While primarily an equity exchange, over the past decade the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) has evolved from its starting point as a single-asset-class platform to include a wider array of financial instruments, starting in 2010 with the addition of an exchange-traded fund. Tadawul entered 2019 on the back of a strong year, in which the main index showed the first solid gain since 2016. A raft...
Financial Services
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Chapter | Capital Markets from The Report: Saudi Arabia 2019
As one of the biggest banking sectors by assets in the MENA region, Saudi Arabia has been something of a sleeping giant in recent years. Economic uncertainty and the effects of low international oil prices have seen both muted lending growth and deposit acquisition, while economic reforms have led to more market uncertainty. The Kingdom’s lenders have, however, remained profitable throughout...
Home to an estimated 15% of the world’s proven oil reserves and the single-largest economy in MENA, Saudi Arabia is a key regional and global player. The Vision 2030 blueprint sets out regulatory, budget and social reforms that will be implemented over the coming decade as the nation sets about curbing its reliance on crude oil production and export, which accounted for 43.5% of GDP in 2018.
Articles & Analysis | Insurance market driven by new regulations in Qatar from The Report: Qatar 2019
Despite a relatively small population of around 2.7m, Qatar accounts for around 5% of insurance premiums in MENA – a little more than Egypt and one percentage point behind Morocco. Nevertheless, relative to the size of its economy, insurance activity in Qatar remains at a modest level. Annual premiums of around $3bn account for 1.5% of GDP,...
Articles & Analysis | Sharia-compliant funds see healthy returns in Qatar from The Report: Qatar 2019
Sharia-compliant funds are emerging as an increasingly popular investment instrument in markets across the region, and Qatar is playing an important role in this expansion. According to the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), sharia-compliant funds accounted for $224m by end 2017; just over 50% of the assets placed in the Qatari mutual fund segment...
Interviews & Viewpoints | Bassel Gamal, Group CEO, Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB): Interview from The Report: Qatar 2019
How resilient is Qatar’s Islamic financial services (IFS) industry, and how have local banks adapted to the sector’s challenges?