UAE launches first legally established financial ombudsman unit 

• Sanadak's focus is on safeguarding consumers rights and resolving complaints that arise from dealings with financial institutions and licensed insurance companies.
• Sanadak reduces the need to take claims to courts and judicial authorities, thereby bolstering consumer confidence and elevating the protection of financial consumer rights.

LEAP 24 concludes with $13.4bn investments, record participation

Fraud and volatility fears persist as bitcoin barrels on

• On Tuesday, bitcoin - the most widely used cryptocurrency - reached its all-time high, topping $69,191, surpassing its previous high set in November 2021
• The launch of a new investment vehicle - bitcoin-indexed exchange traded funds (ETFs) in the US last January - has further spurred prices.

US all set for Biden-Trump rematch as Haley bows out of race

• Impeached twice, beaten by seven million votes in 2020 and facing 91 felony charges in four trials, Trump has a profile unlike any US presidential election candidate in history
• Biden is now expected to use his State of the Union speech in less than 48 hours to paint the election as a stark choice between himself and an existential threat to the country

Investments approach $13bn as LEAP 2024 hits halfway stage

• The world's most attended technology exhibition, unveiled another raft of investments totaling over US$888 million on Wednesday.
• Investcorp launched of a US$500 million growth stage fund, while Oasis Capital launched Fund II with capital of US$100 million.

Egypt’s IMF loan increased by $5bn after central bank floats pound

• Amid dire foreign currency shortages, the parallel market rate had surged to 70 pounds to the dollar earlier this year, sending consumer prices soaring.
• In an attempt to rein in inflation, the central bank also raised its key deposit rate by six points on Wednesday, to a record high of 27.25 percent.

SEC 2023 net profit $2.74bn

• In a Tadawul disclosure, the decrease in net profit was attributed to the higher operating and maintenance costs due to growing business and operating assets.
• The company's Tadawul disclosure said that its Q4 2023 loss widened to SAR 2 billion from SAR 190.6 million a year earlier.

Arcapita Capital closes $500m fund

• Arcapita said in a statement that it has already deployed a substantial amount of the fund in a sizable portfolio of industrial real estate assets.
• Over the coming months, the firm expects to execute on a pipeline of further assets situated in strategic locations across Riyadh, Jeddah, and the Eastern Province.

Japan’s Riken Yamamoto wins Pritzker prize for architecture

• Highlights of Yamamoto's work include Nagoya Zokei University in Japan completed in 2022, THE CIRCLE at Zurich Airport in Switzerland finished in 2020 and Tianjin Library in China.
• Yamamoto was born in Beijing, and resides in Yokohama, Japan. He will be honored in Chicago this spring. He is the 53rd winner of the prize and the ninth from Japan.

Endangered wild horses return to Kazakhstan

• The zoos are planning to take at least 40 Przewalski's horses to roam free in the Altyn Dala (Golden Steppe) area in central Kazakhstan in the next five years
• In June, Czech army planes will transport three stallions and five mares to Arkalyk in central Kazakhstan, with Prague zoo and Tierpark Berlin sending four horses each