DUBAI: Etihad Rail, the UAE’s national rail network, will not only further improve the transportation sector but also give a boost to the country’s real estate sector, according to analysts.
According to Zoom Property Insights, the 1200-kilometer project will bridge the gap between the seven emirates and ease UAE residents’ commutes.
The project, which will connect 11 major cities of the seven emirates,is expected to carry more than 60 million tons of freight and 36.5 million passengers, the statement added.
It will take passengers 50 minutes to travel from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, and 100 minutes to travel from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah.
Etihad Rail will have multiple benefits for the country, according to Ata Shobeiry, CEO of Zoom Property.
“Communities and neighborhoods located close to the Etihad Rail stations will record a price hike,” he added.
It was recently announced that Etihad Rail’s first passenger train station will be constructed in Fujairah and that it will connect 11 regions across the UAE once it is completed.
Tourism analysts expect Chinese tourists to return to the UAE within six to 12 months, UAE’s local media reported.
As a result of China’s zero-COVID-19 policy, the expected surge in visitor numbers to Dubai, which reached nearly a million in 2019, is on hold.
TEHRAN: Iran’s leading automaker is seeking to prioritize exports to Russia, its CEO said on Sunday, as both countries reel under Western economic sanctions.
Iran Khodro unveiled the latest model of its crossover Rira vehicle at its factory west of Tehran, where CEO Mehdi Khatibi announced the manufacturer’s ambitions for the Russian market.
“We are going to pay special attention to the Russian market, and we are also thinking of partnering with Russian investors,” he said.
“We have held good negotiations with Moscow. The Russian market, with its capacities, will be one of our important markets,” Khatibi added.
“We will begin exporting this year” to Russia, he said.
Iran Khodro had previously exported vehicles to Russia, notably between 2007 and 2009, Iranian media said.
The two countries have responded to the sanctions by boosting cooperation in key areas to help prop up their economies. The company’s vice president, Kianoush Pourmojib, struck an optimistic note on Sunday, pointing to increased exports to Azerbaijan over the past five years.
“We are ambitious about improving the quality of our vehicles,” he told AFP.
He added that while the manufacturer hopes to compete in markets such as Azerbaijan, Oman and Iraq, “in volume, it is of course Russia that is the most important.”
“This year, we will produce more than 500,000 vehicles and our goal within three years is to export 100,000 vehicles annually,” compared with fewer than 20,000 currently, he said.
RIYADH: Kingdom Holding Co.unveiled its investment program worth SR12.8 billion ($3.4 billion), according to a bourse filing.
In June, the company announced that it completed its investment program during the period between the second quarter of 2020 and Q2 2022. The program invested in companies operating in diverse sectors with a proven track-record of growth and strong financial position.
The company’s total investments amounted to SR4.33 billion in 2020, SR3.75 billion in 2021 and SR4.73 billion in 2022.
Kingdom Holding Company announces the details of its latest investments program: pic.twitter.com/ZmWBJyRPe0
DUBAI: SWVL, Dubai-based mobility and transport solutions provider, announced on Wednesday that it had entered into a deal with US-based institutional investors to sell and buy over 12 million shares and securities for 73.4 million dirhams ($20 million) at 6.06 dirhams a share.
The sale of securities and private placement will take place on Friday, the statement said.
It said warrants issued under Series A and Series B will expire five and two years from the date of issuance, respectively.
The company will receive additional 110 million dirhams if the warrants are exercised during this period, it added.
Earlier this year, a special purpose acquisition company bought the transport startup.
Since its founding in Egypt in 2017, it has raised a total of 969 million dirhams. Dubai developer plans to raise $4.6bn loan
The developer of Dubai’s artificial palm-shaped islands, Nakheel, plans to refinance existing debt by raising 17 billion dirhams ($4.6 billion), according to Bloomberg.
In addition to Dubai Islamic Bank and Emirates NBD, Mashreqbank is seeking financing from the company, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is confidential.
Aside from regional and global lenders, the banks arranging the loan are also asking them to participate. Emaar reports $1.8bn in H1 revenues
Emaar Development had its highest property sales during the first half of 2022, supported by recent successful launches that will create value for years to come, according to Emirates News Agency, known as WAM.
Compared to 2021, real estate sales increased by 10 percent to 15.216 billion dirhams ($4.143 billion) in the first half of 2022, WAM said.
It added that the Emaar Properties-owned build-to-sell business launched 15 projects in different master plans during the first half of 2022.
The earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization at Emaar Development was 2.564 billion dirhams in the first half of 2022, up 15 percent from the same period in 2021, while revenue was 7.282 billion dirhams, WAM said.
Emaar now has a robust backlog of 32.753 billion dirhams, which will be recognized as future revenue for the company.
Over 3,100 residential units have been delivered by Emaar Development across prime locations, including Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbor, Downtown Dubai, Emaar Beachfront, Arabian Ranches, and Emaar South.
Currently, Emaar is developing over 26,100 residences in the UAE, with more than 55,100 being delivered as of June 2022.
RIYADH: Saudi food manufacturer Halwani Bros Co. has reported a 65 percent drop in profit in the first half of the year, due to increased costs resulting from global inflation.
The company’s net profit fell to SR18 million ($5 million) compared to SR52 million in the same period last year, according to a bourse filing.
Halwani Bros attributed the lower profits to rising raw material costs and increased marketing costs due to global inflation.
The devaluation of the Egyptian currency also weighed on profits from its subsidiary in Egypt, it added.
Founded in 1952, Jeddah-based Halwani produces and distributes a wide range of food products in Saudi Arabia as well as around the world.
RIYADH: The UAE will hold the eighth World Green Economy Summit at Dubai World Trade Centre in September, as the Gulf state prepares to host COP28 next year, Emirates News Agency reported.
Alongside promoting a green economy, the WGES plays a key role in supporting UAE’s climate action efforts and its commitment to sustainability.
It also reflects the country’s support for energy and climate change issues and developing sustainable solutions to environmental challenges, according to the statement.
Egypt's nuclear power plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency has officially included Egypt among the countries that have a nuclear plant under construction, according to the Nuclear Power Plants Authority.
The country is now included in the Power Reactors Information System PRIS database, which focuses on nuclear power plants worldwide.
This happens as Egypt started the construction of the El-Dabaa plant, located in the northwestern governorate of Marsa Matrouh, which aims to generate a total of 4,800MW via four reactors.
Oman’s Sur Industrial City, affiliated to the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates, has signed an over $40 million investment contract with Al Ghaith for Chemical Industries to establish a chemical plant on a 60,000 sq. m. site.
The project aims to promote the growth of chemical industries and supply the oil and gas, petrochemical and water treatment industries with basic chemicals and raw materials, according to Trade Arabia.
Also, China’s CATL said it would build a €7.3 billion ($7.6 billion) battery plant in Hungary, Europe's largest so far, as the electric vehicle battery maker gears up to meet growing demand from global automakers.
The construction of the 100GW plant in the eastern Hungarian city of Debrecen, is the firm’s biggest overseas investment, according to Reuters.
It would start this year after receiving approvals and should last no more than 64 months.