IBM To Expand In The ME

The global technology firm plans to increase regional hiring and open more offices in a major expansion drive.

Ship Finance Running Dry

Lending to the shipping industry is facing stormy waters amid a difficult global backdrop.

Dubai Duty Free Gets $1.75bn Loan

The Dubai airport retailer will use funds from the international credit facility to finance on-going expansion.

KSA Investors Move Quickly

Analysts are not revising share price forecasts following a surge in banking shares after mortgage law approval.

Qatar Banks Should Issue More Bonds

Slowing deposit growth means Qatari banks need other sources to avoid funding issues.

Emirates Islamic Bank Prices Sukuk

The $500 million Sukuk, EIB’s second issue this year, is priced at par and is due to mature in January 2018.

Gulf Deposits In Jersey Hit $33bn

The Gulf States account for 14 per cent of the total deposits in the island, according to official data.

Etihad Q2 Revenue Up 31%

First half revenues for Abu Dhabi’s airline are up 30 per cent as passenger numbers soar to almost five million.

Hilton To Open New Hotels In Egypt

The international hotel operator plans to open one hotel in Cairo and a resort in Alexandria.

UAE Bank Deposits Drop In May

Total deposits in the country decreased by 1.2 per cent during the month to close at Dhs1.1 trillion.

Qatar Plans New Harrods Hotels

Qatar Holding is planning to open Harrods branded hotels in Malaysia, Paris and New York.

UAE Looks East For Oil Partners

New foreign partners, mainly from the Far East, are being targeted as stakeholders of the future.

Exclusive Interview: Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, Mashreq CEO

Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair is the man behind Mashreq, the UAE’s largest privately owned bank. In a rare interview he opens up to Alicia Buller on the greed culture that engulfed the UAE’s
banks and lurched the industry into crisis.

Qatar Airways Plans Saudi Carrier

Qatar Airways is keen to launch an airline in the Kingdom, but is worried about excessive fuel charges.

DP World sells Adelaide Port

The Dubai-based port operator sold its 60 per cent stake to Australian firm Flinders.

Etisalat Gets New Chairman

Eissa Al Suwaidi has been appointed as the new head of the UAE telecoms company, replacing Mohammad Omran.

QE2’s Glamorous Plans Scaled Back

New plans unveiled for the former cruise ship leave her floating in Port Rashid rather than off Palm Jumeirah.

Saudi Approves Mortgage Law

The long-awaited mortgage law is expected to help solve the Kingdom’s critical housing problem, say experts.

Dubai Airport Visitor Traffic Up

Number of visitors to Dubai’s International Airport climbs with a big increase from flydubai’s new Russia service.

UAE Car Dealer To Invest Dhs900m

Al Nabooda, the distributor of Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen in Dubai, plans major investment push.

Qatar Plans $4bn Sukuk

The Gulf state is reportedly setting up two companies through an official decree to issue the Islamic bonds.

Indian Remittance Tax Unclear

UAE exchanges say there is still no clarity regarding the Indian government’s proposed service tax on remittances.

Gulf Oil Prices Drop In June

Crude oil across the region is down as caution in China has knock-on effect for global oil prices.

Dubai Rents Rise Between 6-9%

Average apartment rents increased six per cent and villa rents rose nine per cent in Q2 2012, says Asteco.

GCC IPOs Pick Up In Q2 2012

Four IPOs, valued at over $1.1 billion were issued in the GCC during the second quarter of 2012.

Bahrain Bank Merger Gets Nod

Shareholders of Capital Management House, Capivest and Elaf Bank approve the three-way merger.

Tourists To Abu Dhabi Rise 12%

The number of guests in the emirate’s hotels reached 192,374 during May this year, official statistics show.

Future Dewa Bills On Facebook

Future utility bills may be displayed on social networks as government sectors look to improve communication.

Emirates Adds Saudi Flights For Ramadan

The airline will fly 73 extra flights to Jeddah and Medinah Al Munawarrah from July 20 to September 1.

Dubai Property Market Most Open

The UAE city is ranked as having the most transparent real estate market in the MENA region.