February 20, 2024
Trade Rising US exports to the UAE support 125,000 jobs Exports from the United States to the UAE rose by nearly a fifth last year as bilateral trade increased to more than $31 billion. Figures released by the US Department of Commerce Census Bureau show that US exports to the UAE totalled nearly $25 billion in 2023. For the 15th year in a row the UAE was […] February 20, 2024
Trade DP World Trade Finance goes global after $400m debut year DP World Trade Finance has revealed plans to expand into Turkey this year before opening in a number of other countries. Working with Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the platform, which launched last year in the UAE, India and South Africa, has already financed more than $400 million of non-oil-based trade. Giving borrowers access to finance, […] February 20, 2024
Industry DP World’s $150m complex to bolster UAE food security Global ports operator DP World has commenced construction on an AED550 million ($149.8 million) agriculture terminals facility at Jebel Ali Port, aiming to strengthen food security in the UAE. The complex, developed in partnership with Adroit Overseas Canada and Al Amir Foods, will specialise in storing and processing various agricultural products, including pulses, grains, corn […] February 20, 2024
Sustainability UAE climate fund aims to mobilise $250bn by 2030 Altérra, a $30 billion climate-focused fund set up by the UAE and asset managers BlackRock, TPG and Brookfield, aims to catalyse the investment of $250 billion of private capital by 2030, its chief executive said. “The vision for Altérra was borne out of the Cop28 agenda for how to make climate finance more available, accessible […] February 19, 2024
Aviation Emirates’ catering arm buys out Bustanica vertical farm Emirates Flight Catering, the airline’s catering arm, has bought out US-based Crop One’s interest in the Bustanica hydroponic farm in Dubai, making it a fully UAE-owned business. The farm opened in July 2022 as a joint venture between Emirates Flight Catering and Crop One called Emirates Crop One. The airline catering company says the 330,000 […] February 19, 2024
Tech Yahsat introduces smartphone to satellite connectivity Al Yah Satellite Communications Company – Yahsat – has launched a “direct-to-device” strategy aiming to connect smartphones and internet of things devices to satellites, irrespective of their location. UAE-based Yahsat plans to introduce voice and messaging services before expanding to texting and internet of things capabilities on smartphones by 2025, it said in a statement. […] February 19, 2024
Real Estate Lottoland founder bets on Dubai’s ultra-luxury property market The founder of a global lottery gambling platform has bet $136 million on the launch of his latest venture, an ultra-luxury property development company initially focused on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah. David von Rosen, who set up Lottoland in 2013, said he has now invested heavily in 25 Degrees, named after Dubai’s latitude, alongside a Dubai-based […] February 19, 2024
Media & Advertising Abu Dhabi-backed venture buys UK TV production giant RedBird IMI, partly owned by Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, is buying Britain’s largest independent television producer All3Media in a deal worth £1.15 billion ($1.45 billion). A joint venture between International Media Investments and New York private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners, RedBird IMI is also currently bidding for the UK’s Daily Telegraph newspaper All3Media […] February 19, 2024
Markets ADGM predicts fresh wave of green finance companies Abu Dhabi Global Market has a “strong pipeline” of green and sustainable finance companies due to open in the free zone this year as the sector expands and matures, a senior ADGM official has told AGBI. “There are a number of asset managers and others establishing themselves here that are green and climate transition-focused,” said […] February 19, 2024
