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Hong Kong insurance complaints body records 857 cases last year, up 33% from 2024

Hong Kong’s insurance complaints body recorded a 32.7 per cent jump in new cases last year to 857, with medical and travel insurance accounting for most of the disputes. The Insurance Claims Complaints Panel under the Insurance Complaints Bureau on Tuesday released the numbers for 2025, which showed that last year’s 857 new complaint cases reflected an increase of about a third from 646 recorded in 2024. The figure marked a rise from 616 new cases in 2023, 607 in 2022 and 512 in 2021. “More...

ING Plans SRT Tied to Project Finance, Including for Oil and Gas

ING Groep NV is planning a significant risk transfer on €3.5 billion ($4.1 billion) of loans to projects in sectors including oil, gas and renewable power as the Netherlands’ largest lender steps up its use of such instruments.

DMCC crosses 26,000 firms as tech overtakes commodities in 2025

Dubai: DMCC added more than 2,300 companies in 2025, bringing its total membership to more than 26,000.Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Growth over the past year was driven by rising demand from global markets and the continued expansion of DMCC’s sector-focused ecosystems, with technology emerging as the largest segment within the district.The latest annual results point to a model that is drawing companies across commodities, finance and digital industries into a s...

National Lottery unveils new Powerball game and biggest change to main draw

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IEA: Global crude oil demand set for sharpest quarterly crash since Covid

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says global oil demand is headed for its "steepest" quarterly drop since the Covid shock, with the agency’s outlook pointing to weakening consumption in April and the second quarter as trade tensions and softer economic momentum hit fuel use.An OPEC+ report, meanwhile, revealed that the group’s output fell by 7.9 million barrels per day in March, largely due to the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz.Investors are now turning their attention to the IEA’s upcomi...

Malaysia races to go green as Iran war squeezes oil supply

Malaysia is doubling down on renewables to secure its energy future, its deputy prime minister has said, as the government scrambles to mitigate the fallout from an escalating energy crisis triggered by the Iran war. Tehran all but shut access to the Strait of Hormuz last month in retaliation for the US and Israel’s attacks, disrupting a key energy chokepoint through which about 25 per cent of global seaborne oil trade and nearly a fifth of global liquefied natural gas exports pass – much of...

Big Nafis changes: Unlimited child support, new salary perks for Emiratis

The Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (ETCC) has announced sweeping enhancements to the Nafis Program, following its extension through 2040. The reforms introduce expanded financial benefits, broader eligibility, and new mechanisms aimed at strengthening family stability, boosting Emirati workforce participation, and enhancing national talent competitiveness in the private sector.The updates align with the objectives of the Year of Family 2026, reinforcing a policy direction that place...

Mideast war fuels EV surge across Asia as fuel prices spike

Mideast war fuels EV surge across Asia as fuel prices spike

UK hit with big IMF growth downgrade as Iran war fuels inflation

BusinessInternationalUK hit with big IMF growth downgrade as Iran war fuels inflationBy Reuters -Apr 14, 2026UK suffered the sharpest cut to economic growth forecasts for large rich economies by the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday, reflecting the country’s costly exposure to the inflationary impact of the Iran war. As finance minister Rachel Reeves, who was due to ​arrive in Washington for the Fund’s Spring Meetings, said on Tuesday it was a “folly” for the US to have no ‌clear exit plan...

दिल्ली-देहरादून एक्सप्रेसवे, उत्तर भारत के रियल एस्टेट का 'गेम चेंजर', इन शहरों में बरसेगा पैसा!

SIPs are rising, but is retail conviction in equities slowing? Here's the answer

SIPs are rising but is retail conviction in equities slowing Heres the answer

Alibaba Group arrives in Pakistan, plans to offer easy installment shopping

  Pakistan has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital economy as Alibaba Group receives regulatory approval to operate in the country’s financial services sector, ARY News reported. The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has granted a license to Alibaba’s subsidiary, KOKO Tech, to operate as a non-banking finance company. This development marks Alibaba’s formal entry into Pakistan’s growing fintech landscape. KOKO Tech plans to introduce modern “Buy Now, Pay...

Drone Hits on Russia Ports Put Indian Refining at Risk, IEA Says

Ukraine’s drone strikes on key Russian oil-export outlets in the Baltic and Black seas may put India’s crude-refining operations at risk in the near future, according to the International Energy Agency.

The Gulf in Transition: What Businesses Need to Know Today

The Gulf region has entered a significantly altered risk environment following the escalation of hostilities on February 28, 2026. With US-Israeli military actions against Iran and subsequent retaliatory strikes across the Gulf, businesses, financial institutions, and operators with regional exposure are now facing heightened legal, regulatory, operational, and financial crime risks. What was once a contingency has now become an immediate concern, requiring organisations to shift from general aw...

Europe could see jet fuel shortage by June, IEA says 

InternationalEurope could see jet fuel shortage by June, IEA says By Reuters -Apr 14, 2026Europe could start seeing physical shortages of jet fuel by June due to the Iran war if the region is ​only able to replace half of the fuel supplies ‌it normally gets from the Middle East, the International Energy Agency said in its monthly report. Global jet fuel and kerosene demand averaged 7.8 million ​barrels per day in 2025, with Gulf exports the largest ​source to the global market, averaging nearly...

Sales surge, service strain: India's auto boom is overwhelming serivce centres

Sales surge service strain Indias auto boom is overwhelming serivce centres

Monthly salary support, no cap on child allowance: UAE announces new Nafis benefits

The UAE has announced major new family benefits under the Nafis programme while shifting the next phase of the initiative towards high-value private sector jobs in sectors such as banking, artificial intelligence and real estate after extending the scheme to 2040.Among the biggest changes announced on Tuesday was the removal of the cap on child allowance payments for Emiratis working in the private sector, alongside new support for children of Emirati mothers and wives of Emirati men employed in...

Silver Rate in Pakistan Today- April 14, 2026

Karachi, April 14, 2026 – Silver prices in Pakistan have maintained firm upward momentum today, with the chandi ka rate at Rs. 9,002 per tola—demonstrating sustained strength driven by international precious metals trends and active local demand. This performance continues the recent positive pattern, as silver remains highly responsive to global market signals and safe-haven buying interest. Current local rates stand at Rs. 7,716 per 10 grams and Rs. 771.6 per gram, supported by international s...

Goldman Executive Sells $13 Million Hong Kong Home to PE Veteran

A senior manager at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has sold his Hong Kong home to a private equity veteran for about $13 million, marking another high-profile residential transaction in the Asian financial hub.

How UAE startups can build stronger businesses in uncertain times: What to cut, protect, and prioritise

When cash flow tightens, instinct often swings between panic and paralysis. But according to founders and operators on the frontlines, the difference between startups that stall and those that stabilise is what they choose to protect.Here’s a sharp, founder-led breakdown of how to rethink costs without breaking the business, explained by Faizan Mandavia, Founder and Group CEO, FAM Group and Ayshwarya Chari Co-founder, 1115inc, from Dubai. Cut non-core burn, not the engineThe first mistake s...