DP World, one of the world’s biggest port operators, has launched a $500 million, five-year bond that will price later on Tuesday, a document from lead arrangers showed. The transaction was set to price at a spread of 155 bps over midswaps, which is at the tighter end of a final guidance of 160 bps plus/minus 5 bps over midswaps. This is lower than initial pricing guidance […]
|By Nafeesa Syeed & Rinat Gaynullin|Saudi Arabia is burning through foreign reserves at a record pace as the largesse of the new king and regional turmoil ratchet up pressure on public finances already hurt by the oil price slump. The kingdom spent $36 billion of the central bank’s net foreign assets — about 5 percent of the total — in February and March, the biggest two-month drop […]
|TAP Special| Citibank has lost a key decision in its defense of a lawsuit in Abu Dhabi accusing the bank of self-dealing, defrauding investors, and attempting to cover-up investor losses. The Abu Dhabi Commercial Court of First Instance on April 14, 2015 determined the lawsuit should proceed and ordered the appointment of a Committee of Experts to review evidence and determine Citibank’s culpability. The Court’s decision is […]
The two main stock exchanges in the United Arab Emirates are trying to attract market makers but some industry professionals say Abu Dhabi is offering more generous financial terms and more liberal rules than Dubai, suggesting it may have more success. Market makers stand ready to buy and sell stocks at all times, improving liquidity on an exchange – something which may be increasingly important as Abu […]
Most major Gulf stock markets, led by Dubai, rose on Sunday after the Brent oil price hit a 4-1/2-month high, while the bourse of energy importer Egypt closed in the red. Brent crude climbed to $65.80 a barrel on Friday because of continued fighting in Yemen and, although U.S. crude fell on concerns about another upcoming stock build, both benchmarks posted weekly gains. The main Saudi equities […]
DP World, one of the world’s biggest port operators, wants to issue a dollar-denominated bond and could announce plans to market the deal to fixed-income investors as soon as next week, three sources aware of the matter said on Thursday. The Dubai-based firm could raise between $750 million and $1 billion from the bond, depending on investor appetite and the interest rate the company would have to […]
Talhouk … turning data into insights. Microsoft summit highlights data analysis trends DUBAI, 1 days ago The second Microsoft Dynamics Summit, which concluded recently in Dubai, UAE has provided new insights on how Dynamics tools will enable organisations to more effectively make sense of data and fuel greater speed and precision in decision-making. The summit took place at Jumeirah Beach Hotel and attracted hundreds of business leaders, […]
Doha Bank posts $115m net profit, up 5.2pc DUBAI, 18 hours, 57 minutes ago Doha Bank has posted a net profit of QR420 million ($115.2 million) for the first quarter of the year, compared to QR399 million for the same period last year, an increase of 5.2 per cent. The bank’s net operating income increased 2.3 per cent to QR714 million, while its total assets increase QR4.1 […]
Dubai’s drive to develop its Islamic finance sector is fuelling growth of sharia-compliant banking but the benefits are unevenly distributed, with some lenders struggling to compete against burgeoning competition. In 2013, Dubai’s government announced plans to turn the emirate into a centre for an “Islamic economy” with sharia-compliant businesses ranging from banking to asset management, trade, food preparation and certification, fashion, education and tourism. This looked like […]
Deutsche Bank must pay the largest ever fine levied by the regulator of Dubai’s financial free zone for what the watchdog described as “serious contraventions” by the German lender’s wealth management business in the emirate. The $8.4 million levy from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) is the latest regulatory blow for the Frankfurt-based lender, which faces billions of euros in potential claims or settlements over alleged […]
|By TAP Staff| Investors see growing overvaluations in both equities and bonds and have signaled concern about a valuation bubble forming, according to the BofA Merrill Lynch Fund Manager Survey for April. The proportion of global investors saying equity markets are overvalued has reached its highest level since 2000. A net 25 percent of respondents to the global survey say that global equities are currently overvalued, up […]
Noor Bank may conduct a benchmark-sized sukuk issue after setting up a $3 billion Islamic bond programme, the Dubai-based lender confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday, with banking sources indicating the sale could happen as early as this month. “Noor Bank has confirmed that they have today established (a) $3 billion sukuk trust certificates issuance programme to be listed on NASDAQ Dubai,” the bank said in a statement […]
Deloitte appoints director forensic services in Saudi RIYADH, 3 days ago Deloitte Corporate Finance in the Middle East has appointed Abdullah Farid Shaker as principal director of forensic and financial advisory services, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I am delighted to welcome Abdullah to our team, whose joining reflects the growing need for financial advisory services in the Middle East and in KSA specifically,” said Humphry Hatton, CEO […]
Ameen … new role. Deutsche Bank appoints new COO for MEA DUBAI, 3 days ago Deutsche Bank AG announced today the appointment of Javeed Ameen as chief operating officer (COO) for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Ameen will be based in Dubai, UAE, and report to Ashok Aram, CEO Middle East and Africa, and Karl von Rohr, global chief operating officer regional management. Ameen replaces […]
GIB unit fund appoints Barclays for brokerage services MANAMA, 3 days ago GIB Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund, the flagship hedge fund of GIB (UK), has appointed Barclays Bank to provide additional prime brokerage services to the fund. GIB UK is a subsidiary of Bahrain-based Gulf International Bank (GIB), said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication. The appointment complements the relationship with the […]
A $1.5 billion nine-year loan for Dubai’s Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) is being marketed to banks after receiving commitments from seven lenders to fully back the financing, three sources aware of the matter said on Thursday. The syndication phase was launched on Wednesday and will allow additional lenders to join in the facility, which ENOC said in January it would raise for general business purposes and […]
Apollo Global Management is in talks to expand its business into the Middle East for the first time through a joint venture with a local investment firm, three sources aware of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. The move is the latest sign of interest in the region from large Western private equity funds. They are searching for opportunities in previously-unexplored markets due to low-yield environments at […]
Pacific Control Systems, a Dubai-based information and communications technology provider, has raised 1 billion dirhams ($272 million) in 72-month loans, to partly finance expansion plans. NBF Capital, a unit of National Bank of Fujairah, was financial advisor for the deal. It was joined by Al Khalij Commercial Bank QSC as lead arranger, National Bank of Fujairah said in a bourse statement on Tuesday. The syndication was a […]
As chairman of Emaar Properties, Mohamed Alabbar has shaped much of Dubai’s skyline, but rapid growth in his outside real estate interests is raising the possibility of a rarity in the Gulf – open shareholder dissent. Speculation persists that Alabbar and Emaar, the company he founded in 1997, could soon part ways despite a categorical denial from the firm last month. His involvement in other firms’ projects, […]
|By TAP Staff| According to a new study by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the banking industry in the Middle East maintained double-digit revenue growth in 2014 with a 10.0 percent increase, stemming largely from major customer segments such as retail and corporate banking as well as international business and treasury. Based on the banks’ 2014 annual results released in the first quarter of 2015, the newest […]
ABU DHABI // The UAE Cabinet has paid tribute to the country’s Armed Forces during the ongoing Operation Decisive Storm military intervention in Yemen. The Cabinet also praised the leading role taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the action to restore safety and stability to Yemen, and stressed support for the international effort, reports Wam, the state news agency. “The UAE, and its brothers in […]
Borse Dubai ruled out any sale of its shares in Nasdaq OMX Group on Thursday after shedding its entire 17.4 percent stake in the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The firm had been the biggest single shareholder in the LSE prior to the sale, which occurred on Wednesday through a so-called book building process which a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday happened at 22.50 […]
|By TAP Staff| Dubai’s stock exchange operators Borse Dubai Ltd said it was selling its remaining stake of 17.4 percent in the London Stock Exchange Group. Borse Dubai holds the biggest shareholder in the premier global exchange, valued at about $2.2 billion. Borse Dubai is the holding company for Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and NASDAQ Dubai. Borse Dubai was created 6 August, 2007 to consolidate the Government […]
Liquidators for ES Bankers (Dubai) Ltd (ESBD) have estimated they will pay out 82.7 percent of the $93.5 million owed to depositors in the stricken bank, advisory firm Deloitte said on its website. However, unsecured creditors of the Dubai arm of the Espirito Santo empire, which stumbled after accounting irregularities were identified at one of its holding companies earlier last year, will get none of the $14 […]
