Author: Arabian Media staff

UAE-based energy company XRG has entered into a strategic partnership with Malaysia’s PETRONAS and Turkmenistan’s Hazarnebit through a newly signed Production Sharing Contract with State Concern Turkmennebit, expanding its natural gas portfolio in Central Asia. The agreement grants XRG a 38 per cent participating interest in the offshore “Block I” gas and condensate fields located in Turkmenistan’s Caspian Sea region.PETRONAS will serve as operator and majority stakeholder with 57 per cent, while the remaining 5 per cent will be held by Hazarnebit. As part of the deal, XRG and PETRONAS also signed a long-term gas sales agreement (GSA) with State…

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The surge in investments, which include both equity and debt funding, comes despite many other regions, including the West and India, still seeing a slowdown in private and venture capital funding. Importantly, the momentum seems to be continuing into the second quarter as well, with erad, a Riyadh-headquartered alternative financing platform for SMEs, striking a $16 million equity investment deal in a pre-Series A round. The company is expected to announce the deal, involving leading global and regional funds, including YCombinator, Nuwa Capital, Khwarizmi Ventures and Aljazira Capital, on Wednesday, April 30. The $160 million Series E round funding by…

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Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.Shares in retail trading platform eToro surged on the company’s Wall Street debut as investor optimism sparked by a de-escalation of trade tensions between China and the US spread to the new listings market.EToro rose as much as 42.8 per cent during intraday trading on Wednesday, but closed 28.8 per cent higher at $67, valuing it at about $5.5bn. Its initial public offering on the Nasdaq came after an upsized float in which 11.9mn shares were offered to investors at $52 a…

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As your business grows, so does your responsibility to your employees. As a solo entrepreneur, you can (and often need) to work quickly, putting in the long hours needed to get your business up and running. But you also need to make sure that you’re taking care of your employees. To do that, you need the HR software solution in your corner. However, with so many options to choose from (and likely a limited amount of time to do your research!), finding the right HR software can be hard. With that in mind, I’ve done the hard yards for you!…

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Preparations for a post-Brexit “reset” of relations between the UK and the EU were thrown into turmoil on Wednesday after EU member states demanded further concessions from London over fishing rights and youth mobility.With only five days until an EU-UK summit in London, EU diplomats rejected European Commission attempts to bridge gaps between the two sides that have led to increasingly fraught negotiations.A draft EU communiqué setting out the terms of an improved EU-UK relationship will not now be finalised until Sunday, just a day ahead of the summit, after EU member states dug in over the terms of a…

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If you’re looking to invest $20,000, financial advisors recommend starting with proven strategies like index funds. Chad Olivier, CEO of the Louisiana-based Olivier Group, told Investopedia that this approach allows you to build a broad portfolio with exposure to hundreds of stocks. This gives you more stability and less risk because you’re spreading your investment across many companies and sectors.  Whether you’re a seasoned investor or a beginner, understanding how to allocate your funds effectively—and avoiding emotional market buying or selling—is key to long-term financial success. Key Takeaways Before investing, consider potentially better alternatives, like paying off high-interest debt or…

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Sobha Realty announced two major developments this week: the successful issuance of a $500m sukuk, and the launch of a new brand film for its flagship ONE Sobha App, underscoring the company’s twin focus on financial growth and digital transformation. The company confirmed the successful issuance of the sukuk under its newly established $1.5bn Sukuk Issuance Program. The sukuk, which matures in 2029, was oversubscribed three times, with an orderbook reaching $1.54bn. Initial price thoughts were set at 8.375 per cent, but strong investor demand allowed the profit rate to tighten by 37.5 basis points to 8 per cent annually.…

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Meta, the global technology leader, and leading startup accelerators Startupbootcamp announced a partnership to launch a new edition of the ‘Llama Design Drive’ programme in the Middle East. The three-month initiative will equip MENA-based startups with tools, mentorship, and offer compute сredits to build agentic AI applications — intelligent assistants and chatbots that autonomously solve real-world problems. Empowering MENA’s AI startups The programme centres on Meta’s Llama models, the latest open-source natively multimodal large language model. Startups will use this technology to address regional challenges in mobility, aviation, healthcare, energy, retail, education, and public services. The initiative will conclude with…

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