Almarai In $4.2bn Investment Plan

The five-year plan will fund the expansion of the Saudi Arabian dairy company and boost its product innovation.

Dubai First Launches Skyy Miles

The credit card global rewards currency model works for all airlines and covers all routes, the firm said.

DIFC Deposits Continue To Grow

Warnings for oil consumption and equities markets amidst growth of deposits and loans from DIFC companies.

Mashreq CEO: ‘UAE Banks Were Wrong’

Exclusive: Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair blamed a greed culture and a desire for growth for lurching the UAE banks into crisis.

JAFZA To Repay $2bn Sukuk Early

A majority of JAFZA’s stakeholders have consented to the early redemption of the Sukuk, due in November.

Kingdom Holding Sells $200m Hotel

Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding Company will retain its stake in the Fairmont San Francisco Hotel.

Omani Bank IPO Attracts $1.77bn

Bank Nizwa, the country’s first Islamic bank, will be listed on the Muscat Securities Market on June 12.

HSBC’s Oman Merger Halted

Trading shares of Oman International Bank also stopped due to $5.20 million claim.

MENA Banks Need Capital Boost

A new report states that 20 per cent of MENA banks need capital to meet the Basel III banking requirements.

Bahrain To Issue $1.25bn Bond

The Gulf state plans to issue the bond in the second or third week of June, a central bank official said.

Emirates NBD Appoints CEO

Mohammad Kamran will head up two of Emirates NBD’s subsidiaries including Capital Limited.

Facebook To Open Dubai Office

The social network eyes regional advertisers as a new source of investment following the firm’s IPO last week.

Revealed: Fantasy Arab Football Team

Gulf Business takes a look at several Arab-funded football clubs and picks a fantasy team purely of Arabian funding.

Facebook Shares Down Already

Tumbling shares wipe billions off Facebook price two days after IPO amid accusations of a poorly constructed listing.

Dubai Duty Free Ups Loan To $1.5bn

The airport retailer has increased the size of its loan facility because of high demand, an official has said.

DIFCI $1bn Loan Near

DIFC Investments close in on a $1 billion dollar loan to refinance an upcoming sukuk maturing in June.

Booz & Co: How To Go Global

Exclusive: Regional firms must work out exactly what they are before hitting the global stage, says Booz & Co global boss.

DIB Releases New Sukuk

A deal for a new Islamic bond from DIB is being arranged by a host of local and global banks.

Mashreq: ‘Forget The Glory Years’

Exclusive: Al Ghurair says UAE will not see pre-2008 profits for the foreseeable future.

GCC SWFs Pull Out Of Europe

Gulf sovereign wealth funds are reducing international investment and focussing on the region, says a new study.

New Dhs500m SME Fund In UAE

The fund, launched by NBAD and Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, targets Emirati entrepreneurs.

UAE To Settle Nationals’ Debt

The UAE government will settle the personal loans of citizens whose debts are less than Dhs5 million.

UAE Faces $30bn Debt Wall In 2012

According to the IMF, UAE’s state-related entities have a “significant” amount of debt maturing in the next few years.

Saudi Index Falls 10% Since April

The Kingdom’s Tadawul index has dropped on global economic fears and political instability in the Eurozone.

Greece’s Exit Will ‘Rattle’ GCC

If Greece leaves the Euro next month the impact will be indirect but significant for the Gulf, say experts.

Saudi’s IDB Plans Up To $1bn Sukuk

Islamic Development Bank plans to issue the Islamic bond in June this year, its chairman has said.

HSBC Launches Dhs1bn SME Fund

The bank said that it expects loans to the UAE’s SME sector increasing by 20 per cent this year.

New Bankruptcy Law In UAE By 2012

The final draft of the UAE’s new bankruptcy law will be ready by the end of this year, the Justice Minister has said.

Man City’s Rich Rise To Glory

Abu Dhabi shelled out close to $1 billion on Manchester City’s Barclays Premier League title, writes Neil Churchill

Invest AD JV Plan $100m Fund

A joint venture between US-based Paladin Capital Group and Invest AD plans to launch a $100 million MENA fund.