Qatari Fund Buys UK’s Heritage Oil For $1.6bn

Heritage said that it was recommending a 320 pence per share cash offer, which represented a 25 per cent premium to its closing price the day before the approach was announced.

Exclusive: Wealthy Russians Seek Second Citizenship To Beat Western Sanctions

Second citizenship expert says he has seen a significant jump in interest from Russian millionaires in the last month.

Middle East Funds Become More Cautious On UAE -Survey

The April survey marks the first time since last September that the ratio of managers who are bearish on UAE equities exceeds the ratio of bullish ones.

Bahrain, Russia Sign Investment Deal Amid Western Sanctions

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said it had signed a deal with Bahraini sovereign wealth fund to identify and work together on investment opportunities in their countries.

Abu Dhabi’s TAQA To Price $750m 10-Yr Bond Tues

The transaction was formally launched to price at 115 basis points over midswaps, a document from the lead banks said.

Middle East Defence Spending To Reach $920bn By 2020

Around $27 billion will be injected into the Gulf economy through defence deals by 2020, new research says.

Dubai’s MAF Tightens Pricing Ahead Of $500m Bond Sale

High demand for the offering has helped MAF reduce the prospective cost of its borrowing.

Two Senior Bankers Leaving UAE Lender NBAD – Sources

NBAD, 70 per cent owned by the Abu Dhabi government, has been realigning its business under new chief executive Alex Thursby, who took charge last summer.

Wealthy Middle Easterners Make Up 60% of Second Citizenship Applicants

Europe was the most popular location for second citizenship applicants, due to its proximity to the Middle East, as well as security and investment benefits.

Oman Cement Q1 Net Profit Falls 47%

The company’s net profit fell to 3.70 million rials ($9.61 million) in the first quarter of the year compared to 6.94 million rials in the same period of 2013.

RAK Ceramics Says Major Shareholder To Sell 30.6% Stake

Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al-Qasimi, a member of the ruling family of Ras Al Khaimah, has agreed to sell 250 million shares in the company, a bourse statement said.

Commercial Bank Of Qatar Q1 Net Profit Rises 8%

The bank earned a net profit of 548 million riyals ($150.5 million) for the opening three months of 2014.

MSCI To Cut Weights Of Some Qatar, UAE Stocks

The document said the weightings of eight stocks would be reduced “as they may pose accessibility issues to international institutional investors”.

UAE Lender NBAD Warns Over Falling Margins As It Posts Flat Profit

NBAD’s chief executive said fierce competition combined with global interest rate pressure was starting to drive down the profitability of lending.

Emaar May List Malls Unit On Dubai Financial Market -Sources

Company officials previously said there might be a dual listing on Nasdaq Dubai, the smaller of the emirate’s two exchanges, and London.

Etihad Airways Urges Speedy Restructuring Of Air Berlin

The German airline had said last month it was in talks over certain options that prompted speculation that Etihad could gain more control over the carrier.

UAE Lender NBAD Q1 Net Profit Flat, Beats Estimates

The bank posted net profit of Dhs1.41 billion ($383.9 million) in the first three months of 2014.

HSBC’s Oman Unit Posts 46% Q1 Profit Slump

The bank made a net profit of 3.1 million rials ($8.1 million) in the opening three months of 2014, compared to 5.7 million rials in the same period of 2013.

UK’s Gabbitas To Create Four New British Schools In Dubai

The agreement with Indian businessman Mohan Valrani will see the creation of two primary schools and two secondary schools.

Kuwait Issues New Rules For Increasing Company Stakes

At present, investors wishing to raise their stake in a firm to more than 30 per cent must offer to buy all of its shares under the same price and conditions.

Abu Dhabi Government Fund Backing Etisalat’s Maroc Tel Buy – Sources

The fund is most likely to be Mubadala, sources said, given that it already has telecommunications assets and an existing partnership with Etisalat in Africa.

UAE Regulator Cuts Minimum Sukuk Size, Eases Securities Borrowing

The changes are part of plans to introduce at least two new rules covering the stock exchanges every year, a top official said.

Aramex Records 14% Net Profit Increase In Q1

The company’s revenue for the quarter also rose 6 per cent year-on-year.

Middle East Urged To Do More To Fight Financial Crime

The implementation of measures against financial crime is of growing importance in the region, a new KPMG survey says.

Qatar’s Nakilat Q1 Profit Rises 17%

The firm made a profit of 206.3 million riyals ($56.66 million) in the three months to March 31.

First Dubai IPO In Five Years Sees Surge Of Interest As Economy Booms

Investors subscribed Dhs10 billion ($2.7 billion) to the fixed offer of 275 million shares in Marka , which were priced at Dhs1 each.

Arab Banks See Middle East Opportunities As Some Global Banks Scale Back

Arab bankers said they expect to see global banks moving increasingly to sell Middle East retail units or merge subsidiaries with other banks.

ENBD Needs To See More Dubai World Progress To Reclassify Exposure

Emirates NBD is Dubai World’s biggest creditor with an exposure of more than Dhs9 billion($2.5 billion), against which it has set aside provisions of five per cent

Kuwait Finance House CEO Steps Down – Sources

Mohammed al-Omar’s resignation as CEO is linked to wider management changes at KFH, one of the sources said.

Dubai’s Emirates NBD Q1 Net Profit Jumps 25%

The lender made a net profit of Dhs1.04 billion ($283.7 million) in the three months to March 31, a statement from the bank said.