Middle East
Israeli governor airs fears over impact of European slowdown
Stanley Fischer discusses European economic strife impact on Israeli growth prospects; expresses worries over possible methods for increasing defence budget
FSB Regional Consultative Group meetings continue
Middle East and North Africa consultative group is latest regional FSB body to meet; discussed financial vulnerabilities of the region
IMF paper identifies scope for inflation targeting in Mena countries
Fund study says central banks in Middle East and North Africa can follow emerging market trend in adopting inflation-targeting frameworks
Outlook rosier towards the East: ECB paper
European Central Bank study says macroeconomic fluctuations look better in the east than west
IMF paper on steps to adjust Middle Eastern current accounts
Fund study identifies steps to reduce imbalance in current accounts of Central Asia and the Middle Eastern countries
Central Bank of Oman - Annual Report (2010)
Central Bank of Oman 2010 Annual Report highlights economic impact of political uprising in Middle East
SWF legal immunity poses challenge for lawmakers
Panel on sovereign wealth funds says use of foreign immunity in legal disputes could jeopordise independence of funds
Algeria’s Laksaci warns against advanced economy risks
Bank of Algeria governor Mohammed Laksaci says sluggish growth in advanced economies is creating uncertainty over global recovery
Greek debt crisis sparks widening of almost all global CDS spreads
Cost of protecting against a Greek default up 190% in three months to mid-June as CDS spreads widened for 93% of sovereign debt on back of sovereign debt crisis in Europe
IMF: FDI undermined competitiveness in central and eastern Europe
An IMF study on real effective exchange rates reveals large volumes of foreign capital flows reduced competitiveness in central and eastern and European countries
UAE’s Al-Suwaidi says economy will grow 4% in 2010-11
UAE central bank governor Al-Suwaidi says growth will be 4% despite recent volatility in oil prices; substantial increase on IMF forecasts
Economic cycles in Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan
New IMF paper analyses recessions and recoveries in Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan
Middle East and North Africa’s trade below potential
International Monetary Fund looks at trade constraints in the region
Housing cycles and the macroeconomy in the Middle East
International Monetary Fund paper calls for more research into the linkages between house prices and business, and an improvement to the range and precision of data
Oman signs up to new FX, payments system
Central Bank of Oman’s move represents part of a broader trend by emerging-market central banks to refine operational systems
Dubai to set up new Middle East payments system
Dubai enacts law to enable the establishment of real-time payments system for the Middle East and North Africa
Gulf economies building new arsenal: DIFC's Saidi
The economies of the Gulf have been hit hard by the global financial crisis, but Nasser Saidi, chief economist of the Dubai International Financial Centre, has seen a number of positives emerging from the ashes.
Interview: Rasheed Al Maraj
The governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain tells Malan Rietveld that the country’s conservative approach to finance, regulation and construction is paying dividends in a time of crisis
Riyadh to host regional central bank
Saudi Arabia's capital has been named as the location for the Gulf's regional central bank, after an eight-month delay.
Plans for GCC central bank veer off track
Gulf states have yet to decide on the location of a regional central banking hub almost seven months after they were scheduled to announce the hub's site.
Saudi, UAE cut by 50 basis points
The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) both cut their benchmark rates by half a point on Monday on signs that growth in the two economies, both of which rely heavily on oil exports, will slow in…
Islamic finance - the new Silk Road
As Islamic finance continues to internationalise with expanding scale, there will be greater financial intermediation linkages among the East Asian, West Asian, and the Middle East regions - creating the 'New Silk Road', said Zeti Akhtar Aziz, the…
GCC to pick home for regional central bank
Gulf states involved in plans to create a regional central banking hub are to choose a location for the institution next week.
GCC inflation is imported
Inflation rates in trading partners are the main driver of price pressures in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, finds a new paper from the International Monetary Fund.