Bloomberg League Inc., a Canadian health-insurance startup, is raising $25 million in a funding round backed by Omers Ventures, Royal Bank of Canada and Manulife Financial Corp. Toronto-based League lets employees find and pay for services such as therapy, dental work and chiropractor visits through a mobile application. League isn’t an insurer but connects insurance pools, employees and a …

  Bloomberg Canada should consider further housing-market restrictions to avoid a crash, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said, adding another voice to the recent chorus of those warning rapid price gains may be unsustainable. The country has the highest ratio of residential investment to gross domestic product among the 34 OECD nations, and household debt equal to 168 …

  Bloomberg Consumer confidence hit a fresh high this year as the number of Canadians expecting a decline in real-estate prices dropped, telephone polling shows. The Bloomberg Nanos Canadian Confidence Index rose to 57.9 from 57.8 a week earlier, reaching the highest level since November. The gain was driven by increased housing optimism: the difference between the share of those …

  Bloomberg Foreigners buying homes in Sydney will face a new property tax from next week when New South Wales becomes the second state in Australia to impose such a duty as soaring demand from China helps drive record prices. Australia’s most populous state plans to introduce a 4 percent stamp duty surcharge from June 21 and from next year …

  TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE A year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ratcheted up the pressure on housing officials across the country to do what has rarely been done in Houston: build affordable homes in well-off neighbourhoods. That is proving to be easier said than done. The court warned that concentrating public housing in low-income, high-minority neighborhoods could violate the Fair …

  ABU DHABI / WAM The UAE’s Ministerial Development Council, presided by HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, discussed the preparation of a global regulatory framework for Islamic finance as part of the UAE government vision to make the country a global centre for Islamic economy. The proposal includes setting comprehensive …

  ABU DHABI / WAM The United Arab Emirates condemned the terrorist attack which took place last night in the US city of Orlando, Florida State, killing 50 people and wounded others. In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced its solidarity with the United States, reiterating its condemnation of terrorism in all its …

  Bloomberg Microsoft Corp said it will buy LinkedIn Corp in a deal valued at $26.2 billion, giving the world’s biggest software provider access to a virtual Rolodex of connected business professionals. Microsoft will pay $196 per share in an all-cash transaction, including LinkedIn’s net cash, is a 49.5 percent premium to LinkedIn’s closing price Friday. LinkedIn will retain its …

  SHARJAH / WAM A delegation from the Portuguese Business Council in Dubai recently visited Sharjah Airport International Free Zone (SAIF Zone) to identify possible investment opportunities and cement their trade relationships with the free zone. The delegation, led by Caetano Leitao, was received by Raed Bukhatir, Deputy Director of Business Development at SAIF Zone. During the meeting, Bukhatir elaborated …

  Dubai / Emirates Business The 15th edition of Cityscape Global is expected to attract a new wave of real estate investors from across the region, following the success of recent exhibitions in Turkey, Egypt, Abu Dhabi and Qatar. So far in 2016, the Cityscape portfolio of events has gathered more than 46,000 participants, and feedback from key stakeholders including …