GCC Has 61 Private Banks – New Report

Almost half of them – 31 – are international banks, all located in Dubai, says study by Insight discovery.

ADCB To Price $500m Floating Rate Note

The transaction will price at 130 basis points over the three-month London interbank offered rate.

Dubai’s GEMS Sets Initial Price On Hybrid Sukuk

GEMS has hired Morgan Stanley Inc, Credit Suisse and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank to arrange the sale.

Leeds United Chairman Buys 5.7% Of Gulf Finance House

Salah Nooruddin will join GFH’s board of directors following the stake acquisition.

UAE Markets Vulnerable After Dive By Dubai

Abu Dhabi’s stocks dropped by 0.9 per cent on Monday but Dubai fell 2.8 per cent.

Twitter Shares Found Suitable For Islamic Investment

The social media company’s share price soared in last week’s New York Stock Exchange debut after a $1.8 billion initial public offer.

Qatar’s Business Optimism Highest In Three Years

Qatar’s high business optimism rates show that economic diversification is gaining pace.

Dubai Islamic Bank Posts 33.5% Profit Increase

The bank made Dhs1.2 billion in the nine months to September 30 up from Dhs899 million in the corresponding period last year.

UAE’s Ajman Bank Rehires Amiri As CEO

Amiri, who quit just seven months ago, replaces Mohammad Zaqout who was fired in October.

Different Arab money

Demand For Global Islamic Pension Funds Worth $190bn

Shari’a complaint pension funds are on the rise as people switch from conventional to Islamic banking.

Veteran Gulf Banker Plans Investment Bank In Dubai

Emad Mansour was recently the chief executive of Doha-based Qatar First Bank.

Islamic Capital Markets To Provide Major Stimulus For Economic Growth

Rising international demand for infrastructure and investment project financing is likely to stimulate growth in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Etisalat In $400m Loan Tussle With Stan Chart, Citigroup

Standard Chartered has around $300 million exposure on the loan, while Citi has the rest.

Qatari Fund Invests In BlackBerry Debt Offer

The smartphone maker abandoned plans on Monday to sell itself sparking a 16 per cent drop in its share price.

Emirates Investment Bank Reports 111% Q3 Profit Rise

The bank also reported a year to date net profit rise of 33 per cent on the same nine-month period last year.

Revealed: Top 5 Companies In Saudi Arabia 2013

The biggest businesses in the Kingdom, valued by market capital.

Investcorp Buys $250m Worth Of U.S. Real Estate Assets

The Bahrain company bought high-end offices and retail space in greater Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York.

Dubai Financial Market Swings To Q3 Profit

DFM made a net profit of Dhs82.8 million in the three months to September 30, compared with a net loss of Dhs1.7 million in the same period in 2012.

Companies Waste 17 Hours Weekly Creating HR Reports

The study found that organisations are wasting time in delivering reports owing to a geographically diverse workforce.

UAE Banks To Get 5 Years To Obey Exposure Rules

The UAE central bank plans to restrict the amount of exposure banks can have to the debt of government-related entities.

UAE’s Smartphone Usage Drives Mobile Retail Growth

With the number of UAE smartphone users on the rise, opportunities for mobile retail is growing.

Damac Announces $500m London Share Listing

Citigroup and Deutsche Bank are joint bookrunners for the offering.

IDB To Launch $10bn Islamic Bond Programme In Dubai

Dubai’s exchanges have so far listed $12.5 billion of sukuk and the total is expected to reach $16 billion by year-end.

NBAD Eyes Emerging Markets For Growth – CEO

The UAE lender plans to set up eight banking hubs in major cities and five franchises in key markets.

Morgan Stanley Sees Worst Over For Middle East Banking

The American bank is targeting clients looking for advice on complex transactions that require global expertise

UAE Expats Feel The Pinch Of Rising Cost Of Living

UAE expats have one of the lowest levels of disposable income in the world despite higher salaries.

Mashreq Predicts Smart Banking Retail Boom

UAE bank predicts a boom in the retail sector next year through smart banking initiatives.

S&P Dow Jones To Upgrade UAE, Qatar To Emerging Market Status

The UAE’s current foreign ownership limit of 49 per cent is satisfactory and there is an expectation that it will be relaxed in coming years.

Qatar Fund Builds Small Stakes In BofA, Samsung

The fund has a stake worth about $1 billion in Bank of America, while its Samsung stake is worth between $200-$300 million.

Mashreq Posts 34% Profit Rise

The lender reported profit of Dhs1.3 billion for the first three quarters compared to Dhs970 million in the same period last year.