• Most Popular
  • Most Shared

U.S. rules may deter sovereign funds, UAE cenbank says

Thu Aug 28, 2008 5:43am EDT

DUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Restrictions by the United States and others may lead sovereign wealth funds to invest closer to home instead of in the West, the head of the central bank for the United Arab Emirates was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Bonds  |  Global Markets  |  Funds News  |  ETFs News

According to a document in bullet-point form quoting UAE central bank governor Sultan Nasser al-Suweidi, such a scenario would trigger a "a new regional developmental cycle" in the Middle East.

"Regulations regarding SWF might lead to ... fund becoming more passive investment vehicle or change direction of investment flows," according to the document, presented at a Japanese business conference held in Dubai.

Sovereign wealth funds such as the UAE's Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the world's biggest, have poured billions of dollars into ailing banks and firms in the industrialised economies in recent years.

But fears of foreign influence by the new stakeholders, whose wealth has mushroomed due to the high price of oil, has sparked an intense debate in the United States, Germany and elsewhere about curbing possible influence by the funds.

(Reporting by Inal Ersan, Writing by Thomas Atkins; Editing by Gerrard Raven))



More from Reuters

Photo

U.S. probing if al Qaeda linked to airplane incident

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Sunday it was investigating whether al Qaeda was involved in a Christmas Day attempt to blow up a passenger jet and sought to head off Republican attacks over its anti-terrorism measures. | Video

A Delta Airbus 330 airliner sits on a runway at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan in this video grab made December 25, 2009. Credit: REUTERS/WDIV TV/Handout

The battle in mid-air

The attraction of bombing airliners means the aviation industry has to be constantly vigilant in its fight against attackers.  Full Article 

A caution sign is seen next to a stock board at the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in Sydney September 5, 2008. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz
Political Risk in 2010:

Don't say we didn't warn you

With the financial crisis (mostly) in the past, U.S. investors are eying a fresh start to the coming year. Here's a look at what speedbumps lie ahead.  Full Article