The World Bank (WB) and Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) plan to raise up to USD 1bn through a regional investment vehicle to support both conventional and Shariah-compliant investment in infrastructure in the MENA region, Saudi state agency -SPA reported. Both parties proposed regional initiative that would include technical assistance to help governments tackle legal, policy and institutional constraints. The WB lending to the MENA region for infrastructure, including electricity, transport and water, exceeds USD 1bn a year. |
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Bahrain Middle East Bank made a USD 13mn full repayment of a loan obligation including a USD 1.4mn interest payment taking total repayments by the troubled lender to USD 43mn, the bank said in ... more
National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), the UAE's largest lender by market value, initiated a USD 17mn fifteen-year Uridashi bond, MENA's first ever, allowing the bank to directly access Japanese ... more
The GCC economies remain insulated from economic and political turbulence in the MENA region and globally but structural challenges continue to constrain sovereign ratings, ratings agency ... more