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GIB, GIB Capital win five honors from EMEA Finance

The awards were presented during the 15th EMEA Finance Middle East Banking Awards.
The awards were presented during the 15th EMEA Finance Middle East Banking Awards.
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Updated 27 March 2023
Arab News

GIB, GIB Capital win five honors from EMEA Finance

The awards were presented during the 15th EMEA Finance Middle East Banking Awards.
Updated 27 March 2023
Arab News

Gulf International Bank B.S.C. and its Riyadh-based regional investment banking and asset management arm GIB Capital, announced that they collectively won five awards from EMEA Finance. The awards were presented during the 15th Annual EMEA Finance Middle East Banking Awards 2022, held this month. The EMEA Finance Awards recognize the achievements of the best banks, asset managers and brokers in countries across the MENA region.

We’re delighted with the awards and the ongoing recognition from the industry of GIB’s capabilities, through GIB Capital.

Osamah Al-Shaker, CEO of GIB Capital

Reflecting continued market leadership in corporate and investment banking, GIB was named: Best Loan House — Bahrain, Best Loan House — Oman, and Best Foreign Investment Bank — Oman. GIB Capital was awarded Best Local Investment Bank — Bahrain and Best Debt House — Bahrain.

BACKGROUND

The EMEA Finance Awards recognize the achievements of the best banks, asset managers and brokers in countries across the MENA region.

During the 12-month judging period, the GIB Group continued to execute landmark transactions across all of its core markets, namely Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and the UAE. These included several investment banking transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and IPOs, bonds and sukuk, and conventional and Islamic loans, several of which were sustainability linked. The GIB Group has been recognized in the last 12 months by several leading publications and associations for its outstanding work. The group aims to continue executing landmark transactions in its core markets ensuring the needs of its key clients are met.




Osamah Al-Shaker, CEO of GIB Capital

Jamal Al-Kishi, GIB CEO, said, “We’re grateful for the recognition conferred by these high-profile industry awards. GIB will always strive to lead the way in terms of delivering innovative, value-accretive solutions to our clients across the region. Our aspirations are ambitious as we move forward with determination to fulfill our transformative strategic plans.”
Osamah Al-Shaker, CEO of GIB Capital, added: “We’re delighted with the awards and the ongoing recognition from the industry of GIB’s capabilities, through GIB Capital, to offer a comprehensive and world-class range of investment banking products and services designed to provide innovative and customized financial and investment solutions for our clients. With the rapid development of public and private equity and debt markets in the region, we are extremely pleased with the important role we are playing in helping our clients and the regional economies maximize their growth and realize their vast potential.”

 

Topics: GIB

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Meeting consumers’ shifting expectations is not only about providing them with the best hardware available, but also developing innovative software and services to make the most out of it. The Huawei Mobile Services ecosystem keeps evolving and growing in all of its aspects, and Huawei Themes is a bright example. Offering an endless array of themes, watch faces, Always-On-Display options, wallpapers, and fonts, Huawei Themes turns Huawei devices into a bold expression of self-identity.

In order to create exclusive, premium quality content for Huawei users, Huawei Themes has joined forces with prestigious partners and renowned local and regional artists. The acclaimed Emirati artist Mahmood Al-Abadi is one of them, and he shared the story of his successful journey with calligraphy and arts as well as his collaboration with Huawei Themes, during the Huawei P60 Pro and Flagship Product Launch Event, held in Dubai.

Al-Abadi enthusiastically took the stage at the event and shared with the audience his firsthand experience with Huawei Themes, and how it elevated his digital experience to new heights. He expressed his excitement about the vast array of customizable themes and the seamless integration with Huawei smartphones, foldable phones, tablets and smartwatches.

Al-Abadi offered the attendees a glimpse of the beautiful sets of aesthetically unique Ramadan themes, which are available for download on all Huawei smartphones, tablets and smartwatches, with nearly 500,000 downloads recorded so far for this new theme - a number that keeps increasing. He also showcased the recent themes “Soaring Falcon” and “Sailing Ship,” which were customized for all Huawei devices including the latest release of Huawei Mate X3 and Huawei P60 Pro. The new designs add a unique touch to traditional Arabic calligraphy by fusing it with contemporary art and technology.

Al-Abadi’s testimonial exemplifies the unwavering dedication of HMS to providing users with innovative features and personalized options that enhance their daily interactions with their devices.

William Hu, managing director of Huawei Consumer Business Group, Middle East and Africa Eco Development and Operation, said: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Mahmood Al-Abadi, a master of Arabic calligraphy. By bringing together his exceptional creative prowess and our cutting-edge mobile technology, we were able to establish an unconventional and innovative approach for promoting the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East. Huawei Mobile Services will continue to deploy internal resources and incentive programs to encourage designers to unleash their creativity and develop higher-quality themes for our users.”

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Fifth-generation networks will account for nearly a fifth of mobile connections in the Middle East and Africa by 2025, and almost half of connections in the GCC states, according to the GSMA. With the backing of China Mobile, China Mobile International remains committed to the region, providing global network resources and integrated solutions to help carriers and businesses tap into the opportunities that 5G will bring. 

As one of the industry leaders, CMI is connecting the world and driving global adoption of 5G. Its extensive global infrastructure supports customers in MEA with reliable, scalable and resilient network resources. 

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The only Chinese company investing in the project, CMI is committed to the further growth of 4G in MEA and the continued roll-out of 5G and fixed broadband services. Its mission is to help bring connectivity to underserved and rural areas across the region while enhancing network resilience and global connectivity to benefit businesses and individuals throughout MEA. 

As a gateway to international connectivity, the 2Africa cable will also help to drive the upgrade and expansion of telecommunications networks in the region. It will offer customers seamless links between Africa and Europe, further interconnecting with CMI’s SEA-ME-WE 5 and Asia-Africa-Europe 1 subsea cable resources to extend connectivity to Asia. This will support the development of a thriving internet ecosystem, especially for underserved communities across Africa. 2Africa is an important milestone in CMI’s global development strategy. Offering ample capacity and faster transmission will allow CMI to help the nations of MEA to further develop their digital economy today and in the future. 

CMI continues to enhance regional telecom infrastructure in MEA by investing in network resources and expanding its footprint to better serve local customers and support business development. CMI currently has 80 submarine and terrestrial cables that provide total network capacity of over 123 T. These include 15 submarine cables and 23 terrestrial cables in which CMI has directly invested, such as the 20,000-km undersea SMW-5 cable between Egypt and Singapore. In addition, more than 30 of CMI’s 232 points of presence are located in the Middle East and major African countries, including UAE, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria. Together with CMI’s 80+ cloud connect PoPs, this creates a strong global network that provides direct internet access and internet transit services for MEA at lower cost.

On March 7, CMI announced the successful launch of its Oman Muscat MC1 PoP. CMI’s second PoP in Oman is located within the carrier-neutral Equinix MC1 data center in Barka. This data center is also a landing station for multiple submarine cable systems, reinforcing the country’s importance as a network hub bridging Asia, Africa and Europe. 

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Updated 30 May 2023
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Gulf International Bank — Saudi Arabia has announced the signing of a SR1.07 billion ($285.3 million) credit facility agreement with the Italian-listed multinational engineering group SAIPEM. The facility, in the form of a letter of guarantee, supports the company’s ongoing activities in the Kingdom.

SAIPEM is a leading oil and gas contractor with a nearly 50-year track record operating in Saudi Arabia where it has successfully delivered multiple onshore/offshore/drilling infrastructure projects. 

An official signing ceremony was held at GIB KSA headquarters in Alkhobar. Representing GIB was Abdulaziz Al-Helaissi, GIB’s group chief executive officer, and the relationship management team alongside Khaled Abbas, group head of wholesale banking. Present from SAIPEM was Jean-Luc Dubois, chairman of the board of directors of the main operative company in Saudi Arabia, and administration, finance and control regional manager — Middle East.

Al-Helaissi said: “GIB is proud to have signed this facility agreement with SAIPEM, supporting its ongoing activities in the Kingdom and in one of the most important sectors of the economy. We are pleased to be a go-to partner for large corporates, both local and foreign, operating in the Kingdom and will continue to build our position as a market leading financing bank.” 

Dubois added: “We are proud to collaborate with GIB as a trusted business partner supporting SAIPEM’s activities and growth perspectives in the Kingdom.”

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GIB Saudi Arabia is regulated by the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority and has been established with a paid-up capital of SR7.5 billion. It is owned equally by GIB and the Public Investment Fund.

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Hassan attributed the recent success achieved by the company in global markets, to its commitment to the philosophy of “focusing on the user,” and the constant focus toward existing and future consumers in other regions, listening to their needs, and meeting their expectations when it comes to Chery’s high quality products and services.

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Unilever Arabia has announced the addition of the first-ever electric van to its fleet in the UAE. The incorporation of the 1-ton battery-powered van signifies a major stride in Unilever’s efforts toward reduced emissions via its logistics operations and achieving net-zero value chain emissions by 2039. 

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Kadous said: “Sustainability is integrated into everything we do at Unilever. As part of our vision to ensure a purpose-led and sustainable business model, the EV van aligns with our bold ambitions toward delivering a profitable, yet responsible performance and growth. The introduction of electric vehicles to our delivery fleet is a core ambition and is central to Unilever’s sustainability commitment. We look forward to working more closely with the public sector and industry to further expand the infrastructure and seamlessly support the transition to electric mobility. I would like to congratulate the team for their unwavering efforts in driving Unilever’s vision forward and thank our partners for sharing our ambitions toward achieving a net-zero business model.”

Bertrand Loumaye, country manager for Carrefour at Majid Al-Futtaim Retail, said: “We are committed to sourcing and delivering sustainably sourced produce as part of our ‘Dare Today, Change Tomorrow’ strategy. The launch of the first electric delivery van in the UAE from Unilever, a highly valued partner, marks a major milestone in Majid Al-Futtaim’s journey to becoming net positive in carbon and water by 2040 — as well as our collaborative efforts to achieve the UAE’s Net-Zero 2050 strategy. It is exciting to be at the forefront of such momentous, positive change as we continue to make industry firsts happen.”

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