Company Insights Emirates NBD Banking & Finance Emirates NBD News Analysis Tourism Gulf hospitality industry shrugs off war concerns Middle East hospitality veterans downplayed concerns over wider regional tensions this week, saying the industry has survived crises before and is poised to do so again. Government officials and corporate executives spoke during the Future Hospitality Summit, which is taking place in Dubai this week, just as military action intensified in Israel, Lebanon and Iran, […] October 3, 2024 Renewable Energy Saudi Arabia secures funds for 5.5GW solar projects The developers of solar power projects worth SAR12 billion ($3.2 billion) with a combined output of 5.5 gigawatts (GW) in Saudi Arabia have secured financing for their projects. Saudi-listed Acwa Power, Water and Electricity Holding Co (Badeel), a Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned company, and Saudi Aramco Power Co (Sapco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of energy major […] September 30, 2024 Finance Saudi Aramco to raise funds via Islamic bonds Saudi Aramco has launched US dollar-denominated sukuk (Islamic bonds) as part of its fund-raising strategy. The net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, the company said in a statement to the Saudi stock exchange on Tuesday. The offering will be open to institutional investors, with a minimum subscription of $200,000. The total proceeds […] September 24, 2024 Finance ESG-focused companies ‘give better shareholder returns’ Middle East listed companies that score highly on environmental, social and governance criteria provide a bigger total return for shareholders than their less ESG-conscious rivals. The Hawkamah Middle East and North Africa ESG Index includes the top 50 companies by ESG score from the 150 blue-chip stocks that constitute the wider S&P Pan Arab Composite […] September 12, 2024 Banking & Finance Qatar Islamic Bank sukuk three times oversubscribed Qatar Islamic Bank, the Gulf state’s largest Islamic lender, has raised $750 million through a new sukuk (Islamic bond) issue. The five-year unsecured sukuk was priced at 100 basis points over US Treasuries at 4.485 percent, the lowest rate achieved by a lender in the GCC, the lender said in a statement. The sukuk order […] September 11, 2024 Analysis Banking & Finance US interest rate cut will impact UAE bank margins UAE banking sector profits have soared as higher-for-longer interest rates boosted margins and loan defaults remained low. Yet analysts predict that imminent US interest rate cuts will squeeze profitability, despite the likelihood of reduced borrowing costs bolstering loan growth. Dubai’s Emirates NBD reported a record first-half profit of AED13.8 billion ($3.76 billion), while First Abu […] September 6, 2024 Finance Bank of Sharjah readies for new dollar bond sale Bank of Sharjah is preparing to issue potential five-year USD-denominated bonds, with investor meetings starting from August 30, a news report said. The Abu Dhabi-listed lender has appointed 11 banks as joint lead managers and bookrunners, Reuters reported. These include Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (DIFC Branch), Bank ABC, Citi, Doha […] September 1, 2024 Banking & Finance Bad loan provisions drop markedly at UAE banks Most of the UAE’s top banks have significantly reduced how much they put aside to cover bad loans, in an indication of a generally benign economy and expectations of growth stretching into next year. During April and June this year, banks set aside AED1.3 billion ($350 million) in net loan loss provisions (LLPs) – the […] August 22, 2024 Banking & Finance Emirates NBD seeks majority stake in India’s Yes Bank Dubai’s largest lender Emirates NBD is in advanced talks to acquire a majority stake in India’s Yes Bank, according to a media report. The potential acquisition comes as the state-owned State Bank of India (SBI) intends to divest its 24 percent stake in Yes Bank for $2.2 billion by the end of March, Reuters reported […] August 14, 2024 Banking & Finance Emirates NBD in race to buy stake in India’s IDBI Bank Emirates NBD, Dubai’s biggest bank by assets, is among three suitors shortlisted to acquire a majority stake in India’s IDBI Bank. The Indian government intends to privatise the lender, according to a local media report. Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings and India’s Kotak Mahindra Bank have also received clearance from the Indian central bank, CNBC-TV18, an […] August 5, 2024 Posts navigation Previous 1 … 4 5 6 … 19 Next
Analysis Tourism Gulf hospitality industry shrugs off war concerns Middle East hospitality veterans downplayed concerns over wider regional tensions this week, saying the industry has survived crises before and is poised to do so again. Government officials and corporate executives spoke during the Future Hospitality Summit, which is taking place in Dubai this week, just as military action intensified in Israel, Lebanon and Iran, […] October 3, 2024
Renewable Energy Saudi Arabia secures funds for 5.5GW solar projects The developers of solar power projects worth SAR12 billion ($3.2 billion) with a combined output of 5.5 gigawatts (GW) in Saudi Arabia have secured financing for their projects. Saudi-listed Acwa Power, Water and Electricity Holding Co (Badeel), a Public Investment Fund (PIF)-owned company, and Saudi Aramco Power Co (Sapco), a wholly-owned subsidiary of energy major […] September 30, 2024
Finance Saudi Aramco to raise funds via Islamic bonds Saudi Aramco has launched US dollar-denominated sukuk (Islamic bonds) as part of its fund-raising strategy. The net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, the company said in a statement to the Saudi stock exchange on Tuesday. The offering will be open to institutional investors, with a minimum subscription of $200,000. The total proceeds […] September 24, 2024
Finance ESG-focused companies ‘give better shareholder returns’ Middle East listed companies that score highly on environmental, social and governance criteria provide a bigger total return for shareholders than their less ESG-conscious rivals. The Hawkamah Middle East and North Africa ESG Index includes the top 50 companies by ESG score from the 150 blue-chip stocks that constitute the wider S&P Pan Arab Composite […] September 12, 2024
Banking & Finance Qatar Islamic Bank sukuk three times oversubscribed Qatar Islamic Bank, the Gulf state’s largest Islamic lender, has raised $750 million through a new sukuk (Islamic bond) issue. The five-year unsecured sukuk was priced at 100 basis points over US Treasuries at 4.485 percent, the lowest rate achieved by a lender in the GCC, the lender said in a statement. The sukuk order […] September 11, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance US interest rate cut will impact UAE bank margins UAE banking sector profits have soared as higher-for-longer interest rates boosted margins and loan defaults remained low. Yet analysts predict that imminent US interest rate cuts will squeeze profitability, despite the likelihood of reduced borrowing costs bolstering loan growth. Dubai’s Emirates NBD reported a record first-half profit of AED13.8 billion ($3.76 billion), while First Abu […] September 6, 2024
Finance Bank of Sharjah readies for new dollar bond sale Bank of Sharjah is preparing to issue potential five-year USD-denominated bonds, with investor meetings starting from August 30, a news report said. The Abu Dhabi-listed lender has appointed 11 banks as joint lead managers and bookrunners, Reuters reported. These include Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (DIFC Branch), Bank ABC, Citi, Doha […] September 1, 2024
Banking & Finance Bad loan provisions drop markedly at UAE banks Most of the UAE’s top banks have significantly reduced how much they put aside to cover bad loans, in an indication of a generally benign economy and expectations of growth stretching into next year. During April and June this year, banks set aside AED1.3 billion ($350 million) in net loan loss provisions (LLPs) – the […] August 22, 2024
Banking & Finance Emirates NBD seeks majority stake in India’s Yes Bank Dubai’s largest lender Emirates NBD is in advanced talks to acquire a majority stake in India’s Yes Bank, according to a media report. The potential acquisition comes as the state-owned State Bank of India (SBI) intends to divest its 24 percent stake in Yes Bank for $2.2 billion by the end of March, Reuters reported […] August 14, 2024
Banking & Finance Emirates NBD in race to buy stake in India’s IDBI Bank Emirates NBD, Dubai’s biggest bank by assets, is among three suitors shortlisted to acquire a majority stake in India’s IDBI Bank. The Indian government intends to privatise the lender, according to a local media report. Canada’s Fairfax Financial Holdings and India’s Kotak Mahindra Bank have also received clearance from the Indian central bank, CNBC-TV18, an […] August 5, 2024
