SABIC Committed to Investment Plans

SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO Yousef al-Bunyan attends the Saudi-India Forum in New Delhi, India. (File photo/Reuters)
SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO Yousef al-Bunyan attends the Saudi-India Forum in New Delhi, India. (File photo/Reuters)
TT

SABIC Committed to Investment Plans

SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO Yousef al-Bunyan attends the Saudi-India Forum in New Delhi, India. (File photo/Reuters)
SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO Yousef al-Bunyan attends the Saudi-India Forum in New Delhi, India. (File photo/Reuters)

Saudi Basic Industries Corp's (SABIC) investment plans will not be affected by oil giant, said SABIC Vice Chairman and CEO Yousef al-Bunyan.

Aramco's purchase of a 70 percent stake in the company would look to integrate assets with Aramco to boost growth, Bunyan told Reuters Friday.

Saudi Aramco, the world's largest oil producer, agreed on Wednesday to buy the stake in SABIC from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) for USD69.1 billion in one of the biggest deals in the global chemical industry.

The deal will take six to 12 months to complete, and there won't be any layoffs, change in management or impact on SABIC's balance sheet, he told Reuters in a phone interview.

"Once the anti-trust clearance is obtained, then immediately we will put a team together to look at areas of synergies in order for us to leverage our shareholder value," he said.

Meanwhile, SABIC participated in Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2019 for the sixth time in a row, where it shed light on the need for joint development.

Chairman of SABIC Dr. Abdulaziz Saleh Aljarbou said that the old measures are no more sufficient to meet today’s needs, amid the changes in the economic scene. Therefore, regional cooperation has become more important than any other time to achieve sustainable and comprehensive growth.

Bunyan pointed out that China and Asia still represent a strategic market for SABIC amid keenness of relevant main bodies in the region to deepen joint work for the sake of achieving effective cooperation among territories.

SABIC pavilion presented details of its innovative solutions that support the circular economy, provide environmental protection and reinforce energy consumption in various sectors.



Egypt's Central Bank Leaves Key Interest Rates Unchanged

A general view of Dahab Island or Gold Island (Gezirit el-Dahab) in the middle of the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A general view of Dahab Island or Gold Island (Gezirit el-Dahab) in the middle of the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
TT

Egypt's Central Bank Leaves Key Interest Rates Unchanged

A general view of Dahab Island or Gold Island (Gezirit el-Dahab) in the middle of the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
A general view of Dahab Island or Gold Island (Gezirit el-Dahab) in the middle of the Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, July 2, 2024. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egypt's central bank left its overnight interest rates unchanged on Thursday, as expected, saying economic growth remained slow but that inflation has been decreasing.
The bank's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) left the deposit rate at 27.25% and the lending rate at 28.25%.
All but one of 18 analysts in a Reuters poll had expected rates to remain unchanged, with the sole analyst forecasting a cut of 100 basis points (bps).
The decision keeps the overnight deposit rate below that of headline inflation, which was 27.5% in June. Real interest rates have been negative since January 2022. Inflation declined in June for a fourth straight month after soaring to a record 38% in September.
The MPC expects inflation to come down sharply in the first half of 2025.
"The gradual unwinding of food inflation along with the improvement of inflation expectations suggest that inflation is on a sustained downward trajectory," the MPC said.
Gross domestic product inched down to an annualized 2.2% in the first quarter from 2.3% in the final quarter of 2023, the MPC added.
"Leading indicators for Q2 2024 suggest that economic activity remains subdued. Consequently, real GDP growth is expected to slow down in FY 2023/24 compared to the previous fiscal year, before recovering in FY 2024/25," it said.
Egypt reported GDP of 3.8% in 2022/23.
The central bank raised interest rates by 600 bps on March 6 as part of an agreement with the IMF, bringing total increases since the beginning of the year to 800 bps. Egypt also sharply devalued its currency against the dollar under its IMF accord.