Dubai / Emirates Business Landmark Group and HSBC have completed a first-of-its-kind transaction that connected two independently- built blockchain platforms, proving their interoperability and showing how collaborative technologies can further accelerate international trade in the future. It also marks a major step forward in the Middle East’s retail industry adopting blockchain. The transaction involved a shipment from Bee Dee Industries …

Dubai / Emirates Business Homegrown UAE company Zbooni has announced it has just closed its latest funding round of $1.1 million from Chalhoub Group and B&Y Venture Partners to continue to grow the business. With a strong growth record over two years, it is handling millions of dirhams of sale transactions per month through its connected chat commerce app. The …

Bloomberg US equities were little changed on Wednesday while Treasuries slipped as investors prepared for the latest Federal Reserve meeting to conclude, with anticipation growing that policy makers will signal a readiness to lower rates. The three main US stock gauges drifted alongside the dollar, while the Stoxx Europe 600 was also little changed. Earlier, shares in Asia rallied, tracking …

Bloomberg Facebook Inc Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said the company’s planned cryptocurrency coin, Libra, is a “long way from launch.” The social-media giant unveiled plans for a new global financial system based on a so-called stablecoin — a digital currency that’s supported by established government-backed currencies and securities. The project, more than a year in the making and including …

Bloomberg Emerging-market currencies offer some of the best value as an eight-year run of dollar strength is “close to the end,” according to Pacific Investment Management Co (Pimco). “We like to be long a number of those,” Gene Frieda, a Pimco strategist in London, said. Slowing US growth will finally put a dent in the greenback, while counterparts in the …

Bloomberg Airbus SE muscled its way to the front again on the third day of the Paris Air Show, adding orders for its newest plane after US rival Boeing Co stole the spotlight with a mega-deal for its grounded 737 Max. The new A321XLR now has seven customers lined up after Qantas Airways Ltd and US-based Indigo Partners LLC signed …

Bloomberg KKR & Co is nearing a deal to exit part of its stake in Weststar Aviation Services Sdn, Southeast Asia’s biggest provider of helicopters for the offshore energy industry, people with knowledge of the matter said. The private equity firm is in advanced talks to sell a portion of its 40 percent Weststar holding to the company’s controlling shareholder, …

Bloomberg Airports of Thailand (AOT), the world’s biggest airport operator by market value, surged the most in six years in Bangkok trading after announcing higher-than-expected concession fees for duty free shops and commercial areas at four of the Southeast Asian nation’s international airports. The state-controlled company will receive 20 percent of sales, with a minimum guarantee of 15.4 billion baht …

Bloomberg Air New Zealand Ltd Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon resigned after more than six years in the role, as he raised the possibility of a new career in politics. Luxon, 48, will step down from day-to-day leadership of the airline on September 25, the company said. An international search for his replacement is underway and a new CEO is …

Bloomberg Steinhoff International Holdings NV reduced its loss by 70 percent in the fiscal year ended in September. The step towards a recovery wasn’t enough to stop its shares from falling. The net loss was 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) during the period, down from 4 billion euros in the previous year. The owner of Conforama in France and Mattress …