August, 2017

• 22 August

  Al Rajhi becomes investors’ favourite

  

  Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s largest lender has become a favourite among equity analysts and investors as its business improves and the potentially lucrative inclusion in an emerging-markets benchmark index approaches next month. Al Rajhi Bank was upgraded to buy by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. on Aug. 8. An analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch followed suit eight days later, citing ...

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• 22 August

  Pound slips as post-Brexit trade uncertainties linger on

  

  Bloomberg The pound declined the most in a week against the dollar amid lingering uncertainties about how long it will take for the UK to forge post-Brexit trade agreements with the European Union. Sterling, which depreciated against most Group-of-10 peers, also reached a 10-month low versus the euro. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is releasing a third paper Tuesday on ...

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• 22 August

  AMMB, RHB Bank to scrap proposed merger

  

  Bloomberg RHB Bank Bhd., Malaysia’s fourth-largest lender by assets, and AMMB Holdings Bhd. are planning to scrap their proposed merger, according to people with knowledge of the matter. RHB and AMMB had difficulty reaching agreement on terms, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. The companies could announce as soon as Tuesday ...

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• 22 August

  Bahrain may need to boost interest rates

  Reuters Bahrain may need to raise its market interest rates to protect its currency and must refrain from having its central bank lend money to cover the government’s budget deficit, the International Monetary Fund said. In a statement released after annual consultations with the Bahraini government, the IMF repeated earlier warnings that more steps by Bahrain to cut its deficit ...

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• 22 August

  TD Ameritrade follows Bank of America with Facebook chatbot

  

  Bloomberg Financial chatbots are all the rage these days. TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. is the latest in a string of firms seeking to make it possible for customers and prospective clients to ask a robot their most burning financial questions. In a partnership with Facebook Inc. announced on Tuesday, users of the tech giant’s Messenger service will be able to ...

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• 22 August

  ‘HSBC currency conspiracy has 11 others’

  

  Bloomberg A foreign exchange front-running scheme at HSBC Holdings Plc may have involved at least 11 bank employees beyond the two executives who have been charged with crimes, a prosecutor said. Mark Johnson, HSBC’s global head of foreign exchange cash trading in London, is scheduled to go on trial Sept. 18 in New York, accused of illegally using his knowledge ...

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• 21 August

  Bank credit to realty sector hits AED281bn

  

  Abu Dhabi / WAM Bank financing provided to the property and construction sector in the UAE increased by AED16.5 billion during H1 2017, a growth of 6.2 percent from the end of 2016, bringing to AED281.2 billion the total bank credit channeled to the sector by the end of June. According to UAE Central Bank statistics, funding provided to the ...

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• 21 August

  HBMSU urges boosting UAE-China trade ties

  DUBAI / WAM The Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) hosted a roundtable on the ‘Belt & Road Initiative’ and Islamic Finance Executive Strategy to promote economic cooperation between China and the UAE in the non-oil commercial and production sectors. The event was held with the support of the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre and provided an opportunity to capitalise ...

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• 21 August

  IMF meet to focus on economic growth, job creation in Arab World

  WASHINGTON / WAM The International Monetary Fund (IMF), Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), Arab Fund for Social and Economic Development (AFESD), and the Government of Morocco are to co-host a high-level conference in Marrakesh, on January 29-30, 2018, on promoting higher economic growth, job creation, and inclusiveness in the Arab World. “Opportunities for All: Promoting Growth, Jobs, and Inclusiveness in the ...

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• 21 August

  President Khalifa issues decree on excise tax

  

  The FTA may exempt a Person from registration, but not payment of tax, if they can demonstrate that they will not regularly import Excise Goods. However, anyone who has been exempted from Tax Registration must immediately inform the Authority of any changes to his/her circumstances that would make them subject to tax, and they must do so within the allotted ...

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