Di Caprio-backed fintech to set up offices in Abu Dhabi California-based fintech company Aspiration Inc. will be setting up offices at Abu Dhabi Global Market. Aspiration is supported by Access Abu Dhabi, the business expansion program by Maven Global Access and Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), which serves as a conduit to fast-track entry to the UAE capital, the company said in a statement. The […] January 20, 2023
Energy Global oil demand to reach record high this year, IEA says Global oil demand is forecast to hit an all-time high in 2023 as China relaxes its Covid restrictions, potentially pushing up prices in the second half of this year, according to the latest report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The IEA said global oil demand is set to rise by 1.9 million barrels per […] January 18, 2023
Sustainability BlackRock US inflows dwarf $4bn lost in ESG backlash BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, lost around $4 billion in assets under management as a result of a political backlash against environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing in the United States, its chief executive said. Republican-run Florida, Louisiana and Missouri have all said they plan to pull investment mandates from the company, citing concerns […] January 18, 2023
Banking and Finance Scaramucci’s SkyBridge expects bitcoin at $35,000 this year SkyBridge Capital is betting on a sustained turnaround in cryptocurrency markets in 2023, the firm’s founder Anthony Scaramucci said, while admitting this view was “overly bullish”. “If bitcoin could trade back to $35,000, SkyBridge is going to have an amazing year,” Scaramucci told the Reuters Global Markets Forum in Davos, Switzerland. January’s crypto rally could be sustained as […] January 18, 2023
Banking and Finance Tesla and Musk face trial over 2018 tweets on ‘secured’ funding Elon Musk and Tesla Inc are set to go to trial in San Francisco in a case where the company’s shareholders claim they were defrauded by Musk’s 2018 statement that funding was “secured” to take the electric car maker private. The lawsuit seeks damages for shareholders who bought or sold Tesla stock in the days […] January 18, 2023
Banking and Finance BlackRock’s Larry Fink welcomes rise in Gulf clients BlackRock is attracting more investors from the Middle East, the CEO of the world’s largest asset manager told analysts this month. The US-based firm established a wholly-owned Saudi subsidiary in 2018, opened an office in Riyadh in 2019 and in February 2022 received approval from the market regulator to start managing investments and operating funds […] January 16, 2023
Energy Texan energy firm expands Egyptian oil and gas footprint Apex International Energy has announced the acquisition of interests in four additional concessions in Egypt’s oil-producing Western Desert region. Purchased from IEOC Production, a unit of Italian energy firm Eni, the new concessions will increase Apex’s production capabilities by 65 percent — up to 11,500 barrels per day. Apex, who are based in Houston, Texas, […] January 10, 2023
Banking and Finance Microsoft said to be in talks to invest $10bn in ChatGPT owner Microsoft Corp is in talks to invest $10 billion into OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, which will value the San Francisco-based firm at $29 billion, Semafor reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The funding includes other venture firms and deal documents were sent to prospective investors in recent weeks, with the initial aim to […] January 10, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Development Emirati partners in demand despite easing of company laws The UAE’s move to introduce 100 percent company ownership has not dented demand among international companies for local Emirati partners. Before the publication of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2020, foreign companies could only own up to 49 percent of a UAE business, with the majority 51 percent held by a local Emirati partner. […] January 9, 2023
Banking and Finance Goldman Sachs to start cutting thousands of jobs Goldman Sachs Group will start cutting thousands of jobs across the firm from Wednesday, two sources familiar with the move said, as it prepares for a tough economic environment. The job cuts are expected to be just over 3,000, one of the sources said, but the final number is yet to be determined. The sources […] January 9, 2023
Tech Dell said to phase out Chinese chips by 2024 Dell Technologies Inc plans to stop using China-made chips by 2024 and has told suppliers to reduce the amount of other made-in-China components in its products amid concerns over US-Beijing tensions, Nikkei reported on Thursday. The computer maker told suppliers late last year that it aims to meaningfully lower the amount of China-made chips it […] January 5, 2023
Health Bahrain’s GFH takes on US healthcare with Big Sky deal Bahrain’s GFH Financial Group announced on Tuesday it has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Big Sky Asset Management, a US real estate asset manager focused on the healthcare sector. The transaction further expands GFH’s presence in the States and follows the partnership in May with SQ Asset Management, a specialist in student […] January 3, 2023
Manufacturing Tesla reports record production and deliveries in Q4 2022 Tesla Inc on Monday reported record production and deliveries for fourth-quarter electric vehicles, but it missed Wall Street estimates, burdened by logistics problems, slowing demand, rising interest rates and fears of recession. The world’s most valuable automaker delivered 405,278 vehicles in the last three months of the year, compared with Wall Street expectations of 431,117 […] January 3, 2023
Economy IMF says global economy faces tougher year in 2023 For much of the global economy, 2023 is going to be a tough year as the main engines of global growth – the United States, Europe and China – all experience weakening activity, the head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said. The new year is going to be “tougher than the year we […] January 2, 2023
Economy US dollar eyes best year since 2015 on Fed’s monetary stance The US dollar was on track for its best performance in seven years on Friday, having been buoyed by the Federal Reserve’s aggressive monetary policy tightening and concerns about the global growth outlook. The US dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, has surged more than eight percent this year, the […] December 30, 2022
Banking and Finance Bloomberg has no plans to buy Dow Jones or Washington Post Bloomberg LP has no interest in acquiring either Dow Jones or the Washington Post, a spokesman has said. “There have been no conversations with anyone or either organisation about an acquisition,” spokesman Ty Trippet said in the tweet, which was retweeted by billionaire owner Michael Bloomberg. News website Axios reported on Friday that Bloomberg was […] December 26, 2022
Markets Elon Musk to pause Tesla share sale for about two years Tesla chief executive officer Elon Musk has said he will not sell any more Tesla stock for about two years. While speaking in a Twitter Spaces audio chat, Musk said he foresees the economy will be in a “serious recession” in 2023 and demand for big-ticket items will be lower. His comments came after a […] December 23, 2022
Tech Insurers shun FTX-linked crypto firms as contagion risk mounts Insurers are denying or limiting coverage to clients with exposure to bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, leaving digital currency traders and exchanges uninsured for any losses from hacks, theft or lawsuits, several market participants said. Insurers were already reluctant to underwrite asset and directors and officers (D&O) protection policies for crypto companies because of scant market […] December 19, 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
Markets Elon Musk sells 22m shares worth $3.58bn of Tesla Tesla Inc chief executive officer Elon Musk has sold 22 million shares worth $3.58 billion in the electric-vehicle maker this week, a US securities filing showed on Wednesday. The latest sale, Musk’s second since his $44 billion purchase of Twitter in October, brings the total Tesla stocks sold by the billionaire to nearly $40 billion over the past […] December 15, 2022
Tech IBM partners with Japan’s Rapidus to manufacture advanced chips IBM Corp and Rapidus, a newly formed chip maker backed by the Japanese government, on Tuesday announced a partnership that aims to manufacture the world’s most advanced chips in Japan by the second half of the decade. The agreement comes as US-China relations remain tense, especially over chips. Washington has restricted Beijing’s access advanced semiconductor […] December 13, 2022
Opinion Energy Blame White House and Wall Street for global energy crunch The influence of radical environmentalism on the US Democrat administration and Wall Street bankers is damaging the global energy industry December 12, 2022