Middle East ETP News

Indxx Licenses Bitcoin Reference Index to Migdal Mutual Funds Ltd. for an ETF

December 31, 2024-Indxx, a provider of indexing solutions for exchange traded funds (ETFs), is pleased to announce the licensing of the Indxx Bitcoin Reference Index to Migdal Mutual Funds Ltd. as the underlying benchmark for the MTF (4D) Indxx Bitcoin Reference Index Fund (5139886) which began trading today on the Tel Aviv Exchange.

Expect a more subdued Dubai bourse in 2025

December 25, 2024-Dubai bourse up 24.5% this year
Kuwait shows strong potential
Oil prices could slow growth
Following a stellar 2024, Dubai's index is likely to join other Gulf bourses in experiencing a more subdued 2025.

Italy's Azimut and China Universal team up on Abu Dhabi ETF link

December 19, 2024----Azimut will launch a fund in Abu Dhabi to invest in a China Universal ETF in Shanghai and vice versa
Fidelity Investments will become the first asset manager to convert an index mutual fund into an ETF, according to industry analysts.

IMF-Kuwait: Selected Issues

December 9, 2024-Summary
The economy remains in recession, but a recovery has begun in the non-oil sector, and inflation is moderating. Lower oil prices and production have weakened the external and fiscal balances, while financial stability has been maintained.

BlackRock gets Abu Dhabi license to tap into region's capital markets

November 18, 2024--The US asset manager's Abu Dhabi move comes weeks it announced plans to set up its regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia
The world's biggest asset manager BlackRock Inc has obtained a commercial license in Abu Dhabi and has revealed plans to seek regulatory approval to operate in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM).

Mideast Stocks: Saudi bourse falls on oil; Qatar gains

November 10, 2024--Saudi Arabia's benchmark index fell 0.2% in a choppy trade
Saudi Arabia's stock market ended slightly lower on Sunday after a fall in oil prices at the end of last week, while banking shares helped lift Qatar's benchmark index.

ETF tracking HK-listed equities debuts on Saudi Exchange

November 1, 2024--A new exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking Hong Kong-listed stocks,the SAB Invest Hang Seng Hong Kong ETF,has debuted on the Saudi Exchange on Thursday,following the launch of Saudi Arabia's first ETF tracking the Hong Kong equity market on the Saudi bourse on Wednesday.

Duo dream big with Abu Dhabi's first tokenised treasuries fund

October 31, 2024--Fund launched on ADGM
Blockchain-based token
Targeting crypto users
The first tokenised treasury bill fund licensed in the Abu Dhabi Global Market launched on Thursday, with its creators hoping to attract $100 million from investors within a year.

UAE non-oil economy to grow 4% in 2025, driven by a surge in investment inflows

October 18, 2024-Non-oil growth will drive the UAE's economy in 2025, with a 4% growth projection, driven by higher investment inflows, which will partly be channelled through the financial and real estate markets.

Modest Growth Forecast for Economies in the Middle East and North Africa Amid Rising Uncertainty

October 16, 2024--While GDP is subdued in 2024, accelerating reforms would spur inclusive growth
Growth continues to be subdued in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) because of uncertainties heightened by the conflict in the region, says the World Bank in its latest semi-annual MENA Economic Update, entitled Growth in the Middle East and North Africa.

Saudi Arabia leads in stock lending as short selling grows

September 25, 2024--Short selling requires stock lending
Lending fee revenue rising
Saudi companies dominate

Saudi Arabia is the Middle East's most active market for stock lending- an important part of the process of short selling-and demand from borrowers is likely to increase as more sophisticated investors start trading, new research suggests.

ADX logs $506.4mln in ETF trading Jan-Aug 2024

August 30, 2024-The total value of ETF trading on the exchange reached AED1.863 billion in the first eight months of 2024
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) has recorded significant value and volume of trading in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) since the beginning of this year, making it the most active and liquid ETF market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

TCW expands global footprint with opening of Dubai office

August 28, 2024-New location to focus on serving clients in the Middle East
The TCW Group, a leading global asset management firm, today announced that it has continued its global expansion with the opening of a new office in Dubai, UAE.

Saudi GDP growth set to turn positive in H2 2024

August 23, 2024-CreditSights maintains 'Outperform' call on the kingdom's sovereign bonds
Saudi Arabia's economic growth is expected to turn positive in second half of 2024 with GDP set to grow at 1.7% in 2024 and 4.7% in 2025, research firm Credit Sights said.

Saudi targets Indian, Chinese, other Asian investors to boost stock market

August 22, 2024--Tadawul looks to tap into 'sheer size of investment dollars' from Asian investors
The Asian market is now a key target for the Saudi Tadawul Group Holding Co., according to the company's chief strategy officer, Lee Hodgkinson, during an episode of Tiger Money, a Bloomberg podcast.

Capex super cycle: Saudi to invest $1trln in economy by 2030

August 16, 2024-Goldman Sachs report highlights nearly 73% of investment funds will go to non-oil sectors by 2030
Saudi Arabia is poised to invest $1 trillion in a "capex super cycle", with 73% of the capital infusion designated to fuel the kingdom's non-oil economy by 2030, according to Goldman Sachs.

ETFs focusing on Saudi equities debut in China

July 16, 2024--The move comes as the two countries look to deepen their financial ties
Investors in China now have the option to trade in Saudi Arabian equities following the debut of two exchange traded funds in Shanghai and Shenzhen, as the two countries deepen their financial ties.

More Diversified Trade Can Make Middle East and Central Asia More Resilient

May 13, 2024--Reducing trade barriers, easing regulatory constraints, and upgrading infrastructure can mitigate challenges and help countries leverage new opportunities.
Dislocations from the pandemic, geoeconomic fragmentation, and Russia's war in Ukraine have shifted world trade dynamics.

Egypt: Economic downturn draws more investment from Gulf countries

March 28, 2024-- Opportunities in education and healthcare are high on the agenda for Saudi and the United Arab Emirates.

IMF Country Report-Qatar: Selected Issues From Hydrocarbon to Hightech: Mapping the Economic Transformation of QATAR1

February 7, 2024--Qatar's state-led, hydrocarbon intensive growth model has delivered rapid growth and substantial improvements in living standards over the past several decades. Guided by the National Vision 2030, an economic transformation is underway toward a more dynamic, diversified, knowledge-based, sustainable, and private sector-led growth model.