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Finance

Finance, economics, markets and trade news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Al Rajhi Bank reports 24% rise in Q1 profit

Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Arabia’s second-biggest lender, reported a nearly 24 percent rise in quarterly earnings, fuelled by a jump in net financing for customers, and higher investment income and fees from banking services. The bank reported a net profit of SR 4.1 billion ($1.09 billion) for first quarter ended March 31, up SR 3.34 billion in the […]

Tunisia’s dinar hits record low versus dollar

Tunisia’s dinar currency has fallen to record lows versus the dollar, driven down by high inflation, a worsening trade deficit and the severe impact of the Ukraine crisis on public finances. It traded at 3.074 against the dollar on Thursday, central bank data showed on Friday. Earlier this month, the state statistics institute said Tunisia’s […]

Airplane, Aircraft, Vehicle

Qatar Airways suffers setback in feud with Airbus

A British judge has denied a bid by Qatar Airways to reinstate a jet contractcancelled by Europe’s Airbus in the latest twist to a dramatic feud playing out in UK courts. The companies have been locked in a safety dispute for months on Europe’s A350 long-haul jet. Their unprecedented bust-up widened in January when Airbus revoked a separate deal for […]

Logo, Trademark, Symbol

Americana selects banks for Saudi and UAE listings

The Middle East and North Africa franchisee of fast-food restaurants KFC and Pizza Hut has hired banks for a potential dual listing in Saudi Arabia and theUnited Arab Emirates, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Americana Group has selected Goldman Sachs, First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) and Saudi National Bank (SNB) for the deal, said the source, declining […]

Abu Dhabi bourse dips ahead of Eid break, Dubai flat

Abu Dhabi’s shares closed lower on Friday in thin trade ahead of Eid al-Fitr holidays, while the Dubai bourse finished flat, ending three sessions of gains. In Abu Dhabi the index eased 0.2 percent, with the country’s largest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) losing 1.3 percent, snapping two sessions of gains. On Thursday, FAB […]

Oil will cushion Middle East from economic impact of Ukraine war

The war in Ukraine will sharply reduce economic growth in the Central Asian region in 2022, but higher oil prices will partly cushion the blow for the Middle East and North Africa, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday. Both regions, however, will feel the impact of surging commodity prices, the IMF said, warning higher […]

Turks “bewildered” as rents outpace rampant inflation

Undeterred by industry figures showing rents in Istanbul have doubled inside a year, yoga instructor Ceren Tabak was fully prepared to spend most of her salary on housing costs when she decided last month to look for a home of her own. But she says real estate agents laughed when she quoted them the 6,000 […]

Lebanese central banker says ready to answer Swiss questions

Lebanese central bank chief Riad Salameh is ready to meet Swiss prosecutors in person to answer questions about their money-laundering investigation, he said in a television interview. Salameh is facing investigations in Lebanon and five European countries into the alleged embezzlement of some $330 million in public funds with the help of his brother, Raja, […]

Repsol’s profit doubles on high oil and gas prices

Spain’s Repsol posted a first-quarter profit upswing on Thursday, bolstered by higher oil and gas prices and recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Commodities prices soared after Russia invaded Ukraine in February, sending further shockwaves through markets already reeling from last year’s collision between tight supplies and high demand in economies reopening after coronavirus lockdowns. Adjusted […]

Guterres urges unconditional funds for Afghanistan aid

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan had “deteriorated alarmingly” and urged donors toprovide “unconditional and flexible funding” towards its $4.4 billion appeal for aid. Opening a high-level pledging conference, he said the Afghan economy had all but collapsed since the Taliban takeover in August and nine million Afghans […]

UAE freezes assets of Kinahan drug trafficking gang

The United Arab Emirates has frozen the assets of Ireland’s Kinahan drug trafficking gang, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. The United States, which earlier this month offered a $5 million reward for help arresting the leaders of the gang, has likened it to some of the world’s most notorious crime networks. Daniel Kinahan, one […]

Sterling set for biggest drop in six years against dollar

Sterling rose against the dollar on Friday but was still set for its sharpest monthly drop since October 2016, while edging higher against the euro. The dollar dropped from its recent 20-year high while still on track for its best month since 2015, bolstered by a combination of expectations for US rate hikes and growth […]

Angry Credit Suisse shareholders reject 2020 discharge

Credit Suisse shareholders on Friday rejected by a wide margin the board’s proposal to provide the beleaguered Swiss bank’s management a discharge from liabilities for the 2020 financial year, as investor ire over a slew of costly missteps grows. The board’s proposal to provide managers a legal discharge for 2020 — a sign of backing, […]

Egypt seeks private sector participation in state-owned assets

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the government to set a program for the private sector’s participation in state-owned assets, with a target of $10 billion annually for four years, state TV quoted him as saying on Tuesday. The broadcaster did not mention any other details about the method of participation. The Egyptian president also […]

Turkish central bank nearly doubles inflation forecast

Turkey’s annual inflation will peak at around 70 percent by June before declining to near 43 percent by year-end, the central bank has forecast. The central bank slashed its policy rate by 500 basis points to 14 percent last year as part of President Tayyip Erdogan’s new economic plan. The cuts sparked a currency crisis […]

ADQ buys stakes worth $1.85bn in Egyptian firms

Abu Dhabi’s state holding company ADQ bought shares worth $1.85 billion in five publicly traded Egyptian companies in April, helping Egypt after the Ukraine crisis prompted foreign investors to flee.  Egypt has been on the hunt for foreign exchange since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted investors to pull billions of dollars out of its treasury […]

Dollar hits five-year high, growth concerns dent euro

The dollar hit a five-year high ahead of the expected rate hike by Federal Reserve, while the euro weakened on growth concerns after Russia cut off gas supplies to parts of the region. The dollar has gained on expectations that the US central bank will be more hawkish than peers. The Fed is expected to increase rates by 50 basis […]

Saudi Al Rajhi Bank reports 24% rise in Q1 profit

Saudi Arabian lender Al Rajhi Bank has announced a nearly 24 percent rise in quarterly earnings, fuelled by a jump in net financing for customers, and higher investment income and fees from banking services. The bank reported a net profit of 4.1 billion riyals ($1.09 billion) for the first quarter ended March 31, up 3.34 […]

Standoff with Lebanon banks could derail IMF deal: minister

Lebanon’s efforts to secure $3 billion in International Monetary Fund (IMF) support to help it tackle its financial crisis could be derailed by divisions over how to deal with massive financial sector losses, according to economy minister Amin Salam. The Association of the Banks of Lebanon (ABL) has rejected the latest draft of the government’s […]

US energy secretary says oil, gas output will continue to increase

The US Energy Secretary said on Monday US oil and gas production is rising and will continue to rise to make up for the 1 to 1.5 million barrels of oil per day that has been pulled off the market in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Jennifer Granholm told CNBC the boost in US oil […]

Italy’s Enel in talks to sell Brazilian power distributor for $2bn

Italy’s Enel SpA is in talks to sell its Brazilian power distributor company Celg-D in a deal that may reach $2 billion, four sources with knowledge of the matter said. Celg-D distributes power in the Brazilian centre-west state of Goias and serves 3.27 million customers. The sources said companies interested in acquiring Celg-D include Brazilian rivals […]