Middle East

THE MIDDLE EAST 2011: THE BANKS   By Justin Keay   The current market conditions may have prompted slowing in their expansion plans, but the Middle East’s banks are still building for the future.   Until late 2010, the sentiment ...

WINDS OF CHANGE   These are times of unprecedented change in the Middle East and North Africa. Years of pent-up frustration among the region’s youth—around 60% of the population in some countries—has already swept away two governments. More may follow, ...

THE MIDDLE EAST 2011: DUBAI'S RESURGENCE   By Justin Keay   After a tough two years, Dubai has consolidated its position as a regional financial and transport hub and is set for a sharp upturn.   Anyone arriving on a ...

BUSINESS AS USUAL DESPITE UNREST   By Anita Hawser   The turmoil sweeping the Arab world threatens to cause a contagion that will spread far beyond the Middle East, says Barings Asset Management.   Kuwait and other GCC countries in ...

Global Finance names the 2011 World's Best Emerging Market Banks in the Middle East NEW YORK, March 24, 2011 — Global Finance magazine has named the “Best Emerging Market Banks in the Middle East” in an exclusive survey to be ...

ROUNDUP: MIDDLE EAST   By Anita Hawser   In the wake of the political and social unrest that has been sweeping across the Middle East following the downfall of the Tunisian and Egyptian leaders, ratings agencies are preparing to issue ...

INDUSTRIAS BACHOCO: POULTRY PRODUCER OFFERS PROTECTION IN TROUBLED MARKET   By Anita Hawser   In times of uncertainty investors often turn to so-called defensive stocks, and Mexico poultry producer Industrias Bachoco is certainly that.   Despite other problems that may ...

NEWSMAKERS: ISRAEL   By Dan Keeler   Steinitz: One-year budgets are a “terrible mistake” Just two years after being mired in the depths of the global financial crisis, Israel is experiencing a sharp and sustained recovery that is the envy ...

COVER STORY: MIDDLE EAST   By Laurence Neville   Nervous investors are looking for signs of stability in the Middle East and North Africa. The region’s burgeoning investment banking industry may provide the reassurance they’re looking for.   The political ...

ROUNDUP: MIDDLE EAST   By Gordon Platt   Saudi Arabia announced a record budget for 2011, which includes $155 billion in spending, an increase of 7.4% from a year earlier.   Sunny outlook: Qatar's soccer stadiums will use solar power ...

ROUNDUP: MIDDLE EAST   By Gordon Platt   Abu Dhabi tries to outdo Dubai with new port facilities Abu Dhabi is pulling out all the stops to create a major port and industrial zone that will rival Dubai as a ...

NEWSMAKERS: QATAR   By Anita Hawser   Hussain: Islamic banks must resolve key issues As Qatar kicks off its campaign to ensure it has the infrastructure to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the region's banks are hoping the massive ...

COVER STORY: INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT SUSTAINS GROWTH   By Gordon Platt   High oil prices are keeping government spending flowing strongly into major projects, while debt-laden Dubai has taken a turn for the better.   Dubai’s world-class infrastructure gave the emirate’s ...

WINNERS: MIDDLE EAST   Best Derivatives Provider HSBC HSBC  has become the preferred derivatives dealer in the Middle East, which  endured an even more pronounced credit crunch than other regions. The  bank took clients away from Standard Chartered, the only ...

ROUNDUP   By Gordon Platt   Dubai returns to the capital markets with bond issue Dubai's successful return to the international capital markets could pave the way for state-owned companies to tap the Eurobond market. Dubai's first new issue since ...

REFORM CANDIDATE   By Justin Keay   Sharply rising capital inflows and a stable banking sector have helped Lebanon achieve impressive economic growth. Maintaining it will require far-reaching reforms, though.   Winston Churchill once famously described Russia as a riddle ...

MILESTONES: DUBAI   By Laurence Neville   New hope: Dubai bourse buoyed by Axiom IPO Nasdaq Dubai has got another roll of the dice with an IPO from local mobile-phone retailer Axiom ticking all the right boxes to generate interest ...

ROUNDUP   By Gordon Platt   The six member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed at a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last month to postpone a planned customs union for several additional years. At the exceptional meeting ...

SPREADING THE WEALTH   Saudi Arabia's industrial base is already the largest in the Middle East, and its service sector is growing rapidly.   By Gordon Platt   With more than 20% of the world's oil reserves, Saudi Arabia stands ...

Roundup   By Gordon Platt   Dubai Mall: Mixed fortunes for Dubai’s property sector Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, has purchased an approximately 15% stake in London's Gatwick Airport, although it would not confirm the ...