Middle East

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR   As one drives into Riyadh, the Saudi Arabian capital, on King Khalid International Airport Road, a symbol of change appears suddenly through the window after miles of desert. It is the enormous campus of ...

ABUNDANT FLOWS   By Gordon Platt   The oil and gas sector is leading an investment explosion in the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.   Photo Credit: PAUL COWAN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the ...

THE LEVANT BANKS ON STABILITY   By Gordon Platt   Caution and conservative growth are the key goals of Levantine economies.   The resource-poor countries of the Levant have been trying to promote open markets, free trade and labor mobility ...

EASING THE BURDEN   By Gordon Platt   Dubai has some way to go before its debt profile is viewed as safe and sound, but it has already made great strides.   The Dubai debt crisis shocked the world in ...

TOUGH TIMES AHEAD FOR YEMEN’S NEW PRESIDENT   By Gordon Platt   Yemen's new president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the former vice president, won a one-man election to a two-year term.   A head for heights: Dubai’s Burj Khalifa Photo Credit: RAHHAL/ ...

SHIFTING SANDS   By Gordon Platt   Extraordinary changes are occurring in the Middle East in the aftermath of the Arab Spring uprisings. New economic models—and new opportunities for foreign investors—are developing. But the potential for great reward comes with ...

FAITH IN THE DOLLAR PEG   By Gordon Platt   Global Finance sits down with Qatar’s central bank governor, sheikh Abdullah Bin Saud Al-Thani. The pegged-exchange-rate regime is working well, according to Al-Thani, and the resilient financial sector will help ...

Global Finance names the World’s Best Emerging Market Banks 2012 in the Middle East NEW YORK, March 20, 2012 — Global Finance magazine has named the “Best Emerging Market Banks in the Middle East” in an exclusive survey to be ...

Global Finance Announces the Best Banks by Region 2012 NEW YORK, March 20, 2012 – Global Finance magazine has announced its annual awards for the World's Best Banks in Developed and Emerging Markets. The list of regional winners is on ...

CLOUDY OUTLOOK   By Gordon Platt   The global economic slowdown and regional political turmoil are casting a pall over investment banking in the Middle East. As there's no change in sight, bankers in the region may be in for ...

SAUDI ARABIAN BOURSE ALLOWS FOREIGN CROSS-LISTINGS   By Gordon Platt   The Saudi Arabian stock exchange, known as the Tadawul, has taken a major step toward becoming a regional exchange.   Islamic bloc wins control in Kuwaiti parliament The Capital ...

Global Finance names the Safest Banks in the Middle East: April 2012 NEW YORK, March 1, 2012 — Global Finance magazine ( GFmag.com ) has named the top 10 “Safest Banks in the Middle East: April 2012” in an exclusive ...

Global Finance announces a half-yearly update World’s 50 Safest Banks: April 2012 NEW YORK, March 1, 2012 – Bank stability is an ever-more pressing concern for the world’s corporations and investors. It is within this context that Global Finance announces ...

OPEN FOR BUSINESS   By Gordon Platt   Saudi Arabia is preparing to open its stock markets to foreign investment, and it has reinforced its financial management team in preparation for this and broader economic reforms.   Saudi Arabia, the ...

SOWING SEEDS OF CHANGE   By Anita Hawser   The Arab Spring heralded the beginnings of reform and showed the growing importance of social media in enabling communal action. The telecoms sector in the Middle East has been forever changed ...

UAE AND QATAR REMAIN FRONTIER MARKETS, MSCI SAYS   By Gordon Platt   Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will have to wait at least six more months before index provider MSCI will consider upgrading them to emerging markets from ...

LONG-TERM VISION   By Justin Keay   Kuwait’s development in recent years has been driven by the state, with little FDI. However, upcoming elections promise a new government that could improve the business climate for foreign investors.   When protesters ...

SANCTIONS ON IRAN INCREASE   By Gordon Platt   Two days after the storming of the UK embassy in Tehran on November 29 to protest increased British sanctions on Iran, the US Senate unanimously passed new economic sanctions against Iran and ...

    THE ARAB SPRING’S COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES   By Gordon Platt Countries in the region are evaluating the economic outcome of social and political upheaval—both the opportunities and the challenges.   Commercial International Bank, Egypt’s largest private sector bank, ...

SUCCESSOR NAMED IN SAUDI ARABIA   By Gordon Platt   The death of crown prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia was followed with the naming of conservative prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz, the interior minister, as king Abdullah’s ...