Hardcastle

Managing Partner Zaid M. Belbagi recently shared his insight on Saudi Arabia’s new investment law with Inside Saudi. By aligning the country with international best practices, the new law is set to boost the confidence of international investors and increase Saudi Arabia's attractiveness as an investment destination.

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On September 10, the Turkish Foreign Minister participated in the Arab League’s foreign ministerial meeting after a gap of 13 years. Hakan Fidan attended the high-level meeting in Cairo and called for the establishment of a common strategic vision and regional security paradigm for Turkiye and the Arab world. Turkiye last participated in an Arab League meeting in Cairo in 2011. Separately, the 15th Turkish-Arab Economic Forum will take place on 17th October in Istanbul. #turkey #turkiye #arableague #cairo #mena

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On September 9, the GCC and Indonesia commenced negotiations in Jakarta on a free trade agreement between the two parties. The discussions will focus on key areas of economic cooperation including trade, investment, rules of origin and digital trade. The GCC countries and Indonesia share over $16 billion in trade which includes oil and gas, palm oil, agricultural products and various manufactured goods. #indonesia #gcc #gulf #fta #trade

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On September 5, Israeli semiconductors company Tower Semiconductor Ltd. and the Indian business conglomerate Adani Group agreed to jointly invest in a $10 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Panvel in India's Maharashtra state. The facility will have an initial capacity of 40,000 wafers and is expected to create up to 30,000 jobs. #israel #india #semiconductors #adani

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On September 4, the Qatar Central Bank launched AI guidelines for Qatar's financial sector in line with the country's FinTech Strategy and the Third Financial Sector Strategy. The guidelines aim to enhance the adoption of AI by Qatar-based financial institutions to enhance operation efficiency, reduce costs and improve competitiveness in the financial sector. #qatar #fintech #ai

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On September 4, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi visited Ankara for the first time in 12 years, to meet his Turkish counterpart President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The latter had visited Cairo in February after a similar gap of 12 years. Egypt and Turkiye witnessed a hiatus in bilateral relations for over a decade following the ouster of Egypt's Muslim Brother-affiliated President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. They have now resumed diplomatic relations and the two leaders will chair the first meeting of the Turkey-Egypt High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council during Sisi's visit. #egypt #turkiye #turkiye #sisi #erdogan

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On September 3, the UK government announced that it will halt the sales of 30 out of 350 arms export licenses to Israel for weapons used for military use in Gaza, including military aircraft and drones components. This follows a UK government review that concluded that there is a "clear risk" that the exported arms are being used in violation of international law. This makes the UK the first notable Western ally of Israel to impose restrictions on arms sales to the country in the past year. #israel #uk #arms #hamas

Our latest Hardcastle Risk report on the multifaceted challenges to the negotiation of the proposed US-Saudi defence agreement. Analysis by Kasturi M. #us #saudiarabia #defence #israel #foreignpolicy

Our latest Hardcastle Risk report on the multifaceted challenges to the negotiation of the proposed US-Saudi defence agreement. Analysis by Kasturi M. #us #saudiarabia #defence #israel #foreignpolicy

Hardcastle MENA Spotlight: On August 29, the UAE’s Ministry of Finance issued an Islamic treasury sukuk worth AED 1.1 billion, in collaboration with the Central Bank of the UAE. It involves two tranches maturing in May 2026 and May 2027. The UAE's Islamic T-Sukuk programme intends to create a UAE dirham-denominated yield curve to enhance the local debt capital market and secure investment. #uae #cbuae #sukuk