Help AG appoints new country director for Saudi Arabia

Help AG’s new cybersecurity operations centre to launch in Riyadh in 2021

H E Yasser Al Gargawi with Manal A R

Second edition of American Aesthetic Medical Center’s Super Power Awards held in Dubai

The winners were chosen from over 16 categories ranging from healthcare, fine arts, fashion, entertainment and beauty, among others.

Infor appoints new head of Middle East and Africa region

Amel Gardner will be responsible for overall business and customer growth in the region

Dubai cybersecurity firm spiderSilk closes $2.25m funding round

Proceeds will be used to expand the firm’s geographic footprint across the MENA region

Private Jets Dubai

Private jets movements at Dubai South increased 21% y-on-y in 2020

The Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub recorded a 78 per cent growth of private jets movements in Q4 2020, compared to Q4 2019

Saudi’s Public Investment Fund launches 5-year strategy; assets treble to $400bn

PIF aims to grow its assets under management to over $1.07 trillion by the end of 2025

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

UAE residency: Foreign students can now sponsor families

Foreign students in the UAE will now be permitted to sponsor their families, provided they have the financial means to do so

Investment bank Moelis & Company appointed for restructuring of UAE’s Finablr

In December 2020, Finablr agreed to sell off its business to an Israeli-UAE consortium for $1

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health approves 3 new Covid-19 diagnostic tests

The new tests offer faster results and enable physicians to make swift decisions regarding medical treatment

cryptocurrency

Central Bank of Bahrain licences Sharia-compliant cryptocurrency exchange CoinMENA

At launch, CoinMENA’s platform will be available to residents of Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman

Bahrain-GCC trade hits $5.7bn in 2020 despite Covid-19 challenges

Bahrain exports surge 12 per cent in Q4 of 2020 buoyed by manufacturing sector

Dubai’s Emirates to resume flights to Australia

The carrier will resume operations to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane later this week

Dubai’s RTA completes construction of bus stations at Al Jaffiliya, Al Qusais and Deira

The new stations deliver integrated modern services

airport UAE

UAE says seeking clarity from Denmark regarding suspension of flights

Denmark suspended all flights from the UAE for five days starting Thursday

Sharjah

Sharjah attracted $220m FDI in 2020

There was a 60 per cent increase in the number of FDI projects between Q3 and Q4 in 2020

Covid-19: Dubai announces new restrictions for restaurants, gyms and events

Attendance at parties and weddings will be limited to first-degree relatives

Kuwait Central Bank allows lenders to distribute 2020 dividends

The Kuwait Banking Association said in June that there would be no distribution of dividends to shareholders for 2020

Cebu Pacific offers Dubai-Manila flights at fares starting Dhs300

Special fares are available from January 22-28, for travel from March 1-June 30, 2021

Pfizer-Biontech vaccine dubai

Dubai reschedules first dose of Covid-19 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

However, all appointments for the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will go ahead as scheduled

Cover story: How regional companies can get digital transformation right

Digital transformation has now become ubiquitous – not just for IT teams, but for executives across all organisations

How open banking can foster innovation in the financial landscape

Open banking offers potential for better customer experience and additional revenue streams

Electric cars get first battery that can charge in 5 minutes

The lithium-ion samples were produced by StoreDot’s strategic partner in China

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development ends 2020 with Dhs117.3m worth of projects

The projects injected 14.38MW into the electric grids of five partner countries

UAE approves Russian vaccine Sputnik for emergency use

This marks the third vaccine approved for use in the country

UAE operators Etisalat, du raise foreign ownership to 49%

Etisalat first opened up to foreign ownership in 2015

Qatar Airways Doha Dubai Abu Dhabi

Qatar Airways to begin flights to Dubai, Abu Dhabi next week

It will operate a double daily service from Doha to Dubai and a single flight between Doha and Abu Dhabi

Dubai hotels and restaurants to cease entertainment activities until further notice

The suspension comes into effect from Thursday, January 21

Aldar jumps as Abu Dhabi signs off on $12bn in deals

The company will take on management of Dhs30bn in developments and provide oversight for projects worth Dhs10bn

Saudi Health vaccine

Saudi Arabia acknowledges delays in receiving Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine

Earlier this week, the country approved vaccines made by AstraZeneca and Moderna for use in the kingdom

First Abu Dhabi Bank acquires 100% of Bank Audi Egypt’s share capital

The proceeds will help strengthen Bank Audi group’s capitalisation and financial resilience