Kuwait Pledges $300m In Syria Aid At Donor Meeting

The UN is seeking up to $1 billion in aid for Syrian refugees outside the country and $500 million for humanitarian work inside the war-torn country.

HSBC’s Oman Unit Sees 62.7% Drop In 2012 Profit

HSBC Bank Oman, formed by a merger of HSBC’s Oman unit and Oman International Bank, made a net profit of OMR5.8 million in 2012.

Bahrain’s Investcorp Reports Massive Rise In H1 Profit

The investment firm’s net profit rose to $39.2 million for the six months ended December 31, up from $5.2 million in the same period a year ago.

High-Profile Islamic Finance Firm Dar Al Istithmar Closes

Most of its staff moved to Khalij Islamic, another investment firm with offices in London and Dubai, says sources.

Saudi’s Maaden Eyes $7bn Finance

The money will fund the Umm Wual phosphate project at Waad Al-Shimal City.

Mubadala In $2bn Refinancing Launch

Banks taking part will also be chosen for future work.

Qatar To Invest $1.34bn In Greek SMEs

The Greek investment scheme is similar to a Qatari plan to invest in Italian companies.

Foreign “Smart Money” Lifts Dubai Stock Exchange To 34-Month High

The Dubai index is buoyed by foreign investors buying into the emirate’s economic recovery.

Abu Dhabi’s NBAD Sees 16.8% Rise In 2012 Profit

National Bank of Abu Dhabi attributed the profit increase to higher investment and interest income.

Bahrain’s Investcorp Eyeing Italy Luxury Brands

The private equity firm said earlier this month that it plans to announce a new deal in early February.

Kuwait Awards $487m Port Contract To Turkey’s STFA

STFA will double the capacity at the port and build a small new one at the Ahmadi refinery.

Bahrain Residential Rents Stabilise In Q4 2012

The residential leasing market in the country is slowly picking up despite political instability, says report.

Qatar Puts Hold On £3bn Chelsea Barracks Plan

The UK economy has given the Gulf state reasons to be concerned about the development.

DP World Sees 2012 Profit In-Line With Forecasts

The port operator posted a 2.4 per cent rise in gross volume from 54.7 million in the previous year.

S&P Revises Bahrain’s Credit Outlook To Stable

Standard & Poor’s has ranked the state as BBB, as has Fitch while Moody’s ranks it Baa1.

Abu Dhabi’s TAQA Seals $1.4bn Financing For Morocco Plant

The financing for the Jorf Lasfar plant is the largest in over a decade for an international project in Morocco.

Oman Plans To Build $1.5bn Medical Complex

The government-funded project will cover five million square metres and will be built in the Batnah region.

Abu Dhabi Sees Hotel Revenues Rise 6% In 2012

The emirate welcomed over 2.3 million hotel guests last year, up 13 per cent from 2011.

Emirates Targets Japan Exports Growth

New services to Haneda Airport will provide Japanese exporters and passengers more flexibility when connecting to the airline’s global network.

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Picks Banks For Bond Issue

The UAE-based lender plans to launch a conventional bond in the coming few days, say sources.

UAE’s ADNOC Supplying Fuel To Emarat Stations

The handover will save Emarat around Dhs80 million every month.

Qtel CEO Addresses Telecoms Gender Divide

Dr Nasser Marafih uses the World Economic Forum in Davos to highlight the issue.

Dubai Ranks Third Largest Passenger Airport

Airport beats forecasts by one million and has London’s Heathrow “firmly within its sights”.

Saudi Maaden To Shut Fertilizer Plant For Maintenance

The mining firm plans to close a diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant for three weeks.

UAE, Turkey Trade Up 197% In H1 2012

Trade exchanges between the two countries reached $5.3 billion during the first half of the year.

Abu Dhabi Property Merger Seen Completed June 30

Property firms Aldar and Sorouh agreed on an all-share merger last week creating a company with $13 billion in assets.

Kuwait MPs Target Financial Help For Citizens

The proposal would be the first time Kuwait has given out financial aid.

Oman Telco Nawras Extends Profit Slump For Q4

The firm reported a Q4 net profit of 10.3 million rials, down from 11.9 million in 2011.

Qatar’s CBQ Posts 19% Q4 Profit Jump, Missing Estimates

The bank earned 447 million riyals in Q4. Analysts had forecast profit of 452.4 million riyals.

UAE To Highlight Expo 2020 Bid At WEF In Davos

The Higher Committee will use the World Economic Forum to promote Dubai’s bid.