The UAE Ministry of Finance announced that the second auction of federal treasury bonds will be held on June 20, as the government continues to strengthen liquidity in the secondary market.
The auction size of Dh1.5 billion ($408 million) will be distributed in two tranches of two and three-year notes, valued at Dh750m each, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
“The reopening of bonds will be exercised in this auction to increase the volume of individual bonds issued with the aim of improving liquidity in the secondary market,” the statement said.
T-bonds are fixed-rate government debt securities that pay semi-annual interest payments until maturity, and are also considered to be relatively risk-free.
Next week's auction is a follow-up to a successful debut last month, in which the UAE's first dirham-denominated T-bond was listed on Nasdaq Dubai.
The Dh1.5bn issuance on May 12 was oversubscribed 6.3 times and received bids worth Dh9.4bn amid strong demand from regional and global investors. The move increased the value of domestic and international fixed income listings on Nasdaq Dubai to $102bn, state news agency Wam reported.
It was also divided into two and three-year tranches, and had a uniform coupon rate fixed at 3.01 per cent and 3.24 per cent, respectively.
The T-bonds programme was first announced in April and is part of the government's plans to build a local currency bond market and diversify its financial resources.
The ministry plans to issue six treasury bond tranches in 2022 with a total value of Dh9bn. Other tranches will be issued with various tenures for up to five years at later dates throughout the year. Ten-year tranches would be issued at a later time, the ministry said on Saturday.
The success of the first issuance emphasises the UAE's creditworthiness as one of the world's most competitive and highly advanced economies, and its position as an investment destination for investors and entrepreneurs, Mohamed Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, said during the first listing.
He added that the listings are part of the overall strategy of “transitioning to the new economic model within the UAE 50 economic plan, in which the UAE establishes a diversified knowledge-based economy on innovation, entrepreneurship and advanced industries”.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
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Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
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The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
