Real Estate London’s suburban real estate moves Middle East investors While central London property retains its allure for ultra-high-net-worth individuals from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, cash buyers are flocking to the outskirts of the UK capital to snap up investment properties. A survey of GCC high-net-worth individuals by London-based shariah-compliant lender Al Rayan Bank found that a third of respondents said they had […] November 28, 2023
INTERVIEW Real Estate UAE buyers help ex-England footballer hit property goals The former Manchester United and England footballer Gary Neville has revealed that one in five properties in his luxury residential development have been snapped up by UAE investors. Neville, a Champions League-winning defender turned entrepreneur, visited the Emirates this week to gauge Middle Eastern interest in his £400 million ($501 million) hotel and apartment project […] November 26, 2023
Energy Adnoc considers buying German oil and gas producer State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is exploring a potential acquisition of Wintershall Dea, the European energy business backed by BASF SE. The possible deal could value Wintershall Dea, a German gas and oil producer, at more than €10 billion ($11 billion), the news agency reported, citing informed sources. UK-listed Harbour Energy Plc is […] November 24, 2023
Media & Advertising UK regulator likely to review Telegraph bid Lucy Frazer, UK secretary of state for culture media and sport, has written to an Abu Dhabi-backed consortium warning that that she is likely to subject its bid for a leading British newspaper group to a public interest test. RedBird IMI, led by Jeff Zucker, a former president of CNN, has submitted a bid for […] November 23, 2023
Trade UK-GCC free trade deal is still best bet, says minister Britain’s investment minister has told AGBI he still supports a free trade agreement between the UK and the GCC, despite the protracted negotiations and calls for Gulf states to strike bilateral deals instead. Speaking on the sidelines of the Arab British Economic Summit in London on Monday, Dominic Johnson, a minister of state in the […] November 22, 2023
Opinion Sustainability This year’s Cop will be the most complex yet The UAE’s Cop28 agenda will tackle thorny but imperative issues November 20, 2023
Real Estate Saudi-backed Oryx plans logistics centre in UK Oryx Real Estate Partners, a UK-based investment and asset manager, has acquired a five-acre development site in Milton Keynes on behalf of a consortium of GCC family offices, mainly from Saudi Arabia. The company, whose chairman and co-founder Fawaz Al Rahji is also chairman of Saudi family office Al Rahji Partners, plans to invest between […] November 16, 2023
Sustainability EU to kickstart ‘loss and damage’ fund at Cop28 The European Union and its member states are preparing to announce a “substantial financial contribution” to the long-awaited United Nations fund to help vulnerable countries recover from climate-caused damage. The EU’s contribution to the “loss and damage fund” is expected to be announced during the Cop28 climate change summit starting later this month. The handout […] November 13, 2023
Exclusive Banking and Finance UK fintech firm Revolut sets up in UAE The British fintech firm Revolut is expanding to the UAE in what experts believe is the start of a wave of similar UK companies setting up in the region. The digital platform, which offers banking and trading services through an app, is recruiting for legal and strategy roles in Dubai. The company has hired Jonathan […] November 9, 2023
Analysis Sustainability What Big Oil says about climate change The role to be played by Big Oil in global efforts to tackle climate change will be central to the debate at the Cop28 summit that begins in Dubai in three weeks. Ending the world’s dependence on oil in its current form is seen as vital if the worst effects of rising temperatures are to […] November 9, 2023
Sustainability Emerging markets need more ‘climate-responsive’ projects There is an “alarming shortage” of projects working to reduce the negative effects of climate change in emerging markets, a new study by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has found. The report noted that the number of “climate-responsive” projects in emerging markets funded by the private sector has been decreasing by around 10 […] November 3, 2023
Analysis Finance UAE and UK sign agreement to boost fintech The UK and the UAE have signed an agreement to strengthen ties on financial services that its backers hope will provide a boost to fintech. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in Dubai late last week by Andrew Griffith, UK City minister, and Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE minister of economy, seeks to promote […] November 3, 2023
Analysis Trade Dubai-Dutch office digs into UAE and Netherlands trade Dubai International Chamber has inaugurated its fourth European representative office, in Amsterdam. The UAE is seeking to build on bilateral non-oil trade of AED11.2 billion ($3.1 billion) with the Netherlands in the first half of 2023. Officials said the new office, which opened last month, will play a key role in enabling Dubai-based companies to […] November 2, 2023
Sustainability French minister hails positive steps in Cop28 negotiations France’s minister of energy transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, has hailed positive progress in climate negotiations, especially on the financial support for vulnerable countries hit by climate disasters. A final attempt to push through consensus became the most important point of the discussions ahead of the Cop28 climate conference in Dubai. Seventy ministers and 100 delegates met […] November 1, 2023
Sustainability Pope and King Charles III to attend Cop28 The Pope and the UK monarch are due to attend the Cop28 climate change summit in Dubai next month, according to statements. King Charles III will attend the opening ceremony of the World Climate Action Summit at Cop28 on December 1 at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and at […] November 1, 2023
Opinion Energy Geopolitical risk will shape next twist in crude oil prices Warning lights are on but the oil market's focus is softening demand November 1, 2023
Tech AI Safety Summit: Sunak’s push for UK’s global role British prime minister Rishi Sunak’s promise to plan the AI Safety Summit 2023 in less than six months was more than simply an effort to establish the UK as a pioneer in a rapidly developing area. Sunak envisions the UK as a global leader in AI safety, aiming to secure a significant role in the […] November 1, 2023
Tech Spanish fund plans stake in Telefonica after STC move Spain’s state fund Sepi said on Tuesday it is considering whether to buy a stake in Telefonica, a month after Saudi Arabia’s STC built a 9.9 percent holding in the telecoms group. STC, Saudi Arabia’s largest telecom company, became Telefonica’s largest shareholder in September, building a stake worth €2.1 billion ($2.23 billion) through shares and […] November 1, 2023
Tech STC rules out increasing Telefonica stake to 9.9% Saudi Arabia’s largest telecom operator STC Group will maintain a 4.9 percent stake in Spain’s Telefonica and has no plans to convert the five percent it holds in derivatives into voting shares, Spanish El Economista news outlet reported, citing informed sources. STC acquired a 9.9 percent stake in Telefonica for SAR8.5 billion ($2.25 billion) as […] October 31, 2023
Video length: 06:16 Opinion Finance Once off the grey list, UAE can really work on its image The UAE deserves credit for its rapid response to being placed on the financial crime watchdog's enhanced monitoring, but it has unfinished business October 30, 2023
Real Estate Aldar plans European moves after unveiling record sales Aldar Properties is planning to expand into Europe after posting record sales for the year so far, its chairman said on Monday. Sales at the Abu Dhabi-based real estate developer reached nearly AED8 billion ($2.2 billion) in the third quarter, driving a 48 percent increase in net profit. For the year to September 30, sales […] October 30, 2023
Video length: 06:16 Banking and Finance UAE set to come off financial crime watchdog’s grey list The UAE is poised to come off the so-called grey list, a category that means financial institutions must conduct more research on individuals and companies based in the country to combat money laundering. The Financial Action Task Force, an international watchdog that monitors compliance with rules on anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of […] October 30, 2023