Saudi sells over SAR7bn sukuk in monthly issue

The kingdom’s finance ministry issued SAR5.37bn ($1.43bn) in domestic sukuk

Up to 62% of those receiving gratuity in the UAE expect to get over Dhs20,000

Survey finds 59 per cent are either fully or partly relying on their gratuity for retirement

Saudi Alhokair’s mall unit plans IPO launch in Q2

Arabian Centres Company has applied for an IPO with the Capital Market Authority

Lower VAT threshold to increase taxpayer base by 150,000 in Saudi – KPMG

From January 1, 2019 those with revenues of between SAR375,000 and SAR1m will also be subject to the tax

Kuwait announces initiative for $200m technology investment fund

The GCC state will give $50m to the fund to allow investment in the fields of technology and digital economy

UAE’s FTA reveals four conditions for business visitors to recover VAT

The minimum claim amount of each VAT refund application submitted by business visitors is Dhs2,000

Saudi’s NCB set to pick JPMorgan to advise on bank merger talks

Saudi’s biggest lender is holding merger talks with smaller rival Riyad Bank

Air Arabia begins legal proceedings against Abraaj founder

The airline disclosed last year that it had an overall exposure of $336m to Dubai-based Abraaj

Saudi’s Samba bank 2018 profit up 10%, meets forecasts

The bank attributed its increase in profit to a rise in net special commission income

Loan growth, higher margins boost Dubai bank Emirates NBD’s Q4 net profit

The lender reported a 10 per cent rise in fourth-quarter net profit

First Abu Dhabi Bank plans to raise $750m in sukuk

FAB is the first issuer in the Gulf to tap the international sukuk market this year

Abu Dhabi’s ADNH signs Dhs1.6bn loan to fund acquisition of Dubai hotels

Abu Dhabi National Hotels announced in November that it would acquire five hotels from Emaar

Bahrain’s Investcorp, Coller form $1bn European private equity fund

The deal also includes fresh capital for any follow-on investments and future investments

Saudi’s Riyad Bank selects Goldman to advise on merger talks with NCB

A merger between the banks would create a combined bank holding $183bn in assets

Licensed investments in Saudi ‘up 99% in 2018’ – report

The Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority also reported a 100 per cent increase in the number of investment expansion requests

Sharjah’s bailout of Invest Bank signals more restructuring, mergers among UAE lenders

Analysts expect more mergers given a slowing economy, slide in house prices, robust accounting standards and tougher competition

Foreign investors flock to Saudi bond sale

The order book for the $7.5bn sale of longer-term debt sale peaked at $27.5bn

Saudi Arabia tests demand for Gulf debt with dollar bond

The kingdom has sold $52bn in international bonds since its debut in 2016

Consortium led by Saudi’s ACWA Power to raise over $2bn for Dubai solar project

The loan will fund the $4.3bn Noor Energy 1 project, expected to become the world’s largest single-site concentrated solar power plant

Commercial Bank of Dubai to take control of Abraaj assets secured against loan

Dubai-based Abraaj, worth $13.6bn, collapsed last year following turmoil triggered by a row with investors

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim

The president of the World Bank resigns

Jim Yong Kim’s resignation takes effect from February 1

In pictures: Dubai’s ruler approves DIFC expansion plan

The new expansion will add a total of 13 million square feet of space to the DIFC

UAE’s largest bank FAB to repay customers for fee charged in error

Customers of First Abu Dhabi Bank were charged a Dhs175 fee in error

UAE start-up Yallacompare raises $8m in new funding round

The new funds will be used to grow the workforce by up to 50 per cent as the company expands to other regional markets

Deposits outvalue loans by $23bn at UAE-based banks

Figures from the UAE’s Central Bank covered the first 11 months of 2018

Dubai bank Emirates NBD to make it easier for VAT-registered SMEs to get loans

The new programme will cover home loans, auto loans and business loan products

First year of VAT in the UAE: FTA reveals the key details of implementation

The UAE implemented 5 per cent VAT on the supply of most goods and services on January 1, 2018

Hamad Buamim Dubai Chamber of Commerce

Power Letters 2019: Hamad Buamim, head of Dubai Chamber

The President and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry talks about plans to cement Dubai’s reputation as global business hub.

Saudisation of jobs in the grocery sector could cut expat remittances by $1.6bn – report

Nationalising the sector could also generate more than 35,000 jobs for Saudis

Saudi expat remittances drop 17.6% in November

New Saudisation rules have seen hundreds of thousands of legal foreign workers leave the country