Business

It all started with a 10-franc copy of “Madame Bovary”. Now Antoine Abi-Heila is ensconced at Bibliopolis, his appointment-only Aladdin’s cave of literary treasures in Beirut’s Ashrafieh neighborhood. A dealer, …

The view for 2012 is cautious rather than catastrophic, according to Bill O’Neill, chief investment officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. “One of …

Somewhere in a scarlet Ferrari factory in downtown Maranello,  Italy, there are some very smug engineers. Every year the luxury sports car brand unveils a raft of gleaming new models, …

Zurich Financial Services Group (ZFSG), an insurance conglomerate with global reach, has been increasing its activities in the Middle East as part of an expansion strategy focused on emerging markets. …

The insurance industry in Lebanon is priding itself on a good year in 2011, with measurable partial results documented faster than ever before. Issues that inhibit the sector’s growth, however, …

While 2010 saw the launching of five development megaprojects, all in downtown Beirut, this year saw a more modest track of real estate announcements. The biggest by far was the …

In August this year, Capstone Investment Group was trying to conclude the acquisition of a prime piece of land on Abdel Wahab El Inglizi Street in Ashrafieh. As part of …

Following Lebanon’s skyrocketing success in 2010, this year saw a much calmed real estate sector. Though many buyers have been carefully shopping around and looking for the best deals, most …

For market participants and observers alike, 2011 brought about the sense that varying asset classes, which traditionally are not so closely linked to one another, had suddenly moved together in …

One year ago, I argued that the second wave of corporate governance had arrived at the shores of the Middle East and North Africa. Put succinctly, the first wave was …