Economy

Michele Bullock will take over as governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia in September.

Elon Musk's latest venture xAI says it will seek to 'understand the true nature of the universe'.

RIYADH: Self-driving cars will soon be on the UAE’s roads after the government approved a license for the company WeRide. The China-based firm will be able to test its vehicles in the country following an announcement by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. WeRide already has a presence in the country, as in 2022 it provided key software and hardware for the phase 1 trial of a self-driving taxi service in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

RIYADH: A SR2.7 billion ($720 million) deal has been signed which will see Saudi Airlines Catering Co. provide laundry services for hotels at Red Sea Global’s tourist developments. The agreement was announced on the Saudi stock exchange, Tadawul, and SACC expects the deal to start showing up in its profit margin by the third quarter of 2025. The 20-year contract will see SACC operate laundry services for hotels, resorts and other facilities located within the destination.

LONDON: Bahrain has signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic investments and collaborations with Britain that will see the Gulf state’s private sector invest 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) in Britain, the Bahraini crown prince’s social media account said on Monday. The investments will be through Bahraini sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat, Investcorp, GFH Financial Group, and Osool Asset Management.

RIYADH: After a steep decline in May, Gulf Cooperation Council countries saw an optimistic bounce back in equity market index performances in June with the UAE and Saudi Arabia as top performers.  According to a Kamco Invest report, the UAE’s Dubai Financial Market was the best-performing market in the GCC in terms of index closings with a monthly increase of 6 percent, followed by Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index with a rise of 4 percent.   Kuwait’s market came in third with a 3.4 percent month-on-month increase, followed by Oman’s, with a 3.1 percent incline.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the UAE have committed to allocate $6 billion for expanding international trade and investment in Iraq, reported Iraqi News Agency.  On Sunday, the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce announced that it also agreed to set up business councils of the Kingdom and the UAE in the country.   “The UAE and Saudi Arabia deposited $3 billion each to support their operations in Iraq, which include trade and investment activities,” said FICC President Abdel Razzak Al-Zouhairy.