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TOKYO / Reuters A laggard in embracing the ‘fintech’, or financial technology, revolution, Japan is set to ease investment restrictions that could free up the flow of capital in an economy sitting on an estimated $9 trillion in individuals’ cash deposits. Strict regulation, easy access to credit due to rock-bottom interest rates, and weak demand for innovative financial services from ...

Throughout last year, Abu Dhabi General Services Company “Musanada” delivered 23 development projects with a total cost of approximately AED11.2 billion throughout Abu Dhabi across various sectors including housing, education, buildings, infrastructure, roads, healthcare, etc. “Being determined to serve the community honestly and transparently, Musanada is executing and managing scores of projects according to highest international standards and specifications,” stated ...

Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank (ADCB) on Saturday announced that it has recently won two prestigious Asian Banker awards; “Best Retail Bank in the UAE” and “Best Brand Initiative of the Year” across Asia, Middle East and Africa, which was awarded to the Bank for its pioneering initiative “Ambition Visualized”. ADCB received the awards during the ...

Abu Dhabi / WAM Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, has stressed that Sudan is capable of becoming the food basket of the Arab region and called for joint efforts to promote promising investment opportunities in the country’s agriculture and food industry. He was speaking during a meeting with Ambassador of Sudan to the UAE, Mohammed Amin Abdullah ...

Dubai / WAM HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority, on Saturday announced that total investments in Dubai Silicon Oasis amounted to AED3.6 billion in 2015. Projects carried out by the DSOA accounted for half of all investments, while foreign investments at the hi-tech park contributed to the remaining half. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, ...

Brussels / AFP Police pressed ahead on Saturday with the search for suspects in Belgium’s worst ever terror attack, as a series of raids and arrests revealed more links with the November Paris killings and a new French plot. The government meanwhile came in for a torrent of criticism, with key ministers on the back foot saying they had done ...

Washington / AFP US states Alaska, Hawaii and Washington take their turn voting on Saturday in the Democratic presidential nominating contest, with Hillary Clinton unlikely to deliver a knockout blow against resilient rival Bernie Sanders. The trio of western caucuses marks a chance for Vermont Senator Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, to chisel away at Clinton’s formidable lead in the ...

WAM While oil-exporting countries face significant challenges as result of global economic turbulences and falling oil prices, the UAE continues to achieve new levels of economic growth. This comes as a direct result of the UAE wise leadership’s forward-looking vision and its precise predictions of the region’s developments-which contribute in facing growing global economic challenges, through developing and putting in ...

Bloomberg The European Union is considering easing bank-failure rules introduced to end the era of expensive taxpayer-funded bailouts. A discussion paper prepared by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, envisions setting EU loss-absorbency requirements for its biggest banks, led by HSBC Holdings Plc and Deutsche Bank AG, in line with those issued in November by the Financial Stability Board ...

Bloomberg The U.S. economy grew in the fourth quarter at a faster pace than previously estimated, supported by stronger household spending that’s helping cushion the expansion from weakness overseas. The revised 1.4 percent increase in gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced, compares with the Commerce Department’s previous estimate of 1 percent, according to figures issued ...