HSBC’s Middle East unit increases lending in Q4
HSBC’s Middle East subsidiary expanded its loan book in the fourth quarter, outperforming the bank’s other units. Customer lending at HSBC Bank Middle East was $20 billion on December 31, up $1.6 billion, or 8 percent, on three months earlier. Worldwide, HSBC’s customer lending fell by 2 percent over the same period. The Middle East […]
Saudi Arabia prods blue chips to list more shares
Saudi Arabia is prodding blue-chip companies on its stock exchange to offer more shares to the public as part of a drive to become a global financial centre. Abdullah Binghannam, deputy head of financing and investment at the kingdom’s Capital Market Authority, told a markets forum in Riyadh on Tuesday that a regulatory framework was […]
Take action to keep climate goal in reach, urges Al Jaber
The UAE consensus achieved at the Cop28 summit in Dubai set a clear roadmap for keeping global temperature rise to within 1.5C. Now the world must turn the plan into action and results, said Cop28 president Sultan Al Jaber. Al Jaber told the International Energy Agency roundtable in Paris on Tuesday that all stakeholders must […]
Financial services help Bahrain to record $1.7bn in investments
Bahrain attracted more than $1.7 billion in investments last year through its government-backed investment company. The financial services sector was the main driver. The figure, released by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, was 55 percent up on 2022. The investments covered 85 local and international projects, which are forecast to create 5,700 jobs in Bahrain […]