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Private Banking Special: Arjuna Mahendran, Emirates NBD

Emirates NBD has lowered its bad debts forecasts and paid back Dhs7.8 billion of crisis-era funding to the Ministry of Finance.

Pearls For Profit: The UAE’s Pearling Industry

Dubai goes back to its roots and targets commodities traders with a local pearl auction.

Iran President’s Phone Call With Obama Stirs Hardline Suspicions

Rouhani, who took office in August, had the supreme leader’s approval for his move to build bridges with Washington.

Private Banking Special: Arnaud Leclercq, Lombard Odier

Lombard Odier plans to increase its assets in the Middle East to 20 per cent of its global business by the end of 2017.

UAE Records Highest M&A Deal Value In The Region

Deal value in the third quarter touched $19.1billion, up 99 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Private Banking Special: Pierre Masclet, Credit Agricole Suisse

Having roughly $54 billion assets under management, private banking contributes to around 70 per cent of the total group’s revenues.

Middle East Airlines’ Passenger Traffic Grows 15% In August

Strong loads for Ramadan, coupled with capacity expansion, kept the region in pole position.

Private Banking Special: Daniel Savary, Julius Baer

Julius Baer’s total client assets amounted to CHF 304 billion ($321 billion) at the end of June 2012, with assets under management accounting CHF 218 billion for ($230 billion).

OPEC Relaxed About Cost-Sensitive Shale Oil

The U.S. shale boom has already altered the landscape of oil trade.

S&P Issues Profitability Warning To Gulf’s Islamic Banks

Banking assets in the GCC now account for around or slightly above a quarter of all banking assets in the region.

Facebook To Cash In On Gulf’s Growing Online Ad Spend

Facebook’s global mobile advertising revenues soared to 41 per cent of overall revenues in Q2 2013.

Egypt In Talks To Extend Oil Product Supplies From Gulf

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE are already providing Egypt petroleum products until the end of December

Private Banking Special: Eduardo Leeman, Falcon Private Bank

The Swiss bank has 40 years of wealth management experience and is owned by Abu Dhabi government vehicle Aabar Investments.

Gulf Economies To Grow In 2014 Despite Cheaper Oil

Global oil prices are expected to fall moderately in 2014 as new supply comes on line from the United States.

ME Sovereign Funds Increasingly Investing In Property

Around 69 per cent of sovereign funds in the Middle East cited an increase in allocation of their investments to alternative options.

Vodafone Consortium To Launch 1,400km Fibre Network In Gulf

Vodafone, Kuwait’s Zain, UAE’s du and Kuwaiti internet service provider Zajil will create the Middle East-Europe Terrestrial System

Eid Al Adha Expected To Start October 15

State news agency WAM reported on a statement from the Islamic Crescents’ Observation Project.

Private Banking Special: Khaled Sifri, Emirates Investment Bank

Founded in 1976, EIB changed its strategy away from pure asset management to a wealth management platform offering private and investment banking services to a broader client base.

Airbus Exec: Asian, Gulf Banks Fill Void In Plane Finance

Airbus has recently raised its 20-year jet demand forecast, saying the world needed to double its fleet to meet demand.

71% MENA Employers Influenced By Candidates’ Social Networks

A survey has found that 42 per cent of companies always research a new employee on the internet before hiring them.

Egypt Received $7bn Of Promised $12bn In Gulf Aid

Egypt has received $3 billion from the UAE and $2 billion each from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

Private Banking Special: Ayman Abuhabsa, Mashreq

Strong fundamentals and attractive valuations are driving the Middle East market, says Ayman Abuhabsa, head of Private Banking at Mashreq.

Egypt’s Transitional Government Phase To End By Spring

The Egyptian army ousted Mursi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader, on July 3 after mass protests against his one-year rule.

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Arab Monetary Fund In $117m Loan To Jordan

Jordan was hit by a financial crisis last year as foreign aid fell and welfare payments soared.

Majid Al Futtaim Waits For Stability In Egypt, Syria

MAF had a Carrefour store in Aleppo shut down as a result of the violence in Syria.

Lufthansa CEO Says Open To Forming Alliance With Gulf Carriers

Europe’s biggest airline by sales has seen some of its market shares gobbled up by ambitious Gulf airlines.

Saudi Arabia Worst On Women’s Legal Issues

A World Bank report found the Middle East and North Africa have made the least progress over the last 50 years in improving women’s economic opportunities.

ME Carriers To Net $1.6bn Profits In 2013

IATA projects that Middle East carriers will post a profit of $2.1 billion in 2014.

Gulf Bond Market Braces For Deals After Fed Decision

The US Federal Reserve’s decision to maintain its monetary stimulus is expected to boost the the regional bond market.

Egypt Set For Total Rewrite Of Mursi Constitution

A 50-member committee has been appointed by the interim government to amend the constitution.