Gulf bank borrowing increases as oil prices stay low

摘要

Increased borrowing by Middle Eastern banks may continue into 2016 as financial institutions try to bolster their balance sheets while regional liquidity drops amid persistently low oil prices. Syndicated loans for Gulf banks have nearly doubled in the last 12 months to US$7.8bn, compared with US$4.1bn in the previous year. Top-tier banks, including qatar national bank and Abu Dhabi's first gulf bank, raised international syndicated loans earlier this year, but smaller Middle Eastern banks, such as the UAE's bank sohar and ajman bank, rely on syndicated loans arranged and provided by large regional banks.