Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) transactions in the Middle East region is expected to grow by 20% y/y this year, Trade Arabia reported, citing a study by M:Communications. Saudi Arabia will witness the highest percentage of transactions in the region, benefiting from the high international oil prices and increased business optimism, boosted by the USD 155bn annual budget, recently announced by the government. Political changes in the northern African countries such as Egypt and Tunisia, however, might affect negatively the M&A transactions' growth this year. |
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