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Hiring Continues In The Middle East Wealth Management Bonanza

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Despite chilly global credit markets, the Middle Eastern wealth management arena is a recruitment hotspot. Firms are busily hiring senior executives to spearhead new wealth management teams. For example, Merrill Lynch recently appointed Mazin Al-Shakarchi as a financial advisor covering Qatar from the Bahrain office. HSBC Bank Middle East has appointed Walid Boustany to the role of executive director, strategic investments, Middle East & North Africa. He will be responsible for HSBC’s strategic planning across the region. Goldman Sachs, the US investment bank, has appointed Fadi Abuali as co-head of its Middle East private wealth management business, alongside current head Farid Pasha.

And there is more: the Central Bank of Bahrain has approved Douglas Hansen-Luke as Robeco’s new chief executive for the Middle East. Mr Hansen-Luke formerly worked in senior positions for ABN Amro Asset Management in Asia, Europe and Saudi Arabia. Bahrain-based Ithmaar Bank has appointed Shaikh Salman bin Ahmad Al Khalifa as managing director, group business development.

The rash of appointments seen in recent years will continue, barring an unlikely collapse in demand for wealth management, Professor Amin Rajan, chief executive of Create-Research, a UK consultancy on the investment management industry, told WealthBriefing.

Wealth managers are going into the Middle East in a big way, said Professor Rajan. This is a high-margin business to be in as banks get fees right along the value chain, he said. But although the region is lucrative, making money is not easy. Local investors typically punish poor investment performance quickly – often far faster than is the case with European or US clients, said Professor Rajan.

The real issue is to understand the client mindset. Client money [in the Middle East] isn’t sticky at all. When performance is bad they ask for a rebate, which is how it should be. If [wealth managers] can survive in the Middle East, they can survive anywhere, he added.

Barclays Wealth, for example, has every intention of doing more than just survive in the region. As an illustration of its ambitions, Barclays is moving into a new 14,000 square feet office in the Dubai International Financial Centre, which will be a hub for the firm’s operations in the region. Operating currently in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Barclays Wealth is also planning to make its Doha Qatar office operational this year.

Barclays Wealth leadership believes that the Middle East is a core area of growth. A substantial investment in human resources and capabilities and a rigorous expansion plan will lead to a substantial increase in the scope of operations, Soha Nashaat, managing director, head of Middle East, North Africa & Turkey for Barclays Wealth, told WealthBriefing.
Like Professor Rajan, Ms Nashaat says wealth management firms entering the Middle East from outside the region must understand the local culture if they are to make a success of their business. For example, more than 70 per cent of businesses are family-owned, which requires managers to forge long-term connections.

Wealth managers must understand and cater to the regional trends such as the dominance of family offices, Ms Nashaat said. Investors tend to be intolerant of risk and hold a high proportion of assets in cash and in offshore locations, she added.

Middle Eastern clients put great stress on strong relationships with investment advisors and dislike high turnover in staff, a factor that wealth managers must consider in their staff recruitment and retention plans, Stuart Crocker, chief executive, Emirates Platform and Southern Gulf States, HSBC Private Bank told WealthBriefing.

People don’t like seeing relationship managers moving on every two or three years to other banks, he said. His own bank, part of the HSBC banking group, serves clients both from local Middle Eastern locations as well as from its teams of specialists in Geneva.

The general background for wealth managers is certainly favourable. The investable assets of HNW individuals will rise by 50 per cent between 2006 and 2010, according to Barclays Wealth data.

The number of HNW individuals rose by 11.9 per cent in 2006 from a year before, according to the latest Merrill Lynch/Capgemini World Wealth Report issued last June. Wealth management intermediaries have only started to manage a significant share of assets in the region. Research from Zurich International Life, for example, reveals that expats living in the Middle East prefer to rely on their own judgment or friends and family when purchasing financial products. The survey showed that fewer than one in ten expats would enlist a financial advisor, either in their country of domicile or residence, to help them make the financial decisions. Financial advisors have a vast untapped market to go for.

While researchers like PricewaterhouseCoopers have warned that wealth management firms face a skills bottleneck, hiring staff for Middle Eastern slots is being helped by a benign tax regime and attractive pay packages.

Private bankers in tax-free Dubai earn 25 per cent more than their peers in Geneva and almost 40 per cent more than colleagues in London, according to a recent survey by Dubai-based headhunter Dunn Consultancy FZ-LLC.

Excluding bonuses, private bankers in Dubai with at least 10 years experience receive an average salary of $276,500 with allowances, compared with pre-tax earnings of $221,900 in Geneva and $199,100 in London, it found.

The economics of wealth management in the Middle East certainly look compelling. For the time being at least, the toughest challenge for players in the region is keeping up with the pace.

Is The Eurozone Falling Apart

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The Eurozone is also called the Euro area because of what it stands for. This union is made of 17 countries, members of the European Union which agreed to adopt the same currency and the same legal tender. This turns the Eurozone into a monetary and economic union. When the Eurozone was established back in 1999 it represented one of the first things that pointed out towards the tendency of globalization. Is this tendency no longer wanted? Do European leaders no longer want to be united under the same currency? Or is the Euro the cause of the current financial problems and maintaining this union can no longer be profitable or safe?

All these questions started to worry leaders from the Eurozone and not only. Even though the 17 countries that are part of this union are the ones directly involved and affected by a possible falling apart, the other European countries or states from other continents are very likely to suffer from the consequences of such a breakup too.

Most financial specialists say that the main cause of a possible Eurozone crash is the huge debts many of the 17 countries cannot pay back. The fact that Greece was threatened by a default and that only another loan was able to postpone what some consider the inevitable makes things even worse. Analysts say that this financial crisis resembles the incurable diseases called cancer. If it is ignored it doesnt go away. Instead it spreads until the patient dies. If the patient is the Eurozone, only an intense treatment can save the Euro and the economies of the states that adhered to it.

There are some investors who speculate that the end of the Eurozone is close and try to find ways of making money out of this crush. Some of the financial analysts say that it is because of these people who speculate for their own interest that the Euro is threatened and that the Eurozone can fall apart. In spite of that, there are obvious signs that things are not as they should be and that the common currency might cause more problems than help.

Investors get scared of all the negative news they hear and try to do their best to preserve their wealth. Many of them fear that keeping money in banks is not a good solution and choose to invest in assets that have high intrinsic value. Many of them choose to invest in gold or other precious metals that are the only hard assets that seemed to increase their value these days. They are making the right decisions since buying gold has, is and will always be a profitable investment.

A Look At Coogi

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Coogi is one of the most popular brands of urban clothing lines in the market today. Part of what made this brand popular is because of its intricate designs and vibrant colors which had embodied the colorful culture and music of the hip-hop community. So what is Coogi? How the brand did become successful in the US, and when was it founded?

Brief History of Coogi
Coogi is not a brand that originated in the US unlike other popular brands of hip-hop and urban clothing brands today. Coogi, which was first known as Cuggi, originated from Toorak, Melbourne, Australia, by Jacky Taranto in 1969. And unlike what it is today, the brand was first known as a popular souvenir for Americans who visits Australia which is usually made up of several colorful knitwear. Start your own wholesale coogi clothing business with Sevenwholesale.com.

To make it the name more indigenous like, Jacky decided to change the name to Coogi. But what made the clothing line a popular urban clothing label in the US when it was founded in Australia?

According to many fashion experts, part of what made Coogi a popular brand in the US is when American rap artist Christopher Wallace, known also as the NOTORIOUS BIG, had featured the brand in his popular single One More Chance.

Because of the popularity of the NOTORIOUS BIG in the hip-hop community, as well as his single, Coogi quickly became a very popular brand of hip-hop clothing line in the market. Start your own wholesale coogi clothing business with Sevenwholesale.com.

Rise in the US Market
Eventually, Coogi was introduced into the US market. However, other than just knitwears, Coogi had also expanded to offer a number of popular urban clothing lines from tees and polos, to hoodies and sweatshirts. Although Coogis knitwears are still popular, the reason why the brand became as popular as it is was because of its vibrantly colored designs and layouts.

However, when Jacky Taranto faced financial crisis in September 11, 2001, the same time when terrorists had attacked the US, he decided to sell the brand to an American company. Coogi was purchased by a joint US venture, Coogi Partners LLC in 2002, by an investment group led by Jimmy Khezri.

According to many fashion experts, under its new ownership, the label has taken a significantly more urban direction. Coogi now produces a wide range of urban t-shirts, jeans and jackets in addition to their trademark knitwear. Start your own wholesale coogi clothing business with Sevenwholesale.com. For more information you may visit to our site at http://www.sevenwholesale.com.

Business Credit Line Funding On Remote Control Asset Based Lending And Funding Delivers

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Business credit line funding needs can be achieved in more ways than one. The concept of having your funding needs on a ‘ remote control ‘ should be very appealing to most business owners / financial managers. Asset based lending via ‘ ABL ‘ credit lines is one way to put your company on cash flow auto pilot. Here’s how. Let’s dig in.

Businesses requiring SME COMMERCIAL FINANCE funding for cash flow are always challenged by the requirements of our somewhat monopolistic banking system in Canada. The strength, market dominance, and the regulated nature of our banks make it often difficult for companies who are even doing quite well to achieve some or all of the financing they need. Simply speaking they fall ‘ outside the box ‘ when it comes to requirements that include profits, cash flows, clean balance sheets, etc.

The banks requirement of covenants in cash flow, debt, profits, equity simply can sometimes not be always met, and these are typically a written part of your bank arrangements. Firms who fall ‘ out of covenant ‘ with their bank often find themselves feeling not so ‘ special ‘ when they are placed in Special Loans Default dept’s at the bank .

By utilizing your firms current and fixed assets asset based lines of credit allow you to leave your business on a kind of ‘ auto pilot ‘ for cash flow financing. That’s because the combination of accounts receivable, inventory and fixed assets allow you to monetize those assets into one single borrowing base that revolves and can be drawn down according to your cash flow needs.

When properly managed and utilized (and structured in advance!) this type of cash flow funding allows you to”

Finance operations

Engage larger clients/ larger orders/contracts

Finance inventory which in many bank circumstances is sometimes not achievable

Typically you would never use your revolving asset based credit line as a mechanism to acquire new assets – this is typically done via equipment leases or bridge loans that sometimes are more applicable when a firm is in a financing transition.

By the way, in a merger and acquisition scenario the Asset Based Credit Line is an excellent way to successfully acquire a target company.

How does the ongoing access to liquidity work in Asset based lending? A/R is often financed at 90%, and inventory borrowing margins, while depending on the type of inventory class (raw materials, work in process, finished goods) can range from 25-75% borrowing power. Should a business choose to monetize fixed assets as part of their revolving credit facility typically a third party appraisal/valuation is required.

It should be noted that ongoing reporting requirements are typical of an asset based line of credit – in some cases owners/managers might find rigorous monthly ( sometimes weekly ) reporting as a ‘ downside ‘ of ABL cash flow financing . While 99% of the time pricing on these facilities is higher than bank credit the alternative is a liquidity crisis for ongoing operations of growth.

We’ve shown how not all business credit lines are not created equal. If you’re prepared to investigate the applicability of asset based lending to your business seek out and speak to a trusted, credible and experienced Canadian business financing advisor who can assist you with your funding needs.

Stan Prokop

Scotland on The Cusp Of Establishing Worlds First Ethical Finance Hub

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The Islamic Finance Council (IFC) UK and Scottish law firm Tods Murray are leading the initiative. Islamic and ethical finance are closely related and the sector is growing rapidly. According to an industry expert, Islamic finance will be worth $2 trillion (1.2 trillion) globally by the end of this year.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Graham Burnside, chairman and head of banking at Tods Murray and IFC board member, said, We have seen ethical finance debate gain real momentum in the last 12 months.
We know that the financial services industry is fully behind the proposal and there is no doubt that Scotland is now well placed to develop the worlds first centre for the development and promotion of ethical finance, which could in turn stimulate the development of innovative financial products.
Last year, figures released by the IFC found that more than 50% of Scots want to see some of their money invested using green or ethical criteria. This signalled the opportunity for the creation of an ethical finance hub.
Swinney commented, Providers of ethical finance have the potential to position themselves as a viable alternative to mainstream institutions within the financial services sector in Scotland which will inevitably benefit consumers and the industry itself as increased competition drives standards and promotes innovation.
According to the organisations, Scotland could also see investment of over 100m in public projects from Islamic capital markets as a result of new powers to issue bonds. From 2015 the Scottish government will have the additional power to issue investment bonds.
Burnside said, This additional source of borrowing paves the way for Scotland to establish a suitably rated sukuk bond which, according to the Islamic Finance Council, could comfortably leverage well in excess of 100m from Islamic capital markets.
The use of these powers could offer a way forward for large scale infrastructure and renewable projects, which is an area of real interest to Gulf investors and one which is generally acknowledged is in search of funding.
The firm added that such a project would bring together key players from government, financial services, academia and the third sector to facilitate both commercial investment and thought leadership.