Swiss IT Firm Nexthink Gets $14.5m Funding From Qatar’s Al Mannai

The company is looking to expand its presence in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Gulf Countries Pledge Over $39m To Global Vaccine Fund

Saudi Arabia and Qatar were the biggest contributors, committing $25 million and $10 million respectively to Gavi Alliance.

Vodafone Qatar Q3 Net Loss Widens

Vodafone made a net loss of 68.8 million riyals ($18.9 million) in the last quarter of 2014.

National Bank Of Oman Proposes 17% Cash Dividend, 10% Bonus Shares

NBO, earlier in January, posted a 29 per cent rise in fourth-quarter net profit, beating estimates.

Bank Muscat To Pay 25% Cash Dividend, 15% In Bonds, 5% Bonus Shares

The bonus shares will be paid out in the proportion of one share for every 20 ordinary shares held, the lender said.

Ooredoo Oman Q4 Profit Falls 17%

The firm made a net profit of OMR8.3 million ($21.6 million) in the last quarter of 2014.

Kuwait Cuts Diesel Fuel Prices After Political Pressure

State news agency KUNA estimated that diesel price reform would save the government around $1 billion a year.

Gourmet Date Company Bateel Agrees L Capital Asia Partnership

The deal is the first completed by L Capital Asia in the Middle East, a statement said.

Bahraini Bank BBK Plans Bond Issue To Refinance Maturing $500m Debt

The offering by the bank will have a lifespan of between five and seven years.

UAE Bank FGB Q4 Net Profit Rises 13%, Beats Analyst Forecasts

The bank made a net profit of Dhs1.55 billion ($422 million) for the last quarter of 2014.

UAE’s NBAD CEO Declines Comment On Citigroup’s Egypt Consumer Unit

The lender was one of 10 bidders for the business put up for sale by the U.S. bank in October, a source told Reuters earlier this month.

UAE Lender NBAD Beats Forecasts With 28% Q4 Net Profit Rise

NBAD made a net profit of Dhs1.372 billion ($373 million) in the last quarter of 2014.

Qatari-Led Group Wins $4bn Battle For Canary Wharf

Songbird said it still thought the offer undervalued the company but with no rival offer forthcoming it recommended its shareholders to accept the deal.

Sharjah Ruler Approves Largest Budget, Hikes Spending By 12%

The 2015 budget will also provide job opportunities to 1,000 Emiratis, a finance department official said.

Oman Bank Dhofar Proposes 10% Cash, 10% Bonus Share Dividend

The bank’s proposed 2014 dividend is equivalent to $0.03 per share in cash and one free share for every 10 a shareholder owns.

Saudi’s Samba Proposes SAR8bn Bonus Share Issue To Raise Capital

The lender will increase its capital to SAR20 billion from retained earnings by issuing two shares for every three shares held.

Kuwait’s Gulf Bank Q4 Net Profit Climbs 10.7%, Proposes Stock Dividend

Net profit for the three months to the end of December was 8.97 million dinars ($30.4 million), compared to 8.1 million dinars in the year-earlier period.

Zain Saudi Gets Regulator Nod For Second Capital Cut

The company has yet to make a quarterly profit since launching service in 2008.

UAE Fund ADFG Targets $100m Finance Buyout By June – CEO

It would be the third purchase by the privately-owned investment firm in the non-banking financial services sector in recent months.

Abu Dhabi Bank UNB Posts 42% Q4 Net Profit Gain; Hikes Dividend

The bank reported a net profit of Dhs436 million ($118.7 million) in the last quarter of 2014.

UAE’s Majid Al Futtaim Reports Pre-Tax Profit Growth Of 10% In 2014

The retail group said that it aims to double the size of its business within the next five years.

Gourmet Date Company Bateel To Sell Minority Stake – Sources

A stake of between 20 per cent and 40 per cent could be sold, according to three sources with knowledge of the sale.

Dubai-Luxembourg Firm Launches Islamic Factoring For SMEs

Tawreeq Holdings developed the concept over the past year and a half, aiming to give smaller firms a funding alternative to bank loans.

Saudi Arabia Still On Track To Open Stock Market In H1 – CMA

The regulator is expected to issue a final version of regulations covering the opening “very soon”.

Kuwait Slashes Spending Plan, Sees Big Deficit In 2015/16 Budget

The draft budget for the year starting in April envisages spending of KD19.07 billion, down by 17.8 per cent.

Emaar Properties Targets Q2 For $270m Egypt Unit Float

Emaar Misr has a portfolio of investments in Egypt worth around 53 billion pounds.

Qatar’s Masraf Al Rayan Q4 Net Profit Up, Hikes Dividend

Masraf Al Rayan said its net profit for 2014 was QAR2 billion, up 17.6 per cent year-on-year.

Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Gets Nod To Buy 100m More Shares In Arabtec

Should it buy the permitted number of shares, Aabar’s stake would rise to 37.27 per cent.

NMC Health Planning To Dual-List In Abu Dhabi This Year

Three Abu Dhabi firms have listed in London since 2013: Al Noor Hospitals, Gulf Marine Services and NMC Health.

Abu Dhabi Bourse CEO Says Most London-Listed Local Firms Agree Dual-Listing

Three Abu Dhabi firms have listed in London since 2013: Al Noor Hospitals, Gulf Marine Services and NMC Health.