Banking & Finance Julius Baer hires Doha Bank exec to lead Qatar expansion Swiss wealth manager Julius Baer has hired the former head of private banking at Doha Bank, Slim Bouker, to lead an expansion in Doha, where it plans to open an advisory office at the Qatar Financial Centre, it said on Tuesday. Julius Baer will open its Doha office once regulatory approvals are complete and Bouker […] June 8, 2022
Turkish lira weakens 0.5% against dollar The Turkish lira weakened some 0.5 percent against the dollar on Wednesday as concerns over rampant inflation were stoked by President Tayyip Erdogan’s pledge to continue cutting interest rates. The lira stood at 16.8550 against the U.S. currency at 0411 GMT, when compared to Tuesday’s close of 16.7650, slipping towards a record low it hit […] June 8, 2022
Banking & Finance South Africa calls for swift extradition of Guptas from UAE South Africa’s governing party on Tuesday called for the swift extradition of Rajesh and Atul Gupta to face the allegations against them in South Africa after they were arrested in the United Arab Emirates. The Gupta brothers are accused of using their connections to former South African president Jacob Zuma, in power from 2009 to […] June 8, 2022
Analysis Canada and Dubai grow closer with every deal struck A Canadian pension fund company’s decision to invest $5 billion in UAE multinational logistics company DP World’s assets is a striking example of the deepening commercial ties between the two countries. Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec’s (CPDQ) announced the deal on Monday. It will see CPDQ take a 22 percent stake in DP World’s prized assets in […] June 7, 2022
Ukraine and Gulf announce diplomatic and economic alliance Ukraine, the Gulf bloc and the Organisation of lslamic Cooperation (OIC) announced on Tuesday the establishment of a special Advisory Council. The Council, headed by the Ukraine President’s Office and Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, will focus on political, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian cooperation between Ukraine and the Middle East. The Head of the President’s […] June 7, 2022
Energy UAE arrests Gupta brothers, wanted in South Africa The United Arab Emirates has arrested Rajesh and Atul Gupta, brothers who face charges of corruption in South Africa. Dubai Police confirmed the arrest on Twitter, posting on Tuesday that it had received an Interpol red notice for the brothers and was coordinating with the South African authorities “regarding the extradition file to complete the legal procedures”. South Africa’s Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services said […] June 7, 2022
UAE economy’s growth for 2022 upgraded to 5.4% The UAE economy is set to grow by 5.4 percent this year, driven by the country’s success in containing the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE). The figure is higher than the 4.2 percent real gross domestic product (GDP) growth estimate made by the bank in April. […] June 7, 2022
Energy Saudi GDP grows 9.9% in Q1, beating flash estimate Saudi Arabia’s gross domestic product grew 9.9 per cent in the first quarter, the fastest in a decade and more than a flash estimate last month of 9.6 per cent, official data showed on Tuesday. It was the fastest expansion since the third quarter of 2011 with the increase in oil production a key factor, […] June 7, 2022
Mubadala and EQT fund to buy Sweden’s Envirotainer Abu Dhabi state fund Mubadala and a fund managed by European buyout firm EQT have agreed to buy Envirotainer, a Swedish company that makes and leases cold containers for transporting temperature-sensitive healthcare products. Mubadala and the EQT X fund are buying the company from European buyout firm Cinven and Danish life-sciences investor Novo Holdings, Mubadala […] June 7, 2022
Banking & Finance CPDQ to invest $5bn in DP World as it looks to reduce debt Canadian pension manager Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec (CPDQ) will invest $5 billion in DP World’s Dubai assets as the global ports operator looks at ways to reduce its debt. As part of the deal, CPDQ will take a 22 per cent stake in DP World’s Jebel Ali Port, Jebel Ali Free Zone and the National Industries […] June 7, 2022
Banking & Finance Rise of the robo-advisers The number of robo-advisers is set to increase dramatically by 2025, according to MENA independent financial advisers and wealth managers June 6, 2022
Banking & Finance Ali Alghanim revs up ahead of IPO in Kuwait Ali Alghanim & Sons will begin trading on Boursa Kuwait on Tuesday, after a private placement by EFG Hermes was oversubscribed 11 times June 6, 2022
Retail Saudi PIF ‘shortlisted as bidder for stake in Starbucks MENA’ Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been shortlisted to buy a stake in the Middle East, North Africa and central Asia Starbucks franchise held by Alshaya Group, according to two sources. The franchise has several hundred coffee shops in 14 countries across the Middle East, Russia and central Asia. Kuwait-based Alshaya Group, the region’s […] June 6, 2022
Perimeter 81 joins the unicorns after $100m funding round Perimeter 81 is now valued at $1 billion, the Israeli cybersecurity startup has revealed, gaining unicorn status after it raised $100 million to fund product development. The fundraising, led by B Capital, marked a jump in valuation from its last round in August 2020, when the company was valued at $200 million. ION Crossover Ventures […] June 6, 2022
Analysis Energy Higher oil prices ease budgetary woes Surging oil prices in 2022 mean most Middle East and North African (MENA) oil producers can look forward to recording a surplus this year – often after running budget deficits and, on occasion, plundering their sovereign wealth funds. In 2020, as demand collapsed on the back of the pandemic, Brent crude averaged just $42 a […] June 6, 2022
Turkey’s annual inflation soars to highest since 1998 Turkey’s annual inflation rate jumped to a 24-year high of 73.5 per cent in May, fuelled by the war in Ukraine, rising energy prices and a tumbling lira — though thefigure was slightly lower than economists had feared. Inflation has surged since last autumn, when the lira slumped after the central bank launched a 500 […] June 3, 2022
Energy Oil price fall dents Gulf stock markets Most Gulf markets ended lower on Thursday on growing concerns over inflation and recession and as oil prices slumped following speculation that Saudi Arabia would boost production. Saudi Arabia’s benchmark index finished 1.3 percent lower, hurt by a 2.1 percent fall in oil giant Saudi Aramco and a 1.2 percent decline in country’s biggest Islamic […] June 2, 2022
Analysis Development How Oman’s sultan is reshaping the nation Omanis went into three days of mourning after the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in January 2020. When they reemerged with a new leader in Qaboos’ first cousin, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, the oil-rich country was unaware that two waves of crises were looming on the horizon. A sudden dip in oil prices soon […] June 2, 2022
Markets China ‘firmly’ opposes US-Taiwan trade initiative China “firmly” opposes a new trade initiative between Taiwan and the United States, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, a plan the government in Taipei says is a recognition of the key position the island plays in global supply chains. The United States and Taiwan announced the US-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade on Wednesday, […] June 2, 2022
Banking & Finance UAE’s Al-Futtaim Group to invest up to $1bn in Egypt Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Group said it is eyeing investments in Egypt worth $700 million to $1 billion over the next three years, an Egyptian cabinet statement said on Thursday. Gulf Arab states are channelling up to $22 billion to Egypt to help it overcome a currency crisis, the third such rescue in a decade, as analysts […] June 2, 2022
