Yasref Refinery In Saudi Arabia To Load First Gasoline Cargoes

On Feb. 6, the 400,000 barrels per day refinery will load a 60,000 tonne cargo of gasoline on the Serengeti.

Sobha Confirms Hartland Project Will Begin Handover By 2017

The private developer is looking to open offices in London, Singapore, Riyadh, Doha and Kuwait City by July 2015.

Dubai’s Mashreq Expects Slower Retail Lending Growth In 2015

The bank’s retail lending growth is expected to slow to 25 per cent in 2015 from 36 per cent last year.

RAKBANK CEO: UAE Credit Bureau Not Having An Impact On Lending

The bank has not seen a major drop in lending approval rates since the establishment of the Credit Bureau, says Peter England.

Saudi Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding Sells 5.6% Stake In News Corp

Kingdom’s stake decreased from approximately 6.6 per cent ownership to roughly one per cent ownership.

Jumeirah Signs First Venu Hotel For Meraas’ Bluewaters Island Project

The hotel will have close to 300 rooms and is slated for completion in 2017.

UAE Space Agency Looks To Coordinate With Europe On Future Projects

The meetings with European stakeholders mainly focused on ways to exchange knowledge and experience in space technology and science, a statement said.

Abu Dhabi’s Gulf Capital Seals $232m Loan To Fund Investments

The six-year revolving credit facility was lead arranged by First Gulf Bank and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.

Dubai’s Shuaa Capital Says Didn’t Renew Moody’s Contract As Has No Debt

Moody’s on Tuesday withdrew Shuaa’s ratings, citing Moody’s “own business reasons” without elaborating.

Bahrain Begins Legal Process To Set Up Central Sharia Board

A country-level approach could help limit differences between products, speed the design of new products and boost investor confidence.

UAE’s NBAD To Price Benchmark Five-Year dollar Bond On Weds

The bond, rated AA- by Standard and Poor’s and Fitch, will be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Stock News: Dubai’s Rally Slows As Oil Slips

Brent crude fell 0.7 per cent in Asian trade after surging almost six per cent on Tuesday.

Sheikh Mohammed Approves Renovation Of Dubai’s Historical District

Work on the project is slated to be completed by 2018, officials said.

Etihad Acquires 75% Stake In Alitalia’s Frequent Flyer Scheme

MilleMiglia is Italy’s largest frequent flyer programme, with 4.6 million existing members and more than 20,000 new members a month.

UAE’s Majid Al Futtaim Confirms CEO Iyad Malas’ Resignation

Alain Bejjani, currently chief corporate development and brand officer, has been appointed as the group’s new chief executive.

UAE Mulls Lower Petrol Prices

Suhail Mohammed Al Mazroui told the Federal National Council that the government has submitted a proposal to the cabinet that will enable consumers to benefit from lower oil prices.

UAE’s Massar Solutions Says Postpones Flotation, Cites Poor Demand

Massar will postpone the initial public offering (IPO) until oil prices are more stable, it said.

Chinese Firm OPPO Launches ‘World’s Thinnest Smartphone’ In UAE

The OPPO R5, priced at Dhs1,899, measures 4.85mm and comes with a 13MP camera.

Abu Dhabi Residential Rents Up 17% In Q4 2014

The capital has seen a rise in demand for affordable properties over the last 12 months as cost of living surged, CBRE said in a report.

Industries Qatar Q1 Shutdowns To Decrease From Year Ago

The company will close its Qatar plants for a total of 158 days in the first three months of the year, compared to 292 days of closures in 2014.

Kalyan Jewellers To Invest Dhs400m In GCC This Year, Open 12 New Stores

The Indian jewellery retailer currently operates nine outlets in the UAE and three in Kuwait.

UAE Bank NBAD To Start Market-Making On Abu Dhabi Exchange

NBAD is the first official market maker in the Gulf region, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange said.

Qatar’s GIS 2014 Net Profit Doubles, Hikes Dividend

Net profit for the full year of 2014 rose to QAR1.4 billion, up from QAR677 million the year before, it said in a statement.

UAE Non-Oil Business Growth Accelerates In January

The seasonally adjusted HSBC UAE Purchasing Managers’ Index was 59.3 points last month against 58.4 in December.

DP World 2014 Gross Container Volumes Up 8% Like-For-Like

Gross volumes totalled 60 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2014, driven by new developments in Britain and Brazil.

Saudi Non-Oil Business Growth Almost Unchanged In January

The seasonally adjusted SABB HSBC Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers’ Index was 57.8 points in January against 57.9 in December.

Dubai’s Arabtec Says Wins Contracts Worth $102m

Both contracts are for construction of residential villas in Dubai to be delivered in 2016, the company said.

Qatar Air Mulls Halting Japan Service Over Slots Row

The airline is “in the final stages of deliberations” about whether to withdraw the three daily services, a source said.

Saudi Arabia Has Helped Save British Lives – PM Cameron Says

Cameron said that Saudi is a valuable partner of the West in the region and has helped in the fight against terrorism.

CEO Predictions 2015: Hamad Buamim, President & CEO, Dubai Chamber Of Commerce

An important area for 2015 will be new technology and the development of Dubai’s smart economy, writes Buamim.