Saudi wealth fund may close its biggest-ever loan deal this week

The Public Investment Fund is raising about $15bn from a group of international banks to finance new investments

DIFC employee savings plan locks in $127m in assets under management in first year

Within one year, 19,182 members of the DIFC workforce have been enrolled in the plan

HSBC appoints Mohammed Al Marzouqi as head of global banking in the UAE

Mohammed was previously head of Abu Dhabi coverage for HSBC global banking

NCB, Samba shareholders approve merger to create Saudi National Bank, kingdom’s biggest lender

Operations under the new name and structure are planned to start on April 1, 2021

ADCB expands mortgage business, acquires portfolio from Abu Dhabi Finance

Customers are expected to transfer to the ADCB banking platform during the first half of 2021

First Abu Dhabi Bank

First Abu Dhabi Bank approves Dhs8.08bn cash dividends for 2020

The bank recorded a a full year 2020 net profit of Dhs10.6bn

Yemen

UAE provided over $6bn in assistance to Yemen since 2015, pledges another $230m

The amount will help fund international programmes that meet the medical, nutritional, and food security needs of the country

UAE Central Bank fines individual Dhs600,000 under anti-money laundering law

The fine was imposed because the individual had no authorisation to undertake a function that required prior approval from the Central Bank

U.A.E. Financial Markets Following Veil Lift on Debt

UAE raises daily decline limit in shares back to 10% from February 28

Authorities had reduced the cap to 5 per cent in March 2020 to contain the fluctuations triggered by the pandemic

UAE Exchange suitor in merger talks with Bahrain-headquartered BFC Group

Merger of Finablr assets and BFC would create regional financial services giant

Saudi Arabia turns to Euro-bond amid near record-low yields

The kingdom is planning a two-part, benchmark-sized deal with a three-year and nine-year offering

Kuwait projects $183bn cumulative deficit over five years

Total expenses during that period are projected at KD114.1bn

Kuwait seeks approval to use wealth fund to finance deficit

The government’s also attempting to push through parliament legislation allowing it to tap international bond markets

Different Arab money

Revealed: Impact of Covid-19 on GCC retail banks revenues

BCG says earnings could shrink by -2.1% annually between 2019 and 2024

Why fintech is on the brink of rapid expansion in the GCC

The GCC is catching up with developed markets in terms of financial inclusion

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development

ADEX inks Dhs22m deal to finance UAE’s Jenaan sugar refinery project in Egypt

Jenaan to import raw materials from Borouge to manufacture and supply irrigation systems

Central Bank of the UAE

UAE banks return Dhs14.47bn received from Central Bank’s TESS initiative

A Dhs100bn Targeted Economic Support Scheme initiative was launched by the CBUAE in March 2020

Gulf fund raises $75m for Mideast, North African startups

The appetite for tech firms has been increasing among Gulf investors as governments in the region step up efforts to steer their economies away from oil

UK court orders asset freeze of NMC founder BR Shetty, other company executives

The order was secured by NMC’s biggest creditor, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank

FlexxPay raises $3m in pre-series A round to enhance technology platform

FlexxPay is currently available in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and will be launched in Bahrain next month

Wealth management: the opportunities and the challenges

Family businesses contribute to more than 90% of the economic activity in the country

The SME loan journey: How can it be made easier?

Banks and financial institutions must opt for online credit process with automated elements – offered by companies such as Comarch – to ensure they meet the current market needs

NMC Health expects UAE, Oman operations to continue in 2021, after sale of non-core assets

NMC is undertaking a complete restructuring of its balance sheet following the discovery of significant fraud and debt

Exchange house in UAE fined Dhs504,000 by Central Bank

The exchange house reportedly has a weak anti-money laundering and combating financing of terrorism compliance framework

Saudi economy grew 2.8% in fourth quarter as Covid impact eased

Saudi Arabia was hit hard last year as a drop in crude prices decimated government revenue while measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus limited economic activity

UAE-Israeli consortium moves closer to reopening Finablr

Matrix International picked for financial compliance and fraud prevention

Dubai Financial Services Authority

Dubai’s DFSA fines former DIFC employee $165,000

The authority has also restricted him from performing any function in connection with the provision of financial services in or from the DIFC

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange slashes trading fees by 22%

The value of securities traded on the exchange increased 28 per cent to Dhs72.8bn in 2020 from Dhs56.8bn in 2019

One of world’s richest nations taps wealth fund as cash dries up

To generate liquidity, the government began last year swapping its best assets for cash with the $600bn Future Generations Fund