Middle East Business News

Saudi Central Bank: QNB Group Wins SAMA Approval For $666m Digital-first Ezbank

QNB Group secures SAMA licence for $666m ezbank, a digital-first bank in Saudi Arabia focused on youth, entrepreneurs a... Read more

UAEs IHC To Invest $1bn In Indias Sammaan Capital, Boosting Mortgage Lending And Financial Inclusion

UAE’s IHC will invest $1bn in India’s Sammaan Capital, a leading NBFC, to expand mortgage lending and AI-driven cre... Read more

Saudi Arabia Extends Tax Fine Cancellation And Penalty Exemption Scheme Until December 2025

Saudi Arabia’s ZATCA extended its “Cancellation of Fines and Exemption from Financial Penalties” initiative until... Read more

GCC Banks Post Strong H1 2025 Results With 13.2% ROE Despite Margin Pressure

GCC banks delivered solid H1 2025 results with 13.2 per cent ROE, stronger asset quality and capital, but face tighter ... Read more

Emirates, Flydubai Sign Digital Payment Deals With Dubai Finance To Boost New Cashless Strategy

Dubai attracted 18.7 million tourists in 2024, with cash-reliant travellers representing the emirate's potential for di... Read more

Saudi Banks Reduce Monthly Deductions By A Significant Rate

Saudi banks have reduced the monthly deduction for loans to 55% for the first time in years. Read more

Visitors To Saudi Arabia Can Now Open Bank Accounts With Official ID

Saudi Central Bank approves Visitor ID for opening bank accounts, expanding access for visitors and supporting digital ... Read more

UAE To Launch Electronic Invoicing System In July 2026 With Phased Rollout To 2027

The UAE Ministry of Finance confirms phased implementation of its electronic invoicing system, starting with a pilot on... Read more

Dubai Joins Worlds Top 4 FinTech Hubs In Global Financial Centres Index

Dubai has been ranked a top four global FinTech hub in the GFCI, with DIFC firms surpassing 1,500 and raising $4.2bn in... Read more

World Bank Opens Riyadh Hub On Saudi National Day, Marking 50 Years Of Cooperation

World Bank launches a new Riyadh hub serving MENAAP, marking 50 years of Saudi cooperation and boosting regional develo... Read more

Aldar Strengthens Liquidity Through $290mn Dual Tranche Green Sukuk Tap

The transaction is oversubscribed 2.8 times with an order book exceeding $830mn; Strong demand by international investo... Read more

Saudi Eyes Fintech Growth With 68 Permits Amid Robo-advising, Crowdfunding And Digital Trading Boost

Saudi Arabia’s CMA has issued 68 fintech permits by Q2 2025, with 36 firms operational under its Fintech Lab, advanci... Read more

Saudi Arabia Issues VAT Warning As Businesses Face Hefty Fines

Saudi Arabia’s ZATCA urges VAT-registered firms with annual supplies over SR40m to file August returns by September 3... Read more

UAEs Presight-Shorooq Fund To Back 30 AI And Deep Tech Firms With $100m

The $100m Presight-Shorooq Fund will invest in 25–30 AI and deep tech startups, with 40 per cent reserved for scale-u... Read more

PayPal To Invest $100m In Middle East And Africa Digital Economy

PayPal will invest $100m across the Middle East and Africa to fuel innovation, support entrepreneurs, and expand digita... Read more