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نجحت شركة "إيفيردوم (Everdome)"، التي تعمل في مجال العالم الافتراضي (الميتافيرس) ومقرها الرئيسي في الإمارات، بالحصول على التزام بتمويلها من شركة "جي إي أم ديتجال ليمتيد"، وهي شركة استثمار في الأصول الرقمية يقع مقرها الرئيسي في جزر البهاما، بقيمة 10 مليون دولار.
نجاحات إيفيردوم تدفع بالاتفاق
يأتي الإعلان عن اتفاقية التمويل في الوقت الذي تحقق فيه "إيفيردوم" نجاحات واسعة، إذ استطاعت الشركة منذ يونيو/حزيران الفات من بيع ما يقرب من 11،700 قطعة أرض، أو ما يعادل 97% من إجمالي مساحة "الميتافيرس" الخاص بالشركة، بمزاد علني استغرق نحو ثمانية أسابيع، حيث بلغت قيمة الأراضي المباعة نحو 18.6 مليون دولار أمريكي أو ما يعادل مليار و531 $DOME، وهي العملة الرقيمة الخاصة بالشركة، أي أن متوسط سعر قطعة الأرض في عالم "إيفيردوم" الافتراضي بلغ نحو 1590 دولار أمريكي.
إيفيردوم المتحكمة التمويل
ستتولى شركة "إيفيردوم (Everdome)" التحكم بتوقيت وعدد عمليات الاقتراض بموجب اتفاقية القرض الرئيسة، ولا يوجد حد أدنى من الالتزام بالقرض. واستناداً إلى تقديرها الخاص، تتمتع "إيفيردوم (Everdome)"، بالقدرة على بيع ما يصل إلى 200 في المائة من متوسط الحجم اليومي القابل للبيع من الرموز عبر مجموعة متنوعة من البورصات إلى شركة "جي إي إم ديجيتال".
استدامة أعمال إيفيردوم المستقبلية
وعن المكاسب المتوقعة من التمويل، علق روب جرين، الرئيس التنفيذي ومؤسس شركة "إيفيردوم (Everdome)"، بالقول "سيتم استخدام الاستثمار الذي التزمت به "جي إي إم" لتعزيز عروض "إيفيردوم (Everdome)" وضمان استدامة الأعمال في المستقبل..نحن سعداء للغاية لإبرام هذه الشراكة مع "جي إي إم" الحصول على هذا الاستثمار التاريخي معها، ما يؤكد أننا نتقدم على المسار الصحيح، في الوقت الذي نسعى فيه إلى تخطي الحدود الجديدة في عالم "الميتافيرس (Metaverse)" الافتراضي. تعد هذه المرحلة بمثابة الوقت المثالي لكي نعمل على تسريع الجهود من أجل تطوير منتجاتنا. وهذا بالضبط ما سيساعدنا التزام "جي إي إم" بالاستثمار على القيام به. لقد بلغت "إيفيردوم (Everdome)" محطة مثيرة للغاية في مسيرتها، وبالتعاون مع "جي إي إم"، سنقوم بالخطوة التالية من أجل نقل منظومة "الميتافيرس Metaverse)" الافتراضية خاصتنا إلى المستوى التالي".
ومن المتوقع هذا الاتفاقية، "إيفيردوم (Everdome)" على التركيز في تنمية فريق عملها وتوسيع تكنولوجيا "الميتافيرس"، إلى جانب المساهمة في تحسين قدرتها على تخصص الأموال لتعزيز الجهود التسويقية، وتمكين الشراكات والاستثمارات التي من شأنها أن تدعم النمو المستدام لشركة "إيفيردوم (Everdome)".
Dubai’s Emaar Development has reported record property sales of AED 15.216 billion ($4.143 billion) in the first half of 2022, up 10% year-on-year. The developer’s profits surged to AED 1.28 billion in Q2.
While profits were up from AED 1.003 billion year-on-year (YoY) in Q2, and grew from to AED 2.507 billion in H1 from AED 2.09 billion, financial reports posted to Dubai Financial Market (DFM) today showed revenue for the second quarter softened down from AED 3.907 billion YoY to AED 3.714 billion.
Revenue for the first half of the year was AED 7.282 billion, down from AED 7.754 billion YoY, the results showed.
Emaar said in a statement published to DFM today that its sales backlog increased to AED 32.753 billion and that it launched 15 projects in the first half of the year.
Emaar Development is the development arm of Emaar Properties, which will acquire Dubai Creek Harbour from Dubai Holding in a $2 billion deal, it was announced today.
source: Zaway
Expats with student visas and those on dependency visas are now allowed to stay abroad for over six months as it applies to those with work permit. “The initiative is to make life for expats in Kuwait easier, with consideration to foreign students as the world battles COVID-19,” sources told Kuwait Times. The only exception is for domestic workers.
If they stay abroad for more than six months, their residency permit will be cancelled unless their sponsors sign an agreement.
A government decision allowing expatriates with iqama to remain outside the country for more than six months is still in force. Until now, the decree has not been cancelled,” the sources said. However, the sources said only domestic workers are not permitted to remain outside Kuwait for more than six months unless their sponsor applies for an exception on their behalf.
Expatriates are also allowed to renew their residency permits while they are outside Kuwait. “The decree allowing the expatriates to renew their iqamas online while abroad is still in effect,” the sources added.
Residency of expatriates who stay outside Kuwait for more than six months won’t be canceled, except for domestic workers.
This decision to continue with the exemption will be valid until further announcement. Kuwait’s Interior Ministry had made this exemption for expatriates during the COVID pandemic as expatriate arrivals into Kuwait were suspended for fear of spread of coronavirus.
Kuwait has slowly returned back to normalcy with all government and private sector offices functioning to pre-pandemic levels. The government recently cancelled all online work without exceptions.
Regarding the opening of visit visas, the Ministry of Interior has decided to extend its decision to halt the issuance of family visit visas until the end of this current year. According to sources, the Ministry said that security of the state and the parliamentary elections are of vital importance to the Ministry.
The Ministry will deploy its personnel and will increase its presence in strategic areas during electoral gatherings, election-day and campaigns.
The new elections will be held at the beginning of October. Files related to security need adequate time to be studied, especially the ones related to issuing family visas.
source: Kuwait Times
Majid Al Futtaim Group launches program to support startups in collaboration with Astrolabs
25 Jul 2022 Written by Admin AdminTranslated by: Pirween B. Sido
In a new step to strengthen its role as a supporter of entrepreneurs and startups in the MENA ; Majid Al Futtaim, in partnership with Astraulabs, launched the Majid Al Futtaim Launchap program to support and accelerate the growth and development of start-ups and SMEs in strategic sectors. and its evolution.
Platform to support innovation:
According to Joe Abi-Akl , Chief Executive Officer of Institutional Development at Majid Al Futtaim Group ; The program will provide the latest innovative solutions and services through the care and development of startups and SMEs within the overall ecosystem of innovation, This program will have positive benefits for consumers, employees, business owners, investors and governments across the region , Roland Dahir, Chief Executive Officer of Estrolabs, adds that the program will be presented via its launch platform all support for startups to identify and select ambitious local brands and startups that can contribute to the growth and development of the sustainable digitization ecosystem, Large companies will be able to take advantage of their market position and knowledge of the sector's needs, as well as their vast resources, to attract SMEs that still find it difficult to penetrate markets and grow in their own sectors ,the program's launch platform will also offer opportunities to provide fast and modern solutions and services to customers.
At the same time, there are more tangible growth opportunities, such as accelerating opportunities for acquisition deals. Improve operational efficiency and provide best-in-class professional guidance to the region's start-ups, small and medium enterprises.
target areas:
The Programme directs its support to key areas of economic growth, including domestic emerging companies, attracting successful start-ups focused on culture, heritage, sustainability and innovation; As well as health and beauty companies, which offer innovative products and technical solutions designed to enhance the customer experience.
In addition to "Real Estate Technologies" companies that provide innovative and sustainable solutions that contribute to assisting construction companies, digitizing the real estate development sector, residential communities and hotel spaces, and improving experiences in shopping malls.
About Majid Al Futtaim Group:
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim Group is a shopping mall, shops and recreational communities in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Today, the group is developing and managing malls, integrated cities and retail facilities in the United Arab Emirates.
UAE-based DeFi platform ZKX has raised $4.5 million in Seed funding from StarkWare, Alameda Research, Amber Group, Huobi and Crypto.com.
Founded in 2021 by Eduard Jubany Tur, Naman Sehgal, and Vitaly Yakovlev, ZKX is a decentralised finance platform that helps make faster transactions and keeps gas fees low, and is built on StarkNet.
The funding will go towards further development of its open-source protocol, DAO funding and growth of the ZXK ecosystem.
Dubai-based DeFi platform ZKX raised $4.5 million in seed funding today from StarkWare, Alameda Research, Amber Group, Huobi, Crypto.com and others.
The decentralised finance platform helps make faster transactions and keeps gas fees low, and is built on StarkNet. These funds were raised in spite of a cryptocrash in particular and funding winter in general
“The downturn is driven by the Federal Reserve tightening interest rates and driving de-risking across asset classes. Alameda, Crypto.com, and our other partners have been actively fostering and building the Web3 ecosystem for years. This should only strengthen the ecosystem in the long run by cleaning up the bad apples and focusing on the strongest players,” said Eduard Jubany Tur, Founder at ZKX.
The funding will go towards further development of its open-source protocol, DAO funding and growth of the ZXK ecosystem.
ZKX was founded in 2021 by Eduard Jubany Tur, Naman Sehgal, and Vitaly Yakovlev. The team has hired from Flipkart, PayTM, and Byju’s, with decades of shared experience in venture building and scaling technology startups in over eight countries.
It had earlier received investment from Sandeep Nailwal, co-Founder, Polygon, and Ashwin Ramachandran, General Partner, DragonFly Capital.
The platform aims to address some of the key challenges of the DeFi market, such as over-reliance on centralized entities, scalability, high gas fees for traders and painful user experience.
“We are determined to build an exchange that breaks down the barriers to using DeFi by building a protocol that enables trading derivatives of assets on StarkNet. Our goal is to expand our reach across emerging markets, enabling users to have fair representation within a DAO,” said Jubany.
Source: Business Insider
Dubai-based digital banking start-up YAP raises $41mln for expansion
17 Jul 2022 Written by Admin AdminDubai-based start-up YAP, which operates a digital banking app, has raised $41 million to fund its expansion in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
The new investment came from Saudi Arabia's Aljazira Capital alongside other investors including Abu Dawood Group, Astra Group and Audacia Capital, the company said in a statement on Monday.
The fintech firm launched last year a digital banking platform, which now has more than 130,000 users.
The app provides a complete view of a consumer's spending analytics and ways to transfer money, pay bills and make purchases. Users are not required to maintain a minimum balance in their account.
The start-up intends to complete its Series A funding by the end of the year and use the new capital to support its expansion and growth in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Ghana.
It said it has partnered with Bank AlJazira to launch its consumer and business platforms in Saudi Arabia and received regulatory approval in Pakistan and Ghana to offer similar services. It also plans to launch in Egypt soon.
source: Zawya
Tunisia-based Smart Capital, the manager of the Anava fund of funds, has invested $5.2 million in the Badia Impact Squared Fund (BIF2), a newly-launched fund targeting regional early-stage, high-growth startups.
BIF2 is managed by Silicon Badia, a global early-stage venture capital firm. Anava has already secured an initial close of €40 million and eyes a final close at €100 million.
Smart Capital, the manager of the Anava fund of funds, has committed $5,2 million to the Badia Impact Squared Fund (BIF2), a venture capital fund managed by Silicon Badia, a pioneering venture capital firm that invests in early-stage and growth-stage technology firms operating globally.
Anava has a goal size of €100 million (with a first closure of €40 million fully subscribed by Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC)) and intends to participate in more than 13 private equity funds. Anava is one of the three pillars of the national programme Startup Tunisia, which also consists of Startup Act (incentives), Startup Ecosystem (support for support structures), and Startup Invest (financing programme including Anava), the management of which is delegated to Smart Capital.
Silicon Badia, which has offices in the United States and the Middle East, has invested in over 80 technology firms in over 15 industries and cities worldwide. Its second regional fund, BIF2, is a sector fund that invests in ICT startups in Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, and Lebanon at the Series A and Series B stages.
BIF2 completed its first closure in October 2020, bringing together the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Dutch Good Growth Fund (DGGF), and Finance in Motion, among other prestigious institutional LPs (FIM). Anava’s contribution is part of the second close of the Fund, in which 15 percent of its commitment will be given to Tunisia-based Startups. BIF2 made its initial investment in the Tunisian fintech business Expensya in November 2020, when it co-led the company’s $20 million Series B fundraising.
Smart Capital CEO Alaya Bettaieb said: “We are thrilled to be able to assist Silicon Badia with their second close. This investment arrives at a key time for Tunisian businesses seeking capital and skills to go beyond the country’s borders. In addition, this partnership will contribute to the diversification and expansion of Anava’s portfolio.”
Silicon Badia CEO Fawaz Zu’bi said, “We regard Anava’s investment in our second regional fund as a crucial strategic step in our efforts to grow our presence in North Africa, which is now solidified to include Tunisia. Our Fund has already made its first investment in Tunisia’s thriving innovation environment, where we are enthusiastic and eager to create bridges and invest.”
Source: Wamda
$1.49bln in weeklong real estate and properties transactions in Dubai
17 Jul 2022 Written by Admin Admin186 plots were sold for $162.04mln, 1,004 apartments and villas were sold for $662mln, data released by Dubai's Land Department showed.
DUBAI, 15th July, 2022 (WAM) -- The real estate and properties transactions valued at AED 5.5 billion in total during the week ending 15 July 2022. The sum of transactions was 1,614.
186 plots were sold for AED 594.72 million, 1,004 apartments and villas were sold for AED 2.43 billion, data released by Dubai's Land Department (DLD) showed.
The DLD weekly report said the top three transactions were a land in Ras Al Khor Industrial First sold for AED 32.91 million, followed by a land that was sold for AED 19.41 million in Al Merkadh, and a land sold for AED 32.91 million in Ras Al Khor Industrial First in third place.
Al Hebiah Fifth recorded the most transactions for this week by 105 sales transactions worth AED 262.43 million, followed by Jabal Ali First with 35 sales transactions worth AED 101.75 million, and Al Yufrah 2 with 12 sales transactions worth AED 15 million in third place.
The top three transfers for apartments and villas were an apartment was sold for AED 317 million in Burj Khalifa, an apartment was second in the list sold for AED 240 million in Al Wasl, and thirdly it was an apartment sold for AED 191 million in Palm Jumeirah.
The sum of the amount of mortgaged properties for the week was 2.06 billion, with the highest being a building in Burj Khalifa, mortgaged for AED 550 million.
80 properties were granted between first-degree relatives worth AED 479 million.
source: Zawya
OIA made the revelation in its maiden annual report, covering its financial and operational performance over the June 2020 – December 2021 period.
Oman Investment Authority (OIA), the integrated sovereign wealth fund of the Sultanate of Oman, says it has green-lighted an “exit plan” submitted by wholly-owned energy and petrochemicals subsidiary OQ Group envisioning divestments totalling between RO 1.5 billion and RO 2 billion.
OIA made the revelation in its maiden annual report, covering its financial and operational performance over the June 2020 – December 2021 period, and published earlier this week.
“(The Authority) approved an exit plan valued between RO 1.5 billion and RO 2 billion through selling some shares to the private sector or offering them for subscription in the public capital market and attracting strategic partners to benefit from their knowledge and improve performance,” it stated.
No details were shared about the OQ-owned or affiliated assets that have been lined up for full or partial divestment. But in a statement issued last month, OIA revealed that it was prepping two OQ projects, among other ventures from across the Authority’s sizable portfolio, for listing on the Muscat Stock Exchange (MSX) via Initial Public Offerings (IPO).
Recent divestments undertaken by OQ over the period under review include its stakes in India-based Bharat Oman Refineries Limited (BORL) and Portuguese energy sector Redes Energéticas Nacionais (REN).
In other key financial and operational highlights of the past year, OQ transferred its shareholding in Oman Shipping Company to Oman Investment Authority. OQ also issued bonds valued at RO 288 million in the “international capital markets at a competitive price, with significant participation of major investors and financial institutions,” OIA stated in its annual report.
Developments in the renewables and green hydrogen space have also been significant, according to the report. In addition to launching an Alternative Energy Department focused on supporting green hydrogen and ammonia initiatives, OQ also signed a number of agreements with international companies to develop green energy projects in Duqm SEZ and Dhofar Governorate.
Another key highlight of the year has been the successful conclusion of a number of agreements with the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, Oman Shell and TotalEnergies linked to the development of gas and condensate reserves in Block 10 in central Oman. The output, which will begin flowing from mid-2023, will eventually be channelled to Marsa LNG, a new green LNG project due to come up at Sohar Port to provide LNG as bunker fuel for maritime shipping. Marsa LNG is a joint venture between TotalEnergies and OQ.
In Block 60, wholly owned and operated by OQ’s Upstream unit, the company recently reported a five-fold increase in output from the Bisat field. Furthermore, the successful completion of the Bisat B Project has also enabled the doubling of production well above capacity, it said.
Earlier this week, international ratings agency Fitch Ratings Fitch Ratings affirmed OQ’s Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at 'BB-' with Stable Outlook.
Fitch also revised up OQ's Standalone Credit Profile (SCP) to 'b+' from 'b' to “reflect successful project execution in both the upstream and downstream segments, alongside stronger financial performance on higher oil and gas prices as well as refining and petrochemical margin leading to lower net leverage expectations. OQ's SCP also reflects its solid business profile with integrated operations spanning exploration and production (E&P), refining, marketing, chemical and petrochemical segments,” the ratings agency added.
OQ Group, with assets totalling $27.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, owns and operates businesses across the Oil & Gas value chain. OQ posted a profit of RO 701.664 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 after recording a loss RO 1,716.944 million during the previous year. Total revenue surged to RO 8.768 billion in 2021, up from RO 5.393 billion in 2020. Operating profit climbed to RO 958.791 million versus an operating loss of RO 1.575 billion in 2020.
source: zawya
صندوق آنافا التونسي يعلن عن استثمار 5.2 مليون دولار في صندوق للاستثمار بالشركات الناشئة
17 Jul 2022 Written by Admin Adminاستثمر صندوق Anava Fund of Funds التونسي مبلغ 5.2 مليون دولار أميركي في صندوق Badia Impact Squared Fund المعروف اختصاراً (BIF2) وهو صندوق تم إطلاقه حديثاً ويستهدف الشركات الناشئة الإقليمية في المراحل المبكرة وذات النمو المرتفع بإدارة Silicon Badia.
وتستثمر شركة رأس المال الجريء الرائدة في شركات التكنولوجيا في مراحلها الأولى، وفي مرحلة النمو، وتعمل على مستوى العالم. وأكمل صندوق BIF2 أول إغلاق له في أكتوبر 2020، حيث ضم البنك الأوروبي للإنشاء والتعمير، وبنك الاستثمار الأوروبي، وصندوق جود جروث فاند، وفينانس إن موشن.
وتأتي مساهمة Anava Fund of Funds كجزء من الإغلاق الثاني للصندوق، حيث سيتم منح 15% من التزامها للشركات الناشئة في تونس. وقام صندوق BIF2 باستثماره الأول في شركة Expensya التونسية العاملة في قطاع التكنولوجيا المالية في نوفمبر 2020، ضمن جولة استثمارية من الفئة B بقيمة 20 مليون دولار.
ويبلغ حجم أهداف شركة Anava Fund of Funds مبلغ 100 مليون يورو، مع إغلاق أول بقيمة 40 مليون يورو من Caisse des Depots et Consignations، ويعتزم المشاركة في أكثر من 13 صندوقًا للأسهم الخاصة.
كما تُعد Anava واحدة من الركائز الثلاث الأساسية ضمن برنامج Startup Tunisia والذي يتكون من Startup Act و Startup Ecosystem وStartup Invest.
ومن جانبه، صرّح فواز الزعبي، الرئيس التنفيذي في :Silicon Badia "نحن نعتبر استثمار Anava في صندوقنا الإقليمي الثاني خطوة إستراتيجية حاسمة في جهودنا لتوسيع وجودنا في شمال إفريقيا، والذي تم تعزيزه الآن ليشمل تونس. لقد قام صندوقنا بالفعل بأول استثمار له في بيئة الابتكار المزدهرة في تونس، حيث نحن متحمسون ومتشوقون لإنشاء الجسور والاستثمار”
جدير بالذكر أن شركة Silicon Badia تمتلك مكاتبًا في الولايات المتحدة الأميركية والشرق الأوسط، وقامت بالاستثمار في أكثر من 80 شركة تقنية في أكثر من 15 صناعة ومدينة حول العالم.
ويُعد صندوقها الثاني BIF2 بمثابة صندوق قطاعي يستثمر في الشركات الناشئة في مجال تكنولوجيا المعلومات والاتصالات في دول مصر والأردن وتونس والمغرب ولبنان.
المصدر:أرابيا إنك
