Business and Finance

The Middle East Retail Banking 2011 conference held in Dubai and organised by MEED assembled a panel of top class speakers talking on the trends and activities in the retail banking industry. In this interview Phil Blizzard talks to Frederic De Melker, Head of Priority Banking, Emirates NBD about the mass affluent customer proposition.

With turbulent waters in the American and European banking sectors, the possibility of a Greek default, and with gold in the $1,800 zone investors should move with caution says Gary Dugan, Chief Investment Officer, Private Banking, Emirates NBD in this market review with Phil Blizzard.

The impact of the 'Khalifa' gold bullion coin becoming legal tender in the UAE and across the Middle East is discussed down on the commodities trading floor Jeffrey Rhodes, Global Head of Precious Metals & CEO, INTL Commodities, Dubai. First he also talks to Phil Blizzard about the production of gold at this record breaking time and the value of other precious metals including silver and platinum.

With the price of gold going beyond US$1800/- per ounce Phil Blizzard talks to Jeffrey Rhodes, Global Head of Precious Metals & CEO, INTL Commodities, Dubai about what is driving the value of gold to such a high price, the impact on both private and institutional investors, along with Treasury Funds.

A downgrade of the US credit ratings from AAA to AA+, along with uncertain fiscal policies on both sides of the Atlantic and the value of gold tipping the US$1800 mark are creating very challenging times for the UAE private investor says Gary Dugan, Chief Investment Officer, Private Banking, Emirates NBD in this review of the market with Phil Blizzard.

Innovative marketing for the Toyota brand during the month of Ramadan by Al Futtaim Motors, Dubai has been implemented to boost sales following the devastating Tsunami which slowed production earlier this year. Phil Blizzard talks to Simon Frith, MD, Al-Futtaim Motors about the brand's activities during the Holy Month and the implementation of a low deposit scheme, aimed at driving more sales.

A round up of the key issues affecting the private investment market in the Middle East is provided by Gary Dugan, Chief Investment Officer, Private Banking, Emirates NBD. In conversation with Phil Blizzard he talks about the impact of the Euro Zone and US economic issues, the high value of gold and also the commodities market.

Social media is an effective device to convey messages for many companies worldwide in order to bolster business. John Brash, Chief Executive & Founder, Brash Brand talks to Phil Blizzard on the importance of social media to companies in the UAE and discusses steps on how to become a super brand.

Over 1300 nominees, with an eventual 52 Superbrand winners, made the 7th annual Superbrands Tribute evening in Dubai a special event. Mike English, Director, Superbrands talks to Phil Blizzard about the scoring procedure, the range of brands winning the awards and how consumers react when they see the Superbrand logo on a brand.

The 7th edition of the Annual Superbrands saw Dubai Duty Free winning for the second consecutive year the coveted 'Brand of the Year' Award 2011. Phil Blizzard reports on the event which saw the crowning of 52 Superbrands from a wide range of brands - including AME Info, Flydubai, LG Electronics, UAE Exchange and Etisalat.

At the seventh annual Superbrands Tribute Event Dubai Duty Free won the coveted 'Brand of the Year, award for the second consecutive year and becoming the only brand to do so. Phil Blizzard, at the event, spoke to Colm McLoughlin, MD, Dubai Duty Free about winning the award, the selection of brands with-in their outlets and the creation of their own brands.

A multi-million dirham deal to supply advanced ground support equipment for Dubai International Airport's new dedicated Emirates Airline A380 terminal has been won by Cavotec. At the Airport Show in Dubai Phil Blizzard spoke to Jurgen Strommer, MD, ME & India for the global engineering group and airport systems integrator.

Forex or currency trading is one of the fastest growing segments of electronic trading. While it's fully established in the Western World, it's raising growing interest in the GCC with a dense concentration of wealthy investors who are starting to shift to international currencies, especially in KSA, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. Brian Dolan, Chief Currency Strategist at Forex.com, talks to AMEinfo about the impact of rising oil prices and the US dollar on world currencies and gives tips on healthy trading strategies.

With the strategic launch in the MENA region of five smart phones and their debut tablet HTC aim to double their market share in 2011. At the launch Vladimir Malugin, Executive Director, MENA, HTC Corporation talks to Phil Blizzard about the devices, their evolving market share and their entry into the world of tablet computing.

After a year of new aircraft deliveries, more destinations added to the network Peter Hill, CEO, Oman Air says 2011 will be a year of consolidation. Phil Blizzard spoke with this aviation veteran at Dubai,s Middle East MRO where the airline had signed a MRO agreement with Lufthansa Technik.