First Gulf Bank Buys Dubai Credit Card Firm For $164m

The Abu Dhabi-based lender has acquired Dubai First from the debt laden Dubai Group.

Iran Seizes Two UAE Fishing Boats In Gulf

Twelve UAE nationals were arrested after the boats allegedly crossed into Iran’s territorial waters.

Qatar Convicts Ruling Family Member Over Deadly Nursery Fire

Sheikh Ali bin Jassim al-Thani and his wife Iman al-Kuwari were sentenced on Thursday to a maximum of six years in prison.

Over 1.5 Million Saudi Workers Change Status Before Crackdown

Saudi Arabia is trying to reduce a black market in labour among the estimated nine million foreigners in the country.

Kuwait’s KIPCO Hires Rothschild To Advise TV Arm IPO

KIPCO owns 60.5 per cent of OSN and its Saudi-based partner Mawarid Group has 39.5 per cent.

Saudi Not Calling All Tourists

The Kingdom has no immediate plans to open its doors completely to foreign travellers.

Saudi Crackdown On Illegal Firms Threatens Thousands

Under Saudi regulations foreign-owned businesses face a complex licensing process and are tightly controlled.

Middle East HNWIs More Confident In Increasing Wealth

A study by Barclays Wealth shows a growing confidence of increasing fortunes compared to other global markets.

US-Taliban Talks In Qatar Delayed

Senior Afghan officials had accused Washington on Wednesday of breaking assurances to Kabul.

BP Agrees Retail Price For Oman Gas Project

BP has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the project since winning the concession in 2007.

Germany’s DEG To Invest $188m In MENA Firms

DEG has a current portfolio of 160 million euros in the MENA region but has not been very active since 2011.

Kuwait Finance House Says 20% Capital Increase Oversubscribed

The sale will push the bank’s Tier 1 ratio towards its 17 per cent target for the end of 2013.

Local, Global Trends Boost Gulf Banks As Foreign Rivals Retrench

Gulf economies have ridden out the global financial crisis of the past five years more smoothly than many economists expected.

Taliban Confirms Talks With U.S. In Qatar On Thursday

A team of U.S. negotiators arrived in Qatar earlier on Wednesday and held a meeting with Afghan diplomats in the Qatari capital.

UAE To Try 30 Emiratis, Egyptians For Illegal Brotherhood Cell

Ties between Egypt and the UAE have been strained since the revolution that toppled veteran Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak.

Qatar Interested In Eurofighter, Rafale Jets

Qatar said in 2011 it wanted to replace its fleet of 12 Mirage fighter jets, possibly buying 24 to 36 units.

UAE Regulator – Bourse Merger Would Have “Many Advantages”

The UAE has revived a proposal to merge its two main bourses in a state-backed deal that could boost trading.

Oman Air Orders Five Boeing 737-900ER Planes

The order, previously logged as being from an unidentified customer, makes Oman Air the first Gulf customer for the next generation aircraft.

Flydubai To Launch Business Class In October

Premium cabin will serve passengers seeking more on-board frills and entertainment

New BlackBerry Q5 To Make Global Debut In UAE

The new BlackBerry smartphone, priced Dhs1,499 will be unveiled in the UAE on June 20.

Oman Air Flight Suffers Cockpit Window Damage

Investigation now underway into the cause of the damage on the evening flight from Muscat.

Islam, Ramadan Apps’ Popularity To Soar

This year’s holy month will be the ‘most mobile-enabled’ yet as Middle East penetration rate hits 109 per cent.

DP World Extends Maturity On $1bn Loan For Additional Year

The loan maturity has been extended to the second quarter of 2018 from the second quarter of 2017.

Oman Needs To Consider Fiscal Reforms

The sultanate’s central bank has issued a warning to the country which echoes a similar statement by the IMF last week.

Qatar Exchange To Start Trading Government Bonds

A market for corporate bonds would help companies finance their expansion plans.

Special Report: Emirates Airlines Flying High

Emirates Airlines is on an unstoppable flight path, connecting Dubai to the world and generating mega-profits in the process.

Dubai Aims To Become Global Fashion Hub By 2020

The emirate, which recently announced a new design district, has now signed an agreement to create ‘Dubai Fashion 2020.’

Prince Alwaleed Eyes World Cities For Mile-High Tower

The Saudi prince is inviting Dubai’s biggest real estate developer Emaar Properties to team up with his investment firm Kingdom Holding.

BAE Hopeful For UAE Eurofighter Decision This Year

Dassault’s Rafale jets and the BAE Systems-backed Eurofighter have been locked in competition for the deal to replace at least 60 of the UAE’s Mirage fleet.

Qatar Mulls Being Launch Customer For 777 Upgrade

Chief executive Akbar Al Baker told reporters at the Paris Airshow that the airline could place orders by November.