How the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a shift in the insurance space

A year of transformation has affected both insurers and customers

Saudi’s Mabaat secures SAR9m in seed funding round

Funds will be used to market and enhance the platform

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Capital closes private equity Fund III with commitments of $1.6bn

Fund III raised capital commitments from leading pension plans, endowments, insurance plans, government institutions, family offices and private equity firms

Kuwait asks ministries to cut spending by 10% amid budget gap

The OPEC member posted record $36bn budget deficit in 2020

Shailesh Dash

Dubai investor Shailesh Dash evaluates H1 performance of healthtech, medtech and fintech stocks

Since the beginning of 2021, the changing market narratives have led to higher uncertainty and increased volatility in global equities

How ‘digital’ is the way forward for insurance providers in the UAE

The insurance industry has to adopt a digital customer-centric approach to ensure long-term growth

Cover story: Why Dubai businessman Dariush Soudi is confident about future success

From poverty to tragedy, Soudi has seen it all. Yet he persevered against all odds and now has a remarkable life story to share

Kuwait names Al-Ghunaiman to head $700bn wealth fund

Al-Ghunaiman replaces Farouk Bastaki, who helped to propel the Kuwait Investment Authority to rank among the world’s biggest wealth funds

Bitcoin roars back, putting $100,000 predictions in vogue again

The world’s largest cryptocurrency is staging a comeback that has taken it up more than 50 per cent from recent lows

How technology can play a crucial role in mitigating financial crimes

While financial crimes may be complex and difficult to track, the Effiya Compliance suite ensures that risk assessment is conducted seamlessly, asserts Abhishek Gupta, managing director at Effiya Technologies

Dubai’s DFSA appoints F. Christopher Calabia as new chief

He will succeed Bryan Stirewalt with effect from October 1, 2021

UAE fintech Sarwa closes $15m Series B financing round

Mubadala Investment Company led the round, joined by other investors

Kuwait posts record $36bn deficit on oil price drop, virus

Salaries and subsidies in the 2020-21 fiscal year accounted for 73 per cent of spending

Bitcoin and Ether hit highest since mid-May as sentiment warms

Other tokens like Binance Coin, Cardano, XRP and Dogecoin are also rallying

Kuwait names new wealth fund board after three-month delay

The board always includes the finance and oil ministers, as well as the central bank governor and finance ministry undersecretary

Renewable energy investment rose to a record in first half

Investment in solar projects was up 9 per cent to a record $78.9bn in the first half

Islamic Development Bank, Bloomberg LP launch financial education programme across 9 countries

Participating universities will be announced over the coming months

Saudi wealth fund is said to hire ex-HSBC executive as director

Since 2015, the PIF’s assets under management have risen to $430bn from about $150bn

Buy-now-pay-later provider tabby secures $50m in Series B round

The funding will be used to expand tabby’s product portfolio and launch in new markets

Abu Dhabi’s Ma’an opens applications to its 2021 grants programme

Via the programme, the authority will grant eligible not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises funding of up to Dhs200,000

First Abu Dhabi Bank partners with Al-Futtaim IKEA on home furnishing loans

The programme is run by the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority

Bitcoin drops after posting biggest weekly gain in three months

The declines put Bitcoin back in the top end of a $30,000 to $40,000 trading range

currency dirham money

Those working in Dubai have among the world’s highest take-home salaries

PwC based its results after deducting tax and social security obligations

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi reduces requirements for starting new commercial businesses

It follows the establishment of a task force led by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development which coordinated its efforts with over 20 government entities

HSBC pays dividend after quarterly profit beats estimates

The improved credit outlook prompted the bank to pay an interim dividend of 7 cents a share

Bitcoin rallies past key $40,000 level to highest since mid-May

The cryptocurrency has, this week, risen back above its 50- and 100-day moving averages

Saudi Arabia’s net foreign assets rose in June

The price of Brent crude averaged over $73 a barrel in June

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank net profit at Dhs1.1bn in H1 2021, up 89% y-on-y

Its total revenue grew 3.4 per cent to Dhs2.644bn compared to Dhs2.557bn in H1 2020

Emirates NBD

Dubai’s Emirates NBD reports 17% year-on-year rise in net profit for H1 2021

Total income declined 9 per cent year-on-year to Dhs11.54bn

Manama Bahrain

IMF says Bahrain needs ‘urgent fiscal adjustment’ after virus

The fund projects Bahrain’s economy will grow 3.3 per cent this year