Banking & Finance Over 1$7bn of Credit Suisse AT1 debt written down to zero Just over $17 billion worth of Credit Suisse bonds, known as Additional Tier 1 or AT1, debt will be written down to zero on the orders of the Swiss regulator as part of a rescue merger with UBS. Under the deal, holders of Credit Suisse AT1 bonds will get nothing, while shareholders, who usually rank below […] March 21, 2023
Analysis Energy 145 billion barrels of oil, but patience is running dry in Iraq Iraq has vast reserves of crude oil – 145 billion barrels as of 2022 and more than 8 percent of the global total – but economists and analysts have warned that Baghdad will struggle to meet its output targets unless it offers better operating terms to Western oil majors. The country remains hugely reliant on […] March 21, 2023
Energy Saudi-backed clean energy firm announces push into Europe Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, part of Saudi-based Abdul Latif Jameel Energy, has announced the commissioning of its latest solar farm in Spain as part of a major push into Europe. The San Serván 400 project, which consists of three 50 megawatts farms, will provide over 100,000 homes with clean energy in the Extremadura region in the west […] March 20, 2023
Banking & Finance SNB plans growth despite Credit Suisse losses Saudi National Bank has said its growth strategy will not be impacted by the UBS takeover of beleaguered rival Credit Suisse, despite analysts predicting “heavy losses” for Gulf backers. SNB is joined by Qatar Investment Authority and Saudi Arabian conglomerate Olayan Group, who all have varying levels of interest in the 167-year-old Swiss bank. Rohit […] March 20, 2023
Transport Italian travel company to invest $75m in Saudi luxury train An Italian hospitality company is investing around €70 million ($75 million) to develop the first luxury train for “rail cruising” across Saudi Arabia. Arsenale Group has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia Railways to introduce the train on a 770-mile route from Riyadh to the northern city of Al Qurayat, close to the border with […] March 20, 2023
Manufacturing British manufacturing output rebounds but outlook ‘bleak’ Britain’s manufacturing output bounced back in the first three months of 2023, chiming with other measures of the economy that improved, but firms expect the sector to contract as inflationary pressures persist, a survey showed on Monday. Trade body Make UK and accountants BDO said their quarterly gauge of manufacturing output rose to +21 in […] March 20, 2023
Banking & Finance Central banks try to calm markets after UBS buys Credit Suisse Some of the world’s largest central banks came together on Sunday to stop a banking crisis from spreading as Swiss authorities persuaded UBS Group AG to buy rival Credit Suisse Group AG in a historic deal. UBS will pay 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.23 billion) for 167-year-old Credit Suisse and assume up to $5.4 billion […] March 20, 2023
Banking & Finance A make-or-break weekend for Credit Suisse Credit Suisse Group AG chief financial officer Dixit Joshi and his team will hold meetings over the weekend to assess strategic scenarios for the embattled Swiss bank as it enters a make-or-break weekend. Credit Suisse was thrown a $54 billion lifeline by the Swiss central bank on Thursday to shore up liquidity after a slump […] March 19, 2023
Energy Rolls-Royce sees Mena as ‘driver’ for green power growth The Middle East and Africa’s rapid urbanisation and push to decarbonise power generation is a “great economic driver” for Rolls-Royce, the British engineering firm’s regional chief told AGBI. Rolls-Royce is one of the world’s top aero engine manufacturers, supplying civilian and military craft, although its power systems division provided 26.4 percent of its £12.69 billion […] March 17, 2023
60 seconds with... Alison Milton, Ambassador of Ireland to the UAE Alison Milton has been the Ambassador of Ireland to the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait since August. Before then she worked as the British-Irish director, in Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. What does your company do? I work for the Embassy of Ireland in Abu Dhabi covering the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar. I also have responsibility […] March 17, 2023
Banking & Finance Saudi National Bank has liquidity to withstand Credit Suisse shock Saudi National Bank has enough liquidity to withstand any losses arising from the troubled Credit Suisse, according to a leading economist. SNB, the kingdom’s biggest lender, took a stake of almost 10 percent in Credit Suisse last year after it participated in the bank’s $4.3 billion capital raise. It became its largest shareholder, with a […] March 17, 2023
Banking & Finance Credit Suisse intends to borrow up to $54bn to boost liquidity Credit Suisse Group AG said on Thursday it intended to borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion) from the Swiss National Bank in what it called “decisive action” to boost its liquidity. Swiss regulators pledged a liquidity lifeline to Credit Suisse in an unprecedented move by a central bank after the flagship Swiss […] March 16, 2023
Banking & Finance No more investment in Credit Suisse, says Saudi National Bank Saudi National Bank has ruled out any further investment in Credit Suisse as the troubled Swiss bank shed a quarter of its value on Wednesday. Saudi National Bank (SNB) chairman Ammar Al Khudairy said during an interview with Bloomberg TV that investing any more would then increase its current 10 percent stake in the the […] March 15, 2023
Energy Oman signs green hydrogen deals worth $20bn Hydrom, a subsidiary of Energy Development Oman, has signed six deals worth $20 billion to invest in green hydrogen projects across the sultanate. The agreements, which span seven years, were inked with developers from Belgium, Germany, India, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UAE and the UK. The production capacity of the projects will hit […] March 15, 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 Britain’s finance minister flags back-to-work incentives in budget Finance minister Jeremy Hunt will set out measures to boost Britain’s workforce next week, by offering financial incentives in his budget for parents with young children, disabled people and others to rejoin the workforce. Britain has a chronic labour shortage that is dragging on its economic performance. Foreign workers left the country en masse over […] March 12, 2023
Tourism Landlords benefit as UAE and Saudi embrace Airbnb model The UAE’s introduction of a remote working visa and Saudi Arabia’s plan to allow residents to rent out rooms in their homes has led to the Gulf embracing the Airbnb model and a boom in the short-term rental sector. In March 2021 the UAE cabinet introduced a remote work visa, allowing workers to set up […] March 12, 2023
Opinion Energy Lessons for Europe from Biden, the Gulf and CERAWeek The President's $370bn renewable incentives were the talk of the energy conference in Houston March 10, 2023
Economy UAE edging closer to trade deals with Kenya, Georgia and Ukraine The UAE is close to signing new free trade deals with Kenya, Georgia and Ukraine, while a third round of discussions on a GCC-wide agreement with the UK are set to get under way in Riyadh on Sunday. It follows the recent signing of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with Turkey earlier this month. […] March 10, 2023
Banking & Finance Abraaj Capital founder loses extradition appeal to the US Arif Naqvi, the founder of what was once the largest private equity firm in the Middle East, has lost a bid to challenge his extradition from London to the US to face fraud charges. US prosecutors allege that the Pakistan-born businessman defrauded investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, by concealing a liquidity crisis […] March 9, 2023
Banking & Finance UK crypto lender Nexo to set up in Emirates UK-based crypto lender Nexo is opening offices in the UAE as it looks to grow its Middle East business to 30 percent of its total global operations. The company, which has five million users across 200 jurisdictions, is setting up in Dubai where a workforce of 150 will be recruited, according to MD and co-founder […] March 9, 2023
Agriculture Morocco can weather storm of fruit and vegetable shortage Recent adverse growing conditions in Morocco have caused shortages of some fruit and vegetable produce in European supermarkets, particularly in the UK, but the impact will not dent economic growth in the North African country this year, the World Bank said. British supermarkets last month introduced rationing of some popular produce as a result of […] March 8, 2023
