News

ABU DHABI / WAM The United Arab Emirates, in April, witnessed various events and activities that consolidated the process of transforming “Tolerance” from a societal value to sustainable institutional action, according to clear mechanisms and strategies. The hosting of the conference on ‘Tolerance in the Context of Legislative and Judicial Systems’, the opening of the ‘Tolerance Neighbourhood Pro-ject’ in Umm …

ABU DHABI / WAM Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) has merged with Union National Bank (UNB) and the combined entity has acquired Al Hilal Bank, legally completing a landmark transaction in the UAE, forming the ADCB Group with effect from on Wednesday. The ADCB Group, serving more than one million customers, has AED423 billion in assets, is the third-largest financial …

Dubai / Emirates Business Amazon and Souq announced the launch of Amazon.ae, a new local shopping experience for customers in the UAE. Amazon.ae features over 30 million products from local and international businesses, including products previously available on Souq and five million products from Amazon US. Customers shopping on Amazon.ae will enjoy the same commitment to great prices as on …

Bloomberg The White House is ramping up pressure to reach a trade deal with China in the next two weeks, warning that the US is prepared to walk away from the negotiations. “It won’t go on forever,” Mick Mulvaney, President Donald Trump’s acting chief of staff, said at an event in Los Angeles. “At some point in any negotiation you …

MANAMA / WAM Investcorp on Tuesday announced that its US-based real estate investment team acquired a portfolio of eight single-tenant distribution pr-operties in various locations across US for a combined purchase price of approximately $170 million. The properties in the portfolio total 1.4 million square feet and are 100 percent leased. “We are pleased to add these properties to our …

Bloomberg Oil rose as Saudi Arabia signalled Opec and its allies could extend supply cuts to the end of the year, while Venezuela’s opposition leader called for a military uprising. Crude futures added 1.5 percent in New York. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its partners remain focussed on reducing oil inventories, …

DUBAI / WAM Forbes Insights has revealed the latest findings of its State of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Middle East report in partnership with Ai Everything, at the two day Artificial Intelligence Summit, which concludes on Wednesday at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The report was launched to an audience of elite technologists, global AI leaders, c-suite executives and …

ABU DHABI / WAM First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) reported solid operating performance for the first quarter that ended on March 31, on Monday, with net profit amounting to AED3.1 billion, up 6 percent sequentially and 4 percent YoY. According to a press statement released by the bank, annualised earnings per share (EPS) stood at AED1.08, compared to AED1.06 in …

Bloomberg The world’s biggest oil exporter is ramping up efforts to develop natural gas with plans for a 15-fold boost in output from unconventional deposits of the fuel. Saudi Aramco is building facilities to tap shale gas in the kingdom’s oil-rich eastern region and is making “a lot of progress” towards this goal, CEO Amin Nasser told report-ers in Dammam. …

DUBAI / WAM Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development (DED), mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to launch an index that will evaluate the cost of doing business for SMEs in Dubai. The MoU was signed by …