Higher Spending Narrows Kuwait Nine-Month Budget Surplus

The IMF has warned that Kuwait’s expenditure could exceed oil revenues as early as 2017.

Qatar’s Qinvest, QIB In Islamic Funds Tie-Up

QInvest is streamlining its operations, focusing on investment banking and asset management business.

Saudi Aramco Asks Firms To Bid Again For Jizan Power Plant

Aramco has re-tendered three of the four construction packages.

US Developer Reef Worlds Plans Underwater Project In Dubai

The new project, called Lost Cities, is expected to be unveiled in early March.

One-Third Of UAE Users Experience Mobile Device Theft – Survey

The majority of phone users in the UAE store important personal and official data on their mobile devices, according to a new survey.

Dubai’s Official Property Site To Auction Units Worth Dhs190m

The third auction from eMart will feature five high-end commercial and residential properties.

Kuwait-Airbus Deal On Track Despite Probe

Kuwait’s parliament voted on Wednesday to investigate all contracts signed by state-owned Kuwait Airways.

Dubai’s DFSA Obtains Court Orders Against Deutsche Bank

The bank was found in material non-compliance with requirements to produce information to the financial regulator.

Dubai’s Arabtec Holding To Set Up Five New Subsidiaries

Two of the units will focus on infrastructure projects, one on water and energy projects and one on the Egyptian market.

Dubai’s RTA Reveals 2014 Budget Of Dhs7bn, Plans 50 New Projects

Around 36 per cent of funds in the budget will be allocated to the traffic and roads agency while 33 per will go to rail agency, according to the RTA.

Nakheel Awards Contracts Worth $11m For Al Furjan, Warsan Projects

The contracts cover infrastructure design and supervision work in the two communities.

Family Blames Saudi Gender Segregation Rules For Student’s Death

Amena Bawazir, a student at the King Saud University in Riyadh, died of heart problems last week.

Italy’s Monte Paschi Foundation In Talks With Qatar For Stake Sale

Qatar sovereign fund is reportedly seeking a 15-20 per cent in the troubled Italian lender.

Saudi Hotel Fire Kills 15 Pilgrims

All 15 were Egyptians and the blaze was started by an electrical short circuit, said reports.

Saudi Arabia’s Mortgage Law To Boost Markets

Changes in Saudi’s mortgage law in 2013 are expected to boost banks in the GCC’s largest domestic market.

UAE Banking: Brighter Prospects Ahead

After some difficult years, there are signs of better times ahead for the UAE banking sector.

Top Tech Trends In The Middle East

Video mega trends and machine-to-machine connections feature among the key regional tech trends, finds new Cisco study.

Fitch Revises Batelco’s Outlook From Stable To Negative

The revision was mainly driven by Fitch’s concern about regulatory uncertainty in Bahrain, it said.

Qatar’s QNB Aims To Be Largest Lender In ME, Africa By 2017

The lender is looking for acquisition targets in Turkey, Morocco and sub-Saharan Africa.

Middle East Air Cargo Grew 12.8% In 2013 – IATA

The Middle East posted the strongest growth in demand across all international markets.

Congo’s ECAir Launches New Dubai Flight Route

The flight signals the first direct link between Congo and the Middle East.

Papua New Guinea Appoints UBS To Refinance $1.48bn Abu Dhabi Bond

The five-year bond was issued to Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) in 2009.

Emirates Launches First A380 Flights To Barcelona

Emirates will look to funnel Spaniards into Dubai and onto its global network – particularly Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Bangkok.

Arabic DotShabaka Website Suffix Goes Live

Dubai telecom firm Etisalat has already adopted the new web ending.

Middle East’s Pharma Industry Needs More Private Sector Investment

The region’s pharmaceutical industry is expected to experience sustainable growth in medium to long term, a new study says.

Oman Signs $35m Railway Consultancy Deal With Italferr

Officials expect to award the first construction contract in 2015.

Dubai Business Licenses Up 12% In Q4 2013

Commercial licenses constituted the major share of total licenses issued in the last quarter of 2013, said Dubai’s Department of Economic Development.

Most UAE Residents Rent Rather Than Buy Property – Survey

Rising property prices have pushed out potential home buyers, finds survey by propertyfinder.ae.

Arab Funds Among Bidders For Australia’s Queensland Motorways

The consortium of bidders for Queensland Motorways include the Kuwait Investment Authority.

Saxo CEO Warns of China, Euro Concerns in 2014

Lars Seier Christensen warns of slowdown in China and on-going concerns in the Eurozone