Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala reports 2021 as strongest financial year ever

Mubadala invested Dhs125bn in 2021 in high-growth sectors including technology, life sciences and consumer goods

Oman posts $927m quarterly surplus after oil prices rose

The Finance Ministry expects the economy to grow 5.6 per cent in 2022, in line with IMF predictions

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ announces EUR4bn investment partnership with Greece

The agreement underscores growing economic ties between the two countries and will drive investor interest in Greece

Debt management office

Government of Dubai establishes a debt management office

Rashid Ali bin Obood Al-Falasi has been appointed as the chief executive officer of the debt management office

UAE Central Bank

UAE Central Bank raises base rate by 50 basis points

The base rate suggests the general stance of the Central Bank’s monetary policy

Bitcoin

Bitcoin tests $39,000 in push toward high end of trading range

Crypto assets have all been weighed down as the Federal Reserve and other global central banks raise interest rates

Standard Chartered AME Q1 2022 150303326

Standard Chartered reports record Q1 performance in MEA region

The bank saw operating profit rise by 59 per cent in the region, with operating profit for a single quarter crossing $300m for the first time in nearly a decade

ADDED Abu-Dhabi_

Abu Dhabi’s ADDED introduces easy payment plan for business owners

The agreement signed between ADDED and FAB, ADCB, CBD and ADIB will help credit card holders pay the charges for ADDED’s services in installments

Century Financial

Investment firm Century Financial acquires Category 1 SCA licence

The new licence recognises Century Financial as a trading broker of OTC derivatives and currencies in the spot market

The SME Story: Mark Zubov, founder and CFO of Iman

Iman offers a halal book-now-pay-later solution to retailers

Kuwait

Kuwait seeks to invest $750m in Pakistan projects

Kuwait Investment Authority’s Enertech Holding Co. and Pakistan Kuwait Investment Company have applied for a digital bank license and proposed a hydrogen plant and two smart cities

Nasdaq Dubai

Islamic Development Bank lists $1.6bn sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai

The new listing brings the total value of Sukuk listed in Dubai to $77.5bn

Dubai Financial Market

Dubai Financial Market Company posts 17% rise in net profit for Q1 2022

The company’s total consolidated revenue surged by 7 per cent to total Dhs78.6m in Q1 of 2022 compared to Dhs73.4m during the first quarter of last year

Gold - world Gold Council Q1 2022

Gold remains resilient despite heightened global uncertainty: WGC

The WGC report revealed net buying by central banks more than doubled from the previous quarter, adding over 84t to official gold reserves during Q1 2022

FAB

Q1 2022: First Abu Dhabi Bank reports highest ever quarterly net profit

The lender’s quarterly group net profit, equalling Dhs5.1bn, rose 107 per cent year-on-year from Dhs2.5bn recorded in Q1 2021

Dubai Islamic Bank

Dubai Islamic Bank posts 58% rise in net profit for Q1 2022

The bank’s total income reached Dhs3.01bn, recording growth of 6 per cent year-on-year compared to Dhs2.84bn achieved in Q1 2021

KFC Operator

Middle East KFC operator picks banks for dual listing

Americana operates restaurants for brands including Baskin Robbins, Costa Coffee and TGI Fridays as well as KFC and Pizza Hut, according to its website

National Bank of Fujairah

National Bank of Fujairah posts 43.7% rise in net profit for Q1 2022

The bank’s operating income for Q1 2022 reached Dhs412.8m, up 14.6 per cent compared to compared to Dhs360.2m recorded during a year-earlier period

New Takaful provider

Dubai, Abu Dhabi companies to merge to create new Takaful provider

The merged company would benefit from cross-selling opportunities via increased geographic footprint and via capitalising on larger underwriting capacity

Agtech Red Sea farms

Agtech Red Sea Farms completes $18.5m fund raise

The agtech company will use the funds for its global and regional expansion plans, including the expansion of its fresh produce business in the GCC

ADCB Q1 2022 earnings

ADCB reports 32% rise in net profit to Dhs1.48bn for Q1 2022

ADCB reported that its Hayyak onboarding app registered a record number of around 57,000 new customers in a single quarter

Oman to split sovereign wealth fund into two portfolios

The country posted a budget surplus of $545m in the first two months of this year

Jubail Island ADIB financing

ADIB signs off Dhs500m Sharia’a-compliant deal to develop Jubail Island

The funding will cover the construction of up to 453 villas and 133 townhouses as part of the Phase 1 development of Jubail Island

Stripe

Stripe teams up with Twitter in renewed crypto payments push

The company processed $640bn in payments in 2021

Kraken joins ADGM

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken joins ADGM’s virtual assets community

Kraken has received a Financial Services Permission license to operate a regulated virtual asset exchange platform in ADGM

Digital wallet

Careem Pay launches peer-to-peer transfer facility and digital wallet in the UAE

It will soon issue Careem cards that can be used at ATMs and merchants, and will also introduce international remittance solutions

Emirates NBD

Dubai’s Emirates NBD reports 18% rise in net profit for Q1 2022

Total income increased 3 per cent year-on-year to Dhs6.4bn

DIFC-based Tarabut gateway

DIFC-based fintech Tarabut Gateway receives DFSA licence

This licence marks the first time the DFSA has authorised a firm to provide account information services and payment initiation services activities

UAE Central Bank launches two new banknotes

The new banknotes are the third issue of the national currency

UAE money laundering prosecution office

UAE to launch domestic dirhams Treasury Bonds worth Dhs1.5bn

The securities will be auctioned and traded through Bloomberg’s Auction System and settled through a local platform