Fund giant says EM local bonds, among other diversification options, will provide stronger portfolio protection as unusual positive correlation raises questions. In their Charting Perspectives feature this week, Pimco  has tracked the growing positive correlation between the US Dollar and US equities volatility, "a potential sign of diminished safe-haven appeal without a corresponding gain in risk-on support," the firm said in a note. Managing Director Pramol Dhawan put the h

Dubai-based investment banking and asset management firm serving as joint lead manager for Kuwait Finance House's $850 million tier-one issuance.

However the Supreme Court decides, history suggests the levies will induce lasting structural shifts, similar to a targeted steel regime that was briefly deployed more than 20 years ago.

Blended arrangement will supplement $1 billion committed by Alterra, with a $5 billion target for the fund aimed at catalyzing EM sustainability.

West Africa's largest financial market has recovered to a record year. Yet that story risks being swamped.

EV growth was once limited by cost and associated infrastructure. Chinese models flooding emerging markets this year tell a different story, and display an important pivot in emphasis.

Alts investor latest GCC player to acquire direct ownership in established private markets specialist. Wafra , an alternatives investments house owned by Kuwait 's PIFSS public pension fund, has announced a strategic minority investment in French private markets giant Ardian . Overseeing ca. $28 billion in assets and registered in New York, Wafra has eyed greater exposure to both secondaries and real assets, and identified Ardian as an "ideal strategic partner". Terms of the

Novel bond backing earthquake and flood protection in Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan said to be on track for $100 million. The Asian Development Bank has moved closer to delivering the first disaster and climate risk transfer facility focused on Central Asia, with a planned parametric catastrophe bond envisioned for the region's smallest countries, mountainous Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. ADB first laid out its intentions for the region in a Technical Assistance Report

Big players eye autonomous vehicles to prowl the shipyards of the near future, betting on startups to solve for a challenge that is multiple. Global trade in 2025 has been marked by creative rerouting, the so-called +1 strategy. But it also means a lot of uncertainty, and cargo waiting in shipyards. In many emerging markets' yards, diesel-powered terminal tractors idling for long periods contribute significantly to emissions. Comparable operations in developed ports emit tens

State-owned energy platform plans Islamic debt issuance to fund further exploration projects. Turkish energy producer TPAO has completed a roadshow circuit aimed at securing interest in a $4 billion sukuk issuance for later this year, as first reported by Patrick Sykes at Bloomberg . The new debt will be a structured as a five-year note, and support the company's wide-ranging ambitions across Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Those this year have included a new field in Kazakhstan

Citi infamously shuttered a sun-soaked Spanish outpost in April after a brief three-year stint. Here's why the offices springing up in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai will avoid, or perhaps meet, that fate. Major financial institutions open and close satellites all the time. But one such installation's rapid rise and famous fall made more news than usual this year - when Citi abandoned its experimental office in Malaga, Spain. The outpost, dreamed up post-pandemic to attract to t

There might not be a surer sign you've landed in an emerging market than an unhurried, curiously badged Mercedes G-Wagon ranging past. Brabus is our OQ Upgrade this week. What is the most quintessential EM vehicle on the road? OQ would love to facilitate this debate. Is it for the masses: the mopeds and tuk-tuks? Or the newly-christened, understated king of Dubai : the Nissan Patrol? The upper echelon likewise features a crowded field full of sleek and, soon, evidently, even

Inside the headphones' booming popularity, especially in Eastern Europe. Our OQ On the Street column goes over the ears. Marshall is best known as the maker of amplifiers for many of the world's most legendary acts. The company began breaking into consumer sound with headphones and speakers a number of years ago, with their most successful pair of cans - the Major series - mirroring the shape of those famous amps. They never quite took off in large developed markets, though,

The Central Asian frontier has been upgraded by S&P and Moody's, scoring a long-term sovereign BB from the former for the first time in nearly two decades, up from B+ just a month ago. The boosts come at an interesting moment for Mongolia, following the June ousting of one prime minister after political unrest, and the temporary removal - and subsequent reinstatement - of his successor. And boosts here are notably plural: S&P only last month upgraded Mongolia to BB- and has n

African corner of the Indian Ocean beckons EM investment and developers; one project is going big with its brand partner. Property developer NEXT, from Georgia, has announced a new project in Zanzibar, following a hot trend of global real estate capital flocking to Tanzanian archipelago, and will partner creative consultants Brash on the buildout. NEXT has completed or begun development on a number of projects beyond the Caucasus, including in Europe, the Gulf, and in neighbo

The small Arabian country rocketed up a recent ranking. How? Believing - or investigating - any individual measurement in reputational security or soft power is usually a problem. In a space that is increasingly, often usefully though sometimes problematically, awash in rankings and indexes, the aggregate big picture is more important than a single data point. That said, sometimes a single data point screams curiosity. So it was for us belatedly sifting through the World Comp

Boston giant opens Riyadh as a regional HQ, while reportedly in talks to enter India's well-poised - though historically tricky - mutual fund market. State Street Investment Management has announced a new footprint in Saudi Arabia, following a strong second-half trend of major global institutions opening up shop in the Kingdom, as well as the wider GCC. More than a typical satellite, Riyadh will also serve as a regional headquarters for the wider MENA region following its of

IEEE nears $700 million banners strong recovery year of EM ETF flows.

Specialist EM and Frontier manager from Gulf acquires strategy managed by Ashish Chugh, who will become its CIO for EM Equities. Boston-based investment manager Loomis, Sayles & Co. has sold its Global Emerging Markets (GEM) equities team to $4.3 billion boutique FIM Partners from Dubai. As part of the acquisition, the strategy's head and portfolio manager Ashish Chugh will also be appointed FIM's chief investment officer for EM equities. Chugh has built the strategy since

Tbilisi's Cityzen models a growing trend, one reflected in investor economics but also shifting culture, too. OQ's residential project showcase this month explains why smooth, not iconic, is now en vogue. The Georgian capital Tbilisi features some of the world's most varied architecture, reflecting centuries of empires entering and exiting the Caucasian garrison and perhaps the most varied collection of Soviet styles remaining anywhere (including Moscow). Influences here ar