Trade UK agrees instant two-year visas for Saudi nationals Saudi Arabian nationals can obtain instant two-year multiple entry visas to the UK for business, tourism and study visits following a deal made during a British business delegation trip to the kingdom this week. “The new visa offers a validity period of up to two years and multiple entries during the validity period, in addition […] February 1, 2024
Opinion Education Dubai v Dublin: UAE and Ireland battle for teachers Irish teachers are in demand both in the Gulf and at home January 31, 2024
Oil & Gas Italy forced to wait as Qatar reroutes LNG vessels The conflict in the Red Sea has forced QatarEnergy to delay shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, with Italy the first country to be directly affected. Italian energy company Edison said this week that a cargo scheduled to arrive at Italy’s Adriatic LNG terminal in Rovigo had been cancelled. According to a message […] January 26, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Finance UK steps up hunt for Mena projects with £50bn budget The UK’s export credit agency is stepping up its search for “transformational” projects to finance across the Middle East and North Africa and has a potential war chest of about £50 billion ($63 billion). Since 2018, UK Export Finance has completed £11 billion worth of business and delivered thousands of jobs for UK businesses related […] January 25, 2024
Finance QIA will support London’s Canary Wharf says CEO Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will continue to support London’s Canary Wharf Group (CWG) project as a long-term shareholder, CEO Mansoor Al Mahmoud has confirmed. The sector contains “a little bit of risk” because of the “leverage and cost of funding,” he told Bloomberg Television at the World Economic Forum in Davos. However, the fund has […] January 17, 2024
Oil & Gas Low LNG demand cushions Europe from Red Sea issues Low demand and healthy natural gas inventory levels have offset concerns over the Red Sea crisis, leaving markets cool-headed, energy experts said. Europe’s benchmark natural gas price, Dutch TTF, traded at €29.99 ($32.65) per megawatt-hour on Tuesday as industrial demand weakens and stockpiles grow, despite the cold spell. “Demand has so far disappointed, as households […] January 16, 2024
Health PureHealth acquires UK’s Circle Health for $1.2bn PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, has acquired Circle Health Group, the UK’s largest operator of hospitals, for $1.2 billion, as part of its global expansion strategy. The deal completion achieved regulatory approvals in record time, the company said in a statement. “After investing in Ardent Health USA, this is PureHealth’s second […] January 15, 2024
Opinion Finance ‘I’m not invited to Davos. It doesn’t bother me so much’ The WEF annual meeting is struggling to retain its role as 'king of the forums' January 12, 2024
Analysis Tech Korek Telecom fights $1.65 billion award to partners A Dubai court will next month hear whether it should scrap a $1.65 billion award against an Iraqi telecom operator and its politically connected top shareholder. The long-running dispute underscores the risk that foreign investors face in Iraq, a country devastated by decades of conflict and sanctions and which is among the world’s most corrupt […] January 11, 2024
Manufacturing $100m aluminium plant signals Bahrain’s industrial push Conexus Resources Group has launched a $100 million aluminium rod plant in Bahrain, the latest project to emerge as the Gulf kingdom seeks to enhance its manufacturing sector. The UK company has announced the inauguration of Konexus Aluminium, which will process liquid metal from Bahrain’s national manufacturer Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) to serve regional and international […] January 10, 2024
Infrastructure Turkey secures $1.3bn for high-speed railway Financing worth more than $1.3 billion has been secured to build a high-speed electric railway in Turkey. The deal, which was structured by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, was enabled by support from UK Export Finance (UKEF) and three other export credit agencies: Austria’s OeKB, Italy’s Sace and Poland’s Kuke. The agreement allows Turkey’s Ministry of […] January 9, 2024
Opinion Economy GCC can emerge as ‘Middle Powers’ in second Cold War Three factors will enable the GCC to benefit from the fragmentation January 9, 2024
Transport Alstom agrees $550m deal for Saudi battery tram The French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has signed a contract worth more than €500 million ($547 million) to build a battery-powered tram system in the Saudi tourist destination AlUla. The company’s deal with the Royal Commission for AlUla will result in the world’s longest tram system without an overhead electrical line. The system will have […] January 8, 2024
Tech UAE partners with Nasa to develop lunar space station The UAE’s Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and Nasa have agreed to collaborate on the Gateway project, the world’s first space station to orbit the moon. As part of the agreement, MBRSC will provide Gateway’s Crew and Science Airlock module. The US state space agency will fly a UAE astronaut to Gateway in a […] January 8, 2024
Trade Germany open to further Eurofighter sales to Saudi Arabia Germany is willing to allow further deliveries of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia, its foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has said. “We do not see the German government opposing British considerations for more Eurofighters for Saudi Arabia,” Reuters reported, citing the minister’s comments on a trip to Israel. Last month, Saudi Arabia approved its 2024 budget, […] January 8, 2024
Logistics AD Ports-owned unit takes control of Spanish terminal A Madrid-based subsidiary of AD Ports Group has acquired full ownership of APM Terminals Castellón in Spain for €10 million ($10.96 million). Noatum Terminals, the terminals operations business of Noatum Group, has obtained all regulatory and stakeholder approvals, with the change of ownership taking place immediately, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, citing a […] January 3, 2024
Opinion Aviation Europe’s low-cost carriers take off for Mena markets Next stop Riyadh for Ryanair? December 22, 2023
Aviation Wizz Air to add more routes after strong year Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has reported a 150 percent rise in passengers this year. The company, a joint venture between Hungary’s Wizz Air and Abu Dhabi state holding company ADQ, carried 3 million passengers in 2023, up from 1.2 million in the previous 12 months, Johan Eidhagen, the managing director, told AGBI. It also doubled […] December 21, 2023
Economy Egypt to receive half EBRD regional funding in 2024 Egypt will receive the lion’s share of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s regional funding in 2024, having accounted for about 55 percent of its funds this year, the regional head of the EBRD has told AGBI. “Egypt is by far our largest country of operation in the region and will account for more […] December 21, 2023
Oil & Gas BP and Equinor divert tankers from Red Sea Two European oil and gas companies, BP of the UK and Equinor of Norway, have joined a group of shipping lines that are diverting their tankers away from the Red Sea, following missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militants. BP said in a statement: “The safety and security of our people and those working […] December 19, 2023
Trade ADQ and Azerbaijan invest in $1bn joint venture Abu Dhabi-based ADQ has announced a $1 billion joint venture with Azerbaijan’s sovereign wealth fund to invest in major sectors. The JV with Azerbaijan Investment Holding will focus on agriculture, technology, pharmaceuticals and energy infrastructure. Investments will primarily be concentrated in Azerbaijan, the UAE and Central Asia, with the potential to expand to other countries, […] December 18, 2023
Exclusive Construction Aldar ‘confident’ of doubling market cap within five years Abu Dhabi developer Aldar Properties is ramping up an international expansion drive that, alongside plans to grow its UAE portfolio, will help to double its market cap, its group chief executive said. Aldar’s market cap is currently $12 billion, and group CEO Tilal Al Dhiyebi foresees “doubling that in five years,” he told AGBI in […] December 18, 2023
