Analysis Banking and Finance Gulf mid-market mergers flourish as economy matures International private equity companies are increasingly keen to buy mid-sized Gulf companies as the regional economy matures and GDP growth elsewhere falters, a corporate adviser tells AGBI. Other factors, such as Gulf family conglomerates seeking to narrow their business focus, are also spurring a rise in mergers and acquisitions, says James Jarvis, a director at […] February 3, 2025
Economy High costs push up Turkish inflation in January A sharp jump in costs may hinder the Turkish government’s hopes of delivering further interest rate cuts, with inflation in the services sector, housing costs and food combining to pressure the consumer price index. Inflation rose by just over 5 percent in January, according to data from state statistics agency Turkstat. This was fuelled by […] February 3, 2025
Logistics Egypt urges return of Suez Canal traffic after Gaza ceasefire Egypt has held talks with 23 maritime companies, encouraging them to resume transits through the Suez Canal following the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. There are many positive indicators for the Red Sea region as stability returns, said Osama Rabie, chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA). He said the SCA has been flexible […] February 3, 2025
Markets Derayah raises $400m ‘in minutes’ on day 1 of IPO book-building The book-building phase of Derayah Financial’s initial public offering attracted massive demand on its first day, with institutional investors quickly covering subscriptions. The Saudi online brokerage offered 49.9 million shares on Sunday to investment funds, qualified foreign companies and institutions, as well as Gulf and foreign investors, as part of an IPO book-building that is […] February 3, 2025
Oil & Gas Trump’s tariffs will not move oil prices, says Goldman Sachs The new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports from Canada, Mexico and China are likely to have a limited near-term impact on global oil and gas prices, Goldman Sachs said in a note on Sunday. “Potential tariff-driven decline in US natural gas imports from Canada is too small to significantly raise US […] February 3, 2025
Economy Kuwait forecasts budget deficit of more than $20bn Kuwait’s draft budget for 2025-26 projects a deficit of KD6.3 billion ($20.4 billion), the finance minister has said. Total revenue is forecast to reach KD18.2 billion, while expenditure is set at KD24.5 billion, state-run Kuna news agency reports, citing finance minister Noura Al-Fassam. Non-oil revenues are anticipated to rise 9 percent to KD2.9 billion, […] February 3, 2025
Markets Saudi developer Umm Al Qura to float on Tadawul Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction (Umm Al Qura), the developer of Masar, a mixed-use project in Mecca, plans to float just over nine percent of its capital through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi stock exchange. The net proceeds will be used to cover costs associated with land settlements, infrastructure, and project financing expenditures. Funds […] February 3, 2025
Economy Bahrain to increase oil revenue contributions to wealth fund Bahrain has approved plans to increase its contribution from its oil revenues to its Future Generations Reserve wealth fund. King Hamad of Bahrain approved a new modified savings format, amending the 2006 law that dates back to when the sovereign wealth fund was established. The fund was created to allocate and invest amounts deducted from oil […] February 3, 2025
Construction Kuwait project awards reach highest level in seven years Project activity in Kuwait has soared, and the highest value since 2017 was awarded in 2024, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) said in its quarterly report. The bank said KD2.7 billion ($8.7 billion) worth of projects were awarded in Kuwait last year, an increase of 44 percent on the previous year. The figures were supported […] February 3, 2025
Banking and Finance Arab Bank plans 40% dividend after record 2024 profit The board of Jordan’s Arab Bank Group has proposed a dividend of 40 percent for 2024 after profit reached a record high. Net profit rose 21 percent to more than $1 billion in 2024 compared to $829.6 million in 2023. The profit rise was driven by growth across various business segments and geographic markets. Operating […] February 2, 2025
Banking and Finance Saudi commercial banks hit record profits in 2024 Profits at Saudi Arabia’s commercial banks rose to a record SAR89.97 billion ($24 billion) in 2024, an increase of 15 percent year on year. Aggregate profits in December also hit an all-time monthly high of SAR8.82 billion, according to data released by the Saudi Central Bank (Sama) on Thursday. The increase in profits comes at […] January 31, 2025
Opinion Artificial Intelligence Did DeepSeek cause the market crash? I ask the accused The AI app evades difficult questions but proves to be congenial company January 31, 2025
Banking and Finance Total profits at Oman’s banks up 15% in 2024 Banks in Oman recorded a 15.2 percent year on year rise in profits in 2024. Total profits reached OMR522.6 million ($1.36 billion) last year, up from OMR453.5 million in 2023, the Central Bank of Oman said. The increase was attributed to the country’s robust economic growth last year through project financing, mortgages and loans to […] January 31, 2025
Banking and Finance Dubai lender Mashreq’s 2024 profit rises 4% to $2.5bn Net profit at Dubai-listed lender Mashreq reached AED9 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2024, a 4 percent year-on-year increase, as revenue and margins remained strong. Revenue stood at AED13.4 billion, rising 24 percent annually and maintaining a three-year compound annual growth rate of 32 percent. Net interest income grew by 9 percent year on year despite […] January 31, 2025
Banking and Finance Dubai’s Fintech Galaxy to test open banking in Jordan Dubai company Fintech Galaxy has become the first open banking company to receive regulatory approval in Jordan. The Central Bank of Jordan’s (CBJ) approval will allow the fintech to join the regulatory sandbox, JoRegBox, to test and deploy open banking services in the country. The JoRegBox initiative is part of the central bank’s broader plan for financial technology […] January 31, 2025
Markets DFM earnings rise 14% on robust trading volume Dubai Financial Market Company, the operator of the Dubai stock exchange, has announced a net profit increase of 14 percent year on year for 2024. The result was driven by robust trading volumes from retail and institutional investors and strong capital inflows, it said. The bottom line stood at AED376.4 million ($102.5 million) last year […] January 31, 2025
Banking and Finance Egypt targets $40bn to meet budget funding needs Egypt is aiming to raise up to $40 billion through its global medium-term note programme. The net proceeds will be used to finance a portion of the fiscal deficit or any other purpose outlined in the state budget law, according to a base offering circular published on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The minimum denomination […] January 31, 2025
Banking and Finance Lendo raises $690m to fund SME growth in Saudi Arabia Lendo, a Saudi debt crowdfunding platform, has secured a SAR2.6 billion ($690 million) facility to fund more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the kingdom. The facility, led by J.P. Morgan, will expand its lending capacity, introduce new innovative products, and expand SME coverage in the kingdom, says the company. This aligns with Vision 2030’s […] January 31, 2025
EXCLUSIVE Markets AlMajal AlArabi considers listing on Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul Saudi Arabia’s AlMajal AlArabi Group (MAG) is considering an initial public offering on the Tadawul main market and has appointed Riyad Capital as an adviser, people familiar with the plans told AGBI. The Riyadh-based facilities management and construction company is exploring a share sale as Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure and services sectors expands, driven by multi-billion-dollar […] January 31, 2025
Mining ADQ joins Orion in $1.2bn metals joint venture The third-largest of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds, ADQ, is setting up a $1.2 billion joint venture with the US investment company Orion Resource Partners to invest in the metals and mining sector. The 50-50 joint venture will be based in Abu Dhabi and will target long-term agreements to source essential metals and minerals, including […] January 30, 2025
Tax Bahrain’s expat tax move ‘likely to be replicated GCC-wide’ Bahrain is proposing to levy a tax on expatriate remittances, a move an industry expert believes is likely to be replicated in other neighbouring Gulf countries. Members of parliament in the kingdom this week supported a revised proposal which would mean expat remittances face a two percent tax. “It would not surprise me if other […] January 30, 2025
Economy Kuwait consumer spending reaches record high Consumer spending in Kuwait hit record levels in 2024, underpinned by a growing preference for card payments and a thriving ecommerce industry. Figures from the Central Bank of Kuwait for 2024 showed spending reached KD47.81 billion ($155.7 billion), a rise of 4.4 percent from the previous year. The figures show an increase in card payments and […] January 30, 2025
