Finance Egypt’s largest private bank gets $150m capital top-up The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide a $150 million subordinated loan to Commercial International Bank (CIB), Egypt’s largest private bank, to shore up its capital base. The facility will strengthen CIB’s Tier II capital, bolster its growth prospects and improve its ability to weather external economic shocks, EBRD said in a […] November 17, 2023
Finance Iraq becomes member of European development bank Iraq has become the 74th member of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the multilateral lender said on Thursday, while Ghana and Senegal have also applied to join. Iraq first submitted its request to join the bank in 2018, and its shareholder status enables it to apply to become a recipient economy, which would […] November 17, 2023
Banking and Finance PIF maintains US holdings as giga-project demand eases US equity holdings of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) showed little change in the third quarter, as recently revised foreign direct investment figures eased pressure on it to support the kingdom’s giga-projects. PIF total ownership in US equities slipped to $36.48 billion from $38.93 billion in the second quarter, according to a PIF filing […] November 16, 2023
Opinion Economy Assessing Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 progress The non-oil private sector is a driving force for economic transformation November 16, 2023
Analysis Banking and Finance ADIB expects profits to keep rising after stellar year Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank’s net profit margin will expand further, according to its group chief financial officer Mohamed Abdelbary. The sharia-compliant lender has enjoyed a bumper first nine months of 2023 in which its earnings increased by nearly half. “We’ve managed to capitalise on the increase in interest rates in the market because of the […] November 16, 2023
Analysis Economy Saudi Arabia’s new civil code aims to reassure investors Saudi Arabia hopes a new civil commercial code, due to go into effect by the end of the year, will finally provide foreign investors with clarity on doing business in the country as it tries to shake off a reputation for opaque and arbitrary justice. The code’s 721 articles, first published in June, could be […] November 16, 2023
Finance Bahrain’s Investcorp aims to raise $550m in first yuan fund Bahrain-based alternative asset manager Investcorp is aiming to raise 2 billion to 4 billion yuan ($274 million-$548 million) for its first private equity fund in the Chinese currency, its executive said, to explore buyout opportunities in the country. Investcorp plans to apply in the next few months for a license with Chinese regulatory bodies that […] November 15, 2023
Finance Egypt and India explore local currency trade settlement Egypt discussed with India’s ambassador to Egypt the possibility of entering Indian financial markets, Egypt’s finance ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. “The two sides discussed ways to encourage the use of national currencies to settle payments,” in a meeting between Egyptian finance minister Mohamed Al Maait and ambassador Ajit Gupte, the statement said. […] November 15, 2023
Finance Nigeria in talks with Saudi bank for project funding Nigerian President Bola Tinubu met top officials of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to negotiate a “multi-billion-dollar infrastructure finance facility” to help build ports and power plants, his spokesperson said on Tuesday. Tinubu held talks with IsDB vice president Mansur Muhtar late on Monday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale said in a […] November 15, 2023
Finance Turkey to regulate crypto market to get off ‘grey list’ Turkey’s new rules to regulate the crypto market are likely to focus on licensing and taxation, sector officials say, as the world’s fourth-biggest crypto-trading country seeks to get off an international financial crime watchdog’s grey list. Ankara promised the regulations last month amid a years-long boom in crypto trading, as soaring inflation and a plunging […] November 15, 2023
Analysis Trade China shows faith in Egypt with deeper investment When President Xi Jinping welcomed the prime minister of Egypt, Mostafa Madbouly, to Beijing’s Great Hall of the People in October, it was a signal that China is stepping up bilateral co-operation with Cairo. Their meeting, on the sidelines of the Belt and Road forum, took place as Egypt grapples with mounting debt and delays […] November 15, 2023
Finance Deutsche sees Turkish among top emerging bond market Turkey’s domestic sovereign bonds are set to be one of the top trades in emerging market fixed income next year, Deutsche Bank said in an outlook note. Despite a sharp recent repricing offering much better entry levels into Turkish government bonds, it was still a bit too early to re-enter the market in general, though […] November 14, 2023
Analysis Aviation Gulf’s thriving private jet industry uncowed by eco concerns The Gulf’s private aviation industry is buoyant as executives, ruling family members and other wealthy individuals use its services to travel across the region and beyond. In the first half of 2023, there were 7,300 private flights to or from Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub, which is part of Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC). […] November 14, 2023
Analysis Trade Zimbabwe sharpens focus on trade with UAE The UAE could soon rival South Africa as Zimbabwe’s largest trading partner as the southern African country competes to attract more foreign investment. Zimbabwe is working to develop a number of sectors with the UAE, including agriculture, mining and energy, to build on the $2 billion bilateral trade registered last year, Lovemore Mazemo, Ambassador of […] November 13, 2023
Opinion Economy A looming US fiscal crisis could hit the Gulf hard US debt and its impact on dollar interest rates could squeeze GCC economies November 13, 2023
Finance Egypt inflation eases on lower food prices Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation fell to 35.8 percent in October from 38 percent in September, data from the country’s statistics agency Capmas shows. Price rises slowed to an increase of 1.2 percent last month from a two percent rise in September. Grain and bread prices dropped by 0.6 percent, while fruit prices fell […] November 13, 2023
Finance Turkey’s trade with GCC soars 11-fold in two decades Turkey’s bilateral trade with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries surged to $22.7 billion in 2022 from $2.1 billion in 2002. “There is an 11-fold increase in our trade,” Daily Sabah newspaper reported, citing Turkey’s trade minister Ömer Bolat’s speech at the GCC-Turkey Economic Forum in Istanbul. Bolat said that Turkey’s exports to the GCC […] November 13, 2023
Finance Dubai Taxi Company to list 25% stake in IPO Dubai Taxi Company has announced plans to launch its initial public offering (IPO) after its legal status was amended to a public joint-stock company. The company will issue 624.75 million shares at a nominal value of AED 0.04 on the Dubai Financial Market, representing 24.99 percent of its total issued share capital. The subscription period […] November 13, 2023
Opinion Banking and Finance Why I’m rooting for the fintechs Apps like Revolut will give the UAE's slow incumbent banks a wake-up call November 10, 2023
Opinion Economy China’s slump won’t stop the GCC good times Commodity exporters may be bruised but China is not yet a major provider of FDI to most of the GCC November 10, 2023
Economy Oman reports $2bn budget surplus despite drop in oil revenues Oman’s general budget registered a surplus of OMR791 million ($2.05 billion) by the end of the third quarter of 2023, compared to a surplus of OMR1.123 billion a year earlier. The government’s public revenues reached OMR8.89 billion during the nine-month period, down 16 percent, compared to OMR10.57 billion a year ago, state-run Oman News Agency […] November 10, 2023
Finance Jordan agrees with IMF on new $1.2bn reform plan Jordan agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a new $1.2 billion four-year reform programme that was a signal of confidence to investors and will help cushion the economy from the adverse impact of regional conflict, finance minister Mohamad Al Ississ told Reuters on Thursday. The new extended fund facility (EFF) arrangement will replace […] November 10, 2023
