Abu Dhabi’s ADQ, Turkey Wealth Fund launch $300m venture capital fund

The fund will invest in companies developing emerging technologies or improving existing ones in key sectors

KFC Operator

Middle East KFC operator starts early talks over listing

Discussions are ongoing, but no advisers have been hired

Dubai’s Shuaa Capital launches $250m venture debt fund

The fund claims to be the largest venture debt fund in the GCC

Lebanon’s Central Bank chief charged with money laundering

Riad Salameh is also under investigation in France and Switzerland

Biggest Saudi listing since Aramco surges on trading debut

Nahdi’s IPO is the largest listing in the kingdom since Saudi Aramco raised almost $30bn in 2019

Bahrain sees higher oil helping it beat budget balance target

The International Monetary Fund estimates Bahrain needs oil prices of around $107 a barrel to balance its budget

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank approves cash dividend equalling 48.5% of net profit for 2021

The bank’s shareholders also elected a new board of directors

UAE’s ADGM, FSRA look to amend capital markets framework

ADGM’s FSRA has published a paper proposing wide-ranging amendments covering virtual assets, securities, derivatives, commodities and benchmarks

How is the cross-border payments space evolving

Speaking to Gulf Business, Amir Nagammy, Wizz Financial co-founder and group chairman delves into the company’s expansion plans and the disruption within the payments space

Dubai’s Shuaa Capital acquires majority stake in Souqalmal

Shuaa joins existing investors Riyad Capital and UK comparison website GoCompare

The changing landscape of investment advisory across UAE and GCC

Clients are increasingly seeking the advice of asset managers who possess a rich knowledge of local and regional market dynamics

Gold advances as traders weigh Fed rate hike, growth risks

Investors continue to seek a store of value amid the uncertainty

Saudi Arabia’s real GDP grows 3.2% in 2021

The kingdom’s real GDP grew by 6.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2021

Kuwait’s Ali Alghanim plans rare family-owned local listing

The company will sell a 45 per cent stake in the listing

Bitcoin jumps above $41,000, challenging past week’s tight range

Bitcoin had spent the past few days mired in the tightest trading range since October 2020

Wizz Financial to introduce live digital payment platform in the UAE

Wizz Financial will partner with NPCI International Payments (NIPL), the international arm of National Payments Corporation of India

Bahrain’s Central Bank issues operating licence to Binance

Bahrain is the first GCC country to issue regulatory approvals to the blockchain and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider

Gold

Gold holds decline as bond yields surge before Fed meeting

Bullion has eased after rallying to within $5 of a record last week

Saudi pharma retail chain Al-Dawaa surges in trading debut

The shares surged as much as 18 per cent to SAR86.1

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority

Dubai Electricity & Water Authority to sell 6.5% stake in IPO

The offer price range will be announced on March 24 with an expected trading debut on April 13

Charting the growth of the regional fintech ecosystem

Saxo Bank MENA’s CEO Damian Hitchen talks about the region’s fintech space and the challenges faced by the financial sector

Al Fardan and Thunes partner to enable seamless cross-border payments

Al Fardan’s customers can now send money not just to bank accounts, but also to mobile wallets and cash pickup points in 87 countries

Dubai’s Tecom courts investors after lining up banks for IPO

A listing could come as soon as the middle of this year

First Abu Dhabi Bank to open representative office in Iraq

The UAE is one of Iraq’s most important trading partners, with the value of exported goods totalling over $13.11bn in 2020

World’s oldest sovereign wealth fund makes London hiring push

The Kuwait Investment Office recruited Arne Hassel as chief investment officer in November

UAE’s First Abu Dhabi Bank and ADCB deny report of potential merger

The banks issued separate filings to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) denying the report

Three ways Fintech is transforming everyday life

UAE’s Aafaq Islamic Finance and Arab Financial Services to back fintech startups

The partnership is part of Bahrain-based AFS’s Regional Partner Program that supports new and existing fintechs to launch operations across the region

Saudi exchange to allow single-stock futures from next quarter

The Tadawul introduced index futures in August 2020

How to best fund a sustainable future

The main challenge: capital markets do not yet fully understand what the rule book for sustainable investing looks like

Buy-now-pay-later provider tabby secures $54m in funding

The investment will support tabby’s international expansion plans