Saudi PIF Acquires 25% of Emaar The Economic City

The logo of Dubai's Emaar Properties on a building under construction in Dubai, UAE, March 3, 2016. (Reuters)
The logo of Dubai's Emaar Properties on a building under construction in Dubai, UAE, March 3, 2016. (Reuters)
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Saudi PIF Acquires 25% of Emaar The Economic City

The logo of Dubai's Emaar Properties on a building under construction in Dubai, UAE, March 3, 2016. (Reuters)
The logo of Dubai's Emaar Properties on a building under construction in Dubai, UAE, March 3, 2016. (Reuters)

The Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, has completed the acquisition of a 25 percent stake in Emaar The Economic City (EEC) after obtaining required regulatory approvals, it said on Monday.

EEC, linked to Dubai property developer Emaar and working on Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Economic City, issued new shares to PIF through a 2.8 billion riyals ($755 million) debt conversion.

“The PIF’s strategic investment will provide an opportunity to leverage synergies between EEC and PIF’s ecosystem in the real estate, manufacturing, logistics and tourism sectors,” the fund said in a statement.

It will also accelerate the development of EEC by establishing King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) as a great enabler of socio-economic development in Saudi Arabia.

The investment aims to unlock the potentials of promising non-oil sectors to enhance the Kingdom’s efforts to diversify revenue sources, create strategic and operational value, improve the primary infrastructure and support economic development, the statement added.



Türkiye Cenbank Cuts Rates by 250 Points to 45% as Expected

14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Türkiye Cenbank Cuts Rates by 250 Points to 45% as Expected

14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
14 January 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: A man seen rowing his boat along the Moda beach. Photo: Onur Dogman/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Türkiye's central bank cut its key interest rate by 250 basis points to 45% as expected on Thursday, carrying on an easing cycle it launched last month alongside a decline in annual inflation that is expected to continue.

The central bank indicated it would continue to ease policy in the months ahead, noting that it anticipated a rise in trend inflation in January, when economists expect a higher minimum wage to lift the monthly price readings, Reuters reported.
In a slight change to its guidance, the bank said it will maintain a tight stance "until price stability is achieved via a sustained decline in inflation."
Last month, it said it would be maintained until "a significant and sustained decline in the underlying trend of monthly inflation is observed and inflation expectations converge to the projected forecast range."
In a Reuters poll, all 13 respondents forecast a cut to 45% from 47.5% in the one-week repo rate. They expect it to hit 30% by year end, according to the poll median.
In December, the central bank cut rates for the first time after 18-month tightening effort that reversed years of unorthodox economic policies and easy money championed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has since supported the steps.
To tackle inflation that has soared for years, the bank had raised its policy rate by 4,150 basis points in total since mid-2023 and kept it at 50% for eight months before beginning easing.
Annual inflation dipped to 44.38% last month in what the central bank believes is a sustained fall toward a 5% target over a few more years. It topped 75% in May last year.
"While inflation expectations and pricing behavior tend to improve, they continue to pose risks to the disinflation process," the bank's policy committee said after its rate decision.
A 30% administered rise in the minimum wage for 2025 was lower than workers had requested, though it is expected to boost monthly inflation readings this month and next, economists say.
The expected January inflation rise "is mainly driven by services items with time-dependent pricing and backward indexation," the bank said.
The central bank has eight monetary policy meetings set for this year, down from 12 last year.