Shopping Festivals Bring In Tourists

Hotels in Dubai and Jeddah saw occupancy levels rising in January 2012, according to TRI Hospitality Consulting.

Drydocks To Offer $2.2bn Debt Plan

Dubai’s Drydocks will present its restructuring plan for its $2.2 billion loan facility next week.

Stretching The Truth

Gulf headhunters warn that widespread CV fraud from finance professionals is jeopardising the industry.

ME Airlines See Rise In Traffic

Airlines in the region posted a 14.5 per cent year-on-year increase in January this year, according to the IATA.

Kingdom Holding Plans Bond Sale

The Saudi company owned by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal plans to tap debt markets through sale of either conventional or Islamic bonds.

Standard Chartered Sees UAE Growth

While the bank’s income from the country rose seven per cent last year, expenses also increased by six per cent.

Noor Islamic Has Ended Ties With Iran

Dubai-based Noor Islamic Bank clarified that it has ended all business relations with Iranian banks.

US Targets Dubai Bank Over Iran

Noor Islamic Bank has reportedly been forced to cut off its banking business with Iran by the US Treasury.

Mumtalakat Head Quit Over Differences

The head of Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund reportedly resigned because of differences with the board.

New System To Check Prices In UAE

The Ministry of Economy will now be able to monitor the flow of essential goods and their prices across the country.

$293mn Boost For Saudi SME’s

The Saudi Industrial Development Fund has reportedly approved 13 loans to start nine new projects in the kingdom.

Lacoste Builds ME Brand Presence

The brand hopes to increase its regional visibility by continuing to sponsor events like the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship.

Abraaj Consortium Eyes Viking

The UAE-based private equity firm is holding talks to acquire Viking, an integrated oilfield service company.

Almarai May Increase Pepsi JV Stake

The Saudi dairy company is currently in talks Pepsico to up its 48 per cent stake in IDJ, their joint venture firm.

UAE Traffic Fatalities Drop In 2011

The number of people killed in traffic accidents fell by 12.8 per cent last year, according to the interior ministry.

Mumtalakat Head Resigns

Talal Al Zain is leaving Bahrain’s $9 billion sovereign wealth fund to set up an investment firm.

Mannai’s 2011 Profits Soar

The Qatari conglomerate saw net profits for the year increase by 21 per cent year-on-year to reach $76.6 million.

UAE Investor Confidence Drops

Investors in the country have become more cautious this year and are adopting long-term strategies, says FPI.

ABC Islamic Bank Nets $8.1mn Profit

ABC Islamic Bank announced a net profit of $8.1 million for 2011, based on lower provisioning.

Buffett Chooses Successor

The billionaire revealed that an unnamed individual had been selected to replace him as the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

Investcorp Close To Selling US Mall

The mall is part of a mixed-use development project located in Bellevue, Washington, that Investcorp invested in five years ago.

Nomura To Offer Tadawul Access

The Japanese bank has received approval to offer foreign investors access to Saudi Arabia’s bourse.

DFM Index Books 2011 Losses Of 17%

The Dubai Financial Market, the worst performing Gulf bourse last year, managed a small fourth quarter profit.

US Eyes UAE For Military Aircraft Sale

The UAE has reportedly expressed interest in buying the V-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft from the US.

UAE To See $15bn Deals In 2012

Construction contracts worth $15 billion will be signed in the country this year according to Ventures Middle East.

Taqa Raises $215mn From Sukuk Sale

The ten-year Malaysian ringgit-denominated Islamic bond carried a 4.65 per cent profit rate.

New App To Control Kids

The mobile app released by Norton in the UAE, will allow parents to monitor their children’s smartphone activities.

Qatar’s UDC In Investor Talks Again

The company’s plan to raise QAR160 million through a share issue had ended after an investor pulled out.

IMF Warns About Rising Oil Prices

The Fund said that higher oil prices are posing a rising threat to the global economy.

Top 10 Global Trends

New business models based on innovation and the latest technologies will make the cut, according to Frost & Sullivan’s top trends.