The Gulf Time Newspaper One of the finest business newspapers in the UAE brought to you by our professional writers and editors.

  Madrid / AFP Spanish banks, which slimmed down after a property boom went bust in 2008, are once again closing branches and slashing jobs as their profitability is hit by stiff competition. The country’s three biggest lenders — Santander, BBVA and CaixaBank — last week all posted lower first quarter net profits, especially in Spain, which is grappling with …

  Bloomberg The mortgage upstarts that transformed the industry after the U.S. housing crash are now facing their own shakeout. Soaring expenses are squeezing profits for nonbank lenders, which have grown to almost half of the mortgage market, as new rules and stepped-up regulatory scrutiny slice into already-thin margins. The average cost to originate a home loan jumped by 18 …

  Bloomberg SouFun Holdings Ltd. plans to switch its stock listing from the U.S. to China, joining companies including Dalian Wanda Commercial Properties Co. that are seeking higher valuations on mainland stock exchanges. SouFun, China’s biggest real estate web portal, is seeking to move its shares to the Shanghai stock exchange via an asset and share swap with storage-battery manufacturer …

GULF TIME Vapiano is set to introduce breakfast for the first time in its history across its UAE outlets, marking an exciting new chapter for the international dining brand. The new Vapiano Breakfast Menu has been created to bring a fresh, social, and relaxed international lifestyle experience to the morning dining scene, offering guests a new way to begin their …

NEW WEST ZONE SUPERMARKET LLC, the registered and exclusive owner of the trademark “WEST ZONE” in the United Arab Emirates, hereby declares that  the company has no procurement or marketing branch operating in any of the Emirates in the UAE except “ Dubai”. The public, customers, and suppliers are hereby cautioned not to deal with any entity claiming to represent or belong …

ABU DHABI/WAM The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) is calling on investors to collect their dividends through First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the paying agent appointed to handle the process. This comes as a part of its ongoing efforts to protect the rights of shareholders in companies listed on the UAE stock exchanges and ensure they claim any outstanding entitlements …

DUBAI/WAM Capital.com, the high-growth global trading platform and fintech group, has announced it is now offering its customers access to the principal UAE stock markets – becoming one of the first major trading platforms to do so. In a move that reflects the growing interest in the region’s economy, Capital.com is providing full coverage of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange …

ABU DHABI / WAM The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the second-largest exchange in the Middle East, on Tuesday welcomed the successful listing of Alpha Data, a leading digital transformation provider and systems integrator in the UAE. This marks the UAE’s first IPO and the exchange’s second offering in 2025, reinforcing the exchange’s commitment to broadening the market and offering …