Saudi Banks Earn $10 Bn in 9 Months

A Saudi money changer displays Saudi Riyal banknotes at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia July 27, 2017 (File Photo: Reuters)
A Saudi money changer displays Saudi Riyal banknotes at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia July 27, 2017 (File Photo: Reuters)
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Saudi Banks Earn $10 Bn in 9 Months

A Saudi money changer displays Saudi Riyal banknotes at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia July 27, 2017 (File Photo: Reuters)
A Saudi money changer displays Saudi Riyal banknotes at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia July 27, 2017 (File Photo: Reuters)

Saudi banks listed in the local financial market posted huge profits of $10.05 billion in the first nine months of 2018, according to financial results.

Saudi bank profits for the first nine months of this year jumped by 9.9 percent, compared to the same period last year. This achievement confirms the vitality and strength of the country’s financial sector at a time of fluctuating international oil prices.

According to the financial results, 10 Saudi banks listed on the local financial market announced a new growth in profits for the first nine months of this year with one bank’s growth rate reaching up to 27.9 percent. Only two banks announced a decline in profits by 2 and 18 percent.

In stock news, the index of the Saudi market closed last week at 7662 points with a decline of 1.05 percent, equivalent to 81 points, compared to the previous week’s levels of 7743 points.

Last week was the deadline for the announcement of financial results of the term ending September 30. The total profit of 165 companies – excluding firms that have different financial years – amounted to $23.7 billion, a 1.04 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

These positive developments come as Saudi revenues during the third quarter of this year grew by 57 percent compared to the same quarter in 2017, while total revenues from the start of the year till the end of the third quarter amounted to $176.8 billion, registering a growth of 47 percent over the first nine months of 2017.



Qatar Issues New Law to Nationalize Jobs in Private Sector

A general view of Doha, Qatar. (QNA)
A general view of Doha, Qatar. (QNA)
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Qatar Issues New Law to Nationalize Jobs in Private Sector

A general view of Doha, Qatar. (QNA)
A general view of Doha, Qatar. (QNA)

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani issued on Sunday a new law to nationalize jobs in the private sector.

The law will be effective six months after it is published in the official gazette.

This legislation aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030 and will facilitate strategic investments and create opportunities for employment and training for Qatari citizens, the Ministry of Labor said in a statement.

The law supports the Third National Development Strategy, which aims to effect a fundamental transformation towards a more productive labor market, focusing on high-skill jobs.

The Ministry said this transformation will be achieved by leveraging a highly skilled Qatari talent pool while also attracting foreign talents with advanced skills.

It noted that the law seeks to significantly increase the effective participation of the national workforce in private sector institutions and companies, opening up new employment and career opportunities for Qataris, thereby maximizing the utilization of qualified national competencies.

The law aims to encourage Qatari participation in the private sector, ensure job stability for national cadres, develop the professional skills of the national workforce, meet the labor markets demand for qualified personnel, and incentivize private sector companies and establishments to increase the participation of the national workforce, it added.

The entities subject to nationalization under the law include employers who are natural persons managing private establishments registered in the commercial register, commercial companies operating in the state, whether state-owned, state-participated, or privately owned, and private non-profit institutions, sports institutions, associations, and similar entities, it explained.

The new law also grants many benefits, facilities and privileges to those covered by the integration plan, it added.

More than 2.5 million foreigners live and work in Qatar, with about two million working in the private sector.