PARIS: Twenty years after opening for business, Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel finally sees a strong and profitable future, supported by record passenger traffic and a growing freight business.
The company, twice forced to refinance after construction cost overruns and over-optimistic traffic forecasts, said it benefited from a recovering British economy last year and saw solid trading in February. It also expects to pay corporation tax for the first time next year.
CEO Jacques Gounon, who took the helm in 2007, said shareholders could expect a further dividend rise this year and next, after a 25 percent hike to 15 cents a share for 2013 announced on Thursday.
“For the first time in Eurotunnel’s troubled history, we consider the group’s situation is very satisfactory and we are confident in the future,” Gounon said.
The tunnel linking France to Britain carries the Eurostar high-speed train from Paris and Brussels to London and shuttle trains conveying passenger cars, coaches and freight trucks.
The 50.5 km link, which took nearly six years to build and cost 9 billion pounds ($14.94 billion) as well as the lives of several workers, was inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth and French President Francois Mitterrand on May 6, 1994.
It was built without taxpayers’ money on the insistence of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, leaving shareholders — many of them private individuals who were encouraged to invest, and bondholder banks, to bear the brunt of its unfolding financial troubles.
The project’s costs were nearly double those initially estimated. Revenue projections proved overly optimistic, shuttles broke down and a fire in the tunnel wreaked havoc in November 1996.
Eurotunnel’s debt pile brought it to the verge of bankruptcy in 1996 and then again in 2006, and after a long legal battle, bondholder banks forgave billions of euros of debt.
In 2013, an all-time high of over 10 million passengers took the Eurostar, while Eurotunnel’s shuttle services carried 2.5 million passenger vehicles and 1.4 million trucks. Eurotunnel’s revenue rose 12 percent to 1.1 billion euros, driven by a 16 percent jump in revenue at its rail freight unit Europorte.
“It’s obvious we are seeing an economic recovery in Britain that is actually very strong,” Gounon said.
He noted a growing number of Britons — who represent two thirds of the Tunnel’s users — were driving their cars onto its shuttles to go to continental Europe, but said that in France, consumer confidence was still grim.
“The Brits are in need of a bit of fun” and eager to turn the page of austerity, he said. “But the French are feeling down in the dumps.”
Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) reached 449 million euros and Eurotunnel is aiming for 460 million euros this year and over 500 million in 2015.
Earnings however, came below market forecasts of 482 million euros for this year and 521 million in 2015 in a Reuters poll. Analysts found the guidance disappointing, and Eurotunnel shares were down more than 3 percent having risen 34 percent in the last 12 months.
Gounon said the guidance factored in a continuation of the loss-making ferry service between Calais and Dover, MyFerryLink, a service whose future hangs in the balance pending the outcome of an inquiry by Britain’s Competition Commission. A preliminary finding on the case will be released at the end of next week, he said.
Gounon said Eurotunnel would create extra parking space at its terminals and buy three additional freight shuttles to absorb truck traffic, which he saw rising 3-4 percent annually.
Gounon also saw potential for 14.2 million Eurostar passengers by 2020 if new high-speed rail links were opened, for instance with Geneva in Switzerland.
Eurotunnel, whose concession runs until 2086, has already announced the Eurostar would connect London to Marseille in 2015 and London to Amsterdam in 2017. Germany’s rail operator Deutsche Bahn is set to start using the tunnel too from 2016.
Reuters reported earlier this month that the British government was considering selling its 40 percent stake in Eurostar.
Eurotunnel sees light at last after 2 dark decades
Eurotunnel sees light at last after 2 dark decades
Saudi ports post 13% rise in container volume in May: Mawani
- Imported containers rose 15.84% from a year earlier to 292,223 TEUs
- Exported volumes increased 9.38% to 279,318 TEUs
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s seaports handled 720,684 twenty-foot equivalent units in May, a 13 percent year-on-year jump, driven by growth in imports, exports, and transshipment activity, official figures showed.
According to data from the Saudi Ports Authority, also known as Mawani, imported containers rose 15.84 percent from a year earlier to 292,223 TEUs, while exported volumes increased 9.38 percent to 279,318 TEUs.
Transport, or transshipment, containers also climbed 12.89 percent to 149,143 TEUs, reflecting the Kingdom’s growing role as a regional trade hub.
The uptick in activity highlights the ongoing expansion of port infrastructure and logistics services across the country. It also supports the goals of Saudi Arabia’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy, which seeks to position the Kingdom as a global logistics center under Vision 2030.
In a release, Mawani stated: “The total tonnage handled — general cargo, solid bulk cargo, and liquid bulk cargo — increased by 1.40 percent to reach 21,337,699 tonnes compared to 21,042,684 tonnes during the same period last year.”
It added: “The total general cargo amounted to 935,932 tonnes, solid bulk cargo 5,059,899 tonnes, and liquid bulk cargo 15,341,868 tonnes.”
The ports received 1.63 million heads of livestock, up 61.22 percent compared to 1.01 million during the same period last year.
Maritime traffic also picked up, with vessel calls rising 9.39 percent to 1,083 ships, while the number of passengers grew 68.15 percent to reach 95,231. The number of vehicles handled increased by 13.09 percent year on year to 84,352 units.
The positive momentum follows a strong performance in April, when Saudi ports handled 625,430 standard containers, up 13.4 percent from a year earlier.
In 2024, Mawani announced several major initiatives, including agreements and groundbreaking projects to establish eight new logistics parks and hubs at Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, with a combined private sector investment of approximately SR2.9 billion ($773 million).
These efforts are part of a broader strategy to enhance the competitiveness of Saudi ports and reinforce the Kingdom’s position as a global trade and logistics hub.
The initiatives form part of a larger SR10 billion investment plan to develop 18 logistics parks across Saudi terminals, all overseen by Mawani.
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Next-Gen HNWI prefer Middle East as favorite investment destination: Capgemini
- Saudi Arabia in particular is aggressively courting international investors and ultra-wealthy individuals, report says
- Global HNWI population increased by 2.6% year on year in 2024
RIYADH: Next-generation high-net-worth individuals consider the Middle East as their preferred investment destination, thanks to geopolitical security and economic stability, according to an analysis.
In its latest report, consulting firm Capgemini revealed that Saudi Arabia in particular is aggressively courting international investors and ultra-wealthy individuals, thanks to the Vision 2030 economic diversification program.
The findings by the Paris-based company align with the views shared by Henley & Partners in April, which said that Riyadh and Jeddah are among the fastest-growing cities in the world for millionaires.
According to Henley & Partners, more than 20,000 people with liquid investable wealth of $1 million or more are now based in the Saudi capital, while Jeddah is home to 10,400 millionaires.
According to Capgemini, the UAE is also capitalizing on this trend and is attracting international HNWI investors.
“Investors are targeting high-growth emerging economies for specific thematic investment options, tax regulation, economic and political stability, better wealth management services, and enhanced market connectivity. As a result of this search for geopolitical security and economic diversification, Asia and the Middle East have become appealing destinations,” said the report.
It added: “Singapore, Hong Kong, the UAE, and recently Saudi Arabia have established themselves as prime alternatives, utilizing advantageous tax policies, strong financial ecosystems, and political stability to draw global wealth.”
The analysis added that enhanced market connectivity and improved wealth management options are among the other crucial factors that make the Middle East a desirable investment destination among next-gen HNWIs.
Saudi focus
The report said the Kingdom “has introduced new residency programs aimed at HNWIs, positioning itself as a regional wealth hub.”
It added: “As global wealth patterns shift, Saudi Arabia is actively enhancing its legal and financial frameworks to compete with traditional wealth hubs.”
In 2019, Saudi Arabia introduced the premium residency visa option, which allows eligible foreigners to reside in the Kingdom and enjoy benefits such as exemption from expat and dependents’ fees, visa-free international travel, and the right to own real estate and operate a business without requiring a sponsor.
In January 2024, the Kingdom added five new products to its premium residency program. Under the new addition, the most notable one was the ability to own residential real estate assets worth a minimum of SR4 million ($1.07 million) within the Kingdom.
The rise in the number of HNWIs in Saudi Arabia coincides with the extensive Vision 2030 economic reform program launched in 2016.
Efforts to diversify the Kingdom’s economy have also included a push to attract international companies to establish their regional headquarters in Riyadh, and as of March, over 600 global firms have opened their regional base in Saudi Arabia.
Affirming the growth of Saudi Arabia, Knight Frank, in April, said that HNWIs from nine Muslim-majority countries are preparing to commit $2 billion toward property purchases in Makkah and Madinah.
The trend comes as Saudi Arabia overhauls its property sector to position itself as a global tourism and business hub by the end of this decade.
Growth of Middle East region
The report also said the Middle East and Africa registered modest growth in HNWI wealth in 2024, gaining 0.9 percent and 4.7 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year.
In 2024, the HNWI population in the Middle East witnessed a decline of 2.1 percent, while it grew by 3.4 percent in Africa.
“In the Middle East, OPEC’s extension of oil production cuts and comparatively low oil prices, well below their peak in 2022, contributed to weak growth,” said Capgemini.
Global outlook
According to the report, the global HNWI population increased by 2.6 percent year on year in 2024.
Capgemini said the increase was driven by the growth in the population of ultra-HNWIs — those who hold at least $30 million in assets — which grew by 6.2 percent, as strong stock markets and artificial intelligence optimism boosted portfolio returns.
North America saw the biggest gains, with the HNWI population rising by 7.3 percent.
Europe’s HNWI population declined 2.1 percent due to economic stagnation in major countries like the UK and France, while Latin America also witnessed a drop of 8.5 percent, due to currency depreciation and fiscal instability.
Asia-Pacific’s HNWI population increased 2.7 percent year on year in 2024.
Within the largest individual markets, the US topped the list, adding 562,000 millionaires as the country’s HNWI population grew by 7.6 percent to 7.9 million.
India and Japan were standouts in the Asia-Pacific region, with both countries registering 5.6 percent growth, adding 20,000 and 210,000 millionaires, respectively, last year.
The HNWI population in China declined by 1 percent.
Muscat Stock Exchange cap tops $72.8bn after index climbs for 5th week
- Benchmark MSX index rose 17 points to close at 4,578, reflecting improved investor sentiment
- Trading volume on the Muscat bourse rose to 11 million rials per day, up from 10 million the previous week
RIYADH: The Muscat Stock Exchange extended its rally for a fifth consecutive week, with market capitalization rising to 28 billion Omani rials ($72.8 billion) in the week ending June 7.
Driven by gains in key services and industrial stocks, the benchmark MSX index rose 17 points to close at 4,578, reflecting improved investor sentiment and increased activity across sectors, the Oman News Agency reported. The bourse recorded a weekly market capitalization gain of 79.3 million rials.
This comes as markets across the Middle East and North Africa rallied in early 2025, with the Arab Monetary Fund’s May report showing its Composite Index rising 4.37 percent year on year, supported by reforms to boost liquidity and attract foreign investment.
“Last week witnessed a good performance for the stock market, with 34 securities rising, 30 declining, and 17 remaining stable,” the Oman News Agency report stated.
It added: “Muscat Gases recorded the highest increase, rising 18 percent to close at 118 baisas. Galfar Engineering and Contracting rose to 72 baisas, up 9 percent. National Gas recorded an 8.8 percent increase to close at 86 baisas.”
National Gas Co. Oman announced it has acquired an 80 percent stake in Samharam Gas Co., which operates in the bottling and distribution of liquefied petroleum gas in Dhofar Governorate. The acquisition is expected to strengthen its presence in Oman’s LPG market and boost group-level revenues and net profits.
Trading volume on the Muscat bourse rose to 11 million rials per day, up from 10 million the previous week, while average daily transactions climbed to 2,149 from 1,787. The trading week was shortened to four days due to the Eid Al-Adha holiday, with the exchange set to resume operations on June 10.
The services sector led gains, with its index rising five points on the back of strong performances from Ooredoo, Omantel, and OQ Gas Networks. In contrast, the industrial index fell 17 points, the financial index dropped 10 points, and the Shariah index edged lower by less than one point.
Last week, investors concentrated on OQ Base Industries shares, which traded 10.584 million rials — 24 percent of the total 44 million rials traded. The stock saw 1,678 transactions and closed at 122 baisas, up 4 baisas.
Bank Muscat’s shares recorded 5.48 million rials in trades, accounting for 12.4 percent of the total trading value. OQ Gas Networks ranked third, with trades worth approximately 5.1 million rials.
Sohar International Bank was fourth, with trading valued at 5.03 million rials. OQ Exploration and Production came fifth, with trades totaling 4.30 million rials, representing 9.7 percent of the total trading value.
GCC exceeds global average in 2024 Carbon Circular Economy Index
- Region’s performance highlights its growing commitment to sustainable energy and carbon reduction strategies
- Expansion reflects increased investments in solar, wind, and other clean energy projects
RIYADH: Gulf Cooperation Council countries have outperformed the global average in the 2024 Carbon Circular Economy Index, scoring 41.5 points, latest data showed.
Released by the Gulf Statistical Center, the index serves as an assessment tool to evaluate the progress of 125 nations toward achieving net-zero emissions through a balanced approach that incorporates mitigation technologies and enabling tools.
It also measures their transition to a carbon-neutral future based on circular economy principles, the Oman News Agency reported.
The GCC’s performance highlights its growing commitment to sustainable energy and carbon reduction strategies.
Its push toward a circular carbon economy aligns with broader economic diversification goals, as the region seeks to reduce its reliance on hydrocarbons while tackling environmental challenges.
“The contribution of the design capacity of renewable energy plants in the GCC countries to the total design capacity of renewable energy plants worldwide also increased, reaching 0.43 percent in 2024, compared to 0.03 percent in 2015,” the ONA report stated.
This expansion reflects increased investments in solar, wind, and other clean energy projects across the region.
With some member states ranking among the world’s highest per capita emitters, the shift to sustainable practices — such as waste recycling, renewable energy development, and carbon capture — aims to balance continued energy leadership with climate commitments.
According to the Jeddah-based Gulf Research Center, rapid urbanization and resource-intensive consumption patterns have further driven the need for circular solutions, particularly in water and waste management, as the GCC works to mitigate its ecological footprint while fostering green investment and job creation.
Currently, the GCC operates three commercial carbon capture and storage facilities, with a combined capacity of 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year. These facilities play a crucial role in reducing industrial emissions, the ONA report noted.
Looking ahead, the region is projected to capture and store up to 65 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2035. CCS technology is a key component of the GCC’s strategy to limit global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
GCC’s leadership
During its G20 presidency in 2020, Saudi Arabia introduced the Circular Carbon Economy Framework, which was endorsed by G20 leaders as a sustainable and cost-effective approach to tackling climate change while ensuring energy security.
Building on this momentum, the Kingdom launched its CCE National Program in 2021, focusing on emissions reduction through four key strategies: reduce, reuse, recycle, and remove.
Saudi Arabia has since implemented over 30 CCE initiatives across its energy sector, aligning with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s 2021 pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2060.
The UAE has also emerged as a regional leader in circular economy policy. Its Circular Economy Agenda 2031 serves as a national blueprint, outlining 22 policies across four key sectors — manufacturing, food, infrastructure, and transportation — to drive advanced recycling, economic growth, job creation, and resource efficiency.
As host of COP28, the UAE reaffirmed its global sustainability commitment, leveraging its strengths in green finance, clean energy, and climate innovation.
Saudi bank credit races to $834bn in April as companies out-borrow households
- Jump adds roughly SR443 billion in new credit over 12 months
- Real estate developers remain the largest borrowers, accounting for 21.77% of outstanding corporate credit
RIYADH: Saudi banks’ outstanding loan portfolio climbed to SR3.13 trillion ($833.7 billion) at the end of April, up 16.51 percent from a year earlier and marking the fastest annual expansion since mid-2021.
According to figures from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, the double-digit jump adds roughly SR443 billion in new credit over 12 months and underscores how the Kingdom’s project-driven growth model is reshaping balance-sheet priorities across the banking system.
Behind the headline figure is a striking pivot toward business customers. Corporate borrowing jumped 22 percent year on year to SR1.72 trillion, lifting its share of total credit above 55 percent, while loans to individuals rose a more measured 10.4 percent to about SR1.4 trillion.
Real estate developers remain the largest borrowers, accounting for 21.77 percent of outstanding corporate credit. This division was followed by the wholesale and retail trade sector at 12.29 percent, utilities, including electricity, gas, and water, at 10.98 percent, and manufacturing, which is close behind at 10.9 percent.
Within the fastest-growing niches, transport and storage finance soared 47.5 percent to SR67.6 billion, education credit expanded 44.8 percent to SR9.5 billion, real-estate borrowing increased nearly 39 percent, and loans to financial services and insurance firms jumped 35.1 percent to SR159.9 billion, according to SAMA.
Vision 2030 projects drive demand
Large national projects are driving most of the new business borrowing. Huge developments, such as NEOM, the Red Sea resort, Diriyah, and King Salman International Airport, require long-term bank loans to enable builders and suppliers to continue their operations.
Newer industries, including green hydrogen plants and data centers, utilize short-term credit to cover their costs while they are being established.
At the same time, home loan growth is slowing because many families took advantage of subsidized Sakani mortgages between 2021 and 2023.
A March report by JLL says Saudi Arabia’s non-oil economy should grow 5.8 percent in this year, up from 4.5 percent in 2024.
JLL expects the real estate market to be worth about $101.6 billion by 2029, an average rise of 8 percent a year, and noted that Grade-A offices in Riyadh are almost fully occupied, pushing prime rents to $609 per sq. meter.
Such conditions translate directly into bank-financed demand for land acquisition, infrastructure outlays and bridging loans for developers racing to deliver stock ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2030 and Expo 2030.
Although real-estate developers still claim the largest slice of corporate credit, another borrower group is accelerating just as quickly: insurers. As the property boom feeds through to compulsory project coverage and fast-growing medical and motor lines, the insurance industry’s need for cash and capital is rising sharply.
According to KPMG’s Saudi Arabia Insurance Overview 2025, sector revenue jumped 16.9 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2024 as compulsory medical cover, brisk motor sales, and a wave of big property projects swelled premium volumes and claims reserves. The same report flags heavy spending on “technological innovation” as firms roll out IFRS-17 systems and digital sales platforms.
Under SAMA’s rulebook, however, ordinary loans or bond proceeds cannot be counted toward an insurer’s solvency margin unless the central bank gives written approval, and only Basel-style Tier-2 subordinated instruments qualify as supplementary capital.
Facing larger day-to-day cash needs, significant IT expenditures, and tighter capital buffers, alongside a regulator-driven wave of mergers that has already prompted players like Amana Cooperative and ACIG to explore tie-ups to gain scale, insurers are increasingly turning to banks for revolving credit lines and subordinated sukuk financing.
The funding strain is now visible in the monetary statistics. Outstanding bank credit to “financial and insurance activities,” registering one of the fastest growth rates of any sector, reflecting a mix of liquidity borrowings.
The education sector is also borrowing heavily to meet Vision 2030 targets. April’s EDGEx 2025 expo in Riyadh attracted over 20,000 delegates and showcased private-school growth plans that could lift the non-state share of enrolment from roughly 17 percent to 25 percent within five years.
New digital platforms such as Madaris promise to streamline admissions and tuition payments, while PwC’s purchase of Saudi consultancy Emkan underscores the sector’s investment appeal. These dynamics help explain why bank lending to education providers is growing at more than four times the system average.
Funding and liquidity
Rapid corporate demand poses funding challenges. Fitch projects that Saudi bank lending will rise by 12 percent to 14 percent in 2025, again surpassing deposit growth and stretching a funding shortfall that had already reached roughly SR0.3 trillion in 2024.
For now, liquidity remains comfortable. The loan-to-deposit ratio stands near 82.41 percent in April, and non-performing loans hover below 1.5 percent, according to SAMA data, thanks in part to stricter underwriting and the central bank’s early-warning analytics.
Interest rates’ dual impact
Contrary to conventional wisdom, elevated interest rates have not dampened corporate borrowing appetite. Several structural factors continue to shield large borrowers from the impact of rising rates.
Project-finance deals tied to government-related entities in the Gulf are typically funded on long-term, availability-based contracts, with pricing linked to government benchmarks rather than floating interbank rates, limiting their direct exposure to movements in SAIBOR.
Large corporations also employ interest-rate swaps and caps to lock in borrowing costs, according to local treasury advisory guidance, so higher policy rates do not translate one-for-one into higher debt-service outlays.
Households, by contrast, feel the tightening much sooner. SAMA’s updated disclosure rules require banks to display mortgage rates tied to the three-month SAIBOR, and most variable-rate home finance contracts reset against that benchmark every quarter.
As SAIBOR followed the US Fed trajectory above 5 percent through 2024, monthly repayments for floating-rate mortgages rose accordingly, helping explain why retail-loan growth has cooled relative to corporate demand.
Taken together, the mix of hedged or government-linked pricing on large projects and the immediate SAIBOR pass-through on household mortgages helps explain why elevated interest rates have slowed consumer borrowing more than business lending — without significantly curbing overall credit growth.
The April numbers confirm a structural hand-off. After a decade in which subsidized mortgages dominated credit creation, business lending is now the engine of Saudi banking.
That shift mirrors the broader diversification of the Kingdom’s economy— away from oil, toward industry, logistics, tourism and technology. For lenders, the opportunity is immense, but so is the challenge of funding mega-projects without stretching balance sheet resilience.
With capital ratios near 19 percent and a regulatory regime quick to adapt, Saudi banks appear well-placed to finance the next leg of Vision 2030’s transformation while maintaining the stability that has long been the system’s hallmark.
