Qatar’s Barwa Real Estate Sells Barwa Bank Stake For $656m

BRE is selling some of its assets to Qatari Diar to help eliminate its debts.

Deutsche Sees Saudi Local Debt Sales Surpassing International Issues In 2014

High liquidity in the country has kept funding costs low.

Dubai Starts Work On Huge Resort On The World Islands

The “Heart of Europe” project, a complex of luxury hotels and villas, is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

FRV, Abdul Latif Jameel Energy Form JV To Develop Solar Projects In Saudi

The firms will work on photovoltaic solar projects through the joint venture.

Exclusive: Just Falafel Eyeing Asian And European Expansion

Fast food chain plots Asian and European expansion on top of openings in UK and North America.

New Upscale Project Launched In Dubai’s Motor City

The project will be developed by Dubai’s Union Properties, along with National Properties, a unit of National Bonds Corporation.

Shell Sells Stakes In Australian Gas Project For $1.14bn

Shell is selling the stakes to the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, a partner in the project.

UAE’s Shah gas Project Due Online In Early 2015 – ADNOC

It was previously estimated that the project to produce usable gas from Shah’s high-sulphur gas field would be completed in late 2014.

Nakheel Chairman: No Increase In Sales Prices In 2014

The Dubai developer is maintaining sales prices at the same level as last year, confirms chairman Ali Rashid Lootah.

Qatar Islamic Bank Q4 Net Profit More Than Triples

QIB made a net profit of $100.2 million during the three months to December 31.

UAE Plans Renewable Energy Projects In Five Pacific Nations

Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu will receive grants from the UAE’s $50m renewable energy fund.

Gulf Finance House To Sell 75% In Leeds United, Retain 10% Stake

GFH, which bought the second-tier club in 2012, said it had agreed to sell the stake to a consortium of British investors.

Saudi Says Doubles Number Of Citizens In Private Sector Jobs

Economists estimate only 30-40 per cent of working-age Saudis hold jobs or actively seek work.

Saudi Oil Min Says U.S. Shale Oil Helps Keep Oil Markets Stable

Shale oil remains much more costly to produce than most Middle East crude.

Sager Is Frontrunner To Succeed Dabdoub At Kuwait’s NBK

Isam al-Sager, 58, is currently the deputy chief executive of National Bank of Kuwait.

Empower

Empower Buys Cooling Firm For $500m From Dubai World Unit

Acquiring Palm Utilities will give Empower about 70 per cent of the UAE’s district cooling market.

Shell And UAE’s Mubadala Swap Malaysian Offshore Field Stakes

Mubadala has taken a 20 per cent interest in Block 2B and Shell has taken a 20 per cent interest in Block SK320.

UAE Introduces Compulsory Military Service For Men

All Emirati males between ages 18 and 30 will be required to serve in the military while it is optional for women

Abu Dhabi Plans Aviation Biofuel Project With Boeing And Total

The venture is looking at various raw materials to produce biofuel including agricultural waste and date palm leaves.

Abu Dhabi’s Prime Property Prices Rose 30% In Q4 2013

Reem Island showed the highest rise in prices for the second consecutive year in 2013, comprising around 30 per cent of online property searches.

Nakheel 2013 Profit Up 27%; Plans Dhs6-8bn New Projects In 2014

The developer attributed the profit rise to the timely completion of projects and the handing over of finished units to customers.

Saudi’s Almarai Posts Marginal Q4 Net Profit Gain

Net earnings in the three months to December 31 were 373.3 million riyals, up 1.2 per cent on the same period a year earlier.

Saudi’s Al Rajhi Bank Halves H2 Dividend After Q4 Profit Drop

Al Rajhi reported a 19.1 per cent drop in fourth-quarter net profit.

Dubai’s Real Estate Deals Hit Dhs236bn In 2013

The number of deals in Dubai rose 53 per cent from 2012, reaching a total of 63,652, according to the land department.

SABIC’s Q4 Profit Up 5.7%, Below Forecasts

SABIC earned 6.16 billion riyals in the quarter, not the 6.58 billion analysts predicted.

Investcorp Sells UK-based TDX Group to Equifax for $327m

TDX is the UK’s largest debt placement services and debt management platform company.

Israeli Minister To Lead Delegation To Abu Dhabi Energy Summit

The Israeli delegation will be the first at government level to visit the UAE since the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai.

Qatar Airways To Launch Saudi Operations By Q3

Saudi Arabia started opening up its aviation market in 2012 by awarding additional carrier licenses.

Emirates Starts Daily Kiev Services

Ukraine-UAE inbound market set to double.

Dubai Launches Entrepreneurship Academy

The academy aims to equip entrepreneurs with practical skills and knowledge they need to become future businesspeople.