Economy Qatar records $137m budget deficit on lower oil income Qatar recorded a budget deficit of QR500 million ($137 million) in the first quarter of 2025 as oil revenues declined. Total revenue reached QR49 billion, down 7.5 percent year on year, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported. Oil and gas revenue stood at QR42.5 billion, down 10 percent year on year. However, non-oil revenue reached […] June 4, 2025
Manufacturing Gulf exporters may weather US metal tariff hikes A sharp increase in US tariffs on aluminium and steel imports may inadvertently benefit Gulf producers, thanks to their competitive energy advantage and expanding export footprint. President Donald Trump has announced plans to double tariffs on aluminium and steel imports to 50 percent starting on Wednesday, escalating his administration’s protectionist stance amid ongoing global trade […] June 4, 2025
Economy Saudi, Kuwaiti and Qatari bosses report hiring sprees Employment growth has accelerated in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar despite economic uncertainty, but hiring momentum remains uneven in other Mena markets, according to the latest purchasing managers’ index surveys. In Saudi Arabia, job creation was “one of the fastest seen in over a decade” in May, the Riyad Bank PMI report said. The Saudi index’s […] June 4, 2025
Analysis Finance Oversubscribed Flynas IPO offers hope for other Saudi listings The Saudi budget airline Flynas announced that the retail tranche of its initial public offering (IPO) was oversubscribed four and a half times. The news offers hope for upcoming IPOs in the kingdom following a fall in the share price of United Carton Industries Company (UCIC) after it listed on the main market last week. […] June 3, 2025
Finance Oman raises $130m from latest sale of treasury bills Oman has raised $130 million from treasury bills in a three-part sale that began on Monday. The Central Bank of Oman sold $5 million, $52 million and $74 million of bonds with terms of three, six and 12 months, respectively. The coupon – or annual interest rate – is 5 percent. By Tuesday the sale […] June 3, 2025
Aviation Dubai airlines lead GCC bid to revive Syrian economy Dubai-based airlines are resuming services to Syria after a gap of nearly 13 years as the Gulf states unite to support the war-torn country’s economic recovery. Low-cost carrier Flydubai resumed operations to Syria, with the first flight landing at Damascus International Airport on Saturday, a move aimed at building ties between the UAE and Syria. […] June 3, 2025
Aviation Dubai Aerospace secures $300m loan from Bank of China Aircraft leasing company Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) has secured a $300 million loan from the Bank of China. The money will be used for general corporate purposes and support upcoming financing requirements, the company said in a statement on Monday. The three-year unsecured term loan was issued by the lender’s Dubai, London and Hong Kong branches. […] June 3, 2025
Analysis Trade Gulf FDI into US states goes well beyond usual suspects Among the flashiest deals announced during US President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf in mid-May was Emirates Global Aluminium’s $4 billion investment pledge to build the first new smelter in the US in 45 years in Oklahoma. The tentative agreement, EGA said in a press release, is subject to the parties finalising “state and […] June 3, 2025
Analysis Banking and Finance Corporate borrowing swells Saudi banks’ Q1 profits Saudi Arabia’s big banks prospered in the first quarter thanks to soaring borrowing demand from companies. However, lending growth is likely to slow and margins are shrinking because of rising fund costs and intensifying competition. The kingdom’s six largest banks by assets are Saudi National Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, Riyad Bank, Saudi Awwal Bank, Banque […] June 3, 2025
Banking and Finance Kurdish authorities clamp down on crypto trading The semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq has launched a crackdown on cryptocurrency trading, following warnings by the Central Bank of Iraq. The Kurdistan Regional Government has formed an interior ministry committee to enforce the closure of crypto and foreign exchange companies, it said in a statement at the weekend. The committee, which can order […] June 2, 2025
Video length: 04:09 VIDEO Telecoms Veon boss reveals why the telco swapped Europe for Dubai Telecom and digital services company Veon delisted from the Amsterdam stock market last year and moved its operations to Dubai, becoming the largest Nasdaq-listed company with headquarters in the UAE. AGBI spoke to the company’s CEO, Kaan Terzioglu, about its plans to dual-list in Dubai within the next three to five years. “I am bullish […] June 2, 2025
Banking and Finance FAB shareholder seeks to raise $480m from secondary offering A shareholder of First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the UAE’s biggest bank by assets, is offering around $480 million worth of shares via a secondary share sale, the bookrunner for the deal said on Friday. The selling shareholder, whose name was not disclosed, is offering around 113 million shares at a price of AED15.5 ($4.22) […] June 2, 2025
Economy Saudi Arabia and Qatar extend financial support to Syria Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said on Saturday that the kingdom will jointly offer with Qatar financial support to Syria. “The kingdom will provide with Qatar joint financial support to state employees in Syria,” Bin Farhan said during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shibani in Damascus. He did not provide […] June 2, 2025
Banking and Finance How MNT-Halan became one of Egypt’s biggest lenders Egypt’s population is well over 100 million and, while famously entrepreneurial, is often unbanked or financially excluded. For investors, the loans market has long been seen as the Middle East’s financial holy grail – alluring, but ultimately unattainable. App-based lender MNT-Halan, though, may be the first to be able to say it has cracked the […] June 2, 2025
Banking and Finance EY tells Iraq to change public bank management teams Iraq is planning to change the management teams at its public banks in an attempt to improve their governance and reduce losses. The move is part of a comprehensive restructuring plan devised by the London-based consultancy firm EY which may involve mergers and the creation of a new larger state-owned bank. Iraqi prime minister Mohammed […] May 30, 2025
Analysis Economy Turkish economy cools as major sectors struggle Turkey’s economic growth slowed in the first quarter of the year, as declining activity in industry and agriculture offset expansion in other sectors, notably construction and information and communications. Gross domestic product expanded 2 percent year on year in the first three months of 2025, according to data issued by the state statistics agency Turkstat […] May 30, 2025
Banking and Finance Shuaa Capital sues former executives for $70m over losses Investment bank and asset manager Shuaa Capital has filed a lawsuit against former executive managers, seeking approximately $71 million (AED 260 million) in compensation for alleged misconduct that the company claims contributed to its financial losses. The legal action, disclosed in a filing to the Dubai Financial Market, is part of Dubai-based Shuaa’s broader efforts […] May 30, 2025
Opinion Entrepreneurs What can GCC startups learn from Africa? It would benefit both regions to build stronger ties with one another May 30, 2025
Markets Hong Kong and Saudi work on cross-border financial products Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia are considering allowing more cross-border financial products as the two markets seek to deepen financial ties amid rising trade uncertainties. An exchange-traded fund tracking bonds issued by the Saudi government started trading in Hong Kong on Thursday, the first fixed-income fund listed in the territory to offer such exposure. Apart […] May 30, 2025
Analysis Banking and Finance UAE’s cashless drive stymied by the humble rent cheque The UAE wants to be an almost completely cashless economy but rent, which is one of the country’s largest personal expenses, remains locked in paper. That is providing an opportunity for regional financial technology companies to plug the gap between tenants who want to pay their rent digitally and monthly, and landlords who want the […] May 30, 2025
Trade Bahrain’s trade deficit widens as imports surge Bahrain’s trade deficit has widened by more than a quarter as non-oil imports have increased. The difference between exports and imports widened by 32 percent to BD166 million ($440.3 million) in April 2025, compared to BD126 million in the same month last year, state-run Bahrain News Agency reported, citing official data. The value of non-oil […] May 30, 2025
Video length: 03:49 VIDEO Banking and Finance Crypto crimes drop due to blockchain transparency Illicit activity in cryptocurrency transactions has plummeted as a result of investment in compliance levels across the digital asset industry. Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange platform, says shadowy practices including money laundering have dropped from 0.6 percent to 0.15 percent. More traditional currencies, which are usually issued by governments, last year had a much […] May 29, 2025 In association with
