Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) says it will postpone monthly repayment instalments for personal and car finance customers for instalments due between April 25 and May 18.
The payment holiday was being offered to provide cash-flow relief to customers before the onset of the summer, which is traditionally a heavy spending period for a large part of the UAE's population.
Customers eligible for the facility, based on the type of financing, credit history and instalments, would be contacted by a mobile text message.
ADIB said this was part of the bank's efforts to support customers with services that answer their specific needs at a time that they need it the most.
The bank's analysis of spending behaviour over the past few years showed the summer season put high pressure on family budgets due to increased spending on school registrations, family vacations and other planned and unplanned events.
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Muhammad Azhar, a First Gulf Bank customer, won Dh1 million in first quarterly FirstSavings Certificate Draw of this year.
The certificate is a saving scheme where customers have the chance to win a total of 24,822 prizes each year, including five daily prizes, 1,916 monthly prizes and a quarterly grand prize of Dh1m and a guaranteed interest rate of 1 per cent. There are no entry or exit restrictions and the saving certificates are sold at most major exchange houses in denominations of Dh100 and above.
Expressing his joy at winning, Mr Azhar said: "When I enrolled in the FirstSavings Certificate scheme my intention was just to make a conscious effort to save regularly. The prize draws were an attractive part of the product offer but I never thought for one moment that I would win such a substantial amount."
Huda Abdulla, the bank's executive vice president branch distribution, said: "First Gulf Bank is committed to promoting a savings culture in the UAE community, and we provide the most attractive savings solutions and schemes."
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HSBC Middle East has signed a 10-year agreement with Zurich Insurance Middle East to distribute its personal and commercial general insurance products in the UAE, with other Middle East and North Africa markets to be considered in the future.
The agreement marks the coming together of two global leaders in their respective fields, and extends HSBC's relationship with Zurich in the region following the 10-year contract signed in April 2012 to exclusively distribute Zurich's Life Insurance products in the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.
The agreement covers all of Zurich's general insurance personal product lines, and allows HSBC customers to access motor, home contents and travel insurance, as well as Zurich's commercial insurance options.
The agreement will help to improve access and distribution of insurance products across the Mena region, which has some of the lowest insurance penetration rates in the world. Even the UAE, which has one of the highest rates in the region, stands at just 1.8 per cent, more than three times lower than Singapore and six times lower than the UK.
It will also enable HSBC's Retail banking and wealth management business in Mena to build specialist expertise in general insurance and, together with its life insurance expertise, provide a consistent experience to HSBC customers.
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Company%20Profile
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UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Company%20Profile
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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Company%20profile
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Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL