Saudi Aramco seeks $7.5bn loan for pipeline investors

The discussions are occurring in parallel with the sale of a stake in a pipeline unit

US-HEALTH-VIRUS vaccine Covid-19

Covid-19: UAE reports highest daily rise in infections; over 1.2 million vaccine doses administered

The death toll in the UAE has risen to 717

Dubai UAE

Dubai Economy issues 42,640 new licences in 2020

It represented a 4 per cent increase over the number of new licences issued in 2019

How NAMA is advancing gender equity and inclusive socioeconomic growth

Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, outlines the role of the entity and its affiliates

SAUDI-ECONOMY-TRANSPORT-METRO

Outsourcing firm Proven to enable clients meet Saudisation goals

Saudi Arabia wants localisation of 20 per cent of 117 engineering fields by beginning of 2021

Kuwait MPs submit proposal to impose fee on money transfers out of country

Lawmakers have called for a 2.5 per cent fee on all money transfers out of the country

Citi UAE expects to triple assets under management to $15bn by 2025

Bank plans to quadruple wealth clients in five years

UAE has ‘no reason’ to be in conflict with Turkey, minister says

The call for Turkey to reset relations follows the end of a three-year rift with Qatar

Tudor Boutique Dubai Mall

Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons open region’s first mono-brand Tudor boutique in Dubai

The boutique, located on the ground floor in The Dubai Mall, was inaugurated on Monday, January 11

Power Letters 2021: Tony Douglas, CEO, Etihad Aviation Group

As part of Etihad Wellness, the airline introduced the Covid-19 global wellness insurance for all its guests

DGA

UAE-based BIOS Middle East expands to Saudi Arabia with two cloud data centres

The cloud data centres built on the VMware cloud stack

How regional female entrepreneurs are paving the way for a gender-balanced future

Governments in the GCC have become increasingly supportive of women’s growing role in C-level positions in the public and private sectors

FIrst-abu-dhabi-bank-atms

UAE’s First Abu Dhabi Bank issues five-year $500m sukuk

It attracted a total orderbook of around $1.5bn which represents a three times over-subscription rate

Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tariq

In historic move, Oman to appoint first-ever crown prince

A new Basic Law will “set up a specific and stable mechanism for the transfer of power in the sultanate”

Saudi Arabia aims to raise over $5bn in bond-market return

No final decision on the timing has been made

UK says travellers from the UAE will now have to self-isolate for 10 days

The UAE has been removed from the UK’s travel corridor list

Smart Solution Logistics

DP World’s Smart Solution Logistics signs agreement with Israel’s Allalouf Logistics

The logistics sector’s contribution to the UAE’s GDP is projected to increase by 8 per cent in 2021

Fitbit users in UAE exceeded Dubai Fitness Challenge goals by 23%

Users averaged 37 active minutes per day for the duration of the challenge

Covid-19: UAE reports 2,404 infections; 80,683 vaccines administered in last 24 hours

The case count in the country has now risen to 232,982

Bahrain

Bahrain achieves nationwide 5G coverage

Bahrain ICT sector accounts for nearly 3% of national GDP

smart city

Powering smart cities in the GCC

Abu Dhabi has teamed up with tech firms to power its smart ambitions

Dubai’s Emirates to resume operations to Seattle, Dallas and San Francisco

The airline currently serves 114 destinations on six continents

Dubai UAE

Covid-19: Dubai placed on Scotland’s mandatory quarantine list

The Scottish government said that a number of positive cases were identified in passengers who have flown into Glasgow from Dubai since the new year

UAE scores high in addressing skills mismatch: BCG

BCG’s Future Skills Architect tool says UAE has a 15.1 point lead above global average

The Toy Store

Dubai-headquartered The Toy Store owner ceases operations

Gulf Greetings General Trading was also the operator of Hallmark stores in the UAE

King Fahd Causeway re-opening to add ‘billions’ to Bahrain economy

Saudi citizens will be permitted to travel via air, land and sea from March 31 2021

Dubai South

An additional 650 companies set up operations within Dubai South in 2020

An additional floor is being constructed in its Business Park to accommodate the growing number of clients

Power Letters 2021: Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem and co-founder, UAE-Israel Business Council

In 2020, the UAE and Israel signed the Abraham Accords to establish full diplomatic ties between the countries

In pics: Abu Dhabi’s Al Qana project, featuring region’s largest aquarium, now 90% complete

Spread across 2.4km, the waterfront destination is expected to open this year

Abu Dhabi Ports

Abu Dhabi Ports freezes rent escalation for remainder of 2021

The decision is expected to impact over 1,400 companies within KIZAD and ZonesCorp