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In July of this year Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments announced the acquisition of a 4.99 per cent stake in Italy’s biggest bank, UniCredit SpA, taking advantage of the weak Euro and securing the investment at an equivalent cost of 2.48 billion USD. The company had initially invested in the b
Location: Lebanon Who: Founder of the Beirut Marathon It has been said out of adversity comes opportunity and May El Khalil, founder of the Beirut Marathon, is a striking example of this. El Khalil had always run, both in her native Beirut and while living for 23 years in Lagos, Nigeria. B
Few people can recount how Middle Eastern advertising first took off like Ramsay Najjar. A former President of the Advertising Agencies Association, founder of Saatchi & Saatchi Levant, and current chairman of Strategic Communication Consultancy (S2C), Najjar divulges all.
Profession: Entertainment entrepreneur Resides in: Beirut Having lived and studied in Canada, Ghazal, 31, flew back to Beirut six months ago and has plans to transform the city’s entertainment scene. He set up Les Enfants Terribles, a company that puts on top commercial events and comes up
Summer 2009 saw the launch of what seems set to be the region’s largest low-cost airline. Flydubai has set the standard for budget travel and has ambitious plans for the future.
Investors the world over have collectively lost huge amounts either on lifestyle purchases or stock market gambles during the financial crisis. But which were the worst investments? Here, we look at 12 ways in which you could have frittered away your cash.
A recent survey by McKinsey in partnership with a consortium of researchers at New York University, Harvard, Yale, and Innovations for Poverty Action showed just how many people are still unserved by banks. Bespoke investigates what microcredit can do for the world’s poor.
Bernard Madoff? Who needs him? If you want to declare bankruptcy anytime soon, simply join one of many Ponzi or Pyramid schemes on the market and, voilà. These dangerous scams, disguised as legitimate systems, not only cost governments untold millions in lost income, but also destroy lives
Most regions have been rocked by the global financial crisis and the Middle East is no exception. But despite suffering some setbacks, countries in this area have proven more resilient than most – the question is why?
Against a backdrop of an international financial crisis that has seen the number of transactions and demand for realty drop by as much as 50 per cent in some of the region’s capitals, Beirut continues to show its strength and resilience. Bespoke took the opportunity to talk candidly with o
The merger of Orbit and Showtime Arabia changed the face of television throughout the region. Here, Bespoke takes a look at the entertainment giant’s offerings.
Well-heeled men and up-and-coming women are using the services of a bright, young LA-based Lebanese matchmaker to find relationships that’ll go the distance. Amber Elias talks to Bespoke about her Elias Elite Introductions, a service for discerning clientele.