Chloe Domat

Facing the combined effects of Covid-19 and an oil crisis, GCC governments and banks are looking to accelerate economic diversification and transition to sustainable finance.

GCC banks are enduring a grim year. Islamic banks may weather the storm better than their conventional rivals.

Joseph Abraham, group CEO of Commercial Bank of Qatar, talks with Global Finance about how his bank is dealing with the current climate.

Facing an economic crisis, GCC banks are looking to tech transformation and bracing for a second wave of mergers.

Ahmed Abdelaal, group CEO of Mashreq Bank, discusses his new position and how Mashreq is handling the pandemic.

Lebanon's economy spirals as regional tensions exacerbate domestic political turmoil.

Executive insights from Rudy Guillemyn, head of Elite & Private Banking at First Abu Dhabi Bank.

The MENA region is rapidly minting millionaires, but the Covid pandemic and a generational shift in ownership of wealth promise changes in how it’s invested and in what.  

Regional powerhouse Arab Bank reaches its 90-year milestone this year. Nemeh Sabbagh, CEO, talks to Global Finance about current challenges and opportunities.

With most countries entering recession, booming oil prices are not on the immediate horizon.

How are Islamic banks affected by the pandemic? What are the specific challenges and opportunities they face? Here are a few takeaways from an online panel discussion organised on April 21 by UK based financial data firm Refinitiv.

Jean Riachi, founder and CEO of FFA Private Bank talks to Global Finance about the current state of the Lebanese banking industry.

A close-up look at how Lebanon and its banks reached the edge of the cliff—and the tough choices they need to make to step back from the brink.

Ahli United Bank’s CEO and managing director, Adel El-Labban, talks with Global Finance about operating in high-risk environments and his bank’s pending merger with Kuwait Finance House.

MENA startups are now a magnet for new funding. 

In a region bedeviled by war, corruption, money laundering and terrorism, banks are finally investing in financial-crime compliance.  

Regional powerhouse Arab Bank reaches its 90-year milestone this year. Nemeh Sabbagh, CEO, talks to Global Finance about current challenges and opportunities. 

Rania Nashar, CEO of Samba Financial Group, discusses the bank’s plans to overcome challenges and continue to grow in the future.

Lebanon's political turmoil makes solving its deep-seated economic problems even more difficult.

Haitham bin Tariq is the first Omani ruler with a background in business.

What started as a reaction to falling oil prices has spread from energy to banking and other sectors of the regional economy.

Redmond Ramsdale, head of Middle East bank ratings at Fitch Global Ratings, explains the 2020 outlook for the Saudi banking sector.

Cutting costs, drawing FDI and encouraging an entrepreneurial culture are all part of the transformation Riyadh is determined to bring about.

Abdulaziz B. Al Loughani is co-founder and managing partner of Faith Capital, a Kuwait-based regional VC fund; and CEO of Floward, an online flower and gift retailer. He was previously vice chairman of Kuwait’s National Fund for SME Development and a co-founder of Talabat, the Middle East’s largest online food-ordering platform. He talks about opportunities and the growth of entrepreneurship in the region.

Kuwait’s startup scene has largely developed under the world’s radar, yet the tiny ecosystem has produced some of the Middle East’s biggest exits to date.

Kuwait is keen to diversify its energy-centered economy. Foreign investment and market liberalization are definitely part of the formula.

With oil prices low and stress on liquidity, banks in the GCC are increasingly looking to consolidate in order to remain strong. 

An outsider takes over in Tunisia.

How are MENA banks looking to get ahead of the innovation curve? Global Finance’s Dubai Conference explored new ways to thrive in the digital age.            

Mohammad Y. Al-Hashel, governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, highlights the strengths of the nation’s banking sector—and the challenges of its oil-centric economy.

Morocco’s central bank governor, Abdellatif Jouhari, talks about how Bank Al-Maghrib is adapting to new roles and greater inclusivity.

The tiny emirate can rely on natural gas, infrastructure projects, foreign investment—and the World Cup—to weather a blockade by its neighbors.

Saddek Omar El Kaber, governor of the Central Bank of Libya, talks about navigating through turmoil, and the need for strong stable institutions.

Telecoms are moving into banking as disruptive technologies like Skype and Whatsapp squeeze margins.

Global Finance reports on the Central Bank of Kuwait’s "Shaping the Future" conference.

Tech companies compete with banks.

As the region’s digital startups and fintechs grow and prosper, they must learn to scale, despite a highly fragmented economy.

The Gulf’s giant family-owned companies will soon see a massive generational shift. Can they adapt their business culture?

Adnan Ahmed Yousif, president and CEO of Al Baraka Banking Group, talks with Global Finance about fintech, the changing regulatory environment and hurdles to overcome.

Mohammad Al Duaij studied finance in the UK and worked in several Kuwaiti financial institutions before taking the helm of Alea Global Group, a real estate and private-equity investment conglomerate founded by his parents.

Saudi Arabia is looking for greater foreign investment.

The GCC’s smallest state is betting it can top its ambitious neighbors in building a fintech hub.

Rising fortunes in the Middle East are driving the private-banking market toward socially responsible investing, Islamic products and more digital tools. 

African banks and fintech companies create synergies to roll out innovative products and services. 

CEO James Formby talks about how Rand Merchant Bank is adapting to meet the needs of corporate and institutional clients in a fast-changing region.

Faisal Al Haimus, CEO of Trade Bank of Iraq, talks about his country’s prospects for economic growth—and potential to leap ahead with new technology—as it emerges from hard years.

The larger lending institutions benefit Gulf governments by attracting foreign investors to finance their megaprojects.

Freddie Baz, general manager and board vice chair of Bank Audi, talks about his bank’s robust performance despite difficult conditions, and government efforts to restore trust.

With more people holding a smartphone than a bank account, the MENA region offers giant opportunities for telcos offering payments and money-transfers. 

Diversification is the biggest challenge ahead but Kuwait can count on a strong financial sector, according to participants in a recent Global Finance roundtable in Kuwait City.