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UAE Bank Credit Growth 2026: Lending Outpaces Gulf Peers Three-to-One

Key takeaways UAE gross bank credit reached AED2.76 trillion ($752 billion) at the end of June 2026, up 18 percent year on year. That growth

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GCC Sukuk Issuance 2026: Why the Market Fell 23% Before a H2 Rebound

Key takeaways: GCC sukuk issuance fell 23 percent year on year to $51.1 billion in the first half of 2026, down from $66 billion, according

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Qatar AIIB Annual Meeting 2026: Inside the Kuwait MoU and the Gulf’s Infrastructure Push

Key takeaways Qatar hosted the AIIB’s 11th Annual Meeting in Doha on September 28 and 29, chairing the bank’s Board of Governors for 2026. On

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Qatar Central Bank AFAQ Payment System: Why the Gulf’s Money Grid Just Went Live

Qatar Central Bank AFAQ Payment System: Why the Gulf’s Money Grid Just Went Live Qatar Central Bank has joined the AFAQ payment system, closing the

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erad Secures $22 Million Series A to Expand GCC SME Financing Platform

erad Secures $22 Million Series A to Expand GCC SME Financing Platform Key Takeaways Saudi-based erad closed a $22 million Series A funding round led

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Money20/20 Riyadh: Why It Matters for the Future of Fintech in Saudi Arabia

Money20/20 Middle East is returning to Riyadh from September 14–16, 2026, bringing together leaders from banking, fintech, payments, technology, investment, and financial services. As one

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Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Reform 2026: Why Riyadh Is Racing to Open Up

Saudi Arabia moved on three fronts of its capital markets in a single week. The Saudi Exchange waived a year of derivatives fees, a new

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QNB $2 Billion Loan: Why Asia Just Bet Big on Qatar’s Banks

Qatar National Bank has closed a $2 billion unsecured syndicated loan sourced entirely from Asian lenders, the largest such facility a GCC bank has ever

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Saudi Arabia UAE Bank Transfers: Why Riyadh Just Tightened the Rules

Key takeaways Saudi banks have applied enhanced compliance oversight to transfers bound for the UAE, a level of scrutiny normally reserved for high-risk jurisdictions. Businesspeople

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GCC Sukuk Liquidity 2026: Why Islamic Bonds Are Beating Conventional Debt

Islamic bonds are proving easier to trade than conventional debt across three of the Gulf’s biggest sukuk markets. Fitch Ratings said sukuk liquidity in Saudi

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