Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala halts business with Goldman Sachs amid 1MDB lawsuit

Mubadala subsidiary IPIC filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs last year in relation to its dealings with Malaysian state fund 1MDB

Saudi firm AHAB files for financial restructuring under new bankruptcy law

Creditors have been pursuing AHAB and Saad Group since they defaulted on about $22bn in combined debt in 2009

Saudi Real Estate Refinance Co issues $200m sukuk

SRC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, aims to accelerate housing construction

UAE inclusion in EU tax blacklist down to poor communication – Al Ghurair

European Union governments adopted a broadened blacklist of tax havens on Tuesday

UAE banks’ loan losses to rise on real estate – Moody’s

Residential property prices in Dubai have been falling since 2014 on high supply and weaker demand

Dubai-based Oman Insurance says blocked from Qatar

Oman Insurance said Qatar’s central bank has rejected its application due to the GCC dispute

Saudi Aramco’s board to meet to approve SABIC bond plan

The deal is expected to involve the purchase of all or nearly all of the 70 per cent stake in SABIC held by the Public Investment Fund

Dubai’s DIFC sees over 1, 220 new jobs, 430 new company registrations in 2018

The total number of active registered companies operating in the centre has reached 2,137

Saudi says no current plans to raise Islamic tax for private sector

A media report suggested that the kingdom was considering raising zakat to 20 per cent from the current 10 per cent

Dubai’s DFSA bars expat from working in DIFC for fraud

The financial relationship manager was accused of producing inaccurate information and making unauthorised investments

UAE banks propose $5.1bn of dividends

The value of dividends of 18 UAE banks was up 12.2 per cent on the previous year

Dubai regulator says Abraaj collapse may spur oversight changes

Abraaj fell out with investors last year over a $1bn healthcare fund

Foreigners invest over $1.5bn into Saudi stock market since start of 2019

Foreign investors have put more than $1.5bn into the Saudi market since the start of the year

Saudi market cross-listing regulations expected in Q2

There is growing interest from foreign investors ahead of Saudi’s inclusion in the FTSE Russell and MSCI’s emerging market indexes later this year

Why regional banks and fintech firms should seek partnership models

Digitisation not only requires IT investment but a fundamental change in the business model

dirhams

UAE’s Emirates Development Bank sets final price guidance for debut dollar bond

Orders for the five-year senior unsecured bonds totalled almost $3.5bn

Bahrain sovereign fund no longer looking to invest in SoftBank fund

Mumtalakat is looking at investment opportunities in areas such as education and healthcare

Standard Chartered gets approval to open unit in Saudi Arabia

Saudi currently has 27 banks operating in the kingdom, 15 of which are foreign banks

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank appoints new CEO

Mazin Khairy Shaker Manna will take on the role from the first week of March

Saudi central bank governor says does not expect more bank mergers for now

Ahmed al-Kholifey said liquidity in the market was ‘strong’

Saudi Electricity Co to sign $4bn syndicated loan

The firm is the main electricity producer in Saudi with an 81.2 per cent indirect government ownership

Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC rated ‘AA’ by Fitch, the highest in the GCC region

The rating is the first assigned to ADNOC and is in line with the rating of the Abu Dhabi government

UAE’s new excise tax tobacco scheme to apply to shisha from Q4

The scheme works by means of a digital stamp on tobacco product packaging that ensures tax compliance

UAE’s Emirates Development Bank hires arrangers for dollar bond

Emirates NBD Capital, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, and Standard Chartered Bank have been hired as joint lead managers

Mubadala’s venture capital unit to launch $400m European fund, says executive

Mubadala Ventures will also invite international venture funds to invest in Abu Dhabi

Saudi PIF to boost hiring as it eyes expansion outside Riyadh

The sovereign wealth fund is seeking to open offices in London and in the United States

Bank interest and dividends not subject to VAT in the UAE

There is no requirement to report income from bank deposits and dividends in the VAT return

Citigroup sees Saudi, UAE as top Mideast markets for deals this year – executive

The US lender won approval last year to begin investment banking operations in Saudi Arabia

Bahrain’s Investcorp acquires eight properties in the US for $330m

The properties are spread across five states including North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Arizona and Texas

Franklin Templeton, Actera eyeing Dubai-based Abraaj’s Turkey funds

Investment firm Abraaj collapsed last year in the aftermath of a row with investors