Good morning, friends. We have a busy issue for you to start the week, with another deluge of corporate earnings, more investments in real estate, and a lot of activity on the diplomatic front.

BUT FIRST- UAE athletes had a rough start at the Paris Olympics: Three of the UAE’s 14-member team have exited the competition following their participation yesterday. Swimmer Maha Abdullah Al Shehi didn’t advance in the 200m freestyle, while judoka Khorloodoi Bishrelt beat her first opponent, but was eliminated in the round of 16. In men’s judo, Narmandakh Bayanmunkh lost in the first round of the under 66 kg category.

But there’s still hope: Swimmer Yousef Rashid Al Matroushi will compete in the 100m freestyle tomorrow, while cyclist Safia Al Sayegh races on 4 August. In judo, Nugzar Tatalashvili is set to complete tomorrow, while Aram Grigorian will face his next opponent on Wednesday, and Dzhafar Kostoev will compete on Thursday. Runner Maryam Al Farsi will compete in the 100m race on 2 August, and the equestrian team starts show jumping on 1 August. You can find the schedule for Team UAE here.

We have more highlights from the Olympics in the Big Story Abroad, below.

HAPPENING TODAY-

#1- Chilean President Gabriel Boric lands in the UAE for the first time: Boric is set to meet with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today to discuss economic, trade, and developmental cooperation, Wam reports. The two leaders will also be making an announcement on their trade and economic partnership, for which they recently concluded negotiations. The agreement is set to boost cooperation on food security, tech, investment, and space.

#2- The AI Summer Camp kicks off today and will run for five weeks, Wam reports. Organized by the National Program for AI, the camp will host workshops for youth interested in AI and coding as well as professional experts, covering data science, machine learning, AI in education, healthcare, finance sectors, web development and robotics, AI ethics and governance, cybersecurity, and virtual and augmented reality.

MEANWHILE- Are you planning to be in Egypt on 24 September? You may be interested in attending our 2024 Enterprise Finance Forum. Seating is strictly limited at our flagship, invitation-only forum for C-suite executives and other senior leaders.

Why attend? We’re in the early days of a generational realignment of power in our industry — in our region and beyond — and on the cusp of the biggest intergenerational transfer of wealth the world has ever seen. With that as the backdrop, we’re going to take stock of where we stand six months after the float of the EGP and ask what’s next for finance in Egypt and the wider region. Among the questions we’ll be asking:

  • What roles will Egypt, Saudi and the UAE play in the regional industry going forward?
  • What are foreign investors looking for right now?
  • Is real estate the only asset class in Egypt?
  • What does the next generation of leaders think as they take over established family businesses?

Do you want to request an invitation? Tap or click the image below.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS-

#1- DIB defers July loan payments due to system glitch: Dubai Islamic Bank is deferring July loan payments for some customers after a system glitch in June delayed salary withdrawals, according to an X post. The issue arose during an upgrade to a more secure cloud platform. The bank clarified that this deferment will be at no extra cost and won’t affect customers’ credit ratings.

#2- The Abu Dhabi Global Markets’ Registration Authority issued a consultation paper (pdf) to collect public feedback on amendments to its employment regulations to improve employees’ understanding of their rights and clarify employers’ obligations, according to a statement. The ADGM will accept public feedback until 26 August.

What’s new in the regs? The amended rules include redefining “employee” to include remote workers and flexible work arrangements; clarifying entitlements for part-time employees and work permit and visa requirements; introducing bereavement leave; scrapping the current overtime payment calculation mechanism; and strengthening rules on discrimination and victimization in the workplace.

#3- Abu Dhabi’s Mawaqif paid parking system has been extended to the Khalifa Commercial and Etihad Plaza areas outside Abu Dhabi Island, Wam reports. The extension offers a total of 2.5k new regulated parking spaces.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- First lottery license + new gaming regulations: The UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority launched its official website, outlining regulations for gaming and casinos in a push to formalize the sector.

The authority also awarded the UAE’s first lottery license to The Game, a commercial gaming and lottery operator, Wam reports. The company will operate under the UAE Lottery brand and offer a variety of lottery games.

#2- Petrobras’ due diligence to buy back Mataripe refinery from Mubadala could wrap up soon: Brazil’s state-controlled oil firm Petrobras is finalizing due diligence to re-acquire the Mataripe refinery from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, after selling it for USD 1.65 bn in 2021, Reuters reports, citing people it says are familiar with the matter.

How much could the transaction cost? While the value of the transaction and the targeted stake have yet to be decided, Petrobras could be looking to offer Mubadala the same price it paid in 2021, in addition to interest and reimbursement for Mubadala’s investments in the facility, the sources said. Talks over pricing could delay discussions, since the refinery was initially sold below its market value during covid-19, the newswire adds. Sources also said Petrobras was initially planning to re-purchase an 80% stake in the refinery along with an investment in a biofuels project.

Background: Rumors of a potential buyback began circulating earlier this year, when Mubadala signed an MoU with Petrobras to partner on a USD 13.5 bn biofuels project in Brazil.

#3- Nasdaq Dubai operator Borse Dubai is set to once again become Nasdaq’s largest shareholder, after private equity firm and Nasdaq’s largest shareholder at present, Thoma Bravo, announced plans to sell 41.6 mn shares of its 14.9% stake in Nasdaq via a secondary public offering, according to a Nasdaq statement. The move would roughly halve Thoma Bravo’s stake to 7.4%, and render it the fifth-largest shareholder. It would also raise USD 2.74 bn from the sale, Bloomberg reported, citing sources it says are in the know.

Nasdaq said it will repurchase some 1.2 mn of its shares from Thoma Bravo provided their value doesn’t exceed USD 120 mn.

Not the first shareholder to trim its Nasdaq stake: In March, Borse Dubai, the then-largest shareholder, sold one-third of its 15.53% stake in the stock exchange operator for USD 1.6 bn.

Market reax: Shares of Nasdaq fell 2.8% in the after-hours trading following the news.

ADVISORS- Goldman Sachs is the sole underwriter for the transaction.

#4- State-owned renewables giant Masdar is discussing an alliance with Spanish power firm Endesa to set up a platform of over 5 GW of solar generation in Spain along with stakes in projects by Enel in Brazil and the US, two sources told the Financial Times.

REMEMBER- Masdar agreed to acquire a minority c. 50% stake in Spanish power firm Endesa’s subsidiary, EPGE Solar, for AED 3.27 bn, in what’s being billed as one of Spain’s biggest ever renewables transactions. The transaction makes Masdar a partner in 48 solar plants with 2.5 GW capacity in Spain once the transaction closes in 4Q 2024.

#5- Three new cybersecurity policies coming this year: The UAE is planning to issue three cybersecurity policies, covering cloud computing, data and internet of things (IoT) security, and cybersecurity operations centers before year’s end, UAE Cybersecurity Council Chairman Mohammed Al-Kuwaiti told Wam.

#6- Reuters and Bloomberg are picking up news of Pakistan holding talks with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and China to secure financial support for three years in order for the International Monetary Fund to approve reprofiling the South Asian country’s USD 7 bn debt with extended maturities.

REMEMBER- Pakistan was reportedly planning to ask the UAE to roll over a USD 1 bn loan ahead of the loan’s maturity date. The government has already agreed to roll over two USD 1 bn deposits in January 2023 and January of this year, after originally having granted Pakistan the loan in 2019 under a USD 3 bn financial assistance package deposited with the State Bank of Pakistan.

DATA POINTS-

#1- Dubai saw 9.31 mn international visitors in 1H 2024, marking a 9% y-o-y increase, according to a statement. Visitors from the GCC and Mena countries accounted for 26% of total arrivals, while 20% came from Western Europe, 17% from South Asia, and 15% from Eastern Europe.

#2- The UAE ranked first regionally and in the Arab world for the number of cybersecurity professionals, with some 144k specialists employed in the cybersecurity sector, Al Bayan reports, citing a research paper by the Interregional Center for Strategic Analysis.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

It’s a quiet day in the foreign business press. It’s a Monday, to start with — always slow for business in the West — and front pages everywhere are dominated by geopolitical tensions, elections, and the Olympics.

Fears of a full-blown war between Israel and Lebanon dominate the front pages this morning, as foreign diplomats and global leaders race to dissuade Israel from a forceful retaliation against Lebanon after Hezbollah allegedly struck a playground in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, killing 12 Israeli civilians, most of whom were children. Israel and the White House are adamant that Hezbollah is behind the attack, despite the latter denying responsibility.

Israel attacked Hezbollah targets yesterday and vowed to further retaliate, with its security cabinet giving the all-clear for the government to decide the “manner and timing” of its response, Reuters reports. The US has reportedly warned Israel against retaliation in fear that the situation will “spiral out of control,” Axios reports.

Talks continue on a potential ceasefire in Gaza: Officials including CIA director William Burns, Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met with Israel’s chief negotiator to hear new demands from the Israeli side. Talks are expected to continue, the Guardian reports.

In elections: US Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign raised USD 200 mn in its first week (the feat leads the Financial Times and Reuters at dispatch time this morning) and Venezuelan voters took to the polls yesterday in what is being billed as the country’s most consequential elections in decades. President Nicolas Maduro faces a stiff challenge from the opposition after a quarter of a century at the helm.

OLYMPICS-

The medal table now at the Paris Olympics:

  • Japan (4 golds, 7 total)
  • Australia (4 golds, 6 total)
  • United States (3 golds, 12 total)

Egypt and Tunisia are the only Arab countries (so far) to have taken home a medal. Egypt’s Mohamed El Sayed picked up a bronze yesterday, beating Hungary’s Tibor Andrásfi in the men’s épée individual. El Sayed lost in the semi-finals to France’s Yannick Borel. Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani took silver in the men’s individual saber, beating Egypt’s Ziad Elsissy.

Yesterday’s highlight: US gymnast Simone Biles marked her return to the Olympics stage with a spectacular performance, qualifying for the final in first place despite tweaking her left calf. (The Guardian)

Today’s highlight: It’s a huge day for tennis nerds. Rafael Nadal (Spain) is set to clash with Novak Djokovic (Serbia) at 1pm Egypt and Saudi / 2pm UAE for their 60th showdown, while world number-one Iga Swiatek (Poland) takes on France’s Diane Parry at the same time. There are more than a dozen matches taking place today in total.

Want to see when your favorite sport is on? Check out the official schedule here.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The annual jiu-jitsu tournament, the Abu Dhabi Extreme Championship, is returning to Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala Arena on 2 August, Wam reports.

Abu Dhabi will play host to a big night for mixed martial arts fans on 3 August at Etihad arena. The UFC Fight Night will see the return of MMA champion Nick Diaz, who has been out of the limelight since 2021, as he goes head to head with Tony Ferguson.

Also set to clash: Former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo will face bantamweight title challenger Marlon Vera, while world number 2 bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen will headline against Umar Nurmagomedov.

The World ESG Summit is scheduled to take place on 20-21 August at Dusit Thani in Dubai. The two-day business conference will gather public and private sector players from key sectors like energy, utilities finance, and manufacturing to explore ESG integration across all industries.

Check out our full calendar for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.

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