Qatar Bank Al Khaliji Gets Shareholder Assent For Up To $1.75bn Bond Sale

Bond issuance from Qatari borrowers has been rare in the last 18 months.

UAE’s First Gulf Bank Sees 9-11% Loan Growth In 2015

FGB, the third-largest lender in the UAE by assets, reported a 13 per cent rise in Q4 net profit in January.

Qatar Investment Slowing As Oil Slumps – Investment House CEO

A proposal by Qatar’s Investment House for a QAR750 million IPO of an agricultural firm has been shelved by regulators.

Bahrain’s GFH Plans $230m Sukuk Issue In 2015 To Fund Acquisitions

The bank is borrowing from financial markets again as it recovers from a debt restructuring.

Saudi Regulator Suspends Mobily Shares After 2014 Results Revision

Mobily on Wednesday said it had swung to a full-year loss in 2014, according to audited results.

Gulf Economies Have Failed To Diversify, Qatar Central Banker Says

GCC economies should rethink their monetary policies and the long-term sustainability of their currency pegs to the U.S. dollar, he said.

Bahrain Central Bank Chief: Lending To Pick Up After Slump

The plunge in oil prices is not hurting liquidity in the banking system, Rasheed al-Maraj said.

Kuwait’s Burgan Bank Q4 Net Profit Jumps

The lender reported a 424 per cent rise in fourth-quarter net profit.

Saudi Fransi Capital CEO Resigns – Source

Yasir al-Rumayyan resigned from the bank last week after heading the business since the start of 2011.

UAE’s RAKBANK Will Raise $300m Through 2019 Bond Tap

Order books for the bond tap have crossed $500 million, as per the document.

Stock News: Gulf Markets Stall As Oil Gives Up Gains

Dubai’s stock index fell 0.8 per cent as most stocks declined.

Qatar Islamic Bank Approves Up To $1.37bn Tier-1 Sukuk Issuance

The sale would be in accordance with Basel III banking rules and the final amount and currency of the offering would be decided by the board at a later date.

Dubai Marina Blaze Pushes Case For Home Insurance In The UAE

The UAE has an extremely low home insurance penetration rate with just six per cent of the population insured against emergencies, experts say.

Dubai Refiner ENOC Hires M&A Team, Close To $1.5 bn Loan -Sources

The state-owned company might use some of the proceeds from a $1.5 billion long-term loan for its expansion plans.

Bahrain’s Al Baraka Says Q4 Net Income Up 12.5%

The bank made a net attributable profit of $36 million for the last quarter of 2014.

Bahrain’s Batelco Names Hinnawi Acting CEO After Whelan Departure

Ihab Hinnawi had been chief executive of Jordan’s Umniah, an operator which is 96 per cent owned by Batelco.

Cheap Oil Cuts Kuwait Nine-Month Budget Surplus 26% – NBK

If Brent crude stays at its current level of around $60 a barrel in the coming year, some believe Kuwait could run a budget deficit.

Kuwait’s KIPCO Q4 Net Profit Gains 2%, Raises Cash Dividend

Net profit in the three months to Dec. 31 was KD14.3 million.

Emirates Hires Banks For UK-Guaranteed Sukuk Of Up To $1bn

Sources said the deal could close by the end of the first quarter.

Kuwait’s Investment Dar Confident About Debt-For-Assets Deal

Its original debt deal was signed in 2011 and covered around KD1 billion.

Oman’s Bank Nizwa Aims For 2015 Merger With United Finance Co

The potential deal is the latest sign of consolidation after the start of merger talks in 2013 between Bank Dhofar and Bank Sohar.

ADCB To Meet Investors From Monday For Potential USD Bond

Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) will meet investors in Europe, it said.

Dubai’s Arqaam Capital Sounds Out Advisers Ahead Of Flotation

Arqaam has offices in five countries in the MEA and offers brokerage, asset management and corporate finance advisory services.

Stock News: Saudi Arabia Down, Egypt Firms As Oil Slides

Brent oil traded below $59 per barrel as U.S. crude inventories were expected to hit record highs.

Orascom Construction To Raise Up To $241m In Egypt Share Offer

The company plans to offer up to 15.8 million new shares representing 15 per cent of its ordinary share capital.

Qatar’s Nakilat Q4 Profit Rises 14%

Nakilat made a profit of QAR201.6 million in the last quarter of 2014, up from QAR176.5 million a year earlier.

Saudi Aramco Seeks $10bn Loan From Banks – Sources

Sources said the loan would be structured as a revolving credit facility, giving Aramco flexibility to opt when it wants to withdraw cash.

Falling Oil Prices Will Not Affect UAE Banks’ Growth- ENBD CEO

Banks in the UAE are much stronger than they were during the financial crash of 2008, the chief executive of Dubai’s largest lender said.

Majority Of GCC Workers To Change Jobs Over Low Pay Rises In 2015

The majority of employees expect a pay rise of five per cent while only a fraction of employers are set to award that level of increase this year.

Oman’s Bank Dhofar Working With Two Advisers On Capital Plans

The lender said last month that it was mulling options for raising up to $300 million of capital at the earliest opportunity.