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

BEIJING / Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc winning approval to start a credit-card business in China’s $1 trillion market offers Chief Executive Officer Stuart Gulliver added flexibility in his push into the nation’s retail banking and wealth-management industries. The approval from Chinese authorities came as HSBC ended a card venture with Bank of Communications Co., the bank’s Asia-Pacific head Peter Wong …

CAPE TOWN / Bloomberg FirstRand Ltd., Africa’s biggest bank by value, said first-half profit was little changed after South Africa’s economy slowed and non-performing loans increased. Net income rose to 10.48 billion rand ($683 million) in the six months ended December 31 from 10.3 billion rand a year earlier, the Johannesburg-based company said in a statement on Tuesday. Earnings per share …

Canberra / Bloomberg Australian central bank Deputy Governor Philip Lowe said that low wage growth and contained inflation provide scope to cut rates further and said, like most of his global peers, he’d prefer a weaker currency. The Reserve Bank of Australia’s official said the economy had proved pretty resilient to the winding back of a massive mining investment boom and …

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 …