• Turkey slashes borrowing rate to press quake recovery

    Turkey was already battling runaway inflation and relying on wealthy allies to keep its economy afloat when the massive earthquake on February 6 killed more than 43,000 people, razed entire cities and left millions needing urgent help.
  • Lebanon set to adopt new official exchange rate: central bank source

    The Lebanese pound has been officially pegged at 1,507 to the greenback since 1997, but its market value began to slide in late 2019 and hit record lows of more than 60,000 this month. "Starting tomorrow, one dollar will be worth 15,000," a central bank source told AFP Tuesday. "There...
  • Cybersecurity: Convenience comes with online threats

    By slowing down and breaking the sometime mindless scrolling habit, we can make decisions with a focused mind and not fall for the tricks of social engineers who rely on us being distracted, advises Rizk while giving tips for keeping your personal info safe this Data Privacy Day.
  • Key US inflation gauge slows in December while spending falls

    The tightening measures are showing effect, with the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rising 5.0 percent last month from a year ago, down from 5.5 percent in November, Commerce Department data showed on Friday. This extends a downward trend since mid-2022, when American households...
  • Lebanon central bank says freezes accounts of US-sanctioned individuals

    The central bank "took a decision to freeze all the accounts" of Hassan Moukalled as well as those of his sons Rayyan and Rani and two businesses that he owns, it said in a statement. The US Treasury had issued the sanctions on Tuesday, calling Moukalled "a corrupt money exchanger...
  • Lebanese protest as local currency hits new low

    Lebanese protesters blocked roads and burnt tires near the central bank in Beirut as the local currency plummeted to a new low against the dollar. Since 2019, Lebanon has been in an economic crisis dubbed by the World Bank as one of the worst in recent global history, pushing much...
  • Investigators from Europe to quiz Lebanon central bank chief

    Continuing with their probe into Lebanon's money laundering and embezzlement, investigators from Europe will question Lebanon's central bank chief Riad Salameh next month as part of a probe into his and his brother's affairs, according to a judicial official. Both Salameh and his brother Raja deny any wrongdoing.
  • Europe investigators question witnesses over Lebanon central bank chief

    European investigators began questioning high-profile witnesses in Lebanon as part of a probe into central bank governor Riad Salameh's wealth, a judicial official said. The long-serving central bank chief is among top officials widely blamed for Lebanon's unprecedented economic crisis, dubbed one of the worst globally in recent modern history...
  • Most Asian markets rise on optimism

    Inflation slows and China reopens to the world, give a boost to markets.
  • CBUAE issues new guidance to curb money laundering, terror financing

    The guidance, which comes into effect immediately, will assist LFIs’ understanding of risks and effective implementation of their statutory AML/CFT obligations, and takes Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards into account. The Guidance requires LFIs to demonstrate compliance with its requirements.
  • CBUAE issues commemorative coins on anniversaries of Abu Dhabi ports

    Abu Dhabi, UAE-- The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), in cooperation with Abu Dhabi Ports, issued 1,000 commemorative silver coins on the 50th anniversary of Zayed Port and the 10th anniversary of Khalifa Port. The issuance of these commemorative coins highlights the successes achieved by the ports of Abu...
  • Investigators from Europe to visit Lebanon in central bank chief probe

    A team of investigators from Europe will visit Lebanon next month to probe into the wealth of central bank governor Riad Salameh blamed widely for the country's unprecedented crisis. The long-serving chief is among top officials held responsible for the crisis dubbed as one of the worst in modern global...
  • Iraq Prime Minister summons central bank governor as currency slides

    One US dollar traded at 1,580 Iraqi dinars on the street Tuesday, against the central bank rate of 1,470 dinars, state news agency INA reported. The drop began about two weeks ago, sparking alarm in the media.
  • Egypt central bank raises key interest rates by 300 bps

    Cairo, Egypt-- The Central Bank of Egypt has raised the overnight interest rates by 300 basis points, exceeding expectations. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Egypt raised the overnight deposit rate, overnight lending rate, and the rate of the main operation to 16.25 percent, 17.25 percent, and...
  • Continuous efforts to enhance UAE’s endeavor to confront money laundering crimes: CBUAE Governor

    The apex bank "will continue to take all measures to ensure the maintenance of the integrity of the financial system and ensure the compatibility of all financial transactions in the UAE to the requirements guaranteed by the system of registered hawala brokers,” he adds.
  • India raises interest rate but at slower pace

    Mumbai, India—India's central bank on Wednesday raised its main interest rate for the fifth time this year, but by a smaller margin as inflation eases and other countries look to slow the pace of hikes. The move by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) comes after US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome...
  • Fed report says US economic activity slows amid uncertainty

    Washington, United States—US economic activity eased in recent weeks, while uncertainty and "increased pessimism" clouded the country's outlook amid high prices and rising interest rates, a report published by the Federal Reserve said Wednesday. The Fed's latest "beige book" survey of economic conditions comes as the US central bank pushes on...
  • Turkey’s economy to grow 5 percent in 2022: Poll

    In 2021, Turkey's economy rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic to grow 11.4 percent.
  • Israel’s Q3 growth slows due to weaker consumer spending

    The gross domestic product increased 2.1 percent annually between July and September compared to the previous three months.
  • Turkey’s central bank reduces policy rate for third month

    The decision comes right after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the central bank would keep cutting rates every month for "as long as I am in power".
  • China’s Central Bank, European Central Bank renew currency swap deal

    The PBOC said the renewal would help deepen bilateral financial cooperation, facilitate trade and investment, and maintain the stability of the financial market.
  • Markets sink as US jobs data fan rate hike bets

    A brief rally across trading floors last week gave way to gloom as investors grow increasingly worried that central bank efforts to tame runaway prices will plunge the global economy into recession. Adding to the stress is the upcoming corporate earnings season, which many fear will show that companies are...
  • BoE launches “temporary facility” to ease liquidity pressures

    The BoE "announces additional measures to support market functioning", said a statement, adding that the central bank was ready to increase the size of its UK government bond purchases under an emergency measure due to end Friday.
  • Lebanon to devalue currency first time in two decades: Official

    The exchange rate has been officially pegged at 1,507 Lebanese pounds to the dollar since 1997, but will drop to 15,000 to the greenback at the end of October. The pound, however, traded at more than double that value on the black market on Wednesday, selling for more than 38,400...
  • Bahrain central bank’s $185m treasury bills oversubscribed 216%

    Manama, Bahrain—Bahrain’s latest government treasury bills, valued at Bahrain Dinar 70 million ($185 million), have been oversubscribed by 216 percent. The bills, carrying a maturity of 91 days, are issued by the Central Bank of Bahrain, on behalf of the Bahrain government. The issue date of the bills is 21...
  • Steep Fed rate hike seen as certainty after ugly inflation data

    Soaring prices have pushed annual inflation to a 40-year high, inflicting pain on American consumers and businesses, despite the welcome drop in gasoline prices at the pump in recent weeks. The disappointing consumer price report for August, released last week, showed housing, food and medical costs continued to rise.
  • World Bank warns of risk of global recession in 2023

    A major factor in bringing the world to this pass is the simultaneously hike in interest rates by central banks across the world in response to inflation, the World Bank added.
  • Egypt remittances drop 14.7% to US$2.38 billion in July

    The drop comes as the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound is seeing a decline in light of the pressures the country is experiencing due to the Ukrainian war repercussions and the decline in foreign reserves at the Central Bank.
  • Oman issues Treasury Bills worth $103 million for 91 days

    Muscat, Oman---The government of Oman issued Treasury Bills worth Omani Riyal 40 million (US$103 million) for a period of 91 days. The average accepted price reached RO 99.419 for every RO 100, and the minimum accepted price arrived at RO 99.270 per RO 100. Treasury Bills are short-term highly secured...
  • Saudi Arabia appoints new crypto chief to further its digital program

    The kingdom is the largest economy in the Middle East, making it a key market for any firm operating in the region.
  • CBUAE says gross banks’ assets vault to $939bn in June

    The growth in total bank deposits was due to the rise in resident deposits by 2.6% and non-resident deposits by 2.0%.
  • CBUAE imposes sanctions on ‘exchange house’ for violations

    The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has imposed sanctions on the owner and general manager of an exchange house in the country for breaking regulations of the bank.
  • Saudi bank loans to public and private sectors grow 14% by July end

    Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi bank loans granted to public and private sectors grew 14 percent by the end of July to SAR 2.324 trillion ($620bn), compared to SAR 2.034 trillion ($540bn) a year earlier, according to data issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). Private-sector lending also increased by...
  • China slashes lending rates to spur economic growth

    Battered by the government’s zero-Covid policy and a slump in the property market, China’s central bank cut benchmark loan rates in order to boost economy. The one-year Loan Prime Rate was reduced from 3.7 percent to 3.65 percent, according to the People's Bank of China.
  • US Fed warns of more interest rate cuts to tame inflation

    US Fed officials believe it will take some time to bring "unacceptably high" inflation back down near the two percent goal. And in this regard central bankers remain committed to raising interest rates further to quell rising prices, but agreed it would be appropriate to slow the pace of the...
  • China cuts rates as economic recovery weaker than expected

    The world's second-biggest economy saw a bounce in business activity as some coronavirus restrictions eased in June, but the boost is fading and Beijing remains welded to a zero-Covid policy of snap lockdowns and long quarantines, which has battered sentiment.
  • UAE central bank issues new guidance for politically exposed persons

    The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) has issued new guidance on Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) for its Licensed Financial Institutions (LFIs) on the risks related to Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) or those who hold a prominent public position or function.. The guidance will help...
  • UAE gross banks’ assets $936 billion at the end of May 2022

    UAE’s central bank said Monday that gross banks’ assets, including bankers’ acceptances, rose to AED3.44 trillion ($936 billion) at the end of May 2022, an increase of 2.9 percent over AED3.34 trillion at the end of April 2022. In its report on the Monetary & Banking Developments for May 2022,...
  • Asian markets rise as US data boosts hopes of slower Fed hikes

    Asian stocks rose Friday after data showing another contraction in the US economy boosted hopes that the Federal Reserve will slow its pace of interest rate hikes. After an extended period of pessimism on trading floors fuelled by soaring inflation and the central bank's monetary tightening campaign, investors are beginning...
  • France to proceed with second phase of digital euro experiment : Central Bank

    France's central bank said Tuesday it will push ahead with the second phase of its experiment with a digital euro with the aim of rolling out the cryptocurrency next year. Last year, the Banque de France successfully completed the first stage of its experiment with a central bank digital currency. "We'd...
  • Oil prices and equities climb up as rate-hike worries taper off

    Global stock markets and oil prices jumped higher on Friday following recent heavy losses as the weakening economic outlook moderates expectations about central bank monetary tightening.
  • US Federal Reserve hints at another interest rate hike

    Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Saturday threw his support behind another large interest rate increase next month. The Fed on Wednesday announced the biggest hike in nearly 30 years, raising the benchmark borrowing rate by 0.75 percentage points to rein in scorching inflation.
  • Indian central bank raises interest rates to tame inflation

    India's central bank on Wednesday hiked rates for a second time in as many months, as Asia's third-largest economy reels from galloping inflation in the wake of the Ukraine war.
  • UAE looks to boost economic partnership with Egypt, Jordan

    The UAE wants to boost cooperation with Egypt and Jordan in the financial sector in order to achieve sustainable growth in the region, according to Khaled Mohamed Balama, the Governor of the CBUAE.
  • Turkey’s inflation climbs to its highest level in 24 years

    Turkey's inflation climbed to its highest level since 1998, hitting an annual 73.5 percent in May, official data showed Friday, an issue dogging President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of elections next year. Critics have blamed the country's economic woes on Erdogan's unorthodox economic policy of pushing for lower interest rates...
  • Saudi personal finance market posts 4.4% jump to $18.96bn

    Saudi Arabia's finance companies have provided a whopping $18.96 billion in personal finance loans to the kingdom's citizens during the first three months of the current year, posting a 4.4 percent jump over the previous quarter.
  • US Central Bank needs to hike interest rates till inflation drops : Governor

    The US central bank needs to keep raising interest rates in big steps until inflation starts to come down, Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said Monday. The Fed early this month announced the biggest increase in the benchmark interest rate since 2000, following a smaller hike in March, as it...
  • Central Bank of Iraq increases its capital to $3.42 billion

    The Central Bank of Iraq has announced an increase in its capital to 5 trillion dinars ($3.42 billion) Iraqi media reports said recently that the bank decided to its capital from 3 trillion dinars to 5 trillion dinars. "This increase comes to enhance the results of its balanced policies with...
  • Egypt raises overnight interest rates to tame inflation

    In order to tame soaring prices in the country, the Central Bank of Egypt has raised its overnight interest rates by 200 basis points.
  • China to cut key interest rate as it seeks to boost economy

    China on Friday announced it would cut a key interest rate as the country fights to boost its virus-hit economy and Covid-19 restrictions rip across major cities. Prolonged virus lockdowns have constricted supply chains, quelled demand and stalled manufacturing.