UAE’s Shuaa Capital, ADFG mandate banks on merger plan – ADFG

Shuaa Capital said on Sunday that it had started discussions on a possible merger with ADFG

Abu Dhabi’s Al Hilal Bank cuts 160 jobs ahead of three-way merger – sources

The merger with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Union National Bank is expected to created the UAE’s third largest lender

SHUAA Capital in merger talks with ADFG

The talks with Abu Dhabi Financial Group are aimed at creating a larger financial listed group

UAE banks suspend credit and debit card accounts for some users

The Central Bank ruled that all banks must have updated Emirates ID records for their customers by February 28

Dubai’s stock market drops after four straight days of gains

Developer Emaar Properties fell 1.7 per cent while its unit Emaar Malls shed 2.3 per cent

Emirates NBD lists $1bn bond on Nasdaq Dubai

The Dubai lender is the largest issuer of conventional bonds on Nasdaq Dubai

Abu Dhabi’s Aldar sells Al Murjan Tower for Dhs289m

The sale represents Aldar Investments’ second transaction this year

Saudi consumer prices fall for second straight month in Feb

The impact of implementation of a value-added tax last year eased this year

Saudi closes at near four-year high as it joins FTSE Russell index

Saudi shares have gained 9.6 per cent so far this year

Saudi’s Tadawul, the region’s biggest exchange, expects foreign investment to grow

Saudi shares on Monday joined the FTSE Emerging All Cap Index with a weighting of 2.9 per cent

Saudi wealth fund PIF hires former IFC official as chief economist

PIF, which is chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, manages over $250bn in assets

Saudi stocks set to receive $20bn windfall as kingdom joins major indices

Saudi stocks join the FTSE Emerging All Cap Index this week

Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala halts business with Goldman Sachs amid 1MDB lawsuit

Mubadala subsidiary IPIC filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs last year in relation to its dealings with Malaysian state fund 1MDB

Saudi firm AHAB files for financial restructuring under new bankruptcy law

Creditors have been pursuing AHAB and Saad Group since they defaulted on about $22bn in combined debt in 2009

Saudi Real Estate Refinance Co issues $200m sukuk

SRC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, aims to accelerate housing construction

UAE inclusion in EU tax blacklist down to poor communication – Al Ghurair

European Union governments adopted a broadened blacklist of tax havens on Tuesday

UAE banks’ loan losses to rise on real estate – Moody’s

Residential property prices in Dubai have been falling since 2014 on high supply and weaker demand

Dubai-based Oman Insurance says blocked from Qatar

Oman Insurance said Qatar’s central bank has rejected its application due to the GCC dispute

Saudi Aramco’s board to meet to approve SABIC bond plan

The deal is expected to involve the purchase of all or nearly all of the 70 per cent stake in SABIC held by the Public Investment Fund

Dubai’s DIFC sees over 1, 220 new jobs, 430 new company registrations in 2018

The total number of active registered companies operating in the centre has reached 2,137

Saudi says no current plans to raise Islamic tax for private sector

A media report suggested that the kingdom was considering raising zakat to 20 per cent from the current 10 per cent

Dubai’s DFSA bars expat from working in DIFC for fraud

The financial relationship manager was accused of producing inaccurate information and making unauthorised investments

UAE banks propose $5.1bn of dividends

The value of dividends of 18 UAE banks was up 12.2 per cent on the previous year

Dubai regulator says Abraaj collapse may spur oversight changes

Abraaj fell out with investors last year over a $1bn healthcare fund

Foreigners invest over $1.5bn into Saudi stock market since start of 2019

Foreign investors have put more than $1.5bn into the Saudi market since the start of the year

Saudi market cross-listing regulations expected in Q2

There is growing interest from foreign investors ahead of Saudi’s inclusion in the FTSE Russell and MSCI’s emerging market indexes later this year

Why regional banks and fintech firms should seek partnership models

Digitisation not only requires IT investment but a fundamental change in the business model

dirhams

UAE’s Emirates Development Bank sets final price guidance for debut dollar bond

Orders for the five-year senior unsecured bonds totalled almost $3.5bn

Bahrain sovereign fund no longer looking to invest in SoftBank fund

Mumtalakat is looking at investment opportunities in areas such as education and healthcare

Standard Chartered gets approval to open unit in Saudi Arabia

Saudi currently has 27 banks operating in the kingdom, 15 of which are foreign banks