FII Banking and Finance Neom investment fund backs US futuristic transport firms The newly launched investment arm of Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion futuristic giga-project Neom has made its first commitments, backing two US-based transport companies. The Neom Investment Fund (NIF) announced on Wednesday that it had made a $100 million investment in the global autonomous driving company Pony.ai. A joint venture will be set up between the […] October 25, 2023
Banking and Finance Morocco signs $280m deals with African Development Bank Morocco has signed three agreements with the African Development Bank (AfDB) worth more than MAD2.9 billion ($280 million). The deals will improve access to healthcare, support increased social security coverage and provide emergency help in the wake of September’s devastating earthquake in Al Haouz, according to an announcement by the government. The first agreement, worth […] October 25, 2023
Banking and Finance US banks lead pack for M&A advice in Middle East US banks have been the top advisers for mergers and acquisitions in the Middle East and Africa this year, research has found. Bank of America advised on deals with a combined value of $9.9 billion in the first nine months of 2023, followed by JP Morgan at $7.6 billion and Citi at $6.3 billion. “Bank […] October 25, 2023
Finance Norway’s wealth fund posts $34bn loss in Q3 2023 Norway’s $1.4 trillion sovereign wealth fund, the world’s largest, posted a 374 billion crown ($33.8 billion) loss in the third quarter, the fund said on Tuesday, after seeing heavy drops in the value of equities and bonds. The fund’s return on investment was minus 2.1 percent for the July-September period, 0.17 percentage points stronger than […] October 25, 2023
Video length: 07:23 FII Banking and Finance World Bank to Wall Street, FII attracts financial elite Slickly choreographed dancers clad in futuristic outfits and a teenage boy in a shiny tuxedo singing a power ballad set the stage for the seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII) in Riyadh, and all at nine o’clock in the morning. However, there were immediately more serious themes at play at the event, which opened on Tuesday. […] October 25, 2023
Banking and Finance Gulf’s ‘copycats’ still attractive to Silicon Valley Copycat companies in the Middle East are still an attractive acquisition option for Silicon Valley giants because the risk of trying to establish themselves in the region is too high, according to Thiel Capital managing director Jack Selby. The Middle East has been criticised for mimicking startups from other parts of the world, rather than […] October 24, 2023
Banking and Finance Investcorp Capital to list on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Investcorp Capital has revealed plans to offer 643 million ordinary shares in an initial public offering on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. The shares, which represent an estimated 29.34 percent of issued share capital after the IPO, will have a nominal value of $0.50 (AED1.84), according to a statement from the Bahrain-based alternative investment company. […] October 24, 2023
Finance Saudi National Bank profit up 6% on higher income Saudi National Bank (SNB) reported a six percent year on year rise in net profit for the third quarter of 2023, driven by higher operating income and lower impairment charges. The kingdom’s biggest lender by assets made a net profit of SAR5.01 billion ($1.34 billion) in the third quarter. Total operating income improved by three […] October 24, 2023
Opinion Banking and Finance FII flexes its convening power in tumultuous times It is one of the world's premier investment gatherings – but this year's event could be unlike any other October 23, 2023
Video length: 3:34 VIDEO Tech New sectors to drive e& growth as telecoms becomes ‘saturated’ UAE tech and telecoms company e& – formerly Etisalat – is looking at more acquisitions in the GCC as well as Africa and Eastern Europe. “We are in processes as we speak,” said Salvador Anglada, CEO of e& enterprise, during an exclusive roundtable at Gitex. The telecoms major rebranded from Etisalat last year to become […] October 20, 2023
Finance UAE’s FAB profit jumps 46% on higher interest income First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the biggest lender by assets in the UAE, reported a 46 percent surge in third-quarter net profit on rising interest income. Net profit stood at AED4.3 billion ($1.17 billion) in the third quarter, compared to AED2.9 billion a year ago. Revenue rose 27 percent to AED7 billion on continued expansion […] October 20, 2023
Trade UAE investment in Turkey nears $6bn since 2002 Foreign direct investment from the UAE to Turkey has surged to $5.6 billion (AED20.6 billion) from 2002 until August 2023, said Mesaid Ahmet Burak Daglioglu, head of the investment office of the Turkish presidency. Nearly 600 UAE companies are operating in Turkey as of the first half of 2023, he told the UAE state-owned Wam […] October 18, 2023
Finance PIF’s sukuk may test investor appetite for Middle East Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is planning to issue its first dollar-denominated Islamic bonds, but the move could be a test of investor appetite as regional tensions rise over the conflict in Gaza. Citi, HSBC, JP Morgan and Standard Chartered Bank have been nominated as global joint co-ordinators to organise a series of investor calls […] October 17, 2023
Markets Egypt issues $500m of green panda bonds in China Egypt issued $500 million of sustainable panda bonds on the Chinese financial market on Tuesday, becoming the first country from the Middle East and North Africa to do so. The panda bonds – securities denominated in yuan but issued by non-Chinese borrowers – will be used to finance projects that support sustainable development goals, in […] October 17, 2023
Finance Rich nations can’t pay for entire world, says hedge fund guru The founder of the world’s largest hedge fund has told a UN investment conference that the governments of developed countries cannot be expected to take care of the rest of the world. Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates, the US-based fund with $124 billion of assets under management, said those nations’ financial burdens were too big […] October 17, 2023
Opinion Banking and Finance Bank of England’s Islamic finance facility is hitting the mark The UK provides the most comprehensive variety of investment options of any Western market October 17, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Middle East banks must prove net zero commitment New standards will hold to account banks proffering their climate change credentials October 16, 2023
Finance IMF closes Morocco meetings without consensus International Monetary Fund (IMF) countries on Saturday failed to agree on a US-backed plan to boost IMF funding without giving more shares to China and other big emerging markets, but pledged a “meaningful increase” in lending resources by year-end. As IMF and World Bank annual meetings in Morocco closed, a statement from IMF’s steering committee […] October 16, 2023
Finance Oman’s OQ says over $10bn invested in Duqm projects Oman’s integrated energy group OQ and its partners have invested over $10 billion across several projects in the Duqm economic zone. The investments are part of the government’s plans to improve its economic diversification strategies in line with Oman Vision 2040, state-run Oman News Agency reported, citing Hilal Ali Al Kharusi, CEO for commercial and […] October 15, 2023
Economy Tunisia yet to propose new terms for $1.9bn IMF loan Tunisia has not yet proposed new terms for a long-pending $1.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, according to the fund’s Middle East and Central Asia director Jihad Azour. Speaking at IMF-World Bank annual meetings in Morocco this week, Azour called for the elimination of “wasteful and socially unfair subsidies” before the fund’s board could […] October 13, 2023
Finance Turkey looking at eurobond issuance by year-end Finance minister Mehmet Simsek said that Turkey is “looking closely at market conditions” for issuing eurobonds and that it was likely to happen before year-end. Simsek was speaking to reporters after an Institute of International Finance event on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank meetings in Morocco. Investors have said they expect Turkey […] October 13, 2023
Analysis Finance Kuwaiti stocks toil but analysts foresee 2024 rebound Overpriced valuations, high interest rates and oil production cuts have sapped investor confidence in Kuwait, and the country’s stock market is among the Mena region’s worst performers this year. Despite this, analysts predict a sustained rebound in crude prices, steady corporate earnings and renewed government infrastructure spending. This could boost ebbing sentiment and spark a […] October 13, 2023
