How to choose the right franchising opportunity in the UAE

Longevity, relevance and economic robustness play a crucial role

Blockchain poised to revolutionise the GCC’s remittance market

MoneyGram CEO Alexander Holmes and chief revenue officer Grant Lines explain the role of emerging technologies in their business

Dubai’s Emirates NBD to roll out banking with Amazon Alexa

Customers will be able to discuss their account details and other banking matters with Alexa

Saudi Aramco is said to pick BofA, Goldman, JPMorgan for top IPO roles

CEO Amin Nasser said earlier Tuesday that Aramco is going to sell shares “very soon”

Kuwait’s Capital Market Authority to start stake sale of bourse next month

Only Kuwaiti citizens will be eligible to buy the shares

Saudi holds talks with kingdom’s richest to anchor Aramco IPO

The kingdom is aiming to raise at least 1 per cent to 2 per cent of Aramco from these investors, according to sources

UAE’s Allied Investment Partners to invest Dhs5bn over the next four years

The company will launch funds that will invest in fixed income, private capital, venture capital, trade finance and infrastructure

Dubai’s Emirates NBD close to hiring banks for $2bn rights sale

The bank last year proposed selling new shares to help fund the acquisition of Turkey’s Denizbank AS

Abu Dhabi’s Aabar bonds plunge on concern over its finances

The company has about $6.4bn of outstanding debt

Dubai’s biggest bank Emirates NBD raises foreign ownership limit

The bank increased the limit to 20 per cent from 5 per cent

Kuwait Petroleum to raise $1bn revolving loan

The loan, a revolving credit facility, comes amid a slowdown in the regional lending market

UAE’s First Abu Dhabi Bank denies Qatar’s allegations

The bank announced in June that it would be closing its sole branch in Qatar

Dubai’s DIFC Courts sees increase in the number of cases in H1 2019

Case volumes and values rose in the first half of the year

Dr B.R. Shetty, Founder and Co-Chairman of Finablr, at the London Stock Exchange[2] copy

UAE’s Finablr posts 9.1% rise in first-half group income

The company raised $400m in an initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange earlier this year

UAE’s FTA launches new e-system to register excise goods

Excise taxable persons have been urged to comply with the new declarations, tax return forms and reporting requirements

Kuwait sovereign fund in portfolio shift on signs of global economic weakness

KIA reportedly made “calculated exits” from investments it felt were vulnerable to a downturn in global financial markets

Global economy worries weigh on GCC stocks

China’s economy stumbled more than expected in July as growth in Europe also slowed

Saudi wealth fund PIF eyes investment in date producer Bateel

Bateel owns date groves in Al Ghat, about 250 km away from Riyadh, and has a chain of cafes and bakeries

Bahrain, Manama, Cityscape view of Bahrain World Trade Center and Bahrain Financial Harbor

Bahrain’s Investcorp posts 5% rise in annual net profit

Investcorp is giving up its wholesale banking license in Bahrain to convert itself into a holding company

Saudi accuses 32 people of spying for Iran

Saudi ‘well positioned’ to face uncertainty in global economy – central bank

A potential rise in Saudi bank rates will also have limited impact on growth, the central bank said

Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund appoints new CEO

Khalid al-Rumaihi replaces Mahmood Alkooheji, who was CEO since Mumtalakat was established in 2006

Global trade war rattles GCC stocks

Tumbling crude oil prices also affected the markets

Banque Saudi Fransi quarterly net profit down 4.4% on Islamic tax provision

The drop came despite a 2.5 per cent rise in operating income

More regulatory oversight needed in the UAE’s capital markets – Daman Investments chairman

The UAE capital markets have suffered “major blows to their corporate governance framework” over the past two years

Abu Dhabi Financial Group and Shuaa Capital complete merger

The Abu Dhabi Financial Group also increased its authorised capital to $692m

MENA fund managers to boost UAE investments, bearish on Saudi

Dubai was one of the worst-performing markets globally last year, but has rebounded with its benchmark index up almost 15 per cent so far

Oman’s National Gas Company terminates CEO

Oman says on track to implement VAT

No date was given for the implementation of the new tax

Dubai lender Emirates NBD to support Denizbank if capital increase needed

Emirates NBD now owns 99.85 per cent of the Turkish lender

Different Arab money

Saudi, UAE, Bahrain cut interest rates after Fed

The Federal Reserve lowered US interest rates for the first time in over a decade

Saudi’s biggest bank NCB posts 24% rise in Q2 profit

The bank reported a net profit of SAR2.69bn in the quarter ended June 30