Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) is targeting new growth from Sharjah’s manufacturing and industry and aims to provide even higher levels of support to the sector. The Industrial Affairs Department, which was established in 2014, estimates that the contribution from the industrial sector to Sharjah’s GDP (gross domestic product) may grow from its current 14 percent to as high as 25 ...

The Government of Sharjah has issued a US$500 million (AED 1.8b) Islamic bond this week with a 5-year maturity, which is the first sovereign sukuk to be issued globally this year. Bank of Sharjah, Barclays, Commerzbank, Dubai Islamic Bank, HSBC and Sharjah Islamic Bank acted as lead arrangers for the issue. Final pricing for the bond, according to a document ...

Lead arrangers have been holding investor meetings this week to pave the way for the Government of Sharjah’s second sukuk. The new sovereign bond, which is expected to be in excess of US$500 million, could be the first sovereign sukuk to be issued globally in 2016. Global rating agency Standard and Poor’s has forecast fewer sukuk issuances this year, possibly ...

Global credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s has once again affirmed the Emirate of Sharjah’s A/A-1 sovereign credit ratings long- and short-term, foreign and local currency. These ratings were made on the basis of Sharjah’s strong nominal GDP (gross domestic product) growth, despite reports of a slow-down in the UAE’s non-oil business growth. S&P began assigning sovereign credit ratings for ...

Sharjah Asset Management, the investment arm of the Government of Sharjah, has announced the launch of a new 14 million square foot industrial estate near Sharjah International Airport. Al Saja’a Industrial Oasis is expected to be one of the largest industrial projects in the region, initially offering 353 plots to investors on freehold or leasehold basis. Sharjah has developed a ...

In a strategic move aimed at boosting mutual growth, two of Sharjah’s leading establishments, Expo Centre Sharjah and Air Arabia, have decided to join hands in a three-year cooperation agreement. A Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, aimed at maximising visibility and branding of both parties in the best possible ways, was signed on Monday 12th October by Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, ...

Sharjah has been officially named as a WHO Healthy City, during the visit of senior officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO). Joining the WHO Healthy Cities programme in 2012, Sharjah has been able to meet 88 percent of the 80 programme criteria, becoming the first Middle Eastern country to be accredited as a WHO Healthy City. The WHO Healthy ...

The latest report from Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) shows strong growth in Sharjah’s business sectors with a 13.6 percent increase in new trade licences issued by the department during the first half of this year. SEDD issued 3,183 new licences during the first half of 2015, compared to 2,802 in the same period last year. Overall 33,192 licenses issued ...

The Government of Sharjah was honoured at the 2015 London Sukuk Summit earlier this month where it was awarded the ‘Award of Excellence for Most Innovative Sukuk Issuance by a Sovereign Debt Issuer’. The award was given in recognition of Sharjah’s debut 10-year US dollar sukuk, which was issued at a size of US$750 million (AED 275b) in September 2014. ...

Sharjah Investment and Development (Shurooq) has been named the Top Investment Promotion Agency in the Middle East in Site Selection Magazine’s 2015 Best to Invest Awards, in recognition of the authority’s global initiatives to attract foreign direct investment to the Emirate of Sharjah. The award comes at a time of regional and global recognition for both Sharjah’s economy and Shurooq’s ...