Competition is hotting up among low-cost carriers in the Persian Gulf. That’s according to analysts at NBK Capital, who say government-owned FlyDubai’s aggressive expansion is having a negative impact on publically-listed Air Arabia at its Sharjah hub. FlyDubai and Air Arabia already overlap on 40 destinations from their respective airports, which are just a short drive away from each other. In total, Air Arabia offers 70 destinations […]
|By K Raveendran| Abu Dhabi is set to launch an inaugural issuance of treasury bills of around $1 billion this year, along with an issue of $500 million commercial debt by Sharjah to invest in capital projects, sources familiar with the subject reveal. Also on the cards s a sukuk issue by Ras Al Khaimah, which has to refinance about $400 million in debt coming due this […]
|By TAP Staff|The ruling family of Ras Al Khaimah is exploring a sale of its shares in RAK Ceramics, the global leader in the manufacture of ceramic wall and floor tiles and sanitary ware, Reuters reported quoting a source familiar with the matter. Talks on the possible sale have been going on for the past six months, the source told Reuters, declining to be named because the […]
Pumping his fist into the Paris air, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi royal, celebrated the award of the 2020 World Expo to Dubai. A Dubai counterpart returned the favor three weeks later, hailing Abu Dhabi’s role in securing the event. The backslapping late last year signaled the ever-closer relationship between the sheikhdoms at the core of the seven-member United Arab Emirates, one a […]
Bank Muscat, Oman’s top lender, said the bank will recover the $39 million it lost in a global pre-paid card fraud after insurers agreed to indemnify the loss. In a globally coordinated campaign, hackers broke into two unidentified payment processing companies in India that handled the prepaid debit cards for two Middle Eastern banks and stole $45 million, including from Bank Muscat. The other lender was National […]
A call for the United Arab Emirates to consider allowing expatriates to apply for citizenship has sparked a debate about national identity in the Gulf Arab state, where foreigners outnumber the local population by more than five to one. Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi, a member of one of the UAE’s ruling families, is one of the federation’s pre-eminent commentators and also one of the most well-known Twitter users […]
Abu Dhabi government-owned Al Hilal Bank priced its debut $500 million five-year sukuk issue, a document from lead managers said on Tuesday, as Gulf issuers flood back to the market to take advantage of conducive market conditions. The transaction priced at par with a profit rate of 3.267 percent and a spread of 170 basis points over midswaps, the document said. The spread had tightened significantly from […]
National Bank of Ras al-Khaimah (RAKBANK) has named Peter England, previously a senior banker at Malaysia’s CIMB Group, as its new chief executive, the bank confirmed in a statement on Sunday. Reuters reported last month that England, who was the head of retail financial services business at CIMB, would replace current CEO Graham Honeybill, citing sources familiar with the matter. Honeybill had initially been due to retire […]
Aug 12 (Reuters) – National Bank of Ras al-Khaimah (RAKBANK) has appointed Peter England, previously a senior banker at Malaysia’s CIMB Group, as its new chief executive, two sources familiar with the matter said. England, who was the head of retail financial services business at CIMB takes charge on Sept. 1, one of the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter has not been […]
RAK Airways has commenced its operation to Amman and Islamabad. The launch flight to Amman, Jordan, was inaugurated with rose flowers by Sheikh Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Director of Civil Aviation, Ras Al Khaimah and Vice Chairman of RAK Airways as well as Murabit Al Sawaf, President and CEO of the airline. Speaking on the launch, Al Sawaf said, “Amman is our 11th destination and this […]
