Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia to use oil windfall to boost private sector

Saudi Arabia’s posted a $15.3bn budget surplus in the first quarter

IPO

Offer price for Abu Dhabi’s largest ever listing set at Dhs2.45 per share

The IPO subscription period has commenced today, May 23, and will close for retail investors on May 28, 2022

Bitcoin

Bitcoin recovers to $30,000 area after shedding weekend weakness

Bitcoin has struggled in recent weeks as the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates and inflation remains high

Prince Alwaleed

Saudi Arabia buys $1.5bn stake in Prince Alwaleed’s firm

The Public Investment Fund acquired a 16.9 per cent stake in Kingdom Holding Company

Mastercard, OPay partner to grow cashless ecosystem

OPay customers from countries such as Egypt, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the UAE will benefit from Mastercard’s virtual payment solution linked to their ewallet

Dubai Financial Market

Dubai Financial Market to launch trading of Oman Crude Oil futures from June

The contracts will be cash settled and will have a smaller contract size of 100 barrels making them accessible

Alpha Dhabi Abu Dhabi GI_1085676060-768x576-1

Alpha Dhabi to invest Dhs9.2bn in Alpha Wave Ventures II fund

Alpha Dhabi’s investment in the fund involves a capital contribution of Dhs2.6bn and undrawn capital commitment of Dhs6.6bn

ValU MAF

Majid Al Futtaim partners with valU to introduce Sha2labaz at its malls in Egypt

Sha2labaz, a redemption product by valU, will help shoppers receive cash reimbursements for purchases they make at Mall of Egypt and City Centre Almaza

SPID Houlihan Lokey Imperial Avenue

Houlihan Lokey raises around $200m for Shapoorji Pallonji for project in Downtown Dubai

Imperial Avenue, a 45-floor residential tower, is Shapoorji Pallonji’s flagship real estate project in the UAE

Mastercard retailers

Mastercard begins facial-recognition rollout with retailers

Facial recognition is just one of many technologies being trialed by retailers, banks and payments firms to eliminate cash and reduce fraud

Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire tweaks bank play with $2.9bn bet on Citi

Berkshire’s now betting on Citigroup as new management takes over

Treasury bond

UAE lists first dirham-denominated treasury bond on Nasdaq Dubai

The inaugural issuance was 6.3 times oversubscribed

Crypto

Crypto is feeling the market heat. Here’s what you should do

The turmoil is a good time for investors to rebalance their portfolios

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala reports 2021 as strongest financial year ever

Mubadala invested Dhs125bn in 2021 in high-growth sectors including technology, life sciences and consumer goods

Oman posts $927m quarterly surplus after oil prices rose

The Finance Ministry expects the economy to grow 5.6 per cent in 2022, in line with IMF predictions

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ announces EUR4bn investment partnership with Greece

The agreement underscores growing economic ties between the two countries and will drive investor interest in Greece

Debt management office

Government of Dubai establishes a debt management office

Rashid Ali bin Obood Al-Falasi has been appointed as the chief executive officer of the debt management office

UAE Central Bank

UAE Central Bank raises base rate by 50 basis points

The base rate suggests the general stance of the Central Bank’s monetary policy

Bitcoin

Bitcoin tests $39,000 in push toward high end of trading range

Crypto assets have all been weighed down as the Federal Reserve and other global central banks raise interest rates

Standard Chartered AME Q1 2022 150303326

Standard Chartered reports record Q1 performance in MEA region

The bank saw operating profit rise by 59 per cent in the region, with operating profit for a single quarter crossing $300m for the first time in nearly a decade

ADDED Abu-Dhabi_

Abu Dhabi’s ADDED introduces easy payment plan for business owners

The agreement signed between ADDED and FAB, ADCB, CBD and ADIB will help credit card holders pay the charges for ADDED’s services in installments

Century Financial

Investment firm Century Financial acquires Category 1 SCA licence

The new licence recognises Century Financial as a trading broker of OTC derivatives and currencies in the spot market

The SME Story: Mark Zubov, founder and CFO of Iman

Iman offers a halal book-now-pay-later solution to retailers

Kuwait

Kuwait seeks to invest $750m in Pakistan projects

Kuwait Investment Authority’s Enertech Holding Co. and Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company have applied for a digital bank license and proposed a hydrogen plant and two smart cities

Nasdaq Dubai

Islamic Development Bank lists $1.6bn sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai

The new listing brings the total value of Sukuk listed in Dubai to $77.5bn

Dubai Financial Market

Dubai Financial Market Company posts 17% rise in net profit for Q1 2022

The company’s total consolidated revenue surged by 7 per cent to total Dhs78.6m in Q1 of 2022 compared to Dhs73.4m during the first quarter of last year

Gold - world Gold Council Q1 2022

Gold remains resilient despite heightened global uncertainty: WGC

The WGC report revealed net buying by central banks more than doubled from the previous quarter, adding over 84t to official gold reserves during Q1 2022

FAB

Q1 2022: First Abu Dhabi Bank reports highest ever quarterly net profit

The lender’s quarterly group net profit, equalling Dhs5.1bn, rose 107 per cent year-on-year from Dhs2.5bn recorded in Q1 2021

Dubai Islamic Bank

Dubai Islamic Bank posts 58% rise in net profit for Q1 2022

The bank’s total income reached Dhs3.01bn, recording growth of 6 per cent year-on-year compared to Dhs2.84bn achieved in Q1 2021

KFC Operator

Middle East KFC operator picks banks for dual listing

Americana operates restaurants for brands including Baskin Robbins, Costa Coffee and TGI Fridays as well as KFC and Pizza Hut, according to its website