Middle East

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 ...

EM REGIONAL BANKING FOCUS: MIDDLE EAST   By Jonathan Gregson   Many banks in the Middle East are still suffering the after-effects of the global financial crisis.     Over the past decade the Middle East's banking sector has become ...

GETTING SMART   By Gordon Platt   Egypt is turning to information technology to create a knowledge-based economy.   Near the pyramids at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt's first technology park is changing the desert landscape. A total ...

MIDDLE EAST   By Gordon Platt   High point: Saudi Arabia dominates region’s IPOs Companies based in Saudi Arabia led initial public offerings in the Middle East in the first half of 2010, but the United Arab Emirates is expected ...

Global Finance names the World's Safest Banks 2010 in the Middle East.   NEW YORK, August 30, 2010 — Global Finance magazine (www.gfmag.com) has named the top 10 "Safest Banks in the Middle East" in an exclusive survey to be ...

Global Finance names the World's Best Internet Banks in Middle East/Africa 2010 NEW YORK, July 26, 2010 – Global Finance has announced the First Round winners in the "World's Best Internet Banks" competition in Middle East/Africa. This is the 11th ...

Emerging Markets Investor: DR News   By Gordon Platt   The Egyptian Exchange, one of the more active stock exchanges in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, has begun trading Egyptian Depositary Receipts (EDRs). The first company to ...

MARKET MAKERS   Exchanges Upgrade Technology And Add New Products   By Gordon Platt   Financial markets across the Gulf region are working hard to enhance the breadth and depth of services they offer.     Financial markets in the ...

ROUNDUP   By Gordon Platt   Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline, will place orders for more planes at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK, according to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s ruler. The airline, which is owned ...

ISLAMIC FINANCING BREAKTHROUGH   By Anita Hawser   GAME CHANGER   The arrival of the first globally standardized documentation for privately negotiated Islamic hedging products marks a major breakthrough in Islamic finance and risk management.     Compared to the ...

ON THE RIGHT PATH   By Gordon Platt     For the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), there have been setbacks on the road to a common currency, which now appears unlikely to be introduced anytime in the next five years, ...

Roundup   By Gordon Platt   Amman: Jordan government signs deal on oil shale reserves The Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union are aiming to sign a free trade agreement at a joint ministerial meeting in Luxembourg on June ...

Dubai   By Gordon Platt and Anita Hawser   Dubai: Debt resolution should improve economic fortunes Dubai moved a step closer to resolving its debt problems with the announcement of a plan to invest $9.5 billion to restructure its flagship ...

MIDDLE EAST   By Gordon Platt   REGIONAL WINNER : National Bank of Kuwait National Bank of Kuwait, the leading bank in Kuwait and the highest-rated bank in the Middle East, earned $925 million last year, an increase of 4% ...

Roundup   By Gordon Platt   Riyadh, future home of the GCC Monetary Council The UAE government announced plans to set up a federal credit bureau to collect information on individuals and corporations. The ministry of finance says the bureau ...