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Top stories

The UAE hosts the largest concentration of data centres in the Middle East and North Africa but is grappling with a capacity crunch

Data centre projects struggle for funds despite soaring demand

Data centre projects in the UAE are struggling to secure financing in their early stages despite an urgent need for more facilities to meet soaring demand, observers say.  There are fears this financing gap threatens to slow development and exacerbate the region’s growing shortage of critical data infrastructure needed to fuel digital ambitions. Johan Nilerud […]

An inspector scanning box with goods in storage

UAE warehousing attracts new institutional investors

A lack of suitable warehousing across Dubai and Abu Dhabi is providing opportunity for institutional investors to get into industrial real estate. Non-industrial developers are also poised to take advantage of the gap. Strong demand for facilities in ecommerce and logistics, and the expansion of oil and gas companies in Abu Dhabi in particular, has led […]

Saudi healthcare

Health sector next target for Saudi private equity

Private equity is looking to Saudi Arabia’s healthcare and wellness sectors for the kingdom’s next growth areas as it tries to manage a burgeoning young population.  Some 60 percent of Saudi Arabia’s 32 million-plus population are under 30, and analysts from research company S&P say the kingdom’s demographics are the main reason for a sustainable […]

Trending

  1. Oil prices trim Middle East war risk-gains

  2. Qatar faces rising competition for LNG exports to Asia

  3. Aramco CEO bullish on Chinese oil demand

  4. Supermarket major Lulu officially announces IPO

  5. Record gold price dents demand for Swiss bullion in Gulf

OPINION & Analysis

Best of AGBI

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman waves during the joint EU-GCC summit in Brussels, Belgium

Energy security at centre of EU-GCC collaboration

The European Union and the GCC held their first summit this week, where they committed to “greater cooperation on energy security, including energy efficiency and renewable energies and hydrogen”, the parties said in a joint statement. The EU wants to strengthen its energy security by cementing ties with the GCC, following European states’ decision to […]

Gulf companies can capitalise on spare supply chain capacity

Global supply chains have more spare capacity than at any time in the last 14 months – marking a window of opportunity for the Gulf to increase production and cut costs, experts say. Overall global demand for raw materials and commodities has deteriorated, according to the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index, whereas it has remained […]

Saudi petchem profits could rise but margin pressures persist

Saudi Arabian petrochemicals producers’ third-quarter earnings are likely to be better than the dismal results in the same period last year, but are unlikely to spark a stock price rebound as investors await further evidence that the industry is mounting a sustained recovery. The kingdom’s stock index of listed “materials” companies, which includes petrochemicals manufacturers […]

Saudi Arabia’s zinc project is set for the long term

In the deserts of Saudi Arabia, 170km southwest of Riyadh, the Khnaiguiyah mining project is the kingdom’s largest mineral exploration site. Geologists and miners are looking to extract 25 million tonnes of zinc and copper ore from this opencast prospect over the next 12 years. That would establish Khnaiguiyah as the Gulf’s first world-level zinc mine […]

Clothing, Formal Wear, Suit

oIL & GAS

‘Gas is more at risk than oil as Iran and Israel trade threats’

Robin Mills, CEO, Qamar Energy

UAE latest

The UAE hosts the largest concentration of data centres in the Middle East and North Africa but is grappling with a capacity crunch

Data centre projects struggle for funds despite soaring demand

Data centre projects in the UAE are struggling to secure financing in their early stages despite an urgent need for more facilities to meet soaring demand, observers say.  There are fears this financing gap threatens to slow development and exacerbate the region’s growing shortage of critical data infrastructure needed to fuel digital ambitions. Johan Nilerud […]

Emirates freighters

More freighters on order at Emirates

Emirates, Dubai’s flagship airline, has ordered more freighters in a push to expand its cargo operations, reports in local and international media said.  The airline has ordered five Boeing 777 freighters, which are due to be delivered from 2025/2026 and brings the total number of 777 freighters on order to 14. “Demand for Emirates’ air […]

An inspector scanning box with goods in storage

UAE warehousing attracts new institutional investors

A lack of suitable warehousing across Dubai and Abu Dhabi is providing opportunity for institutional investors to get into industrial real estate. Non-industrial developers are also poised to take advantage of the gap. Strong demand for facilities in ecommerce and logistics, and the expansion of oil and gas companies in Abu Dhabi in particular, has led […]

A man shops in a Lulu supermarket in Muscat, Oman. The company has an annual revenue of $8 billion

Supermarket major Lulu officially announces IPO

UAE supermarket major Lulu is to list a 25 percent stake on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX). Over 2.5 billion shares of Lulu Retail Holdings, which is among the largest hypermarket chain operators in the Middle East, will be made available with a nominal value of $0.014.  “With GCC retail presenting a $100 billion […]

Saudi Arabia latest

A Saudi trader observes the stock market. eXtra, the parent company of United International Holding Company, listed in 2011

Saudi financial services operator to list 30% on Tadawul

United Electronics Company (eXtra) has announced plans to list a 30 percent stake of its financial unit, United International Holding Company (UIHC), on the main market of the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul). UIHC is the parent company of Tasheel Finance, an Islamic consumer finance operator, and Procco Financial Services, which provides payment and loyalty services to the financial […]

W107M0 Female employee bookkeeper in hijab working in the office The central bank said there was a 7 percent year-on-year growth for personal loans, while business lending grew 16 percent

Saudi Central Bank says loans at 18-month high

Saudi Arabia’s bank loans reached their highest level in 18 months, according to the latest data from the Saudi Central Bank (Sama).  Figures released for August show loans reached SAR2.82 trillion ($753 billion), a 12 percent increase from the previous year. The monthly bulletin said personal loans made up 46 percent of the market total, […]

The housing needs of hundreds of thousands of workers on construction sites in Saudi Arabia will now be met by the Smart Accommodation for Residential Complexes Company

PIF launches company to build worker accommodation

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has established a company to develop and operate accommodation for workers employed on major projects in the kingdom. Smart Accommodation for Residential Complexes Company (Sarcc) will build workers’ accommodation for both public and private sector developers who are working on projects across the country.  Sarcc will also seek opportunities […]

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser speaks at Singapore International Energy Week

Aramco CEO bullish on Chinese oil demand

Saudi Aramco’s CEO is confident that China’s bid to increase growth will have a positive impact on oil demand, especially due to chemicals needed for its energy transition. Amin Nasser said the world’s second biggest economy needs more chemicals for “the electric vehicles, for solar panels, so that’s huge growth there”. Speaking on the sidelines […]

Around the Middle East

A natural gas flare in North Dakota, US. Oil prices have fallen about $4 this week, nearly wiping out cumulative gains made in the seven sessions up to last Friday

Oil sinks 4% as potential Iran disruption fears subside

Oil prices slid more than 4 percent on Tuesday after a media report said Israel was willing not to strike Iranian oil targets. The news eased fears of supply disruption, and came after Opec lowered its outlook for global oil demand growth in 2024 and 2025. Brent crude futures fell $3.28, or 4.2 percent, to $74.18 a barrel at 11:18 GMT. West Texas Intermediate futures lost $3.33, or 4.5 percent, hitting $70.50 […]

Tourists in Souq Waqif, Doha, Qatar. The country welcomed 328,000 visitors in August

US and European visitors behind Qatar tourism surge

Qatar has reported a 25 percent year-on-year rise in visitors during August, a figure largely attributed to a significant increase in travellers from the US, Europe and Africa.  The country welcomed 328,000 visitors, with 41 percent of those coming from GCC countries, an 18 percent increase on 2023, according to data from the National Planning […]

A busy Beirut airport in August this year; the airport is currently open but flights are limited

Private jets and yachts take passengers fleeing Lebanon

People trying to flee the escalating conflict in Lebanon are turning to expensive private bus, yacht and jet operators as an increased number of airlines cancel flights. “If Beirut’s airport is closed due to the ongoing conflict, don’t worry,” reads one of the many such adverts that have inundated Lebanese social media. “Our luxury yachts […]

Desert, Nature, Outdoors

Jordan’s 2024 tourism revenue drops

Jordan’s tourism revenues in the first nine months of 2024 fell by 4 percent year on year to $5.5 billion. The decline was attributed to a 7 percent drop in tourist numbers, state-run Petra reported, quoting data from the Central Bank of Jordan. Despite the overall decline, tourism income from Jordanian expatriates and Arab visitors […]

Shoppers in Kuwait's Avenues Mall – the IMF says the country needs to encourage private sector employment

Kuwait needs to push reforms for economic growth, says IMF

Kuwait must accelerate the introduction of fiscal and structural reforms that are needed to increase private sector-led growth and diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday. Kuwait’s economy will contract by 3.2 percent this year because of an Opec+ oil production cut, but will grow by 2.8 percent in 2025 […]

Outdoors, Ground, Nature

IMF gives Jordan access to $131m as reforms continue

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will grant Jordan access to $131 million as the country’s economic reform programme remains strong despite it facing a challenging external environment. The release of the funds remains subject to approval by the IMF’s management and executive board. “Jordan continues to show resilience and maintain macro-economic stability, despite the headwinds […]

Architecture, Building, Factory

Oman public revenue tops $21bn as oil earnings surge

Oman’s public revenue rose to OMR8.1 billion ($21 billion) by the end of August 2024, up 3 percent year on year, thanks to a surge in oil income. Net oil revenue reached OMR4.65 billion ($12 billion), rising 12 percent from OMR4.15 billion ($10.8 billion) a year earlier, the state-run Oman News Agency reported. The average […]

Sainsbury's has the second-largest share of the UK grocery market, at 15 percent, behind Tesco at 28 percent

Qatar to reduce stake in UK supermarket Sainsbury’s

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is selling part of its 15 percent stake in the British supermarket Sainsbury’s as the fund pushes ahead with expansion in the United States and Asia, particularly China and India. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the biggest shareholder in Sainsbury’s, is selling £306 million ($399 million) worth of shares in the retailer, […]

Topics:

Neom
HYDROGEN
SAUDI VISION 2030
IPOs
mergers & acquisitions
crypto
Electric cars
israel-hamas war
FOOD SECURITY
islamic finance
ukraine-russia war
OPEC
SPACE

Turkey Latest

Antalya, Turkey - This photograph captures the contrast between the traditional Ottoman-style house and the modern apartment building in Kaleici, the Old Town of Antalya.

Housing market in Turkey bounces back to 2022 levels

Cooling prices and increased potential for strong returns on investment have fuelled a rebound in the Turkish housing market, with sales hitting heights not seen in almost two years.  Just under 141,000 residential properties were sold in September, a 37 percent year-on-year improvement, and the best result since December 2022, data from the state statistics […]

VC companies have been less willing to invest in Turkish startups

High interest rates cause slump in Turkish VC startup funding

Turkey has recorded a sharp drop off in venture capital activity so far in 2024, and a leading analyst says investors are exercising patience and being selective in the startups they buy into. There has been a general slowing of funding for new projects and deals being done in emerging markets in the region, Dubai-based […]

Founded in 2012, Odeabank is Turkey’s 13th largest private bank by total gross loans and customer deposits

ADQ buys 96% of Bank Audi’s Turkish unit

The Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ has signed an agreement to acquire 96 percent of Lebanon-based Bank Audi’s Turkish subsidiary, Odeabank. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals, including from Turkey’s banking regulation and supervision authority and the competition authority. As part of the deal, Bank Audi and other investors such as the International Finance […]

Shoppers in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. Consumers are expected to push back against Turkey's tax plan because large corporations are 'not seen as contributing fairly'

Turkey ramps up taxes to spend on defence tech

Turkey’s government has proposed a raft of taxes on everything from credit cards to watches in order to fund increased spending on defence research and development. The ruling Justice and Development Party tabled draft legislation for the levies with parliament’s finance committee on October 11.  In recent years Turkey has made a priority of developing its […]

Turkey is using AI to study the tax returns of hundreds of thousands of citizens and thousands of businesses

Turkey using AI in crackdown on corporate tax evaders

Turkey is to unleash hundreds of auditors and artificial intelligence technology on the country’s leading companies to identify those that are avoiding paying tax on earnings or that are downplaying their revenue to escape higher payouts. Up to 500 inspectors will be deployed in the first stage of a long term programme to stamp out […]

Egypt Latest

A petrol station in Cairo. Egypt has raised fuel prices three times this year as it aims to comply with IMF requirements

Egypt plans bonds drive and may review IMF measures

Egypt plans to issue new sukuks and green bonds worth between EGP5 billion ($102.9 million) and EGP10 billion ($205.8 million) before June 2025, the end of its current financial year. The country’s finance minister Ahmed Kouchouk told reporters on Saturday of the ministry’s intentions to issue the new bonds. Earlier in the year Kouchouk spoke […]

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), speaks at a news conference following a Eurogroup meeting in Luxembourg, on Thursday, June 20, 2024

IMF changes debt charges to save Egypt $190m a year

Egypt looks set to save up to $190 million a year following changes the International Monetary Fund has made to the charges paid by debtors, an expert has told AGBI. The benefits of this extra cash are likely to be tempered, though, as Egypt faces a significant debt burden and persistent inflation. The IMF announced […]

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman receives Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 16, 2022. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

Saudi Arabia signs deals worth $15bn with Egypt

Egypt and Saudi Arabia provisionally agreed investment deals worth a combined $15 billion following the meeting of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo on Tuesday. Speaking to Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday, the head of the Saudi-Egyptian Business Council, Bandar Al-Ameri, said that the deals include projects in […]

Output at Egypt's Zohr field fell to 1.9 Bcf/d by early 2024 due to foreign oil companies’ hesitance to invest

Egypt to ramp up gas output from major concessions

Egypt is planning to increase natural gas output from major concessions, including its largest field Zohr, petroleum minister Karim Badawi has said. The government intends to increase production at Zohr by drilling new wells starting in the first quarter of 2025, the ministry said in a statement. Average production from the field remained at two […]

Upper Egypt Railway Station

Giza mega station opening drives Egypt’s rail investments

The first passenger train arrived on Sunday at the new Upper Egypt Railway Station in Bashteel, Giza, as the country invests in developing its ageing rail network. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi opened the station on Saturday along with 19 other transport infrastructure projects across the country.  The new station is designed to serve […]

Features

Most of the 300 manmade World islands remain undeveloped and only three projects have come to fruition

World Islands ‘still a decade away from completion’

The multi-billion dollar World Islands off the coast of Dubai will not be complete for another decade at least as logistics and costs stymie development, the man behind its biggest project has revealed. The $14 billion development, originally consisting of 300 man-made islands, was launched by the government-backed property company Nakheel more than 20 years […]

‘Holograms won’t replace Zoom and Teams… yet’

Star Wars depicted the use of hologram tech for video conferencing way back in the 80s, but the technology is yet to move from science fiction to mainstream media, mainly because of monetary and logistical limitations. During an interview with HPE president Antonio Nearly’s holographic avatar at Gitex Global in Dubai, it was revealed that […]

Christie’s to open new office in Saudi Arabia

British auction house Christie’s announced last month that it had received a commercial licence to conduct sales and exhibitions in Saudi Arabia. From its new base in Riyadh it is hoping to tap into a secondary market for luxury goods and state institutions’ growing appetite for art.  The company, which has its headquarters in London, […]

Tunisia’s tough decisions: to reform or face debt default

As Tunisia’s president Kais Saied celebrates his re-election, the former lawyer must decide whether to implement unpopular reforms to receive a foreign bailout or risk the North African country making its first ever debt default. Tunisia was close to reneging on some of its borrowings late last year and again earlier this year, but averted […]

People & Lifestyle

A perfume shop in Sabya, Saudi Arabia. The country's fragrance sector is worth $2.3bn

Investors scent riches in Middle East perfume

The retail offering of Al Majed for Oud Company was more than nine times oversubscribed this week, as investors rushed to buy up the first tranche of 1.5 million shares in the Riyadh-based perfume and oud products manufacturer. The full listing of 7.5 million shares, or a 30 percent stake in the company, will raise […]

Dnata provides ground handling and cargo services, as well as catering, ramping and more

Dnata is 65, but its globetrotting is just getting started

Dnata began life 65 years ago as a small travel agency in Dubai. Today it is the airport services arm of Emirates Group, operating in over 30 countries and planning to expand to even more. This month, it signed ground handling contracts with Royal Jordanian Airlines at John F Kennedy airport in New York and […]

Saudi Arabia tourism projects Dragon Ball theme park

Arab Disneyland and Da Vinci: Saudi Arabia’s two great hopes

Saudi Arabia is spending billions on tourism projects at the heart of its grand plan to transform a once isolated kingdom into a global tourist destination. But a nagging question is haunting policymakers: will the world pay attention?   Tourism numbers are rising, hitting 27.4 million in 2023, but half of those were religious visitors.  The […]

Turkey tech visa digital nomad

Ankara’s twin tech challenge to woo foreign experts and keep its own

Turkey wants to persuade foreign tech entrepreneurs and innovators to move to the country with a scheme providing a fast-tracked business permit and residency visa, as it seeks to position itself as a leading international technology hub.  Ankara has already made a call to tech-savvy travellers through a programme launched in April offering an easy […]

Students in shared accommodation. According to one expert, international investors have put more money into student housing than any other US real estate asset

Investors size up Gulf student housing after US success

Gulf entities have invested billions of dollars in student housing in the United States over the past few years, and are now considering making the same play locally. Accommodation for university students has become a hot asset class amid demographic growth fueled by the millennial generation, which recently passed the baby boomers to become the […]

Rents in the area surrounding Abu Dhabi's Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium are around 20 to 30% higher than in nearby neighbourhoods

GCC stadium projects have multifaceted impact on real estate

Entertainment and sports-focused construction across the Gulf is most likely to push property prices up despite bringing more traffic and noise, according to industry observers. A few of the region’s many projects include the 47,000-spectator Aramco stadium in Saudi Arabia’s Al Khobar, large amusement parks in Qatar and Kuwait, and the region’s inaugural ballpark on […]

Around 3.5 million bottles of Champagne were shipped to the Gulf states in 2023, an increase of about 40 percent

Champagne shipments to the Gulf slow but still flowing

The growth in champagne shipments to the Gulf has slowed in recent years but the market is still one of the strongest in the world, bucking a global trend for declining sales. Around 3.5 million bottles of champagne were shipped to the Gulf states in 2023, an increase of about 40 percent, according to data […]

Around the world

Petronas says it will use advanced technology and AI solutions to boost Abu Dhabi’s energy resources

Abu Dhabi awards oil concession to Malaysia’s Petronas

Abu Dhabi has awarded a new onshore oil and gas exploration concession to Malaysia’s state-run Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas). The concession, located in onshore block 2 in the Al Dhafra region, was granted by the Supreme Council for Financial and Economic Affairs (SCFEA), the state-run Abu Dhabi Media Office reported. The award gives Petronas 100 […]

A view of Emaar India's Gurgaon Greens project in Haryana. Adani Realty and Emaar executives are holding talks in Dubai

Adani in talks to buy stake in Emaar’s Indian subsidiary

Adani Realty, owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, is holding discussions with Emaar Properties to buy a stake in the Dubai-based developer’s Indian subsidiary, a news report said. Adani Realty and Emaar executives are discussing a possible transaction for a stake sale in Emaar India in Dubai, Business Today magazine reported, citing unnamed sources. The talks […]

Hon Todd McClay, Member for Rotorua, National Party, Minister of Trade at Parliament House in Wellington, New Zealand, Tuesday, December 12, 2023. (AAP Image/Mark Coote) NO ARCHIVINGNo Use Australia. No Use New Zealand. Todd McClay, New Zealand's minister for trade, said the deal will eliminate duties on 98.5 percent of New Zealand’s exports

UAE adds New Zealand to long list of trade partners

The UAE’s plans to increase non-oil foreign trade to AED4 trillion ($1 trillion) by 2031 took another step forward on Thursday as New Zealand became the 12th country to sign a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) with the Gulf state. The deal will reduce or remove tariffs, eliminate barriers to trade, improve market access and […]

Through its Dubai office Investec will target high-net-worth clients, family offices and financial institutions across the Gulf region

South Africa’s Investec joins financial giants in DIFC

South African bank Investec has joined the growing list of global financial institutions operating from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Through its Dubai office, the lender will target high-net-worth clients, family offices and financial institutions across the Gulf region. The bank will provide advisory and arranging services in private banking, wealth and investment management, as well […]