A sneak peek into NBK Capital's Equity Capital Market Group

NBK Capital’s ECM Division is going great guns by brokering top tier deals and helping clients realise the full potential of their portfolios.

In today’s competitive times, it helps to stay a few steps ahead of other entities in the same marketplace. A key area of financial growth and funding is the Equity Capital market (ECM), which requires constant innovation and up-to-the-minute information for investors to prosper. The ECM is a marketplace that caters to both individual investors and companies (traders) and which involves one more important entity: the online brokerage firm.

Online brokerage firms in Kuwait, such as the reputed NBK Capital, exist to help companies raise equity capital for future growth. The ECM arena helps companies raise money through marketing, private placements and IPOs, stocks, swaps, new issue allocation, futures and derivatives, among others. A brokerage firm such as NBK Capital helps clients navigate the challenging ECM universe and raise valuable Kuwaiti private equity for the future.

Further, NBK Capital helps raise Kuwaiti private equity by helping companies set financial benchmarks, strategise their goals and leverage existing tools and resources for the best results. This is done by constant market analysis and reading research reports, restructuring when needed, guidance in transaction structuring, etc.

NBK Capital’s past deals read like a veritable Who’s Who of the ECM arena: its ECM portfolio comprises both regional and international corporations. Some of these prominent names are Saudi Telecom, Jazeera Airways, Qurain Petrochemicals, Kout Food Group and Viva. It advises major corporations on top tier listings in the GCC through its reputed listing advisory services, IPO and public placement, among others. Consider the firm’s recent prominent deals:

•          KD 66 mn Mezzan IPO (only IPO to come out in 2015)
•          Viva KSE listing in the year 2014
•          Zain Bahrain IPO, 2014
•          Visa International IPO, 2008
•          Ikarus Petroleum Industries private placement, listing on KSE, both in 2008
•          Jazeera Airways KSE listing, 2008
•          Kout Food Group KSE listing, private placement, both in 2006
•          Al Qurain Pharmaceuticals public placement, 2004

NBK Capital goes beyond mere planning and structuring, to actively perform mentoring duties for all its clients to help them achieve success in ECM. Thus, it oversees and performs functionalities such as underwriting, lead management, financial and private investment advisory, and co-management, among many others. Thus, companies looking to raise some much necessary Kuwaiti private equity would do well to partner with the region’s leading brokerage firm – NBK Capital – and pave their own way to financial success!

Online Broking Services: Trade successfully across the globe!

The Internet has opened up new avenues for personal life and business, and online trading is now being adopted by more and more traders for its ease and convenience.

For years now, stock markets around the world have used their stock tools of the trade – a trading terminal, a screen showing real time stock prices from around the world, and a telephone connection. It was not easy to trade on the stock markets without being on the market floors, without brokers and associates shouting into your headpiece at every minute!

Cut to the present, when the Internet is such an integral part of our lives. The digital medium has introduced real time functionality into our daily lives – long queues and wait times are now a thing of the past, because every kind of transaction can be completed online within mere minutes. Whether it is a major business transferring payments to its vendors, or a person making bill payments, the online medium offers speed and convenience like nothing else can.

This is especially true in terms of online trading. More and more investors and traders today are preferring to trade online, because they get instant access to the global markets and can transact from anywhere in the world. Along with the rise of online trading is seen the rise of online brokerage services – these are offered by reputed financial institutions that have a wide network of access to the global markets, and can offer their customers the same access at any point of time.

Why online brokerage services matter

Not all traders and investors can have up-to-the-minute financial analyses at their fingertips, and many are not able to access to the stock exchanges outside the GCC region. In this scenario, investment advisory firms offer unfettered access to the major markets of the world in a seamless fashion. The online brokerage services portfolio of experienced firms includes functionalities such as viewing portfolios, trading stocks in real time, latest research and market analysis reports, transaction history compiled for each client, etc.

The best online brokerage services firms also use the smartest and latest technology in online trading to offer functionalities like portfolio analysis tools, real time prices and indices, advanced charting and also mobile trading capabilities.

Thus, equipped with the latest information and the best tools, traders can now trade seamlessly across the globe, from remote locations and in the correct business hours. The online connectivity also offers an instant glimpse into market fluctuations and how major world events affects stock prices, thus allowing the opportunity for immediate adjustment of short term financial goals.

What You Need To Know Before Moving To Oman

Breathtakingly beautiful and welcoming of foreigners, you will enjoy living and working in Oman. But there are a few things to brush up on before you go there.

Countries of the Middle East have long been perceived as mysterious, exotic locations full of beautiful people, endless stretches of desert and the most delicious food. It is only upon visiting these countries that you realise how developed and progressive they are. Oman is one such country.

Oman attracts a fair share of expats looking to work, study and live in the country. It doesn’t matter if you are low on budget, finance companies in Oman will offer you every possible aid when it comes to finding a decent accommodation.  Oman offers a financially and emotionally rewarding experience that you will cherish forever. But before you leave for Oman, do consider that –

* Oman goes way beyond Muscat. Most expats are familiar only with Muscat, but there are other places of interest, too. The neighbouring town of Salalah booms with a lot of foreigners living there. There is also Sur, which is said to be the home of Sinbad the Sailor, and the Hajar Mountains where you can find mud houses built 400 years ago.

* Knowing the Government structure is important. Oman is divided into 11 Muhafazah, meaning Governorates, which collectively have 60 Wilyats, or districts. Of these, Muscat is the most developed, with modern infrastructure and stunning beauty comprising a long coastline framed by mountains.

* The people are really cool. Don’t go to Oman harbouring false notions about the locals. The Omanis are warm, culturally sensitive people who are used to foreigners. They have an extremely open mind about other people’s cultures – and you should, about theirs. You will not be disturbed needlessly, nor will there be any interference in your way of life here. Women feel safe in the country, and they can go about their work and leisure as they wish. Non-Muslim women are not expected to wear a veil.

* Your work week begins on Sunday. Oman, like many other countries in the region, observes a weekly holiday on Friday, the holy day of prayer. Saturday is the other weekly off observed in the country. This means that your work week begins on Sunday and the weekend comes on Thursday.

* The temperatures are extreme. Oman enjoys a typical desert climate, where the summer and winter is quite harsh and the rainfall is scanty. Be prepared for blistering heat and near-freezing cold! The humidity is also at its peak in the summer months, with mean temperatures climbing above 40°C in some cases.

* Getting a house and car is easy. You can find myriad finance companies in Oman wishing to help you buy your own car. Your company can find you suitable accommodation, or you can look for a good rental house online. There are well-known finance companies in Oman who can help you secure funding to buy a vehicle, expensive home appliances, gadgets like phones and computers, and funding to start your own business in the country.