Israel’s banks are under scrutiny, with the government moving to break up the current credit card oligopoly. But opinion is divided on whether these reforms will boost competition more generally or are just an experiment. Pinchas Landau reports.

Having survived a regional liquidity squeeze, the United Arab Emirates’ larger banks are eyeing opportunities further afield. Meanwhile, an overbanked market means consolidation is likely for the rest of the sector. James King reports.

Only Al Rajhi Bank has reported a rise in profits among Saudi’s banks. Now the country's government is hoping its National Transformation Plan will bring the reforms necessary to inject new life into a stagnating economy. James King reports.

Banks in the Gulf region have scored some notable successes in the digital field, such as Liv, a UAE bank run by and for millennials. However, the longer-term threat from fintechs still looms large, writes James King.

While enjoying massive success, Islamic finance has developed in a piecemeal fashion, with many warning that global standardisation is needed if it is to avoid fragmentation and successfully push into frontier markets. James King reports.

Having established a Dublin headquarters, Citi's Europe, Middle East and Africa operations are well prepared for Brexit. And a strategic overhaul four years ago tightened up its risk management, leaving it leaner and safer, as the US bank's EMEA head, Jim Cowles, tells Stefanie Linhardt.

Understanding the financial needs of tech companies that lose money but grow fast is LeumiTech’s signature business, its CEO explains to Joy Macknight. 

Low oil prices have dented Qatar's economic success story of late but its banks are thriving. Some are looking to domestic consolidation for the next phase of  growth, others to foreign acquisitions, while a deal that will create the region’s biggest Islamic bank is in the pipeline. Kit Gillet reports. 

Qatar’s economy is already feeling the benefits from being crowned host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Can the country’s non-hydrocarbon growth assist in maintaining the upward trajectory? Kit Gillet reports.

Qatar Central Bank governor Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani believes good management has afforded the country's banking sector some protection in a challenging economic environment. Kit Gillet reports.