Saudi foreign assets fall to their lowest since 2012

Net foreign assets at Saudi Arabia’s central bank fell 1.2 per cent from the previous month in September

Saudi public spending slowdown will impact banks – Moody’s

Moderation in government spending will slow credit growth, tighten funding and weaken asset quality

Qatar Investment Authority backs $8.6bn New York development

The Qatari fund has acquired a 44 per cent stake in the Manhattan West project from Brookfield Property Partners

Emirates Global Aluminium in talks for $5bn loan to refinance debt – sources

The company is seeking funds to refinance loans taken for the Emal projects, sources said

Tight liquidity may force UAE bank NBAD to raise borrowing rates -CEO

Rising rates might also impact the bank’s third quarter earnings, the lender’s chief executive said

Dubai’s Emaar Malls Q3 net profit rises 17%

Emaar Malls made a net profit of Dhs 376m in the three months to Sept. 30

RAKBank launches Elite tier

The new premium banking offering will provide customers with a dedicated relationship manager available 24/7

Bulgaria calls Omani claim over bank collapse ‘groundless’

Oman’s State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) has taken Bulgaria to arbitration at the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes

Sheikh Mohammed says UAE to be a ‘beacon of stability’ in Middle East

The UAE will look towards realising the goals of its Vision 2021, the Dubai ruler said

Higher net interest income helps Emirates NBD’s Q3 net profit rise 7%

The lender made a net profit of Dhs 1.67bn ($454.71m) in the three months to Sept. 30, compared to Dhs 1.56bn in the same period in 2014

Planned stock market listings in Abu Dhabi held back by conditions

Low oil prices and regional turmoil are keeping volumes low on Abu Dhabi’s stock market

Oman, Japan to form $400m fund to invest in food sector

The fund will facilitate direct investment in GCC states by Japanese food and agribusiness firms

UAE cabinet approves slightly smaller federal budget for 2016

Next year’s budget has been set at Dhs 48.56bn with a zero deficit

Oil at $80 seen as ideal in next phase -UAE economy minister

The minister said the world could not afford to let oil stay at its current level, which is roughly $50 a barrel for Brent crude

UAE SMEs lower growth outlook as economy slows

Small and medium enterprises have reported difficulties in collecting payments and raising finance, both signs of tightening liquidity

Dubai’s Mashreq Q3 net profit slips 7.6% as fee incomes fall

A rise in expenses meant net fee and commission income dropped by 4 per cent in the third quarter

Abu Dhabi’s new financial freezone begins operations

Abu Dhabi Global Market will initially focus on sectors such as wealth management, asset management and private banking

Revealed: Top 10 countries with the most number of millionaires

The United States tops the list while the UAE and Saudi Arabia feature among the top 15

Saudi Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding reports 10% increase in Q3 net profit

Kingdom Holding made a net profit of SAR 291.55m in the third quarter of 2015, up from SAR 265m in the same period a year earlier

Saudis looking at wide range of fiscal reforms -IMF official

The IMF estimates Riyadh faces a record budget deficit of well over $100bn this year, amounting to 21.6 per cent of gross domestic product

PineBridge Investments to close Middle East business -sources

The company’s Middle East headquarters in Bahrain will close and a process is underway to wind down the business, the sources said

Saudi CMA may relax investor rules to join world indices

Limitations on market access are frowned upon by index compliers such as MSCI and FTSE, whose indices are tracked by trillions of dollars of institutional wealth globally

Almost 70% of UAE customers trust their banks

The UAE’s banking customers are five times more likely to say that their view of their banks has improved rather than worsened in the last six months

UAE to see 62% rise in number of millionaires by 2020 – Credit Suisse

The number of millionaires in the country is expected to increase from 59,000 in 2015 to 96,000 by 2020

Qatar’s Ezdan Holding closes $500m 5-year Islamic loan – arranger

The amount was more than 2.5 times covered by contributions from banks

Saudi Aramco says fraud foiled between trading unit and India’s ONGC

Cyber criminals had duped Aramco into making a payment for an order of naphtha from ONGC into their own bank account

UAE bank ADCB meets estimates with 18.3% Q3 net profit gain

The lender’s earnings were boosted by an 10 per cent year on year gain in net interest income, made from traditional banking operations

Saudi’s SABIC eyes joint-ventures in China, U.S.

SABIC could make an announcement regarding the potential joint ventures in the first quarter of 2016, a senior official said

Middle East banks facing rare domestic currency drought

With oil prices, governments are having to shore up their finances by borrowing in the capital markets and investing less money in their banking systems

Saudi bourse regulator tightens curbs on anonymous investors

The Capital Market Authority told licensed brokers that they would have to open an account in the name of each client rather than using the name of the broker or someone else