UAE Lender ADCB To Open Singapore Office

ADCB launched a representative office in London five months ago, and has two branches in India.

US Probing Standard Chartered Over Dubai Banking

Authorities are investigating possible violations connected to the lender banking for Iranian-controlled entities in Dubai.

Saudi Arabia’s Sedco Capital Eyes More European Investments

The Islamic investment firm will also distribute its Luxembourg fund range via two European investment firms.

Dubai Court Orders Bank Sarasin To Pay $10.45m To Kuwaiti Investors

The financial institution and its ME unit were found to have mis-sold $200 million of investment products, a Dubai court ruled.

Saudi Bank NCB Set To Defy Global Slowdown With $6bn Flotation

NCB is offering 300 million shares to Saudi individuals and 200 million shares to the state-run Public Pension Agency.

Funds Positive On Gulf Equity Markets Despite Oil Price Slide

Survey finds 47 per cent of fund managers intend to raise their overall equity allocation to the Middle East in the next three months.

Qatar Budget Spending Falls 6.6% In Fiscal Q1, Revenue Hits Record

The central bank did not give a reason for the drop in spending, but work on some large infrastructure projects has been slowed.

Emaar Malls Group Q3 Net Profit Rises 55%

The retail and malls unit of Dubai’s largest developer made a quarterly profit of Dhs321.18 million.

Bahrain’s Investcorp, Mumtalakat Buy U.S. Workforce Services Firm PRO Unlimited

Investcorp did not reveal the deal value in the statement but said that the new investment will allow it to expand its business.

Saudi Telco Mobily Says Audit Committee Meeting Over Results, Shares Halted

The suspension was requested because its audit committee was meeting to consider “significant matters relating to its financial statements”, a statement said.

Britain’s Cameron Appeals To Qatar Emir For More Investment

Britain’s prime minister asked Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to consider further funding to help Britain’s push to develop cities in the north of the country.

Kuwait’s Burgan Bank Gets Regulator Approval For $74.8m Rights Issue

The lender said it plans to issue 216 million new shares and that the rights issue will raise its paid-up capital by KD21.6 million.

UAE Climbs Up In World Bank’s Ease Of Doing Business List

The UAE was also one of the top 10 countries globally which improved its rankings in the ease of doing business list as it introduced around 20 economic reforms over the last year.

Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Q3 Net Profit Rises 20.5%

Kingdom made a net profit of SAR265 million ($70.6 million) in the three months ended Sept. 30, compared to SAR219.9 million in the same period a year earlier.

Barclays Sued By Saudi Developer For $10bn

Jadawel International, a unit of London-based MBI International Holdings Inc., claims Barclays “hatched a fraudulent scheme” to secure the rare Saudi banking license, selling out Jadawel in the process.

Abu Dhabi New Financial Zone Hires Regulatory Chief From Singapore

Richard Teng, most recently chief regulatory officer at the Singapore Exchange, will be CEO of the regulator at the Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Commercial Bank Of Qatar Q3 Profit Surges

The lender reported a 79 per cent rise in third-quarter profit, beating analysts’ expectations.

Almost 28% Of UAE Residents Use Credit Cards, Loans To Pay Off Debts

There has been a 20 per cent year-on-year surge in the number of UAE residents using credit cards or loans to pay off their current debts, a new survey says.

Halal Vaccine Market To Be Worth $1.1bn By 2030- Expert

Experts say that halal pharmaceuticals could be commercially viable due to the growing number of Muslim consumers across the globe.

Bank Muscat’s Islamic Unit Plans Maiden Sukuk In Q1 2015

The lender has received regulatory approval for the issue, which would help fund its expansion.

UAE’s Amanat Holdings Says $374m IPO Fully Covered Within First Week

Amanat intends to use 70 per cent of the funds from the IPO to invest in healthcare and education.

Dubai Investments Plans Investments In Education, Healthcare

The group is is in advanced talks to set up a university and a school as part of its strategy in expanding into education and healthcare sectors.

Winning Over The Wealthy

Banks in the UAE must change their approach in luring and maintaining wealthy customers, according to Simon-Kucher’s Dr. Jan Engelke and Matthew Jackson.

Soccer-Real Seal Strategic Partnership With Abu Dhabi’s IPIC

The agreement includes setting up Real museums and expanding their soccer schools around the world, as well as creating content for digital media platforms, IPIC said.

National Bank Of Abu Dhabi Q3 Net Profit Rises 32%

NBAD made a net profit of Dhs1.37 billion ($373 million) in the three months to Sept. 30.

Saudi Riyal Market Calms After Jolt Due To Capital Outflow

Last Wedesday, the riyal tumbled unusually far beyond its peg of 3.75 against the U.S. dollar in the spot market, to as low as 3.7530.

Oman Islamic Banking Hits 4.4% Of Assets, May Double By 2018 -Study

The Sultanate introduced Islamic finance at the end of 2012, becoming the last country in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council to do so.

Dubai’s DIFC To Meet Investors For Dollar Sukuk Issue; Picks Four Banks

The company has picked Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, Noor Bank and Standard Chartered for the sukuk sale, according to the document.

Telco Zain Saudi Q3 Net Loss Narrows, Meets Estimates

Zain Saudi made a net loss of SAR316 million ($84.23 million) in the three months to Sept. 30.

Qatar’s Barwa Real Estate 9-Month Net Profit Rises 44%

The developer made a net profit of QAR673.4 million ($184.93 million) in the nine months to Sept. 30