Winter 2012

BAHRAIN: Banking and protest

After alarming social unrest, why have a handful of companies set up shop in Bahrain? A qualified labour force, proximity to Saudi Arabia and...

RETAIL FUNDS: Growing the retail market

Retail fund flows have been slow due to regulatory uncertainty and preferences for direct investment in markets. But there is still potential for growth,...

INTERVIEW: Doubling the DIFC

The head of financial services at the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority tells George Mitton about plans to attract twice as many companies and...

INDICES: Benchmarking the benchmarkers

The decision by Vanguard to change its mutual fund benchmarks should lead to more investment in the UAE. But it was also a sign...

END-OF-SERVICE BENEFITS: Reforming benefits

The widespread Middle Eastern practice of giving employees a hefty gratuity when they leave could become the basis for a private pension system, finds...

INFRASTRUCTURE: Building a new world

From hospitals and schools to railways and power plants, infrastructure plans in the Middle East are huge. Investors want to participate in this growth,...

INSIDE VIEW: Now is the time to look inward

Wealthy investors in the Gulf should move money out of public markets and into alternative assets in their home region, such as private equity,...

CUSTODY: Changing role of the custodian

The custody market in the Mena region is seen to be dominated by four firms: HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Citi and Standard Chartered. Barney Hatt...

IPO MARKET: 2012: a year of high expectations

After the economy was battered by the financial crisis and the Arab Spring, 2012 was supposed to herald a recovery in initial public offerings...

ECONOMICS PANEL: Funding future growth

Could Lebanon be set for an oil and gas boom? What is the best way to invest in infrastructure? These questions and more are...