Middle East

These are the ratings for central bank governors from the Middle East and Africa regions in 2017. 

Kåre Schultz will take over as CEO at a time when the pharmaceutical company struggles with competition, downward pressure on drug prices, expiring patents, rising operational costs, bribery investigations, fines and failed acquisitions.

Some of this year’s biggest deals include $20 million for Bahraini payment solution PayTabs, $3.5 million for Emirati finance-comparison platform yallacompare and $1.5 million for Emirati mobile-banking solution NOW Money.

Global Finance talks with Arnaud Stevens, Frédéric Dalibard of Nexitis, and Luca Comparini of IBM about blockchain technologies and commodity trade finance.

New regulatory demands are changing banking relationships and, combined with rapid technological change, squeezing transaction banks in the Middle East and North Africa.

The re-election of moderate Hassan Rouhani for a second term as Iran’s president ends a chapter in Iran’s history,

Global Finance: What is Bidaya's business strategy? Mohamed Badat: Our business strategy involves leveraging innovation and digital infrastructure to directly reach customers in a secure, swift and seamless manner. Home finance and real estate has long been perceived as a ...

Global Finance: What are the unique features of the Al Nuwair Deposit Account? And what about the Eservice Gold Account? Fahad Khaled Al-Mukhaizeem: Al-Nuwair deposit is an innovative investment deposit that promises clients with expected profit rates based on the ...

Our annual awards illustrate how shariah-compliant institutions are expanding into new markets, even in the non-Islamic West, and taking up the global call for “inclusive growth.”

After ratings downgrades a year ago, the Kingdom of Bahrain has worked to diversify revenue sources while maximizing the benefits of its strong relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Islamic finance has great opportunities to gain market share, says Endy Abdurrahman, CEO of Bank Muamalat Indonesia.

Investors snapped up Saudi Arabia’s debut international sukuk, a type of Islamic financing gaining popularity worldwide.

CEO Nemeh Sabbagh talks to Global Finance about how Arab Bank combines careful management with innovation in a region facing a challenging environment.

Nomu, a new Saudi equity market, will have lighter listing requirements than Tadawul, deepening the Saudi capital market with an alternative platform.

Amazon enters Arab markets of the Middle East / North Africa region by buying up Souq.com, an established online retailer.

Dato’ Mohamed Rafique, head of Maybank’s Islamic Banking Group and CEO of Maybank Islamic Berhad, explains how Islamic finance is contributing to the bank’s growth.

Global Finance Magazine’s 2017 rankings of the best banks in the Middle East. 

The need for economic diversification has never been greater, as governments around the Gulf look to shore up oil-depleted revenues and boost job prospects for their fast-growing populations.

The Middle East has faced numerous economic and political challenges in the last few years, but to its credit, it has weathered them reasonably well. That is due in part to the considerable oil wealth that characterizes countries throughout the region; although lower oil prices in the last two years have significantly impacted fiscal revenues, particularly in the larger more-oil-dependent economies such as Saudi Arabia.

Three women advancing to the top levels of the Saudi Arabian finance sector show the kingdom making progress in improving work opportunities for women.