UAE Records Highest M&A Deal Value In The Region

Deal value in the third quarter touched $19.1billion, up 99 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Saudi Business Activity Growth At 6-Month High

The seasonally adjusted SABB HSBC Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers Index was at 58.7 points in September.

Acer Launches Liquid Smartphones Range

Liquid S1 is deemed most corporate friendly phone as the 5.7-inch HD screen model has dual sim and wireless office features.

Dubai House Prices Heading For Correction

House prices in the emirate have climbed more than 22 per cent over the past year.

Saudi Arabia Scrapped U.N. Speech In Protest Over Syria And Israel

The conservative Islamic kingdom is one of the main backers of rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Private Banking Special: Pierre Masclet, Credit Agricole Suisse

Having roughly $54 billion assets under management, private banking contributes to around 70 per cent of the total group’s revenues.

Oman Cuts Interest Cap On Personal Loans To 6%

Annual growth in bank lending in Oman accelerated to a four-month high of 8.1 per cent in July.

Dubai Unveils Dhs2bn Canal Project For Business Bay

The scheme will include a new shopping centre, four hotels and 450 restaurants as well as luxury housing and cycling paths.

Dubai Financial Market Soars 15% On Merger Hopes

Retail traders dumped some of their recent favourite shares in order to shift to DFM.

Bahrain Economy Shrinks 0.3% In Q2

Gross domestic product had expanded 2.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2013.

ME Funds Bullish On Saudi But Cautious On UAE

Investors have become less bullish on Dubai’s markets as they believe most of the stocks are now fully valued.

Dubai Property Transaction Fee Could Balance Market

The newly doubled fee will help level the balance between genuine buyers and speculators, experts say.

Dubai Knowledge Village Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary

Earlier this year DKV reported growth figures of 24 per cent thanks to the arrival of businesses from the education, human resources and recruitment sectors.

Middle East Airlines’ Passenger Traffic Grows 15% In August

Strong loads for Ramadan, coupled with capacity expansion, kept the region in pole position.

Nokia Lumia 1020 Skydives Into Dubai

The smart phone will go on sale to the Middle East public at Gitex Shopper in Dubai on October 5.

UAE Bucks Trend In Cost Of Global Cybercrime

A report by Symantec has revealed the average cost of cybercrime per person has risen 50 per cent in the rest of the world.

UAE Bourse Merger Gathers Steam As Advisers Hired

Talks on a tie-up between the Dubai Financial Market and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange have occurred on and off since 2010.

Dubai’s Property Prices Soar But Still Lower Than 2008

Dubai’s villa and apartment sale prices have recorded year-on-year growth of 26 per cent and 42 per respectively.

Private Banking Special: Daniel Savary, Julius Baer

Julius Baer’s total client assets amounted to CHF 304 billion ($321 billion) at the end of June 2012, with assets under management accounting CHF 218 billion for ($230 billion).

Rera Warns Real Estate Brokers Against Telemarketing

Real estate brokers found flouting the rule will be fined after Rera received repeated complaints from property owners and developers.

Wyndham To Launch First Hawthorn Suites in Region

Extended stay brand will target executives on long-stay business and Gulf families.

OPEC Relaxed About Cost-Sensitive Shale Oil

The U.S. shale boom has already altered the landscape of oil trade.

Qatari 2022 Allegations Response Weak – Trade Unions

Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported last week that dozens of Nepali workers had died on building sites.

S&P Issues Profitability Warning To Gulf’s Islamic Banks

Banking assets in the GCC now account for around or slightly above a quarter of all banking assets in the region.

SMEs Opt For Sharjah As Office Space In Dubai Heats Up

Sharjah’s affordability and proximity to Dubai has made the emirate an attractive option for SMEs and even some multinational companies.

UAE To Begin Direct Debit System On October 5

The implementation of the country’s first direct debit system will see a reduction in the use of post-dated cheques to secure finances.

Emirates Expands East And West

Carrier starts the new month in top gear by launching services to Clark in the Philippines, a new route between Milan and New York and its first A380 service to Brisbane

Majority of ME Employees Unhappy With Benefits Packages

According to Robert Walkers, 96 per cent of the employees consider benefits a critical factor when accepting an offer in the Middle East.

Qatar Financial Regulator Proposes Streamlining Share Acquisition Rules

Currently even small percentage movements in ownership have to be reported to the authority.

Kuwait Needs To Curb Wage Growth, Cut Public Spending – IMF

The International Monetary Fund urged the Gulf state to diversify its heavily oil-reliant economy, boost foreign investment and create jobs.