12^th October, 2016, Dubai, UAE: Consumers in the UAE appear to agree with the current real estate market sentiment that now is good time to buy property, according to statistics from compareit4me web site, the Middle East’s leading finance comparison site.

Using data from its mortgage comparison platform, compareit4me can reveal that there was an 119.5% increase in the number of people searching for mortgages in the third quarter of 2016, compared to the same period in 2015. This indicates a great willingness among UAE consumers to take on finance in order to take advantage of a buyer-friendly property market.

According to a recent study from Core Savills, over half of Dubai’s tenants are looking to buy their own residence in the future. Of these, the report said, 62% were leaning towards buying to own, rather than buying to let. What’s more, more than half said they were looking to purchase property over the next 12 months.

That same report added that buyers are being deterred by difficulties when it comes to securing finance on homes. That could explain the enormous growthin mortgage searches at compareit4me.

“If people are struggling to find good finance options for property, they’ll of course look to compare offerings. This is where we come in – our mortgage portal allows users to compare almost 80 different mortgages,” said Jon Richards, CEO at compareit4me.

“It seems people are looking to take advantage of the low prices in the property market, and they’re eager to take on finance to make sure they don’t miss out on the great deals to be had.”

Indeed, even when it comes to securing home loans, it appears that UAE consumers are looking for the least expensive options. compareit4me’s numbers reveal that, in the third quarter of 2016, there was a 28% reduction in the number of people looking for mortgages that don’t require a salary transfer account with the same bank. This indicates that users are wising up to the fact that

they can secure better home loan rates if they borrow from banks with which they hold a salary transfer account.

“This makes perfect sense in a property market being defined by low prices – the benefits of easy-to-buy property are negated if buyers have to pay out more on interest payments. Our users know this, and so they’re opting for the mortgages that give them the best rates – in this case, the mortgages that require salary transfer accounts,” said Richards.

According to compareit4me’s numbers for the third quarter of 2016, the most searched for mortgage product is RAKBANK’s Home In One. Union National Bank’s Mortgage for Expatriates came in a close second, while ACDB Mortgages rounded off the top three.

 Dubai, UAE, 9 October 2016: HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), received the prestigious Lord of Matterhorn Award from Peter Harradine, President of the Swiss Business Council, Dubai & Northern Emirates. The ceremony at Fairmont Palm Hotel and Resort, Dubai witnessed the attendance of HE Maya Tissafi, Swiss Ambassador to the UAE, HE Christian Watts, Consul General of the Consulate General of Switzerland, in addition to a number of Swiss companies and business representatives. 

The Lord of Matterhorn award is awarded annually to a select few UAE citizens who have contributed towards enhancing business relations with the Swiss Business Council and in turn towards Switzerland and its presence in the UAE.

“It is my pleasure to receive the prestigious Lord of the Matterhorn Award, by the Swiss Business Council. I understand that this prestigious award was named after Switzerland's most famous mountain, which is hard to conquer, but then again, here in the UAE, we do not believe in the word ‘Impossible’. We are guided by the vision and initiatives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in all our endeavours,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“In line with DEWA’s vision to become a sustainable innovative world–class utility, innovation is the cornerstone and integrated approach we follow to achieve the UAE Vision 2021, which aims to make the UAE among the best countries in the world by 2021. This in turn, strengthens the UAE’s global competitiveness, especially in renewable energy, and green economy technologies and products. Dubai has a comprehensive vision for a sustainable future, which is pivotal to the success of building a green economy. Receiving the Lord of the Matterhorn award is a proud moment and honour for me, while reflecting DEWA’s success in strengthening its ties with its partners to ensure Dubai’s global competitiveness,” added Al Tayer.

“Finally, I would like to thank HE Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to the UAE, and Mr. Peter Harradine, President of the Swiss Business Council and the organisers for the success of this evening and all their efforts,” concluded Al Tayer.

Published annually, the ISLAMICA 500 is a business guide providing hard-to-find biographical details for 500 of the world’s most prominent and influential personalities in the Islamic world and economy.

مجلة الشرق الاوسط للأعمال - ميدل ايست بزنس

القاهرة، مصر، 7 سبتمبر، 2016 – عززت مؤسسة التمويل الدولية، عضو مجموعة البنك الدولي، من استثماراتها في مصر بهدف تحسين البنية التحتية ودعم قطاع الصناعة وتحسين فرص حصول الشركات الصغيرة والمتوسطة على التمويل وذلك خلال العام المالي 2016 (بالانجليزية).  

مجلة الشرق الاوسط للأعمال - ميدل ايست بزنس

هي ليست مجرد شجرة، يُستفاد من كل اجزاءها، تُغني زارعها، تشفي آكلها، وتحمي الأرض من تحتها وترفع اعمدة الحضارات فوقها... انها شجرة النخيل وثمارها من الرطب والتمر. جاء في القرآن الكريم: 

﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَّعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ كُلُوا مِن ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُوا حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ﴾(الأنعام141).

Translation from Middle East Business Magazine (Original text)

• UAE leads Gulf countries in terms of the value of Swiss imports
• Trade volume between Switzerland and the UAE reached up to nearly 33.6 billion dirhams in 2015
• Prestigious award for UAE nationals who have contributed to Swiss Business Council's support

From Middle East Business Magazine

Cairo, Egypt, September 7, 2016—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, has ramped up investments in Egypt with a focus on improving the country’s infrastructure, supporting manufacturing companies, and improving access to finance for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). (Arabic version)

نقلا عن مجلة ميدل ايست بيزنس:

• الإمارات تتصدر دول منطقة الخليج من حيث قيمة الواردات السويسرية
• حجم التبادل التجاري بين سويسرا ودولة الإمارات يصل لنحو 33.6 مليار درهم في عام 2015
• جائزة مرموقة لتكريم المواطنين الإماراتيين الذين ساهموا في دعم المجلس

Plus de 11 milliards d'euros. Deux heures cinquante minutes. Une idée qui germe dans les esprits depuis 1947. Vous avez deviné ? Pas encore ? C'est le trou le plus long au monde creusé dans une montagne. Il s’agit du tunnel de base du Saint-Gothard, inauguré le 1^er juin dernier en grande pompe par une chancelière, un président de la république et un chef du gouvernement, respectivement ceux d'Allemagne, de France et d'Italie. Et bien sûr le président de la confédération helvétique.

Having a clear vision of the future is the main driver behind the impressive development of Dubai.