Business

RIYADH — The Saudi energy minister said Tuesday that a multibillion-dollar technology investment fund the kingdom is developing in partnership with Japan’s SoftBank showed its determination to diversify its economy.

Khaled Al Falih told an international forum that the proposed new fund “is simply one indication of this determination and the bold steps being taken” to reorient the economy of the world’s biggest oil exporter.

Since 2014, global oil prices have collapsed by about half, accelerating Saudi efforts to move away from petroleum, which still accounts for the bulk of government income.

Falih told the KAPSARC Energy Dialogue that in the past the kingdom had not implemented diversification policies “as efficiently as we should have”.

Vision 2030 — a wide-ranging plan released in April — was a “proactive response” to build a diversified economy led by the private sector and with international investments providing alternative revenue sources, he said.

At the heart of the Vision is a plan to float less than 5 per cent of the state oil company, Saudi Aramco, on the stock market to help create the world’s biggest state investment fund.

Under the non-binding agreement reached with SoftBank in October, the kingdom’s contribution to the new fund could reach $45 billion. 

SoftBank said it hoped to raise up to $100 billion for the fund designed to invest in promising technology firms.

Although Saudi Arabia wants to seize opportunities in a world that will be increasingly technology intensive, Falih said the kingdom would not reduce the contribution of its traditional pillars of oil and gas, petrochemicals and mining.

It will rather be “enhancing the development of other industrial and economic sectors to rebalance and accelerate the growth of the overall economy”.

The kingdom projects a budget deficit of $87 billion this year.

It has taken a series of austerity measures, including subsidy cuts, salary reductions and delays in major projects.

Two weeks ago, the kingdom’s first international bond issue raised $17.5 billion.

On Monday night, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, 80, sacked veteran Finance Minister Ibrahim Al Assaf, 67, who supervised the successful bond offering.

He is the latest long-serving minister replaced in a government where Salman’s son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, 31, wields unusual power and symbolises the potential of youth in a kingdom where more than half of Saudi citizens are aged under 25.

London-based analysts at Capital Economics said they do not think Assaf’s dismissal signals a change in the government’s approach to lower oil prices.

“The new finance minister, Mohammed Aljadaan, is generally considered to be a reformer within the government and a close ally” of Prince Mohammed, Capital Economics said.

Aljadaan headed the kingdom’s stock market regulator and supervised the bourse’s opening last year to foreign investors.

CAIRO — Business is grinding to a near-halt in Egypt as companies struggle to keep pace with a rapid slide in the black market value of the pound. Factories are halting production, shops are running low on stocks and a sense of panic is spreading.

Bassem Hussein, whose company imports, processes and packages coffee and spices, stopped buying two weeks ago as the depreciation of the Egyptian currency gathered pace. His goods are still on sale at supermarkets but no more stock is on the way for now.

"No one knows what is happening. We stopped buying and selling two weeks ago. We're only doing retail," said Hussein, a manager at family-run Interfood. "It's not logical and it's not just us, it's all merchants."

The Egyptian pound has been falling on the black market since the 2011 revolution drove away tourists and foreign investors, vital sources of hard currency in an economy that relies on imports of everything from food to luxury cars.

But firms say a dramatic slide in the last few weeks has left them paralysed, unable to plan from one day to the next.

Black market traders were buying dollars at 17.5-17.85 pounds on Monday and selling them to importers at 18-18.2, representing a two-pound slide in a single week and five-pound slide on the month.

The pound is now worth half as much on the black market as it is in the banks, where the official rate remains fixed at 8.8 but where dollar supplies are strictly rationed.

Foreign reserves have dwindled from $36 billion before 2011 to about $19.6 billion in September, despite Egypt receiving tens of billions of dollars in aid from Gulf Arab allies.

Capital controls introduced in early 2015 to prioritise essentials such as wheat have forced importers on to the black market, where the rate has depreciated fast.

Companies have complained for nearly two years, with the dollar crisis already squeezing smaller firms out of business.

But the crisis entered new territory last week as two of Egypt's largest listed manufacturers raised the alarm.

Cigarette-maker Eastern Company warned that its raw materials stocks had halved and that it may have to halt production and sales if dollar shortages persist.

As part of efforts to slash the trade deficit it blames for distortions in the currency market, the government has raised customs duties on luxury goods and set stricter import rules.

Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Kabil has said local production rose 20 per cent this year, to substitute for imports.

But manufacturers say they rely on imported components and parts they buy with dollars obtained at black market rates.

"We used to feel it weekly, now the impact is daily. It's not just wood, it's all our materials, 50 per cent up on a month ago," said Ibrahim Hashem, who runs a furniture factory in Alexandria and buys imported wood priced in dollars.

"There is a limit... It may reach the stage where I do my calculations and find that no one will buy furniture at the price I would need to charge... It will reach the stage where no one will make or buy or sell anything."

With the budget deficit at 12 per cent in the 2015-16 fiscal year and currency markets facing severe distortions, Egypt reached a preliminary deal with the IMF in August for a $12 billion three-year loan to support an economic reform programme.

As part of those reforms, Egypt is widely expected to ditch its currency peg for a more flexible exchange rate mechanism.

Central Bank Governor Tarek Amer has said he would consider floating the pound once reserves hit $25 billion, but that target looks ambitious to some economists who say Egypt is burning through dollars as fast as it gets them.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the World Bank have poured about $3 billion into Egypt's coffers in recent months, but rising prices and periodic shortages of state-subsidised foods have forced the government to increase costly imports.

A dispute with its erstwhile financial backer, Saudi Arabia, saw a deal to supply Egypt with refined oil products suspended this month, adding $500 million a month to government spending.

AMMAN — Lafarge Cement Jordan sales decreased by 15 per cent in the first nine months of the year,  according to the company’s financial statements. Lafarge Jordan CEO Amr Reda attributed the decrease in sales to low demand in the local market and stated that “the company incurred an increase of JD1.2 million in environmental lawsuits expenses”.

There was a decrease in average prices of 3 per cent due to low demand and competition pressure, he added. Reda explained that the company did not record any deferred taxes for this year compared to a recorded amount of JD5.5 million last year.

KARACHI, Pakistan — China's Shanghai Electric power company will buy a controlling stake in K-Electric, a power generation and distribution company in Pakistan's largest city, for $1.77 billion, K-Electric's parent company announced in a statement on Sunday.

Dubai-based Abraaj Group said it had entered into a definitive agreement with China's state-backed Shanghai Electric to divest its 66.4 per cent stake in K-Electric .

K-Electric serves around 2.2 million customers in and around Karachi, Pakistan's largest city with a population of about 20 million. It is involved in both generation at thermal power plants and power distribution.

"Today marks a milestone in that partnership as we enter into a definitive agreement to divest our stake in a high performance business and market leader to a strategic buyer who is fully committed to continuing this success story into the future," Arif Naqvi, Abraaj's chief executive, said in a statement.

When completed, the deal will be biggest M&A agreement in Pakistan in a decade. Large parts of the Pakistani economy remain nationalised, or held by a few private businessmen, rather than diversified companies.

"The K-Electric transaction only marks the beginning of SEP's cooperation with Abraaj and we look forward to further collaboration between the two parties in many other areas in the future," Wang Yundan, Shanghai Power's chief executive, said in a statement.

Shanghai Electric announced its intention to bid for the stake in August.

Chinese companies' interest in Pakistan is growing after China announced energy and infrastructure projects worth $46 billion in the South Asian nation last year, with a view to opening a trade corridor linking western China with the Arabian Sea.

AMMAN — The Housing Bank for Trade and Finance (HBTF) increased its pretax profit by 10 per cent during the first nine months of this year as it reached JD145.2 million at the end of September compared to JD132 million at the end of the same period last year. 

HBTF also improved its profit after tax which rose by 8.1 per cent to JD100.6 million compared to JD93.1 million at the end of September last year. 

The positive figures resulted from a gross income that amounted to JD279 million compared to JD260.4 million received during the January-September period of last year, according to an HBTF statement. 

The bank’s total assets reached JD7.6 billion while its total customer deposits amounted to JD5.4 billion and its total credit portfolio stood at JD4.2 billion, according to Ihab Saadi, HBTF chief executive officer. 

The HBTF posted higher average return on shareholders’ equity “after tax” which moved up from 12 per cent to 12.9 per cent, according to the statement.

Saadi lauded the bank’s performance and stressed that HBTF succeeded in solidifying its financial standing and enhancing its business volume in all banking activities despite the regional instability that has adversely affected the Jordanian economy, according to the statement.

AMMAN — The Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) is still receiving quarterly reports of the period that ended in September 30, 2016, from all ASE listed companies after they have been reviewed by their auditors, according to ASE Deputy Chief Executive Officer Bassam Abu Abbas.

In a statement carried on its website, the ASE said it will suspend the shares of the breaching companies as of the first working day, following the deadline for receiving the reports, in accordance with its regulations so as to protect investors.

The ASE said it will announce the breaching companies which did not submit their reviewed quarterly reports. According to the ASE listing directives, all companies listed at the ASE must submit reviewed quarterly reports reviewed by their auditors within one month of the end of the said quarter.

Such a step enhances transparency and disclosure in Jordan capital market, and helps investors in being acquainted with the companies' results during the whole fiscal year.

AMMAN — Arab Bank Group reported net profit after tax and provisions for the period ending September 2016 of $617.9 million, compared to $615.1 million in the same period last year, while its net profit before tax reached $815.8 million, according to an Arab Bank Group statement.

The bank maintains a healthy capital base with shareholders equity standing at $8.3 billion, said the statement.  Its balance sheet remains strong with loans and advances growing by 3 per cent to reach $24.4 billion compared to $23.6 billion in the third quarter of 2015, it added. 

Customer deposits grew by 2 per cent to reach $35.5 billion compared to $34.8 billion for the same period last year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency devaluations, both loans and customer deposits grew by 5 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively, the bank reported.

Sabih Masri, Arab Bank’s chairman said: “The Bank’s solid financial performance during the first nine months reaffirms the Bank’s progress in implementing its prudent business strategy and its ability to deal with the challenging circumstances.” 

In remarks, Nemeh Sabbagh, Arab Bank’s CEO, said the Bank’s financial priorities remain focused on ensuring sustainable growth. 

Sabbagh said the Bank continues to maintain solid liquidity, as the loan to deposit ratio stood at 68.8 per cent. It has also maintained the high quality of its credit portfolio with the provisions coverage ratio for non-performing loans in excess of 108 per cent, excluding the value of collaterals held.

The Arab Bank was named the “Best Bank in the Middle East for 2016” and the “Best Trade Finance Bank in the Middle East” by Global Finance magazine.

VIENNA — OPEC officials held talks with Russia and other non-cartel members Saturday in Vienna to debate how to implement a plan aimed at cutting oil output to reduce a global supply glut and bolster prices.

"The recovery process has taken far too long and we cannot risk delaying the adjustment any further," said Sanusi Barkindo, the secretary general of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in his opening remarks.

"Therefore, we should be calling for maximum commitment from all OPEC and non-OPEC countries in this regard and we should expect no less as this is our commitment, not only to our member countries but to the global community."

Moscow's delegation declined to comment before the meeting. But OPEC and Russia — the world's top oil producer along with Saudi Arabia — have recently held several meetings to tighten cooperation to ease price volatility.

"There is an acute and urgent need to speed up the rebalancing," Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said during a recent Vienna visit.

Other non-OPEC members attending the technical committee meeting included delegations from Oman, Bolivia and Azerbaijan.

"We will discuss the recognised positions of countries, first of all the OPEC countries," Azerbaijan's Energy Minister Natig Aliyev told reporters in Vienna.

He added that some measures needed "to be taken to stabilise the market".

On Friday, OPEC-only members, led by oil kingpin Saudi Arabia, had already met to try and hammer out details of the plan ahead of a summit in late November.

In a surprise move, the cartel last month agreed a deal to trim production by up to 750,000 barrels per day to between 32.5 and 33 millions per day.

The announcement of the first such move since 2008 sent prices surging.

Iran exempted 

Production has outpaced demand over the past two years, with the resulting supply glut hammering prices from highs of more than $100 a barrel in June 2014 to near 13-year lows below $30 in February this year.

Prices are currently hovering around $50 a barrel, still too low for oil revenue-dependent nations.

But obstacles remain to the new accord as some OPEC members refuse to lower their output. 

Iran, Saudi Arabia's bitter geopolitical rival, was exempted from the cuts as it is still ramping up production depleted by years of crippling Western economic sanctions lifted only in January.

Meanwhile, Iraq also recently said it should not participate in the deal because it is waging a war against the Daesh group. 

Some analysts say Baghdad's position risks derailing implementation of the OPEC agreement.

RIYADH — A former employee of Saudi state oil company, Aramco, received a bribe in return for the purchase of airplanes from Embraer SA of Brazil, the Saudi firm said on Friday.

The statement came after the Brazilian aerospace company on Monday settled with US authorities for $205 million over bribery allegations in the Dominican Republic, Saudi Arabia and Mozambique.

According to a joint announcement by the US Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission, the alleged bribery included $1.7 million to an official at a Saudi state enterprise for a $93 million sale of three aircraft.

"Saudi Aramco's internal investigations established that a former Saudi Aramco employee was involved in receiving a bribe in return for facilitating the purchase of three aircraft from Embraer," Aramco said in a statement.

"These finding led the company to apply maximum disciplinary actions against its former employee."

Aramco said the case dated from 2012 when an internal audit led to the identification of violations.

"This prompted Saudi Aramco to proactively initiate an internal investigation with the cooperation of concerned authorities in Saudi Arabia."

The oil company said it cooperated with foreign agencies also probing Embraer's transactions.

The Saudi firm "has ceased all future dealings with Embraer" and will take legal action against the Brazilian company when all ongoing investigations conclude, it said.

The US Justice Department said Saudi authorities have brought charges against two individuals.

Saudi Aramco is at the heart of a Saudi economic diversification plan, Vision 2030, which would see less than 5 per cent of the company floated on the stock market.

It would be the world's largest-ever initial public offering.

Vision 2030 calls for greater transparency and accountability among government agencies.

Under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, it is illegal for companies and people to pay bribes to foreign officials to win business.

Embraer fell under US jurisdiction because its shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

BRUSSELS — Belgium announced a breakthrough on Thursday to save a landmark EU-Canada free trade deal by winning over domestic holdouts who threatened to torpedo the agreement and further damage Europe's international credibility.

News of the intra-Belgian agreement came too late for EU leaders and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to go ahead with a signing ceremony in Brussels on Thursday.

"This is an important agreement that is on the table," Prime Minister Charles Michel told a press conference after marathon talks to win over Belgium's fractious French-speaking communities.

Under complex constitutional arrangements, Michel needed all of Belgium's regional governments to back the deal before he could sign up.

In turn, the accord requires all 28 EU members for approval.

Confirmation of the agreement came swiftly from Paul Magnette, the head of the southern French-speaking Wallonia region who has led objections to the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).

Canada's Foreign Minister Stephane Dion hailed the move to break the logjam.

'Cautiously optimistic' 

"If it materialises, it's excellent news," he said during a visit to Paris, adding he was "cautiously optimistic".

Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, hailed the "good news" as he tweeted that he would contact Trudeau "once all procedures are finalised for EU signing CETA”.

Tusk had hoped until Wednesday morning for a signing summit but it proved impossible as the talks dragged on.

A European source told AFP there was no new date set yet.

The accord must, meanwhile, be vetted by the remaining 27 EU member states and institutions as well as by Wallonia and other regional governments who, Michel said, have pledged to give their answer before midnight (22:00 GMT) Friday.

EU ambassadors reached an informal agreement on the Belgian documents and have asked their capitals to confirm by midnight Friday, according to Belgian, French and Luxembourg officials.

A European source told AFP on condition of anonymity that the summit deadline had been more a "tool" to apply pressure for an agreement than a must-have event.

The stakes have been high as Belgium had become a lighting rod for warnings that the EU's international standing, already battered by Britain's shock June Brexit vote, would suffer further if seven years of trade negotiations were to go to waste.

After hitting deadlock in talks with Walloon leaders last week, an emotional Chrystia Freeland, Canada's trade minister, dismissed Brussels as "incapable" of achieving an international agreement.

Tusk later warned that Europe risked undermining its global standing if it failed to strike a trade deal with as close an ally as Canada. 

Hinging on CETA's outcome are complex EU trade negotiations with other countries, including an even bigger and more controversial deal with the United States. 

Around 100 demonstrators banging pots protested on Thursday outside the headquarters of the European Commission, the EU executive.

Similar protests are held regularly by opponents of the EU-US talks known as TTIP.

'Extremely happy' 

The CETA pact would link the EU's single market of 500 million people — the world's biggest — with Canada's 10th largest global economy in what would be the most ambitious tie-up of its kind so far.

In almost a week of drawn-out talks, leaders of Wallonia, a 3.5 million-strong region south of Brussels, had demanded guarantees that CETA would not harm local farming and other interests.

Magnette particularly opposed terms of the deal intended to protect international investors which critics say could allow them to force governments to change laws against the wishes of the people.

"We have finally found an agreement among the Belgians that will now be submitted to European institutions and our European partners," Magnette said.

"Wallonia is extremely happy that our demands were heard," he added.

With the remaining political hurdles hopefully cleared, Tusk may be free to phone Trudeau on Saturday to discuss the next steps, including possibly a signing ceremony, an EU source told AFP.

Once the treaty is signed, it will be applied provisionally pending ratification by all EU member state parliaments, a process that could take years.