Bloomberg The number of new licenses approved for foreign businesses in Saudi Arabia rose by 70 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to the Saudi Arabia General Investment Authority. Applications from British and Chinese companies drove the increase, rising by 86 percent and 71 percent, respectively, Ibrahim Al Omar, governor of Sagia, as the kingdom’s investment-promotion …

DUBAI / WAM Nasdaq Dubai on Sunday welcomed the listing of a $1.5 billion sukuk by Islamic Development Bank (IDB). The listing underlines Dubai’s role as the largest centre globally for sukuk listings by nominal value currently totalling $60.89 billion. IDB now has 10 sukuk listed on the Middle East’s international financial exchange with a total value of $12.54 billion. …

Bloomberg Exxon Mobil Corp’s worst refining performance in almost two decades may revive questions about the so-called integrated model engineered by founder John D. Rockefeller and espoused by every CEO in the company’s 149-year history. A surprise loss in a business line Exxon typically relies on to prop up more volatile units eroded first-quarter profit and cast doubt on the …