Trade to boost financial sector connectivity with Asia
Trade plays a significant role in Gulf Cooperation Council and Asian economies, even excluding China and India. According to the…
Comment & Analysis
9434 articles found
Resilient economy boosts bank profits in first quarter
Nearly Half a dozen banks that reported their 2015 first quarter results on Wednesday showed the strong resilience of the…
Financing ‘still a top challenge for UAE SMEs’
Financing is still a top challenge facing entrepreneurs, according to 45 per cent of the 152 small and medium enterprises…
Saudi to Allow Only Large Foreign Institutions to Invest in Local Market
Saudi Arabia will only allow large foreign financial institutions to invest in its $550 billion stock market, its market regulator…
Malaysia and Saudi facing Iran’s rising finance power
With the easing of economic sanctions against Iran, the country is expected to unleash its enormous potential of Islamic finance…
Some banks win, some lose in Dubai’s ‘Islamic economy’
Dubai’s drive to develop its Islamic finance sector is fueling growth of Shariah-compliant banking but the benefits are unevenly distributed,…
Iran’s Middle East Bank Receiving Weekly Visits From Europeans
The head of Iran’s only wholly privately-owned bank said European investment funds are regularly visiting his Tehran offices to express…
Moody's: Saudi Arabia's fast-growing insurance market has untapped potential
The report says Saudi Arabia's insurance market had premiums worth $8.1 billion in 2014, the second biggest in the GCC. …
Middle East M&A deal value plummets 70%
The value of mergers and acquisitions in the Middle East plummeted more than 70 percent during the first three months…
Insurers Take On More Risk in Search of Returns, Study Says
Insurance companies just get can’t enough for their money these days. Interest rates are at all-time lows and even the…
Shariah Lenders Look Overseas For Growth
Islamic banks in the GCC will need to expand abroad to maintain their pace of growth in the future. …
Bahrain 'a vibrant, low-cost gateway to GCC'
Bahrain’s Economic Development Board has reported continuing success in positioning Bahrain as a vibrant high-value, low-cost gateway to the GCC.…