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Mubadala Named as Possible Backer in INWIT Take-PrivateInstitutional Flows

Mubadala Named as Possible Backer in INWIT Take-Private

Mubadala has emerged as a potential investor in a take-private of INWIT, Italy's largest mobile tower company, AGBI reported on 12 October 2026, citing two people close to the matter. INWIT's leading shareholders are reportedly arranging the financing. Nothing is confirmed, and the talks coincide with a contract dispute with INWIT's two main customers.

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Sector Deep Dive

Saudi Non-Oil Share Hits 55% of GDP, but Oil Slump Helps

Saudi Arabia's non-oil activities reached 55% of GDP for the first time, according to Deputy Finance Minister Abdulmohsen Al-Khalaf, but the milestone likely reflects a sharp oil contraction too. GASTAT's Q2 flash estimate showed oil output down 24.7% year on year while non-oil activity grew just 0.6%, so the share rose on subtraction as well as diversification.

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The Open / The Close

UAE IPO Drought Meets Morgan Stanley's Rebound Call

UAE IPOs are stalled rather than cancelled: no listings have been recorded in 2026, and Morgan Stanley co-president Dan Simkowitz expects a rebound once the Iran war ends. Debt markets stayed active, with more than $100 billion raised regionally this year, according to the interview reported by The National.

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Big Money

Investopia Bridge 2026 sets a capital-flows agenda

Investopia Bridge 2026, held at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi on 7 October, set an agenda for capital flows rather than announcing deals. Investopia's organisers, as reported by Economy Middle East and the Emirates News Agency, planned sessions on financial markets, innovative financing and AI infrastructure; none of the sources reviewed disclosed transaction values.

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Featured Stories

  1. Dar Global's Half-Year Accounts

    Big MoneyDar Global owes related parties more than it owes banks, but the filing line does not show that the Saudi parent lent all of it. Amounts due to related parties were $451.1 million at 30 June 2026 against $166.2 million of bank borrowings. AGBI reports the parent lent this year and distressed-asset buying is intended.

  2. Saudi regulator drafts twice-yearly earnings calls

    Big MoneySaudi Arabia's Capital Market Authority has proposed that every Main Market company hold earnings calls twice a year, within five business days of announcing results, with recordings published promptly. The draft is open for consultation until 29 October 2026 and would apply from fiscal 2026 annual results, so it is a proposal, not yet a rule.

  3. Gulf Rates Face an October Test as Treasury Yields Hit

    The Open / The CloseGulf central banks are poised to move again if the October 2 jobs report pushes the Federal Reserve toward an October 28 hike: SAMA and the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) matched the Federal Reserve's September 16 hike within a day under their dollar pegs, and the 10-year Treasury note yield has climbed to 5.17%, per Treasury Department data.

  4. Fed's First Hike in Three-Plus Years Forces Riyadh

    Sector Deep DiveThe Federal Reserve's 25-basis-point hike to a 3.75%-4.00% target range on September 16, 2026 — driven by consumer inflation still running 3.4% year-on-year — forced the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) to match the move same-day under their dollar pegs, tightening the discount rate embedded in every Tadawul, DFM and ADX IPO book-build.

  5. US EXIM Floats a Non-Binding $6 Billion Term Sheet

    Big MoneyThe U.S. Export-Import Bank has issued a non-binding, up-to-$6-billion term sheet for the $51 billion Argentina LNG project. Abu Dhabi's XRG holds an equity stake in the project alongside YPF and Eni, but no source ties XRG to the EXIM facility itself, which is a U.S. procurement-linked export-credit line. FID is still targeted for end-2026.

  6. Dubai's Soren Investment Buys Istithmar World's 22%

    Big MoneyIstithmar World PJSC has exited its 22% stake in Gulf African Bank, selling to Dubai-based Soren Investment Company and Kenya's Auron Holdings, Clifford Chance confirmed on 12 May 2026. The deal's price and the buyers' combined resulting ownership are undisclosed. It lands as Kenya's banks reported an 18% profit rise to $2.4bn despite falling income, per bne IntelliNews.

  7. Kaplan Says the Fed-Hike Bet Is Overdone

    Sovereign Flows & MacroRobert Kaplan, Goldman Sachs vice chairman and former Dallas Fed president, said bond markets are overpricing further Federal Reserve hikes, a day after the Fed raised rates to 3.75%-4.00% on September 16, 2026. Because the dirham is dollar-pegged, the UAE's central bank matched the move within a day, showing Gulf funding costs track the Fed's path, not a Gulf-specific one.

  8. Fed's First Hike Since 2023 Forces Same-Day Rate Rises

    The Open / The CloseThe Federal Reserve raised its target rate 25 basis points to 3.75%-4.00% on September 16, 2026 - its first hike since July 2023, approved 12-0 under Chair Kevin Warsh - and the UAE and Saudi central banks matched it within a day under their dollar pegs. Traders had priced better-than-92% odds beforehand, per CNBC.

  9. Gold Steadies Near $4,343 as Fed's First Hike Since 2023

    Sector Deep DiveGold held near $4,342.98 an ounce Wednesday, up $3.40 (0.08%), per Economy Middle East's live snapshot, as markets weighed the Federal Reserve's September 16 hike to 3.75%-4.00% under Chair Kevin Warsh. Silver jumped to $66.63. SAMA and CBUAE matched the move to defend their dollar pegs; the Tadawul closed that week down 0.02%.

  10. QIA Commits $20 Billion to J.P. Morgan Asset Management

    Big MoneyQatar Investment Authority and J.P. Morgan Asset Management signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 21, 2026, for a $20 billion strategic partnership: $15 billion in customized global public-equity portfolios and $5 billion in private credit to U.S. middle-market industrials, services, healthcare and technology firms, QIA and JPMAM confirmed.
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