Egypt's Sisi visits Qatar, nabs $7.5B in investments: What to know President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s trip to Doha comes amid Egypt’s moves to improve ties with Turkey and tensions with the UAE over the Gaza war. Egypt
David Petraeus, ex-CIA head, tapped to lead KKR's push into Mideast markets The newly-formed team will identify investment and partnership opportunities in the region, with a focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the private equity firm said. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's Simsek says economy will ride out Trump tariffs without lasting scars Mehmet Simsek stressed that his government’s economic program has made the economy more resilient against internal and external shocks, highlighting that inflation has fallen and continues to drop. Turkey
Saudi private equity investment peaked at $4B in 2023 amid rising buyouts The kingdom's deep-pocketed sovereign wealth fund was involved in the top three private equity transactions between 2019 and 2023. Saudi Arabia
Switzerland reports violation by Lebanon’s Audi bank in Riad Salameh probe The action by FINMA concerns connections around disgraced former Lebanese Central Bank governor Riad Salameh. Lebanon
What's behind Saudi Arabia's decision to host first-ever 'Dragon Ball' theme park The announcement of the park based on the popular Japanese anime show follows the kingdom’s developments in video games and mixed martial arts. Saudi Arabia
What’s behind Dubai’s new 20% tax on foreign banks? The UAE implemented its first-ever corporate tax last year in an effort to boost revenue amid the shift away from oil and gas. Gulf
Egypt’s pound falls 60% amid currency float, $5B IMF deal Egypt announced that it had expanded a previously $3 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund after the decision to float the currency was made public. Egypt
Yellen urges Israel to ease West Bank’s economic woes Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called for Israel to reduce barriers to commerce in the West Bank and reinstate work permits for Palestinians that were revoked after Oct. 7. Israel
Qatar’s first VC fund of $1B expected to 'fuel startup ecosystem in region' The program has two objectives: to generate market-level commercial returns for Qataris and to develop a “vibrant VC and startup ecosystem” in line with the country's national development strategy. Qatar
UAE dropped from global watchdog’s illicit finance list in quick turnaround The Gulf country was added to the Financial Action Task Force's grey list in March 2022. United Arab Emirates
Turkey to play 'important role' in sukuk market despite paused UAE deal Turkey has been looking to shore up financing to help it rebuild its economy after devastating twin earthquakes in 2023 killed more than 53,000 people and cost the country north of $50 billion. Turkey
Israel to reward new immigrants for settling in periphery, West Bank Israel's Immigration and Finance Ministries unveiled a new scheme offering economic incentives for immigrants who settle in peripheral northern or southern communities or in the occupied West Bank. Israel
Why Iraq's dinar is trading below official dollar rate amid new restrictions A top US official visited Iraqi officials last week to discuss countering illicit finance and strengthening Iraq’s financial system. Iraq
Davos 2024: Inside Investcorp’s plan to build China-Gulf 'investment bridge' In an interview with Al-Monitor, co-CEO Hazem Ben-Gacem said there is a big push for infrastructure funding in the Asia-Pacific region, controlled buyouts in Japan and growth investments in India and China. Bahrain
