Founded in 2007, Burj Bank – formerly known as Dawood Islamic Bank – has a distinguished history, spanning more than five years, as a central pillar of Pakistan’s Islamic Banking landscape. In 2011, Burj Bank’s board of directors became concerned about the slow growth and concentration of the bank’s financing portfolio in areas of the…
2012 was an eventful year, with the key global central banks announcing fresh stimulus measures, bringing in a much-needed respite for asset markets. Globally, economic data remained mixed, with pockets of strength in the US, while eurozone data was broadly disappointing. Moreover, the fiscal cliff overhang in the US weighed on investor confidence. The year…
By the end of 2012, we at Boubyan Bank had completed the first three years of our Five-Year Strategy (2010-2014). The strategy has certainly realised many of its objectives; last year, we returned to profitability and were even able to pay dividends to our shareholders. The realisation of these strategic objectives can be attributed to…
When George Stephenson invented the steam locomotive and then went on to build the Stockton and Darlington railway in 1821, he changed the way people and merchandise got around for good. Less than 100 years later airplanes were crossing the Atlantic, and another 40 years after that the Boeing 707 was in operation. According to…
He is due to commence talks with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras today, with the two countries financial situations being the main point of discussion. Reports indicate that Anastasiades will be asking for Greece to provide €2bn from its €48bn bank recapitalisation package to support Cypriot lenders. Little over a fortnight ago, Anastasiades, said that…
When you think about Florida what comes to mind?For me it’s sunshine… golf courses… Lincolns, Buicks and Cadillacs… big-box “senior living” centers… and, of course, ubiquitous retirees.We may make fun of Florida as one big old folks’ home. But by 2030 the average American will be older than the average Floridian is today. That observation…
Researchers at the University of Rome in Italy have concluded that playing an hour of Nintendo Wii a day for a month actually improves hand eye coordination and can make surgeons more adept at performing important surgeries. The reason for this phenomenon has a lot to do with how the surgeries themselves are performed. Instead…
After last minute discussions failed to reach a consensus, the American Congress was unable to prevent a wave of unpalatable cuts coming into effect. President Obama has since signed off on the sequester, which will see over $85bn wiped from the federal budget over the year. When the cuts were conceived in 2011, they were…
So you’ve decided you’re going to put your house up for sale. Before you take the next big step of listing your house on the market, you may want to consider the possibility of improving the current condition of your house. Here are some simple, inexpensive ways you can polish up your house before prospective buyers come…
New figures from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development reveal that sales of new single-family houses in January rose 15.6 percent above the December 2012 rate, and 28.9 percent from the same time last year. Over 437,000 single family homes were purchased in January, exceeding the forecast of 381,000. Sales have been boosted…
