Latest Features

A lasting bond
15 Jul 2011
Emirates NBD, Expert Comment, Features, fixed income
Mena’s fixed-income market has benefited from recent market instability, offering a viable long-term alternative strategy to investors. The evidence now suggests that it’s not just Mena investors who are catching on to the evolving opportunities in the bond sector
Read Full Article »
It’s all coming together
4 Jul 2011
Algebra, Features, Jadwa, Khazanah Nasional Berhad, M&A activity, merger and acquisition, Passport Capital, Shuaa
M&A activity is on the rise across the Mena region, and the financial services industry is no exception. However, despite recent market volatility and rumours of consolidation, a surge in fund-related mergers and acquisitions has yet to take off
Read Full Article »
The bigger picture
27 Jun 2011
Capital Generation Partners, Expert Comment, Features, Interviews, investors, Searches
At a time when the majority of investors are reconsidering their Mena exposure, Capital Generation Partners’ Ian Barnard offers an insight into why his firm has pulled back from emerging markets and how Mena can win back the confidence of investors
Read Full Article »
On solid ground
20 Jun 2011
Features, HSBC Saudi Arabia, Interviews, Osamah Shaker
HSBC Saudi’s multi-billion dollar asset management business has beaten the drum for international investment into Saudi since its inception in 2005. But in a rare interview, managing director and head of investments Osamah Shaker explains why the firm’s latest drive is to convince regional clients to invest in their own back yard
Read Full Article »
The long and short of it
13 Jun 2011
Expert Comment, Features, Gulfmena, hedge funds, Interviews
The Mena region’s hedge fund industry is all but non-existent, but those who are driving the alternative investment market see enormous potential for future growth. Alternative investments specialist GulfMena is at the cutting edge of the sector’s development, and CEO Haissam Arabi explains why normalising hedging techniques could boost the region’s investment prospects
Read Full Article »
Beyond the border
6 Jun 2011
Ammar Bakheet, Audi Capital, Features, Interviews, Saudi Arabia
Audi Capital is raising its profile by focusing on Mena equities from its Saudi base. However, head of asset management Ammar Bakheet calls for an opening up of the local market in an effort to attract more institutional money
Read Full Article »
The sky's the limit
30 May 2011
Features, Interviews, investor, Norges Bank Government Pension Fund, Norway, Sovereign Wealth Fund
Heavyweight investor Norges Bank Government Pension Fund plans to expand its presence in Mena and offers an insight into its notoriously secretive investment strategies
Read Full Article »
Mind the gap
23 May 2011
Expert Comment, Features, MSCI, Qatar, QFC
Qatar is one of the most exciting investment destinations in the world, with a thriving LNG-based economy, a World Cup coming up and emerging market status on the horizon. So why is there such a dearth of locally based fund managers?
Read Full Article »
No uncertain terms
20 May 2011
Expert Comment, Features, regulation, SCA, UAE
New draft regulations introduced by the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA ) are causing concern among fund managers and service providers, not least due to the confusion surrounding them
Read Full Article »
A new route
9 May 2011
Expert Comment, Features, Islamic Finance, sukuk
The Shariah-compliant sukuk could be the asset class that disproves all the rules in times of geo-political crisis
Read Full Article »
Room for improvement
9 May 2011
Expert Comment, Features, Interviews, KMEFIC, Kuwait, Kuwait and Middle East Financial Investment Company
Kuwait’s well-established fund industry is going through a period of stagnation, and needs to mature to keep up with increasingly sophisticated competitors, says Khaled Al-Ghais, Kuwait and Middle East Financial Investment Company’s executive director, business development
Read Full Article »
More to offer
9 May 2011
Features, fund management, Kuwait
Despite its huge potential, Kuwait has struggled to grow its fund space since the global financial crisis. Ongoing political upheaval in the Mena region and unclear rules on foreign investment are now creating a stagnant market that has so much more to offer
Read Full Article »