Manama, Bahrain – The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has issued treasury bills with a maturity period of 12 months.The issue date of the bills is 23 March 2023 and the maturity date is 21st March 2024.The weighted average rate of interest is 6.17 percent compared to 6.31 percent of...

Manama, Bahrain: Aerolam Middle East and Titan Company are set to launch their operations in Bahrain with a total investment of  $45 million.This was was announced during the recent high-level Bahraini delegation visit to India this week, which was organised to highlight investment opportunities in Bahrain across priority sectors.A part...

Iran said it would welcome restoring ties with Bahrain to end seven years of ruptured relations, following the China-brokered deal to heal rifts between Tehran and Riyadh. "The resumption of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia shows the effectiveness of the diplomatic solution to resolve misunderstandings," said Iran's foreign ministry...

Manama, Bahrain -- The first fully Bahraini satellite will be named “Al Munther”, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on Sunday, quoting  Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, National Security Advisor, Royal Guard Commander and the Secretary General of the Supreme Defence Council.  Shaikh Nasser  also unveiled the official logo of this...

MANAMA, BAHRAIN -  Speaker of  the UAE Federal National Council Saqr Ghobash discussed ways to enhance cooperation with First Deputy Chairman of Ukraine Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) Oleksandr Kornienko on the sidelines of the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held here.During the meeting, they discussed parliamentary cooperation between the two...

Dubai, UAE -- Bahrain has revoked visas for two members of Human Rights Watch who planned to attend this week's Inter-Parliamentary Union assembly in the Gulf state, the activist group said on Friday.Visas that were issued for two members of the rights group on January 30 were cancelled on March...

BEIRUT, LEBANON - Lawmakers attending an inter-parliament gathering in Bahrain's capital this week should seize the "opportunity" to address the Gulf state's "dismal rights record", rights groups have said.Parliamentarians from around the world are planning to attend this year’s Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the oldest and largest organization of parliaments in the...

ABU DHABI, UAE - UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI)  Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei Thursday had a meeting with Bahrain's Minister of Works Ibrahim bin Hassan Al Hawaj at the MoEI headquarters in Dubai.They discussed ways to boost UAE-Bahrain synergies in the infrastructure and transport sectors.Al Mazrouei said,...

Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain announced the signing of 12 agreements and partnerships worth over US$2 billion for nine joint industrial projects. The announcement came following a meeting of the Integrated Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development. Jordan Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh oversaw the signing of the...

The third meeting of the Higher Committee of the Industrial Partnership for Sustainable Economic Development will take place in Jordan's capital Amman.

According to Saeed Shehabi and Moosa Mohammed, Bahrain infected their computers with FinSpy spying software, allowing agents access their data.

Earlier in the last week of January, Bahrain's crown prince and Qatar's emir spoke by telephone. in a sign that the two Gulf countries are making effort to improve ties.

The UAE and few other countries figure at the top of the Transparency Index in the region, but this doesn't mean that they have an excellent performance globally, says an expert.

The Q4 2022 profit was down 78% compared to Q4 2021.

Hours after the US Federal Reserve upped its target interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, many central banks in the GCC region followed suit, raising their respective interest rates. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain hiked it by 25 basis points while the central bank of Qatar...

In the coming years the Saudis, who watched as neighbors Qatar hosted the World Cup in November and December, will hold the women's Asian Cup, the Olympic-sized Asian Games and even the Asian Winter Games on artificial snow.

The value of imports rose by 0.3 percent, reaching $3.75 billion during the quarter compared to $3.72 billion in Q4 2021.

Manama, Bahrain--This week’s $186 million issue of government treasury bills has been oversubscribed by 208%.The bills, carrying a maturity of 91 days, are issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain on behalf of the government of Bahrain.The issue date of the bills is 25th January 2023 and the maturity date...

Collaboration to boost Infracorp’s Infrastructure footprint.

DUBAI, UAE  - The US Navy said Tuesday it had seized over 2,000 assault rifles smuggled on a fishing boat along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen.The cargo was discovered on Friday off the coast of Oman "on a route historically used to traffic illicit cargo to the Huthis in...

The investment in the Dammam warehouse will bring the value of Investcorp’s global warehousing logistics investments to over $4 billion.

Abu Dhabi, UAE--The market cap of Arab stock exchanges has vaulted to $4 trillion by the end of 2022, according to the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF).The AMF said in a statement that the market value of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange reached $714.6 billion in the reference year, while that...

AMMAN, JORDAN - The Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) organized the Jordanian-Bahraini Business Forum in Bahrain's capital, Manama, to increase the volume of trade exchange, discuss means of enhancing cooperation, and showcase investment opportunities in the two countries.JCI President Fathi Jaghbir underlined the need to set in motion a new...

GCC countries witnessed the launch of massive economic and development projects in various sectors last year as part of their strategy to diversify their economies.

The country profiles -- arranged in alphabetical order -- summarize recent data, presenting statistical narratives of a country that include economic, political, sociological, environmental, and cultural factors. The profiles also include their performance in 2022 and estimations for 2023.

Israel's hawkish veteran Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as prime minister after a stint in opposition, heading what analysts call the most right-wing government in the country's history. Netanyahu, 73, who is fighting corruption charges in court, had already served as premier longer than anyone in Israeli history, leading the...

Manama, Bahrain--- Export Bahrain and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry have signed an MoU to support Bahrain-based businesses in gaining access to global markets through Export Bahrain solutions.The two entities will facilitate the business community in Bahrain to attract strategic investment partnerships and enhance the competitive work environment in...

The adoption of digital currencies can help open new business segments as the use of these assets increases with time, Daniel Takieddine, CEO of MENA BDSwiss, tells TRENDS.

WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES - The United States plans a meeting early in 2023 between Israel and Arab nations that recognize it as it pushes the incoming right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint, a US official said Tuesday.Netanyahu is set to take office with the most right-wing government in Israel's...

The Saudi Central Bank, known as Sama, the Central Bank of Bahrain and Qatar Central Bank upped their interest rates by 50 basis points.

Saudi Arabia's GDP witnesses 9.3 percent increase in the third quarter of this year as the rally in oil prices has fuelled economic growth across the Gulf region.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in Bahrain, the first visit by an Israeli head of state to the small Gulf kingdom since the two countries normalized relations in 2020. Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, was greeted at the airport by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani, according to pictures posted...

Thanks to a strong rebound in domestic activities and higher oil prices, the latest IMF report suggests the GCC economies to expand further than previously expected.

Two major opposition groups, the Shiite Al-Wefaq and the secular Waad, were prevented from presenting candidates. These parties were dissolved in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Turnout in the first round was 73 percent, authorities said, but no figures have been released for the second round.

Vowing to work with allies in order to counter Tehran, Britain's foreign minister has blamed Iran for "spreading bloodshed. Ukraine and its allies have accused Tehran of supplying drones to Russia, which Kremlin has used in recent weeks to carry out attacks in Ukraine.

The MoU was inked on the sidelines of the 18th edition of Manama Dialogue 2022.  

The regional economies -- set to expand by 6.9 percent in 2022 -- may moderate to 3.7 percent and 2.4 percent in 2023 and 2024 respectively, says a World Bank report.

Manama, Bahrain—At least 73 percent of voters have turned out to cast ballots in the 2022 Bahrain general election, the highest figure since the first elections in 2002. The elections, according to Bahrain News Agency, went smoothly across the kingdom and the eligible voters used the right of franchise on...

People are choosing their candidates for the 40-member Council of Representatives, one of the two chambers of the bicameral parliament.

The company hopes to elevate its investments in India to $5 billion within the next five years, up from just over $600 million currently.

The hopes placed on the event -- attended by prominent religious figures and symbols, including the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Pope Francis of the Catholic Church -- are big to address modern challenges, support interfaith dialogue and achieve global peace, the UAE-based journalist adds.

The pope said that "a few potentates are caught up in a resolute struggle for partisan interests, reviving obsolete rhetoric, redesigning spheres of influence and opposing blocs." The pope's visit comes with the Ukraine war in its ninth month, and as tensions grow on the Korean peninsula and in the...

Most of the GCC states have raised their key interest rates in the wake of the Federal Reserve's decision to raise its key policy rate by three-quarters of a percentage point. The two largest economies of the region, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, both raised rates by 75 basis points.

Algeria mediated a reconciliation deal in October between rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. While few believe the deal will last, it was seen as a public relations coup for Algeria, which has been seeking an enhanced regional and international role, on the back of its growing status as a...

With an estimated 209 million people making purchases online at the height of the pandemic, e-commerce in the MENA area has grown faster than anywhere else.

The five companies, together with Saudi Egyptian Investment Company (SEIC), a wholly-owned PIF subsidiary that was launched in August 2022, will invest up to $24 billion in opportunities across various key sectors in each market.

Saudi Arabia has prepared for years for the conditions that the world is witnessing, which enabled it to be in a better status than many other countries, says Al-Jadaan at an FII event.

The UAE Foreign Minister stressed that the trade growth didn’t reflect the “true potential” of the two countries.

Traditionally, GCC trade was focused on the West. However, now it is moving to the East. This eastward shift is not too surprising given the continuing travails of many developed Western economies. With the sluggish recovery from the financial crisis in the EU and the US, Gulf economies have had...

Rallying behind Saudi Arabia, several Arab states have voiced their support for Saudi Arabia in the face of harsh criticism from the US over the kingdom’s decision to cut oil output. From the UAE to Oman, Algeria to Bahrain, the governments have condemned what they termed as the politicizing of...