How to manage the demands of an evolving business environment

The importance of effective enterprise risk management has never been more crucial for senior finance executives, says Stephen McNally, CMA, CPA, chair of Institute of Management Accountants’ global board of directors for the 2021-2022 fiscal year

Bitcoin

Bitcoin continues retreat as 200-week average takes focus again

Cryptocurrencies have been battered this year as the Fed hiked rates amid elevated inflation readings

Standard Chartered closes transition trade facility

Standard Chartered closes transition trade finance facility for Holcim Group

The transition finance facility aims to support Lafarge Emirates Cement with their latest project, a waste heat recovery system that supports the company’s journey to net zero by 2050

Gold holds drop after Fed minutes signal slower rate-hike pace

Bullion is hovering near a two-week low after the US dollar and bond yields rose Wednesday

Emirates NBD launches global accelerator programme

Emirates NBD launches global accelerator programme for metaverse startups

The bank is looking for fintechs, digital experience startups and emerging technology players operating to support its immersion into the virtual world

Aopllo acquires $400m stake in Aldar Investment Properties

Apollo acquires $400m equity stake in Aldar Investment Properties

The acquisition is part of the previously announced $1.4bn investment by Apollo into Aldar’s transformational growth initiatives

EFG Hermes Holding announces Q2 2022 results Karim-Awad

EFG Hermes Holding reports 28% rise in Q2 revenues to EGP2.1bn

The group announced that net profit before tax rose by 8 per cent YoY in Q2 2022 to EGP623m.

Al Othaim family

Saudi wealth fund buys $7bn US stocks amid recession fears

The wealth fund is boosting its investments in equities as Saudi Arabia’s income from oil almost doubled in the second quarter

Oman

Oman gets first upgrade from Fitch on oil-led fiscal turnaround

Fitch raised Oman’s long-term foreign-currency rating by one notch to BB

Oil August 1

Oil extends losses on global slowdown and chance of more supply

Investors are also facing the prospect of rising supply as demand moderates

Gold

Gold holds decline as dollar reigns amid concerns over slowdown

Gold’s next move may hinge on the minutes from the Fed’s July meeting

DFM adds 20,552 new investor accounts in first 7 months of 2022

Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange brokerage firms can now join DFM as derivatives members

Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange-licenced brokerage companies can acquire a range of DFM derivatives membership licenses, including trading brokerage, and trading and clearing brokerage

GFH announce H1 2022 results: Ghazi Al Hajeri, Hisham Al Rayes

GFH Financial Group net profit attributable to shareholders rises 13.9% to $42.18m

Total income for H1 2022 was $182.76m versus $181.01m for the 2021 period, an increase of 1 per cent

Arab Islamic Insurance Company Salama Chairman Jassim Alseddiqi

UAE’s Salama reports net profit of Dhs19.20m for H1 2022

The first half of the year saw Salama establishing new strategic tie-ups with banks in the UAE to provide omnichannel Takaful solutions to bank customers

SHUAA Capital reports financial results for Q2 2022

Shuaa Capital reports net loss of Dhs170m for Q2 2022

In the second quarter, Shuaa and its subsidiaries reported a net operating income of Dhs6m compared to Dhs24m in Q1 2022

Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund funds Bayzat

UAE’s MBRIF provides funding support to employee benefits platform Bayzat

Bayzat will use the fund, secured with Mohammed Bin Rashid Innovation Fund’s guarantee, to expand and strengthen its technical development team

Zainab Kufaishi of Invesco

Invesco, Secura International partner to provide model portfolio solutions

Secura International, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, offers investment and wealth solutions to high-net worth markets in the Middle East, Asia and Africa

Dubai Investments H1 2022

Dubai Investments announces net profit of Dhs364m for H1 2022

The growth in the profit was driven by the continued strong performance of the group’s manufacturing, contracting and services segment

Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company post h1 2022 results

Abu Dhabi National Insurance Company reports net profit of Dhs186.9m for H1 2022

ADNIC reported that gross written premiums increased by 20.9 per cent to Dhs3.23bn in H1 2022, compared to Dhs2.67bn for the same period in 2021

M&A Mena region report- EY_getty

MENA region records 359 M&A deals signed worth $42.6bn in H1 2022: EY report

Domestic deals were the major contributor of merger and acquisition activity in the region, representing 48 per cent of the total deal volume in H1 2022

UAE introduces new reporting rues for real estate for transparency

UAE introduces new reporting requirements for real estate transactions

The new requirements ensure the development of regulatory frameworks, leaving little or no room for manipulation or illegal practices

Syed Basar Shueb, IHC’CEO

International Holding Company’s H1 2022 net profit rises 137 per cent to Dhs10.35bn

The holding company’s revenue grew by 121 percent to Dhs21.93bn in the first six months of 2022

Global Gold ETF report July 2022

Global gold-backed ETFs record net outflow of $4.5bn in July: WGC

According to the World Gold Council, an analysis of gold futures positioning also suggests that gold could rebound in the near term

UAE’s public spending totalled AED87.4 billion in Q1 2022

UAE’s public spending in Q1 2022 amounts to Dhs87.4bn

Public spending included Dhs28.7bn spent on employee compensation payments compared to Dhs24.6bn in the same reporting period in 2021

DIFC

DIFC launches region’s first global Family Business and Private Wealth Centre

The new centre, which is scheduled to be launched on September 1, will provide a full range of services and accreditation to businesses and advisors who meet DIFC’s standards

Qatar Central Bank’s foreign currency reserves rise to QAR211.325bn in July

The official reserves stood at QAR153.890bn by the end of July, a considerable rise over last year’s reserves of QAR4.775bn

Saudi wealth fund starts company for Egypt investments

The company will invest in swathes of Egypt’s economy from infrastructure and real estate to pharmaceuticals

Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and chairman of the EDB Board of Directors

UAE’s EDB issues Dhs2.4bn in loans to industrial sector in H1 2022

EDB mobilised Dhs351m in capital in H1 2022 to support SMEs via its credit guarantee scheme

Keeping up with the future of finance

Financial businesses should use a platform to manage their data to keep up with the technological advancements they are currently, or gradually planning on, implementing

Meta

Meta makes bond-market debut with four-part offering

Meta may sell $8bn to $10bn of debt depending on demand, with proceeds used for general corporate purposes