Middle East Online Job Postings Rise 13% In December

Job openings in the banking, financial services and insurance industry grew 42 per cent year-on-year in December, recording the highest growth among industries in 2013.

Bank Muscat Meets Q4 Forecasts With 42% Profit Hike

Results were boosted by the $38.8 million payout from insurers after the bank was the victim of a major cyber fraud case.

Islamic Banking Evolves

Sharia-compliant lenders are growing but non-core assets will become less visible.

Qatar’s QNB Q4 Profit Up 13.7%

The bank reported a net profit of 2.4 billion riyals ($659 million) for the final three months of 2013.

Hong Kong Exchange CEO: “We Are Not Ready For China’s Boom”

Dr Li Xiaojia urges Hong Kong to boost its capabilities before it loses out to other international finance centres.

Saudi Arabia Replaces Public Sector Expat Workers

All jobs previously occupied by expats will be considered vacant until qualified Saudi citizens can fill them, the ministry said.

Abu Dhabi’s Inflation Rate Rises 1.3% In 2013

Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for the largest rise in the emirate’s consumer price index, rising 25.9 per cent last year.

Qatar Central Bank To Sell $6.6bn In Bonds, Sukuk

The conventional bonds will be worth QAR13 billion, while the rest of the issuance will be in the form of sukuk.

Saudi’s Yansab Q4 Profit Drops 31% On Plant Shutdown

The firm made a net profit of $117.9 million in the three-month period to December 31.

Dubai Debt Deal Imminent – Bankers

The emirate was one of the first issuers from the Gulf in 2013 with a dual tranche 10-year sukuk and 30-year conventional note.

Dubai’s Shuaa Swings To 2013 Net Profit Of Dhs2.8m

The investment bank’s annual net profit increased by Dhs62 million from a net loss of Dhs59 million in 2012.

Saudi British Bank Q4 Net Profit Jumps 20%, Beating Forecasts

SABB attributed its profit rise to higher operating income.

Gulf Markets Seen Steady Following Early-Year Surge

Markets in the United Arab Emirates are closed on Sunday for a religious holiday.

EFG Hermes Approves $144m Share Buyback Plan

The Egyptian bank’s shares rose almost 10 per cent after the announcement of the plan.

Saudi Hollandi Bank Q4 Net Profit 347.3m Riyals

The bank’s net profit for the quarter was boosted by a 22 per cent jump in total operating income to 671.1 million riyals.

Emirate Of Sharjah Raises Profile With Sovereign Credit Rating

Moody’s assigned an A3 government bond rating to the Sharjah government on Wednesday, while Standard & Poor’s rated it A.

Saudi’s Riyad Bank Posts 27.2% Q4 Net Profit Jump

Saudi Arabia’s third-largest lender by assets saw Q4 profit grow as income rose and expenses declined.

Oman’s Household Income Rises 83.9% In A Decade

The Muscat governorate recorded the highest average household income of $3,789 per month.

Hiring For Expo 2020 To Begin By 2016

Construction, banking, travel and hospitality are sectors that will witness a rise in hiring activity.

S&P Assigns Sharjah Sovereign Credit Rating Of ‘A’

The rating is supported by the government’s limited fiscal risks and low government debt.

Investors Switch To Kuwait, Oman As UAE Weakens

The Dubai index is developing a negative 14-week momentum divergence.

Emiratis Can Earn More In Private Sector – Al Mulla

Private sector can provide Emiratis more exposure and experience in their careers, says a top government official.

Noor Islamic Bank Rebrands, Removes Islamic From Name

The bank will continue to offer shari’a compliant products, but hopes to widen its appeal to customers.

UAE’s Credit Bureau To Start Operating In Q1 – CEO

The bureau hopes to complete agreements with banks to provide credit information and create an electronic database by the end of January.

Middle East Salaries To Rise 3.8% In 2014

Newly hired finance professionals are expected to see the largest salary hike at five per cent.

Emaar To Redeem $237m Convertible Bond On Feb 6

Shares of Emaar climbed 103.7 per cent last year, helped by returning confidence in Dubai’s real estate sector.

Qatar’s Doha Insurance Plans $120m Rights Issue

The insurer has received regulatory approval for the issuance of 24,260,000 new shares.

56% UAE Employees Are Unhappy With Their Salaries

Almost 56 per cent of those polled said that the best salary package in the UAE was offered in the oil and gas industry.

EFG International To Buy Falcon’s Hong Kong Activities

Falcon said it was leaving Hong Kong in favour of concentrating on the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Kuwait Six-Month Budget Surplus Down 15% As Spending Jumps

Spending soared over 50 per cent, partly thanks to increased outlays on public sector wages.