When a market has only two players and one tries to buy the other, competition regulators tend to notice. New Zealand’s Commerce Commission noticed — and it said no. The commission has blocked the proposed acquisition of Kegstar New Zealand and Konvoy New Zealand, the country’s only two providers of pay-per-fill (PPF) keg services. The … Read more
When a government minister rings the market-opening bell at Nasdaq Dubai to mark a fresh AED 1.1 billion Islamic Treasury Sukuk listing, it tells you something concrete about where the UAE’s capital markets ambitions stand right now. The gateway to raising capital in the Gulf has never had more lanes open at once. Across Abu … Read more
An undersea oil pipeline connecting two South Asian neighbours would redraw energy logistics across the Indian Ocean — and the conversation to build one just moved from concept to diplomatic agenda. For anyone tracking Gulf crude flows into Asia, this is a development worth watching closely. Indian Vice President C P Radhakrishnan and Sri Lankan … Read more
A billion-dirham residential project reaching 97% completion in one of Dubai‘s most sought-after master communities tells you something about where capital is flowing — and where it expects to stay. For National Properties, the real estate arm of National Bonds, the final stretch on 399 Hills Park is less about a construction milestone and more … Read more
When a sovereign issuer taps the same sukuk series twice and still sees strong demand, it tells you something about how the market prices confidence in that government’s credit. The UAE’s latest AED 1.1 billion Islamic Treasury Sukuk listing on Nasdaq Dubai does exactly that, quietly reinforcing the dirham yield curve at a time when … Read more
Currency swings and a product recall are a difficult combination to absorb in a single quarter — and yet Nestlé’s first-quarter numbers tell a story of underlying resilience that most FMCG operators would quietly envy. The headline sales figure looks soft, but the organic picture is considerably more instructive. Total reported sales for the first … Read more
An oversubscription ratio of 4.7 times on a sovereign sukuk issuance tells you something specific about how the market views UAE credit risk right now. The April 2026 Islamic Treasury Sukuk auction pulled in AED 5.20 billion in bids against a total issuance of just AED 1.1 billion, and the pricing on the longer-dated tranche … Read more
A 15.1 per cent revenue jump in a single quarter tells you something about where subscriber demand and digital spending are heading across the Gulf. For e&, the first three months of 2026 delivered AED 19.4 billion in consolidated revenue and confirmed that its international diversification strategy is producing measurable returns. The UAE’s largest telecom … Read more
Eighty-two per cent. That’s the market share two supermarket groups hold across New Zealand’s grocery sector, and it’s now the number driving a political push to break up the country’s food retail structure entirely. I’ve watched grocery reform debates come and go across the Tasman, but this one names specific structural remedies — not just … Read more
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has sent oil, diesel, and fertiliser costs surging — and Australian farmers are absorbing the hit at the worst possible time. Woolworths has moved to cushion some of that pressure, but the structural challenge for the supply chain runs deeper than a single per-litre milk payment. Woolworths has … Read more
