UAE News and Analysis
News
Doha Bank to lend $1.5bn to UAE companies this year
Funds will mainly go towards construction, transport and real estate sectors
Air Arabia signs aircraft financing deal
Funding will support acquisition of new Airbus aircraft
Abu Dhabi plans new sustainable cities
Top Abu Dhabi official “100 per cent certain” of seeing Masdar 2 and 3 cities developed
Abu Dhabi outlines $90bn investment for Western Region
MEED’s Al-Gharbia Investment Conference to discuss priority sectors primed for investment
Abu Dhabi government rejects onshore concession extension
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to make quick decision on international partners for onshore fields
NPCC wins first package on Umm al-Lulu field
UAE firm awarded estimated $800m deal on offshore Abu Dhabi field
Nasr offshore development tender pushed back
Contractors wait for Abu Dhabi oil field tender that was expected in April
Abu Dhabi stocks on the rise
Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange reports improving trading volumes and value
Construction to start on region’s first fluid catalytic cracker
US’ WR Grace partners Abu Dhabi’s Al-Dahra Agriculture for $200m catalytic cracking project
Dubai superjumbo terminal named GCC project of the year
World’s first purpose-built A380 airport is overall winner at the 2013 MEED Quality Awards
Umm al-Lulu package two hangs in balance after bid resubmission
Technip submits lowest revised proposal after Saipem disqualified from bidding process
Nakheel to tender Palm mall development in third quarter
Design is being reviewed to increase size
Dana Gas revenues drop 20 per cent on Kurdistan outage
Gross revenue declined to AED557m from AED700m in the same period last year
Turner begins work as Louvre Abu Dhabi manager
Construction contracts were awarded in January
Contractors approached for Dubai theme park work
Dubai theme park project is just one of the emirate’s planned tourism projects
Emaar seeks contractors for Dubai Opera house
Cultural district will be built at the Downtown Burj Dubai area
UAE economy minister says more projects are coming
Sultan bin Saeed al-Mansouri hopeful that Dubai’s Expo bid will be successful
Air Arabia reports first quarter profit rise
Passenger traffic rises by almost 20 per cent
India’s Essar frontrunner for Abu Dhabi condensate pipeline
Gasco prepares to award 110-kilometre Habshan-Ruwais condensate pipeline contract
Local contractor wins Nakheel villas construction deal
Contract involves building 90 villas at Jumeirah Village Circle
Analysis
UAE driving Mena oil and gas spending
Spending in second quarter looks likely to outstrip first as major offshore deals are awarded
Lending to small businesses in Mena
SME banking revenue in the Mena region is expected to grow by 18 per cent per year, reaching $15bn by 2015
Q&A Ahmad bin Shafar, Chief executive officer, Empower
We are very optimistic that over the next three years we will be very busy
Empower: MEED Assessment
The recent pick-up in Dubai’s property market is set to offer significant opportunities for Empower
Empower
The district cooling provider plans to capitalise on the recovery in Dubai’s real estate sector
Labour costs decline in the UAE
Significant decline in cost of skilled and unskilled labour since January
Commodity super cycle on verge of downward trend
Analysts predicting 2013-14 could be the start of lower prices for commodities such as oil and gas
Fiscal competition heats up in the GCC
Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh could prove challengers to Dubai’s dominance as a regional financial hub
Inorganic growth pays dividends for Etihad Airways
Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways is applying a hybrid business model of codeshare agreements and investment in overseas airlines to expand its global footprint
Interview: H.E. Sindiso Ngwenya, secretary-general, Comesa
H.E. Sindiso Ngwenya, secretary-general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) discusses the organisation’s economic strategy
Interview: H.E. Hamad Buamin, director-general, Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Dubai Chamber director-general H.E. Hamad Buamin discusses the highlights of the Africa Global Business Forum
Top 100 projects drops in value in first quarter
Value of projects in execution fell $10bn as $30bn-worth of contract awards are new to the top 100 table
National Marine Dredging Company: MEED Assessment
NMDC has seen strong revenue growth over the past few years
Interview: Ki-Seok Park chief executive officer of Samsung Engineering
A joint venture with Arabtec Holding follows a string of successes in the Middle East. The man at the helm of the South Korean giant outlines his future strategy for the company
Arabtec joins the big league with Samsung Engineering
The Arabtec-Samsung Engineering joint venture aims to become a powerhouse in the projects industry
Dubai strengthens role as gold and diamond hub
Volumes of precious metals and gems traded in Dubai likely to increase throughout 2013
Middle East steel demand set to surge in 2014
Uncertainty over major steel projects could leave region a significant importer over next decade
Comment
Offshore schemes get under way
Abu Dhabi plans to significantly boost its offshore oil production capacity over the next five years
Dubai tries luck again with parks
As confidence returns to Dubai, it is planning theme parks for Jebel Ali and Mohammed bin Rashid City
Dubai faces rising competition
Growth plans of regional financial centres threaten Dubai International Financial Centre’s hub status
Focus must be on core sectors
Trade, transport, tourism, logistics and finance sectors crucial for Dubai to return to growth of pre-crash years
Dubai role as gold hub strengthens
Growing ties with Africa is helping to drive up commodities business volumes in the UAE
Arabtec to bid for bigger jobs
The joint venture with Samsung Engineering will focus on winning large-scale lucrative contracts
Abu Dhabi careful on low bidders
Saipem disqualified from an offshore oil deal in Abu Dhabi despite submitting the lowest price
Caution as UAE market recovers
While many positive indicators have emerged, the construction market still faces challenges
Abu Dhabi’s push offshore begins
With several offshore oil fields set to move ahead in 2013, the UAE’s oil sector looks towards a bumper year
Key destination for investment
International hotel brands are targeting the region as the tourism sector picks up
Hoteliers benefit from Dubai revival
The return of confidence to Dubai’s tourism sector prompts developers in the UAE to start hotel projects
Mirfa points to Abu Dhabi resolve
The UAE capital is serious about boosting power capacity as exports increase to the northern emirates
