March, 2018

• 11 March

  Foreign fund hopes boost Saudi, Emirates NBD bank soars in Dubai

  

  Reuters Expectations for inflows of foreign funds in coming months boosted Saudi Arabia’s stock market to a multi-year high on Sunday, while a leap by Dubai’s biggest bank, Emirates NBD, lifted that index. The Saudi index surged 1.8 percent, its biggest daily gain since last June, to 7,696 points, its highest finish since November 2015. The index, which had added …

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• 11 March

  Regulatory scrutiny sends Bitcoin into 20 percent tailspin

  

  Bloomberg Bitcoin’s rough week headed for a bitter ending. The virtual currency fell 6 percent to $8,760 in New York, after earlier losing as much as 10 percent. Bitcoin has slumped more than 20 percent this week amid increased regulatory scrutiny in the US and Japan, an attempted theft at one of the biggest trading venues, and news that the …

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• 11 March

  EON to take over Innogy from rival RWE

  

  Bloomberg EON SE agreed to acquire Innogy SE from German rival RWE AG, transforming the energy industry as Europe’s largest economy continues its switch to renewable power. In a complicated deal involving shares and asset swaps, EON SE will emerge with the retail and network businesses of both companies, while RWE will end up owning the combined renewable generation businesses …

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• 11 March

  Brexit denial leaves UK energy industry pleading for no change

  

  Bloomberg Across Britain, energy companies are hoping that Brexit just might just go away. Energy has only been a sideshow in the discussions about the UK leaving the European Union even though it’s a key part of the trade bloc’s single market. Power and natural gas companies say Britain’s existing relationship with the bloc on energy matters should remain in …

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• 11 March

  45 firms to bid for Jordan energy project

  Bloomberg Jordan selected 45 companies including France’s Total SA and Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power as finalists to bid for six solar and wind energy power plants with total capacity of 300 megawatts of power. The 31 companies selected for the four solar power plants include Linuo Group, FRV Solar Holdings, ACWA Power, Chint Solar, Total Solar and TBEA Xinjiang Sunoasis, …

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• 11 March

  Oil trading giants Glencore, Vitol targeted in PDVSA bribe suit

  

  Bloomberg Oil trading giants including Glencore Ltd. and Vitol SA paid millions of dollars to a former PDVSA trader to get the inside track on Venezuelan oil deals, according to a lawsuit filed by a trust for Petróleos de Venezuela SA. The alleged conspiracy, which includes more than two dozen companies and individuals, even has a name worthy of a …

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• 11 March

  Bahrain’s Investcorp set to launch $100mn new fund

  Reuters Bahrain-listed Investcorp plans to launch a $100 million fund dedicated to Oman’s pension funds, the alternative asset manager said on Sunday. Investcorp’s new fund will focus on private equity investments in the United States and Europe, the company said in an emailed statement, and will target mid-sized companies across a broad range of sectors. Investcorp, which manages more than …

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• 11 March

  JPMorgan sees busiest Middle East year with IPOs, M&A driving deals

  

  Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. sees initial public offerings and M&A driving Middle East deals this year in what the US bank expects to be its busiest in the region. Private sector mergers and state sell-offs as part of privatisation plans will accelerate, while corporate bond sales are also likely to rise, Sjoerd Leenart, the bank’s global head of corporate …

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• 11 March

  UBS boosts compensation for CEO, staff as profit rises

  

  Bloomberg UBS Group AG boosted Chief Executive Officer Sergio Ermotti’s pay and increased the bank’s bonus pool by about 6 percent after underlying profit rose. The Zurich-based lender boosted the bonus pool for 2017 to 3.1 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), according to its annual report. Ermotti remains the highest-paid executive, earning 14.2 million francs, up from the 13.7 million …

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• 11 March

  Cash may disappear in China as payments go digital: PBOC

  

  Bloomberg Just because China’s financial regulators are cracking down on cryptocurrencies doesn’t mean they’re souring on the idea of digital money. People’s Bank of China Governor Zhou Xiaochuan made that clear at a press conference in Beijing, saying physical cash may one day become obsolete. Zhou said the PBOC is looking into digital currencies as it pursues faster, cheaper and …

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