UAE issues new tax procedures law ahead of VAT

The law lays out common procedures and rules to be applied to all taxes in the UAE

Bahrain’s Investcorp appoints ex-Pimco CEO Mohamed El Erian to its board

El Erian is also chief economic advisor to Allianz

International banks shift Qatar business from Dubai – report

Banks are said to be serving Qatari clients from other locations due to regional sensitivities

Saudi Aramco advisers favour London for mega IPO

The IPO is expected to be the world’s biggest and is targeted to raise $100bn

Saudi foreign reserves rise in June for first time in a year

The central bank’s net foreign assets climbed to $493.3bn last month

Dubai’s Mashreq sees drop in demand for Qatar business

Mashreq was the first UAE lender to open an office in Qatar

UAE asks banks to freeze accounts of those named on Qatar-linked blacklist

The move makes it the first financial watchdog in the Gulf to act on the new blacklist

Qatar banks lose 7.6% of foreigners’ deposits in June

The deposits fell after Saudi, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic and transport ties with Doha

UAE banks to see about 5% profit growth in H2 – Al Ghurair

Of the five major banks to publish earnings this quarter, four have reported improved profits

Abu Dhabi Global Market to open arbitration centre next year

The centre will house the Middle East representative office of the International Court of Arbitration

Emirates NBD to stay profitable despite competition from new, bigger rival – Moody’s

The UAE’s largest lender First Abu Dhabi Bank was created this year following the merger of National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank

Saudi hires Goldman for Riyadh airport’s stake sale

Saudi Civil Aviation Holding plans to sell a minority stake in Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport

GCC economic growth forecast to be less than 1% in 2017

A contraction in the oil sector is expected to offset non-oil growth, according to Oxford Economics

Saudi raises SAR17bn in first domestic sukuk

Saudi Arabia’s government auctioned sukuk with maturities of five, seven and 10 years

UAE’s Adnoc in talks with banks for big syndicated loan

The loan is expected to be in a range of $4bn to $5bn, a source said

Demand for business credit, personal loans up slightly in UAE

Credit demand is expected to continue rising slowly in the current quarter

FinTech trends in GCC banking

The key aspects of FinTech that the region’s banks must consider in the coming months

Investment Corporation of Dubai announces 21.4% dip in 2016 net profit

The company said the decrease was due to pressure on yields in its transport segment, which includes Dubai airline Emirates

Dubai Islamic Bank Q2 profit up almost 14%

The lender’s profit growth came on the back of strong income from Islamic financing

Dubai’s Emirates NBD posts 6% rise in Q2 profit

The DUbai-based lender made a net profit of Dhs2.02bn in the second quarter

Saudi finance ministry says 13 banks qualify for domestic sukuk programme

A senior finance ministry official estimated in May that local debt issues would cover 25 to 35 per cent of the 2017 deficit

Kuwait Finance House eyes merger with Ahli United Bank

The Gulf’s banking sector is consolidating as three years of low oil prices squeeze deposits

Doha mall denies report that loan refinancing has been frozen due to GCC rift

A media report quoted sources as saying that the diplomatic crisis was “the main reason for the deal being postponed”

Qatar mall’s $1bn-plus loan refinancing frozen amid GCC rift -sources

The refinancing of the $1bn loan by Doha Festival City was being coordinated by investment bank QInvest

Different Arab money

Almost half of GCC businesses not ready for VAT- survey

Officials say lack of necessary preparation is cause for concern

UK woos Saudi Aramco with new IPO rules

London is seen as one of the frontrunners for what is expected to be the world’s largest IPO

Bahrain’s Investcorp sells Spanish firm Esmalglass for $693m

Investcorp had bought Esmalglass in July 2012

Goldman, JPMorgan, HSBC vie for lead roles on ADNOC retail unit IPO

The listing of ADNOC’s distribution business is planned before the end of the year

Middle Eastern debt issuance up 53% in H1

Despite the increase, banking fees fell 15 per cent during the period

National Bank of Kuwait Q2 net profit up 10.7%

The bank’s net profit for the first half of the year rose 9.3 per cent due to higher net interest income