UAE Telco Du Q1 Net Profit Rises 4.8%

The firm made a net profit of Dhs490.3 million ($133.49 million) in the three months to March 31.

Qatar’s Ooredoo Q1 Net Profit Rises On Asset Sale

The telco made a net profit of 887 million riyals ($243.62 million) in the three months ended March 31, it said in a statement.

Oman Regulator Gives Nod For Power Plant Share Sales Worth $163m

Both companies, which became operational in April 2012, are owned by mostly foreign consortiums.

Saudi Telco Mobily Seeks 20% Stake In Landline Firm Atheeb

Mobily signed a memorandum of understanding in August with four of Atheeb’s founding shareholders to buy a controlling interest in the firm.

Dubai Lender Mashreq Posts 35% Rise In Net Profit

The lender made a net profit of Dhs575 million ($156.6 million) in the opening three months of 2014, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

Kuwait Regulator Extends Corporate Governance Deadline

The rules include separating the positions of chairman and chief executive, prompt disclosure of information to the market, and establishing internal controls and risk management.

Saudi Arabia Starts Payout To Minority Investors In Ailing Telco

A royal decree last May ordered the liquidation of the firm, which never launched services despite making a winning SAR1 billion bid for a fixed telecom licence in 2007.

National Bank Of Abu Dhabi Confirms Burdett As CFO

Burdett joins from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, where he was finance head of its international and institutional banking business.

Bahrain’s Batelco Q1 Net Profit Rises 8%

The former monopoly made a net profit of 14.5 million dinars ($38.46 million) in the three months to March 31.

Arabtec Scraps Cash Portion Of 2013 Dividend For More Stock

The company had earlier proposed a cash dividend of Dhs0.1 ($0.03) per share plus bonus shares worth 30 per cent of its share capital.

Abu Dhabi Fund IPIC Posts 23.4% Profit Hike For 2013

Its total assets grew to Dhs251.2 billion at the end of 2013, up from Dhs239.3 billion on December 31, 2012.

Etihad Still Open To Alitalia Talks, But Won’t Budge On Demands

Sources have said that Etihad could invest 500 million euros in return for a 49 per cent stake, but talks reached a stalemate this month when Alitalia raised concerns over the deal conditions.

Qatari Fund Buys UK’s Heritage Oil For $1.6bn

Heritage said that it was recommending a 320 pence per share cash offer, which represented a 25 per cent premium to its closing price the day before the approach was announced.

Exclusive: Wealthy Russians Seek Second Citizenship To Beat Western Sanctions

Second citizenship expert says he has seen a significant jump in interest from Russian millionaires in the last month.

Middle East Funds Become More Cautious On UAE -Survey

The April survey marks the first time since last September that the ratio of managers who are bearish on UAE equities exceeds the ratio of bullish ones.

Bahrain, Russia Sign Investment Deal Amid Western Sanctions

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said it had signed a deal with Bahraini sovereign wealth fund to identify and work together on investment opportunities in their countries.

Abu Dhabi’s TAQA To Price $750m 10-Yr Bond Tues

The transaction was formally launched to price at 115 basis points over midswaps, a document from the lead banks said.

Middle East Defence Spending To Reach $920bn By 2020

Around $27 billion will be injected into the Gulf economy through defence deals by 2020, new research says.

Dubai’s MAF Tightens Pricing Ahead Of $500m Bond Sale

High demand for the offering has helped MAF reduce the prospective cost of its borrowing.

Two Senior Bankers Leaving UAE Lender NBAD – Sources

NBAD, 70 per cent owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has been realigning its business under new chief executive Alex Thursby, who took charge last summer.

Wealthy Middle Easterners Make Up 60% of Second Citizenship Applicants

Europe was the most popular location for second citizenship applicants, due to its proximity to the Middle East, as well as security and investment benefits.

Oman Cement Q1 Net Profit Falls 47%

The company’s net profit fell to 3.70 million rials ($9.61 million) in the first quarter of the year compared to 6.94 million rials in the same period of 2013.

RAK Ceramics Says Major Shareholder To Sell 30.6% Stake

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi, a member of the ruling family of Ras Al Khaimah, has agreed to sell 250 million shares in the company, a bourse statement said.

Commercial Bank Of Qatar Q1 Net Profit Rises 8%

The bank earned a net profit of 548 million riyals ($150.5 million) for the opening three months of 2014.

MSCI To Cut Weights Of Some Qatar, UAE Stocks

The document said the weightings of eight stocks would be reduced “as they may pose accessibility issues to international institutional investors”.

UAE Lender NBAD Warns Over Falling Margins As It Posts Flat Profit

NBAD’s chief executive said fierce competition combined with global interest rate pressure was starting to drive down the profitability of lending.

Emaar May List Malls Unit On Dubai Financial Market -Sources

Company officials previously said there might be a dual listing on Nasdaq Dubai, the smaller of the emirate’s two exchanges, and London.

Etihad Airways Urges Speedy Restructuring Of Air Berlin

The German airline had said last month it was in talks over certain options that prompted speculation that Etihad could gain more control over the carrier.

UAE Lender NBAD Q1 Net Profit Flat, Beats Estimates

The bank posted net profit of Dhs1.41 billion ($383.9 million) in the first three months of 2014.

HSBC’s Oman Unit Posts 46% Q1 Profit Slump

The bank made a net profit of 3.1 million rials ($8.1 million) in the opening three months of 2014, compared to 5.7 million rials in the same period of 2013.