Global news and insight for corporate financial professionals
A Rapid Recovery By Gordon Platt Demographics and hydrocarbons make the Middle East a dynamic region that is rapidly advancing, despite the debt overhang in Dubai. A young and fast-growing population is demanding jobs, and regional governments are ...
MIDDLE EAST: RENEWABLE ENERGY Oil producers aim to turn the desert sunshine into a new export: solar energy. By Gordon Platt When the oil runs out, the sun will still be shining and the Middle East ...
MIDDLE EAST: BANKING INDUSTRY Banks across the region learned many painful lessons during the crisis but have emerged stronger than ever. By Gordon Platt Financial institutions across the Middle East are carefully monitoring their loan portfolios ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt Signs of growth: Baghdad hosts a procession of bankers The International Monetary Fund approved a $3.6 billion loan for Iraq, the largest such loan the country has received. The two-year standby agreement will help ...
Global Finance names the 2010 World's Best Emerging Market Banks in the Middle East NEW YORK, March 23, 2010 — Global Finance magazine (www.gfmag.com) has named the "Best Emerging Market Banks in the Middle East" in an exclusive survey ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt Bahrain’s Salman Industrial City is now open for business Gas-rich Qatar and ExxonMobil signed an agreement in January to build the world’s largest polyethylene plant as part of a $6 billion petrochemical complex in ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt Dubai International Financial Center: Turmoil casts doubt over future The repercussions from the debt-standstill by investment company Dubai World will be felt for months, if not years, to come. Moody’s Investors Service on December ...
Lebanon/Syria/Turkey By Nick Kochan Yilmaz: Turkish banks were ready for leverage crisis The evolution of Turkey’s role in the Middle East and beyond was clearly on display at a late-October risk management conference in Beirut. The guest speaker ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt ExxonMobil is first US company to win Iraq oil contract A joint venture of ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell has clinched a $50 billion deal to develop one of Iraq’s biggest oil fields, the ...
Emerging Markets Focus: Middle East The outlook for the Middle East’s economy has brightened substantially in recent months, but the reluctance of banks to lend remains worrisome. Bond issues are picking up some of the slack. By Gordon ...
BUCKING THE GLOBAL TREND Lebanon sidestepped the global turmoil and is busy building on its newfound prosperity. By Justin Keay On any morning in downtown Beirut—along the sunny Corniche or in the cafes in the reconstructed ...
Middle East By Gordon Platt Sulaiman: Keen to develop efficient capital markets In its first sukuk to raise long-term funds in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) is giving a shot in the arm ...
Investor Potash Producer Loves Green Shoots In Global Economy. By GP Israel Chemicals is one of the best-positioned potash producers in the world, given its exclusive concession from the Israeli government to extract a seemingly endless supply ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt Topping out: The colossal Burj tower nears completion Economic growth for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will reach 5.2% next year on the back of rising oil revenues, the International Monetary Fund forecasts. A ...
Global Finance ranks the Biggest Emerging Market Banks by Region. NEW YORK, October 16, 2009 — As the world’s key emerging markets continue to drive the global economy out of recession, Global Finance unveils its second annual Global Finance 200, ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt Futuristic: Dubai’s new metro should ease traffic congestion Jordan and Iraq signed a free trade agreement in Baghdad on September 3 that will expand already fast-growing trade between the neighboring countries. Jordan’s prime minister ...
Istanbul, October 6th, 2009 - Global Finance magazine hosted its thirteenth annual Best Bank Awards ceremony on October 6th, 2009, in Istanbul (Turkey), at the same time as the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank. More than 200 ...
Roundup By Gordon Platt Saudi will assemble next generation Eurofighter planes The return of economic confidence in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is evident in the awarding of major new contracts and invitations for bidding on future ...
With bank stability still high on corporate and investor agendas, Global Finance magazine publishes in the October 2009 issue its annual list of the world’s safest banks. Global Finance has published its world’s safest banks listing for 18 years. ...
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BANKS 2008 Rank Name Country Fiscal Year Total Assets ($b) 1 Royal Bank of Scotland Group United Kingdom 12/2007 3,807 2 Deutsche Bank Germany 12/2007 2,974 3 BNP Paribas France 12/2007 2,494 4 Barclays United Kingdom 12/2007 ...