Bloomberg Philippine central bank Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said a quick reversal of last year’s monetary tightening — either through a reduction in the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves or a cut in key interest rates — would be “bad economic or monetary policy.” While inflation in the last two months of 2018 cooled from a ...

Bloomberg The final report of an inquiry into misconduct in Australia’s financial system will land with a thud at National Australia Bank Ltd.’s headquarters. It’s just not the size of the three-volume report, but the blast aimed at Chief Executive Officer Andrew Thorburn and Chairman Ken Henry, who testified during the Royal Commission’s final round of hearings. “Having heard from ...

Bloomberg Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary will step back from day-to-day management as the discount carrier moves to a group structure that puts union negotiations into the hands of subordinates after a year of labour strife. Chairman David Bonderman, in the post since 1996, will also leave next year, according to a statement on Monday, following investor ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Since the announcement of visa free travel for Emiratis to Ireland in early 2018, dnata Travel, the UAE’s longest-standing travel provider, has experienced a 63.5% overall increase in year on year travel from the UAE to Ireland. The report showed a dramatic 55% increase in travel arrangements made within 14 days in advance of travelling, including ...

Dubai / Emirates Business A pioneering sustainability initiative introduced by leading retail brand, Splash, which encouraged householders to recycle their old clothes, resulted in over 11 tonnes of clothes being collected. Some of the collected items were distributed amongst underprivileged communities in Africa. The ‘Life After Fashion” campaign saw Splash working closely with UAE-based laundry firms to communicate message of ...

Bloomberg Gone are the days when the only goal of a company was to persuade you to buy its product. Now, making you feel kinship with a brand—even love—takes precedence. At least, that’s what a group of influential startups believe. Eyewear maker Warby Parker, makeup seller Glossier, mattress retailer Casper—all of these companies are “direct-to-consumer” brands largely born on the ...

Bloomberg First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC jumped on optimism the lender will follow regional peers and raise the foreign-ownership limit on its stock. The shares climbed as much as 5.8 percent in Abu Dhabi before paring gains to 1.8 percent. The ADX General Index added 0.6 percent, with FAB shares adding the most to the increase. The United Arab Emirates’ ...

Dubai / Emirates Business The UAE Organising Committee of the 24th World Energy Congress announced signing an agreement with Senaat, one of the UAE’s largest industrial investment holding companies, to serve as co-host sponsors for the 2019 Congress. The agreement was signed by Dr Matar Al Neyadi and Eng Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri at Saint Regis Abu Dhabi. Aligning with ...

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Agthia Group PJSC, one of the UAE’s leading food and beverages companies, reported preliminary and unaudited resu- lts for fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2018. Fiscal year net profit increased to AED211 million, growing 2.1 percent over the previous year. The group posted AED2 billion in revenues. When several non-repeating items are excluded ...

Dubai / Emirates Business Leading companies in the UAE have announced new partnerships with several start-ups that were selected as part of the third cycle of Dubai Startup Hub’s Market Access programme. During a ceremony held recently at Dubai Chamber’s premises, Emirates Post Group announced its intention to work with Safe Driving Network on a pilot project testing the startup’s ...