Etihad Toughens Stance On Alitalia Deal But Talks Continue-Sources

The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has been looking at Alitalia’s books for a possible investment since the start of the year.

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala 2013 Profit Jumps On Financial Investments

Mubadala, which has stakes in GE and private equity firm Carlyle, saw net profit tripling over the last year.

Saudi Retailer Jarir Says Board Recommends SAR1.83 Q1 Dividend

The figure is slightly higher than the SAR1.60 per share that the firm paid in the corresponding period of 2013

Bahrain’s Ahli United Bank Considers Sale Or Merger

The deal, estimated to be worth $5 billion, would be the largest banking transaction in the region for the past 20 years.

Qatar Islamic Bank Posts 15% Q1 Net Profit Increase

The bank made a net profit of $92 million in the opening three months of 2014.

HSBC Bank Oman Says Agrees Indian Business Sale To Qatar’s Doha Bank

The deal is due to be completed in the second half of 2014, a statement said.

Oman’s Bank Muscat Q1 Net Profit Jumps 59%

The bank made a quarterly profit of 39.76 million rials ($103.3 million) in the three months to March 31.

Coca-Cola Sales Beat Estimates As China Volumes Soar

Global case volumes rose two per cent in the quarter while those in China rose 12 per cent, the company said.

Dubai’s Takaful Emarat Expects To Post Q1 Profit

The company’s past financial statements show it last reported a quarterly profit in the first quarter of 2009.

Dubai’s IMG Theme Park Gets $327m Islamic Loan

Proceeds will be used to expand the $1 billion Worlds of Adventure theme park.

Saudi Samba Financial Group Q1 Profit Up 7%

The bank attributed the profit rise to a drop in operating expenses.

Saudi Miner Ma’aden Q1 Profit Falls 48% As Metal Prices Drop

Ma’aden made a profit of 125.2 million riyals ($33.4 million) in the three months to March 31.

Saudi Banks Urged To Be Less Conservative

A conservative approach to lending has hampered the growth of the Kingdom’s banks, according to a new report.

Kuwait’s Gulf Bank Q1 Net Profit Climbs 10%

The country’s fourth-largest lender by assets said net profit for the first quarter was $31.1 million.

Saudi’s Yansab Q1 Net Profit Drops 16.7% On Lower Prices

Yansab said the profit fall was due to lower prices and higher sales and maintenance costs.

New UAE Law To Award 10% Of Government Contracts To SMEs

The law is expected to be enacted within three months or less, the UAE economy minister said.

Europe’s Top Banks Cut 80,000 More Staff In Post-Crisis Overhaul

Banks across the globe have shrunk radically since the 2008 collapse of U.S. bank Lehman Brothers sparked the financial crisis.

Qatar Lender CBQ Foreign Ownership Limit Upped To 25%

The bank did not state what its previous cap was but official data showed foreign investors owned 15.21 per cent at the end of Sunday.

Saudi Bourse Changes Closing Price Calculation For Shares

In future, the closing price will be the average of all trades in the final 15 minutes, weighted by the volume traded at each price.

Jobseekers On The Rise In The UAE As Hiring Increases

The number of job vacancies saw a two per cent year-on-year growth in March while jobseekers rose seven per cent, says a new survey.

Dubai’s Shuaa Capital Q1 Net Profit Dhs8.2m Vs Net Loss

The firm attributed higher revenues to a strong recovery in the capital markets and a pick-up in the local market for IPOs.

Saudi’s Al Rajhi Bank Q1 Net Profit Slips 16.9%

The bank made SAR1.71 billion ($456 million) in the three months ended March 31.

National Bank Of Kuwait Q1 Net Profit Up 3.2%

Net profit was KD83.9 million in the three months to the end of March.

Customer Service “Biggest” Challenge For UAE Banks – Senior Official

Lenders hurting themselves by cold-calling customers, says head of Retail Banking at Emirates NBD.

Silicon Valley Firm Joins Dubai’s Innovation 360 To Launch $100m Start-Up Fund

Fenox Venture Capital firm has inked a partnership with Innovation 360, a Dubai-based innovation consultancy to invest in start-ups in the region.

Mubadala Hires Six Banks For Eurobond Issue

Mubadala was last in the market in April 2011 through a $1.5 billion five-and 10-year trade.

Saudi Arabia’s NCB Names Advisers For Share Sale

NCB chairman Mansour al-Maiman said earlier this week that the bank was preparing to list its shares on the Saudi stock exchange this year.

Qatar National Bank Q1 Net Profit Rises 13.7%

The lender’s profit was boosted by strong loan growth related to extensive construction spending in Qatar.

Second-In-Line To Saudi Throne Denounces Banks -Media

There were no indications that the comments by deputy crown prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz would be followed by any concrete policies against banks in Saudi Arabia.

UAE Named World’s Largest Foreign Aid Donor In 2013

The UAE’s official development assistance amounted to $5.2 billion in 2013, up 375 per cent from 2012.