Jordan's economy was shielded from the worst of the global financial crisis. However, despite this stability, its deposit-rich banks are struggling to ignite the country's lending markets.
Middle East
Latest articles from Middle East
A tale of two centres
November 24, 2010From Hong Kong to London, established global financial centres are looking to reinvent themselves as Islamic finance hubs and capture a slice of a fast-growing and still largely untapped market.
Arab banks shrug off global pressures
September 29, 2010A banker dealing with a phone enquiry at National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia, which tops The Banker's Arab banks ranking this year.
Bank of Israel's tough love pays off
August 30, 2010The Bank of Israel's authority to regulate the country's banking sector is something that other supervisors can only dream of, and the benefits of it holding such power were seen during the credit crisis. Writer Philip Alexander
UN sanctions no barrier to determined banks
July 28, 2010The UN sanctions that are restricting the activity of Iran's banking sector may be tough, but they are not stopping those determined to do business. Writer Spencer Anderson
A coming of age
July 28, 2010Enjoying Israel's new status as a developed market, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is pushing to attract high-tech listings, planning to renew its IT system and playing its part in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Writer Michelle Price
Keeping faith
July 28, 2010Western banks operating in the Gulf are keen to reaffirm their commitment to the region, claiming that recent debt problems in Dubai and Saudi Arabia have not shaken their confidence in the area's financial prospects. Now banks are exploring new strategies and reporting positive news. Writer Daniel Maalo
Sukuk-based project finance takes off
July 28, 2010The capital markets were deemed too fragile to issue a riyal-denominated Islamic bond to help fund Satorp's greenfield refining project in Saudi Arabia, but that doesn't mean this type of asset funding has gone away. Project sukuk are becoming well known in the Middle East as Islamic finance-friendly products. Writer James Gavin
Iraq on the road to recovery
July 6, 2010The chairman of the Trade Bank of Iraq, Hussein Al Uzri, reveals how things are looking up in Iraq, with banks seeing progress with letters of credit and discussions in place to help finance the projects earmarked for the country. Writer Courtney Fingar
HSBC's sukuk solution
July 6, 2010With its seven-year maturity making it the longest for any sukuk drawn up by a Saudi corporate, the $1.9bn capital raising put together for the Saudi Electric Company marks a huge achievement for the HSBC Saudi Arabia team that assembled it. Writer Edward Russell-Walling