World’s biggest IPO just got bigger: Saudi Aramco IPO at $29.4bn

Goldman Sachs Group, one of the underwriters of the deal, exercised the over-allotment option and increased the offering

Music streaming app Anghami mulls potential stake sale

Besides a potential sale, the company is also considering to raise fresh capital as another option to fund its expansion

Dubai’s DIFC legislates new leasing law to protect property owners, tenants

The new laws will offer a regulatory environment in line with common legislations and onshore Dubai practices

Profit at Abu Dhabi's Mubadala climbs 12.4%

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala sells UniCredit stake worth $947m

The fund’s stake declined to about 2.02 per cent as of December, down from a 4.99 per cent stake in June

UBS to cut 500 jobs as part of wealth management restructuring

The revamp will break apart the EMEA private banking business

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank grants $80m Ijara facility to Oman Shipping Company

The transaction reflects ADIB’s commitment to finance assets in the marine and energy sectors

Private equity is starting 2020 with more cash than ever before

Low interest rates, the rise of index-tracking funds and lacklustre hedge fund performance have pushed investors to private equity in search of higher returns

Lubna Olayan named chairman of Saudi British Bank for next three years

Olayan, 64, became the first woman to chair a Saudi-listed company

GCC borrowers raise over $100bn in bond placements in 2019

Issuers seized on low borrowing costs as central banks globally cut rates

World’s richest gain $1.2 trillion in 2019

The world’s 500 wealthiest people tracked by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index are now collectively worth $5.9 trillion

Dubai’s Emaar denies reports that it is selling Burj Khalifa observation deck

The company said it is considering a transaction wherein financing is being raised against the cashflows of the observation deck

Bahrain extends VAT registration deadline for third phase

The deadline has been moved from December 20 to December 26 to enforce better compliance

Abu Dhabi billionaire BR Shetty’s NMC plans review after short seller attack

London-listed NMC’s stock lost 47 per cent last week after the report

Saudi Aramco stocks give up about half of gains since debut

Investors are seeking new catalysts for the stock after it was included in major emerging-market equity benchmarks

Dr B.R. Shetty, Founder and Co-Chairman of Finablr, at the London Stock Exchange[2] copy

UAE-based Shetty family lose $820m over Muddy Waters report

London-listed NMC called the Muddy Waters report “principally unfounded”

Exclusive: Boursa Kuwait CEO on its privatisation agenda

Kuwait’s stock exchange is aiming to transform the market

Kuwait stocks end year as the GCC favourite

The MSCI inclusion is expected to lead to inflows by passive investors of about $3.8bn

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala invests in Spanish food delivery platform Glovo

Mubadala was the lead investor in Glovo’s 150m euro ($167m) funding round

Abu Dhabi billionaire BR Shetty’s NMC Health says short seller attack is “baseless”

The company’s shares lost about a third of their value on Tuesday after the Muddy Waters report

Dubai Islamic Bank to acquire Noor after shareholders approve deal

The acquisition will make DIB one of the largest Islamic banks in the world

Abu Dhabi’s NMC Health shares plunge to record low after Muddy Waters report

Shares of NMC Health fell 32 per cent Tuesday in London, wiping out about 1.8bn pounds ($2.4bn) in market value

Up to 40% of UAE workers have not had a salary increase in the last 2 years – study

The study also found that 29 per cent believe that their employer isn’t transparent about how pay rises and pay levels are set

Saudi’s biggest bank NCB ends merger talks with Riyad Bank

Differences over valuation potentially contributed to the collapse of the talks

Saudi Aramco up for third session, but valuation remains below $2 trillion

MSCI will add Aramco to its benchmarks using the closing price of December 17

Lebanon turns to IMF as Fitch sounds alarm on default

The Fitch report highlighted that the central bank’s gross foreign currency reserves are expected to decline to $28bn at the end of 2019, down $4bn in the year

Regional M&A activity in 2019: fireworks or a squib?

With a blockbuster start, will recent damp M&A activity call for a quiet end?

Saudi Aramco inches closer to Crown Prince’s $2 trillion valuation

Aramco’s capitalisation jumped from $1.71 trillion to $1.88 trillion at the end of the first trading session on Wednesday

Oil giant Total gets Libya’s nod to acquire Marathon Oil concession

Total will purchase Marathon’s stake in the Waha concessions for $450m, and has committed to invest an additional $650m to boost capacity by 180,000 barrels a day

Egypt’s two state-owned firms to go public in 2020

Banque du Caire and payments firm e-Finance are gearing up for potential IPOs

What to expect in Saudi Arabia’s next budget?

Pre-budget figures announced in October see economic growth increasing to 2.3 per cent from 0.9 per cent in 2019