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The St Regis at The Red Sea is one of Red Sea Global's 79 hotels across two locations

Red Sea Global seeks more credit and considers IPO

Saudi giga-project Red Sea Global is looking for a second credit facility and may consider an initial public offering by 2030, a senior official said this week. That will come after it has two dozen hotels in operation by the end of next year. “An IPO or real estate investment trust, you tend to begin […]

Members of Saudi Arabia's security forces participate in a parade in Mecca. Military spending decreased by 6.3 percent in the first half of the year

Saudi Arabia cuts military spending as deficit increases

Saudi Arabia estimates its military spending will be 15 percent lower than budgeted this year, while capital expenditure rises, according to figures released on Monday. The kingdom’s budget deficit will increase to 2.9 percent of GDP in 2024, according to the preliminary budget statement released by the ministry of finance, as spending on the Vision […]

A familly plays with a kite at the Mina district (Old Doha Port) in Doha, Qatar, January 31, 2024. REUTERS/Marko Djurica A family enjoys playing with a kite in Doha. Analysts say that expansion of the North Field will boost Qatar's economy

North Field expansion to power Qatar’s economy

Qatar’s economy is likely to record only modest growth this year, but analysts predict that revenues generated from a North Field gas expansion will make it among the fastest-growing globally in two years’ time. Gross domestic product is forecast to surge to nearly 13 percent in 2026, after sluggish growth of only 1.5 percent this […]

Trending

  1. Turkey aims for higher level of cybersecurity

  2. Masdar completes purchase of stake in green energy producer

  3. Adnoc to buy German chemicals company

  4. Qatar Airways to buy 25% stake in Virgin Australia

  5. Why Birmingham is the place to invest in the UK

OPINION & Analysis

Best of AGBI

The Maldives may be a paradise for holidaymakers but it is struggling with foreign debt

Maldives nears first sovereign default on Islamic bonds

The possibility of the first ever sovereign sukuk default by the Maldives would have negative repercussions for new sukuk issuance and the broader sharia-compliant fixed income market, industry experts have warned. Sukuk are sharia-compliant bonds that were developed as an alternative to conventional bonds, which are not considered permissible by many Muslims as they pay […]

Rise in retail M&A predicted as Gulf stores struggle

An increase in mergers and acquisitions in the GCC’s retail sector has been predicted for this year, as operators try to cope with an increasingly uncertain economic environment. Six retail M&A deals have taken place since the beginning of 2023, all involving intra-regional players.  Thirteen retail M&A deals were concluded in 2022, of which five […]

Lack of plots gives Palm Jumeirah added air of exclusivity

Palm Jumeirah, Dubai’s world-famous man-made island, is running out of undeveloped land. Developer Nakheel’s announcement earlier this week that it will pay nearly $500 million to Alec Engineering & Contracting to build the new 75-storey Como residential tower on Palm Jumeirah is bound to be one of the last of its kind. Since it will […]

Egypt looks to Gulf investors to end power blackouts

Egypt’s energy blackouts have created new opportunities for Gulf investors, as the cash-strapped Cairo government tries to end the crisis and plug the gap in its electricity supply before next summer. Prime minister Mostafa Madbouly announced on September 19 that there would be no more power cuts over the coming period, potentially marking an end […]

What the rise of robotaxi means for your car insurance

As the Middle East continues to test autonomous vehicles, the big issue is the potential increase in multi-million-dollar lawsuits as a result of AV accidents, and the debate over who is liable for such payouts. Cruise, which is owned by General Motors and has been designated as the exclusive robotaxi service provider in Dubai until […]

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UAE latest

IRH and PIC will work to improve logistics in South Africa's ports, including Durban

IRH of Abu Dhabi to invest in South Africa

Abu Dhabi’s most valuable company is investing in mining, green energy and transport via Africa’s largest asset manager. International Resources Holding (IRH), part of International Holding Company, has signed an agreement with the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) of South Africa.  IRH and PIC have also agreed to create an artificial intelligence-enabled geoscience company to explore […]

Most of Terra-Gen's wind and solar projects are based in California and Texas

Masdar completes purchase of stake in green energy producer

UAE renewable energy major Masdar has completed its acquisition of a 50 percent stake Terra-Gen Power Holdings II, one of the largest independent renewable energy power producers in the US. Masdar bought the stake from US investment company Energy Capital Partners. No financial details on the deal, which was first announced in March, were shared. […]

2XE2T1B Corporate headquarters of Covestro AG in Leverkusen, at the Chempark, NRW, Germany

Adnoc to buy German chemicals company

Abu Dhabi’s Adnoc has agreed to buy German chemicals producer Covestro for €15.9 billion ($18 billion) including debt, the state oil giant said on Tuesday, representing its largest acquisition to date. The deal is one of the biggest foreign takeovers by a Gulf state as Abu Dhabi and other countries in the region seek to reduce […]

Farmers harvesting cocoa in Amankwaatia village, Ghana. The cocoa industry employs 17% of Ghana's workforce

UAE pledges $30m for Ghana’s biodiversity push

The UAE and Ghana have signed a $30 million partnership for nature-based community development and climate initiatives. The agreement covers six areas of investment, including biodiversity corridors, which allow animals to travel from one patch of native forest to another, reforestation and agroecology – sustainable farming that works with nature. The partnership aims to deliver […]

Why Birmingham is the place to invest in the UK

Strategically located in the centre of England and home to the largest economy outside London, Birmingham is a prosperous, high-growth investment city and one of the UK’s most important regional hubs.  But it is the city’s future growth projections that make it such an exciting investment opportunity. Birmingham is experiencing unparalleled growth, positioning itself as […]

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Saudi Arabia latest

Members of Saudi Arabia's security forces participate in a parade in Mecca. Military spending decreased by 6.3 percent in the first half of the year

Saudi Arabia cuts military spending as deficit increases

Saudi Arabia estimates its military spending will be 15 percent lower than budgeted this year, while capital expenditure rises, according to figures released on Monday. The kingdom’s budget deficit will increase to 2.9 percent of GDP in 2024, according to the preliminary budget statement released by the ministry of finance, as spending on the Vision […]

Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib's second-quarter net earnings rose 14 percent year on year to SAR555 million

Sulaiman Al Habib secures $347m loan for Saudi expansion

Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group Company has secured long-term financing to expand across Saudi Arabia amid growing competition for healthcare services in the kingdom. The company, which trades on the Saudi stock exchange, has signed a sharia-compliant credit facility worth SAR1.3 billion ($347 million) with Al Rajhi Bank, a Saudi-listed lender. The 13-year-long facility will […]

Acwa Power and Japan's Sumitomo will build the Kungrad 1, 2 and 3 wind projects in Uzbekistan

Acwa Power-Sumitomo tie-up for Uzbekistan projects

Saudi energy company Acwa Power and Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation will jointly develop renewable energy projects worth $4.2 billion in Uzbekistan.  The first set of projects include Sazagan 1 and 2 in Samarkand, each consisting of a 500 megawatt (MW) solar PV plant and 334MW battery energy storage systems (BESS). These projects are slated to begin […]

Red Sea hotels Desert Rock, 'a hotel that’s literally built into the side of the mountain', is expected to open this year

Red Sea Global to open 19 luxury hotels in 2025

Red Sea Global, the Saudi giga-project, is due to open 19 new luxury hotels in 2025, it was revealed this week. It will also be opening two hotels this year, including one carved into a mountainside, an official said. “2023 saw us opening our first resort, and in 2024 we’ve opened another two resorts and […]

Around the Middle East

Tata Morocco WhAP 8x8

Tata signs deal with Morocco to build armoured vehicles

Morocco’s Department of Defence and India’s Tata Group have signed an agreement to build armoured combat vehicles in the North African country.  Under the agreement, Tata Advanced Systems, a subsidiary of the Indian conglomerate, will produce Tata’s WhAP 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured platform in Morocco.  The project is expected to create 90 direct jobs and […]

Hydrocarbons account for 93 percent of Algeria's exports and draw international investment

Algeria’s UK ambassador: ‘We must modernise our economy’

Weeks after presidential elections in which the incumbent, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, was re-elected, Algeria has set its sights on systemically modernising its economy, having seen what it says are positive results from introducing investment reforms and enabling 100 percent foreign ownership in some sectors. “We hope the economy will continue to grow with more reforms … […]

Men on the Muscat waterfront. Omani citizens who earn more than $1m will have to pay income tax

Oman to impose income tax on high earners post-2026

Oman is expected to implement its proposed personal income tax on high earners after 2026, according to a new report. In July, the Majlis al-Shura, the lower house of the Omani parliament, approved a draft law on income tax – the first of its kind in the GCC region – forwarding it to the State […]

Bahrain’s unique economic situation and small size – with a population of less than two million – make it an exception in the region

Bahrain likely to hold off on corporate tax

Bahrain is unlikely to introduce corporate tax for as long as possible in order to maintain its competitive edge on Gulf rivals, a company formation expert has told AGBI, citing discussions with the kingdom’s minister of finance. However, with the highest debt-to-GDP ratio in the GCC, some experts believe the island state may eventually be […]

Alba Maaden Aluminium Ras al Khair

Maaden-Alba merger ‘a potential game changer’

The proposed merger between the Saudi Arabian mining company Maaden and Bahrain’s aluminium smelter Alba looks likely to shake up the global aluminium industry, with the new company challenging for sixth place in the world rankings. “It’s almost a game-changing event, particularly in the GCC region,” says Andy Farida, a senior analyst at Fastmarkets, a […]

A food market south of Marrakech. Morocco's GDP growth and the agricultural sector are both expected to bounce back in 2025

Morocco’s economy slowed by agricultural slump

Morocco’s economic growth is projected to slow to 2.8 percent in 2024 due to a 7 percent contraction in the agricultural sector, the country’s central bank has said. GDP growth will rebound to 4.4 percent in 2025 as the agricultural sector is expected to grow 8.6 percent, assuming an average cereal production of 55 million […]

US President Joe Biden meeting with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in 2022; the US has announced new visa waiver arrangements between the two countries

Qatar is first Gulf state to join US visa waiver programme

Qatar has become the first Gulf state to join the US visa waiver programme, allowing Qatari citizens to visit visa-free for up to 90 days from December 1. The US Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State said in a statement on Tuesday that the move would help to “significantly enhance the security […]

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Turkey Latest

A study found that up to two thirds of Turks between the ages of 18 and 25 would leave the country if given the chance, with the rate even higher for those with advanced education

Turkey aims for higher level of cybersecurity

Turkey has outlined plans for a new cybersecurity directorate to encourage private sector research and new startups. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said last week that the directorate would be established in the autumn as part of a campaign to strengthen the state’s defences against all forms of cyber attack.  “We have more or less completed […]

Turkey's Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said 'The stock market tax is not on our agenda'

Turkey U-turns on taxing crypto and stock market earnings

Turkey’s government has scrapped plans to tax profits from trading in cryptocurrency and on the stock market. Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz said on September 24 that the proposal to impose a levy on stock market and crypto trading profits had been shelved.  “The stock market tax is not on our agenda. It was discussed for […]

Sales rose 159 percent in the first eight months of 2024 as 41,300 EVs rolled off Turkey’s lots, a third being the domestically-produced Togg

Turkey imposes restrictions on hybrid car imports  

Turkey has introduced stringent regulations on the import of plug-in hybrid vehicles from some countries, including China. The notice includes rules such as importers need to have at least 20 authorised service centres across seven regions in Turkey for chargeable hybrid vehicles not manufactured in the European Union or in countries with which Turkey has […]

Botas and TotalEnergies executives sign the long-term LNG supply deal in the presence of Turkish energy and natural resources minister Alparslan Bayraktar

Turkey’s Botas signs 10-year LNG deal with TotalEnergies

Turkish energy company Boru Hatları ile Petrol Taşıma AŞ (Botas) has signed a deal to purchase 16 billion cubic metres (bcm) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from France’s TotalEnergies. The 10-year deal will start from 2027, Anadolu Agency reported, citing Turkish energy and natural resources minister Alparslan Bayraktar. The deal offers flexible and competitive terms, […]

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 […]

Egypt Latest

Boat, Transportation, Vehicle

Suez Canal revenues fall by $6bn as unrest continues

Suez Canal revenues have fallen by $6 billion this year amid regional geopolitical issues, president Abdel Fattah El Sisi has said. The income from the waterway, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, declined by between 50 percent and 60 percent in the first eight months of 2024, local media reported, citing the president’s speech at […]

A student studies for his high school certificate exams at the Library of Alexandria during the power-off time that the government applied to overcome the overload amid a heatwave, as Egyptians experience frequent power cuts after the government said the lack of natural gas supplies feeding the country's electricity grid has fueled the crisis, in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt, June 26, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt looks to Gulf investors to end power blackouts

Egypt’s energy blackouts have created new opportunities for Gulf investors, as the cash-strapped Cairo government tries to end the crisis and plug the gap in its electricity supply before next summer. Prime minister Mostafa Madbouly announced on September 19 that there would be no more power cuts over the coming period, potentially marking an end […]

ExxonMobil has been associated with the UAE since 1939 and became a joint venture partner in Zakum Development Company operating the Upper Zakum Oilfield

UAE tops list of tax payments from ExxonMobil

US energy giant ExxonMobil paid the UAE $7.4 billion in taxes and royalties last year, more than it paid any other country in the world. From declared annual earnings of almost $41 billion, Exxon paid $49 billion of global tax and duties, including more than $16 billion in income taxes, according to a regulatory filing […]

To meet Egypt's growing demand, more gas will come from Leviathan, Israel's largest gas field

Egypt to increase gas imports from Israel

Egypt plans to increase natural gas imports from Israel by 20 percent from October, to meet its fast-growing domestic demand for electricity. Imports will reach 1.2 billion cubic feet per day (cfpd), according to reports. They were already up 18 percent in September from 850 million cfpd in July. The two countries have agreed to […]

Saudi Arabia is investing in the development of a sports culture and infrastructure; the first of Melee's Al Khobar social sports club is scheduled to be completed first

Egyptian developer invests $1bn in Saudi sports clubs

Egyptian real estate developer Melee will spend SAR4.5 billion ($1.2 billion) to establish three new sports clubs in the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar, according to a company executive. The club in Al Khobar is slated to be first in line for completion before the end of the year, Gasser Bahgat, Melee […]

Features

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 […]

Mineral wealth leads global lab to open in Saudi Arabia

The drive to exploit Saudi Arabia’s estimated $2.5 trillion of untapped mineral wealth has moved another step forward with the opening by the global laboratory testing company Bureau Veritas of a new metal and minerals facility in Jeddah. “Saudi Arabia is one of our key markets. It’s fast growing and that’s what makes it quite […]

The huge ambitions of PIF come at vast expense

The scale of the holdings is vast and the ambition is huge. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was the world’s highest-spending state-owned investor in the first half of 2024, according to Global SWF, a consultancy.   It is due to raise its annual spending to $70 billion in 2025, a year earlier than previously announced, according […]

Save now, buy later: the new shopping model cutting debt

A new “save up before you buy” online shopping model is emerging in the UAE, offering an alternative to the debt-driven “buy now, pay later” approach that has surged in popularity across the Gulf. “Save now, buy later” (SNBL) platforms are betting on a shift towards financial responsibility, especially as concerns over household debt and […]

The digital currency that could upend how the Gulf trades

Project mBridge – a China-led central bank digital currency initiative, which the UAE and Saudi Arabia are part of – could have “broad strategic implications” for regional trade, according to market analysts.  A CBDC is a digital form of a country’s fiat currency, which is backed by a government. It eliminates the need for intermediaries […]

People & Lifestyle

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 […]

Architecture, Building, Outdoors

One year on, Atlas earthquake still highlights Morocco’s divide

Last Sunday marked one year since a devastating earthquake hit Morocco, flattening entire villages in the Atlas Mountains and killing around three thousand people. Within a week of the disaster, the country’s deadliest earthquake in 63 years, King Mohammed VI pledged MAD120 billion ($11.6 billion) over five years for reconstruction of the area.  That included […]

Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

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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 […]