5th March, 2024
Gulf states have tended to use soft power to gain geopolitical influence via economic and cultural relations, particularly in the MENA and Central Asian regions. The cold war within the GCC has subsided with a deal between Doha and a Saudi-led alliance over Qatar’s alleged closeness to the Muslim Brotherhood. Yet, rivalries are still heated and they are vying for regional influence and at a time of heightened geopolitical sensitivities, with this week seeing Saudi Arabia cement its ties with Bahrain via their sovereign funds while Qatar's QIA is deepening its exposure to Uzbekistan.
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13th February, 2024
The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) is flexing its financial muscles as it edged out of a UN sanctions regime with news that it is preparing a hostile takeover of South Africa’s Legacy Hotels via its Libyan African Investment Company (LAICO) subsidiary’s Ensemble Hotel brand.
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12th February, 2024
The decision by Mubadala-backed AI investor G42 to pull out from China reveals a growing wariness about upsetting US regulators, following Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States’ (CFIUS) decision last year to put the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund’s takeover of US asset manager Fortress Investment Group under the spotlight.
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16th January, 2024
The Red Sea region is at significant risk of conflict escalation amid Houthi attacks on ships and retaliation by the US, UK and their partners in Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect global supply chains - and this puts Gulf sovereign wealth funds' investments in the region at increasing risk as conflict escalates.
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12th January, 2024
Taiwan braces for a landmark presidential election tomorrow, January 13, setting the future course for Cross-Strait relations amid escalating US-China tensions and a recovering global economy. This is a high-stakes election for Taiwan, a prosperous territory claimed by China. The election results will have potential repercussions for regional stability and global markets.
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27th November, 2023
Just a month before the Hamas attacks of October 7th, the UAE marked the third anniversary of its normalization of ties with Israel – now geopolitical risk is creating obstacles to developing bilateral economic relations.
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7th November, 2023
The sovereign wealth fund attached to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) is ploughing a new furrow, tying itself closer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative by forging a HK$16 billion (US$2.1 billion) co-investment platform with the Beijing’s Silk Road Fund.
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5th October, 2023
Infrastructure is usually seen as a safe bet by the patient capital of state-owned investors, and a bolt hole at times of uncertainty and economic volatility.
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14th June, 2023
This week the US$68 billion Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) had cause to celebrate as its auditor Ernst & Young approved its financial statements, marking the latest in a string of good news stories for a fund that has fought hard to leave the shadow of the Qaddafi era.
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12th June, 2023
Abu Dhabi state-owned investors indicated their interest in backing the war-torn Ukrainian economy as representatives of the funds joined a top-level bilateral meeting at the weekend, at which the Ukrainian government announced its intentions to set up a sovereign wealth fund.
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25th May, 2023
Iraq is the latest target for Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund as it seeks to spread its investments – and soft power – over the Middle East through bilateral investment vehicles.
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1st February, 2023
In the context of a highly divided and disrupted Europe, Kosovo continues to fight for its recognition as an independent country. With a GDP of c. US$ 10 billion and an active public sector, the Government has set up a working group for the establishment of a sovereign fund before 2025. We talked with Emanuel Bajra about the working group and rationale for a SWF.