Analysis Banking & Finance Ukraine ceasefire will unlock billions in Gulf-Russia deals GCC investors shelved a potential $15 billion of investments in Russia when Moscow invaded Ukraine, but companies are said to be quietly resuming due diligence in the hope of tying up deals when a peace accord is reached. These possible Gulf-Russia deals are mainly in the oil and gas, transport, logistics and agricultural sectors, according […] April 19, 2023
Banking & Finance UAE revokes licence of Russia’s MTS Bank The UAE central bank on Friday revoked the Abu Dhabi licence of Russia’s MTS Bank, five weeks after the United States and the UK placed the Moscow-based lender under sanctions. MTS must close its UAE operations, including shutting its Abu Dhabi branch, within six months, according to a statement issued by UAE state news agency […] March 31, 2023
Banking & Finance UAE remains on Financial Action Task Force grey list – for now Last month the Financial Action Task Force upheld the decision to keep the UAE on the grey list, a status it had assigned to it in March 2022. In its February ruling, the international watchdog dedicated to fighting financial crime said the UAE had made “significant progress” on three of seven recommendations to get off […] March 13, 2023
Economy Ukrainian companies flock to Dubai as conflict rages on The number of Ukrainian businesses setting up in Dubai has risen by around 25 percent in the past year, as companies tap the Middle East to sustain growth while war continues at home. “For business owners setting up in Dubai, it is not about leaving Ukraine,” Olena Shyrokova, president of the Ukrainian Business Council (UBC) […] March 6, 2023
Development Saudi foreign minister signs $400m aid deal with Ukraine Saudi Arabia and Ukraine signed aid deals worth $400 million during a surprise visit to Kyiv by Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Sunday. The memorandum of understanding includes the financing of oil derivatives worth $300 million as a grant submitted by the government of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Fund for […] February 27, 2023
Banking & Finance UAE reviewing status of Russian bank MTS The central bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has said it is assessing the status of MTS, a Russian bank to which it gave a licence only weeks previously. Marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US Treasury and the British foreign office said that they were sanctioning MTS Bank, […] February 24, 2023
Analysis Energy One year on, what the war in Ukraine means for the Middle East A year since Russia invaded Ukraine, the war’s impacts are reverberating across the Middle East and North Africa. While some Gulf oil producers have prospered during the conflict, it has heaped suffering on some of the most fragile and volatile economies in the region. “It has contributed to the difficulties in Egypt and the worsening […] February 24, 2023
Opinion Energy Russia is the big loser from the weaponisation of energy Invasion of Ukraine has badly damaged Moscow's oil and gas industry February 23, 2023
Opinion Energy Russian sanctions have rejuvenated the world’s ‘ghost’ oil market Moscow says it will not comply with an oil price cap, but may have little choice if it wants to continue selling February 17, 2023
Energy Qatar trade patterns shift as UK fills gas shortfall The trade relationship between the UK and Qatar is being transformed as the Gulf state helps to fill a gap left by a British government ban on Russian gas imports following Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Latest figures from the UK’s Department for International Trade reveal a 196 percent increase in goods and services to […] February 17, 2023
Energy Clean energy powers boost to UAE and Kyrgyzstan trade Abu Dhabi’s Masdar is looking to develop a pipeline of renewable energy projects in Kyrgyzstan as part of the former Soviet republic’s plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 44 percent by 2030. A deal signed with the Ministry of Energy of the Kyrgyz Republic last month will begin with a […] February 16, 2023
Banking & Finance The new Switzerland: diplomacy is key to UAE’s trade success The UAE is “the new Switzerland” and poised to reap the benefits of its good relationships with both East and West, the investment boss of one of the Gulf’s leading banks has said. Maurice Gravier, chief investment officer at Emirates NBD Group, said he believed the world needed neutral powers, “a place to speak between […] February 7, 2023
Tech Farming tech startup moves HQ from Europe to UAE A Finnish tech startup is swapping the green countryside of Northern Europe for the Arabian desert as it looks to grow its urban farming business. iFarm was invited in November to join the incentive programme of Abu Dhabi’s Hub71, the technology project led by Mubadala Investment Company and backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi. […] February 1, 2023
Energy Beijing and Brussels ‘go head to head in fight for Mena oil and gas’ The Middle East and North Africa will be one of the main beneficiaries of China’s decision to drop its zero-Covid policy, as Beijing competes with Europe for limited energy resources, according to analysts at Bank of America. “From a macro-perspective, it’s very easy to be bullish on the Mena region,” said Jean-Michel Saliba, a director […] January 30, 2023
Banking & Finance ‘Pent-up demand’ to lift GCC markets, says law firm boss Appetite for GCC debt and equity will pick up this year after a sluggish 12 months, as investors take comfort in a more predictable interest rate environment and the region’s relative political calm. That is according to Jonathan Fried, Middle East managing partner of global law firm Linklaters, who took over the reins heading up […] January 27, 2023
Employment European and Russian expats opt for freelance jobs in UAE UAE job visa applications will increase by nearly one third this year, with many expats from Europe and Russia opting for freelance roles, the managing director of recruitment and HR consultancy Connect Group told AGBI. Aaron Portero forecasts that visa applications will rise at least 25 to 30 percent in 2023. This is on top […] January 19, 2023
Banking & Finance Egypt’s banks can cope with sharp currency drop, say experts Egyptian banks can withstand the impact of further currency depreciation as they are supported by “healthy internal capital generation”, analysts say. Fitch Ratings report that large private sector banks are better placed to deal with a weaker pound than the two largest public banks, National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr, due to their higher […] January 18, 2023
Energy EU will return to Russian gas, Qatari minister predicts Europe will eventually return to imports of Russian gas but with reduced dependence, Qatar’s energy boss has predicted. The European Union imposed sanctions on Russian oil imports in March last year in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, pledging to wean itself off Russian energy. The sanctions were intended to limit Russia’s financing ability for […] January 16, 2023
Analysis Development 10 events that shaped the Gulf’s economies in 2022 This last year has been book-ended by two of the largest events the Gulf has ever seen: Expo 2020 Dubai and the Fifa football World Cup in Qatar, helping the region throw off the shackles of the coronavirus pandemic. Many events share a common theme, according to Andreas Krieg, associate professor at King’s College London. […] December 27, 2022
Real Estate Cypriot property developer sees strong Middle East demand Middle East investors make up almost a third of the €100 million ($106 million) total sales so far in a new high-end property development in Cyprus. The €300 million Limassol Blu Marine project is the latest to be undertaken by Leptos Estates, the largest property developer in Cyprus, behind the government and the church. “Cyprus […] December 23, 2022
Economy Tunisia looks to boost trade with African neighbours Tunisia is looking to increase trade with its African neighbours, particularly sub-Saharan countries, amid an expected slowdown in business with Europe. Geopolitical tensions arising from the Russian invasion of Ukraine have fuelled international inflation levels, which could impact levels of trade between Tunisia and its European partners, according to Mélanie Laloum, lead economist, global policy, […] December 17, 2022
Opinion Development Goodbye 2022: Lessons to be learnt from a year of challenges From the coronavirus pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the immense challenges of 2022 inform hopes and fears for the future December 16, 2022
