Khaled Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, meets his Turkish counterpart Sahap Kavcioglu in Abu Dhabi. Photo: CBUAE
Khaled Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, meets his Turkish counterpart Sahap Kavcioglu in Abu Dhabi. Photo: CBUAE
Khaled Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, meets his Turkish counterpart Sahap Kavcioglu in Abu Dhabi. Photo: CBUAE
Khaled Balama, Governor of the Central Bank of the UAE, meets his Turkish counterpart Sahap Kavcioglu in Abu Dhabi. Photo: CBUAE

UAE and Turkey central banks seek further co-operation after currency swap deal


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The Central Bank of the UAE and the Central Bank of Turkey are looking to collaborate further following the signing of a bilateral currency swap agreement between the two countries in January.

Khaled Balama, Governor of CBUAE, met with his Turkish counterpart Sahap Kavcioglu in Abu Dhabi during the two-day official visit of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Emirates earlier this week.

The governors discussed ways to strengthen the collaboration in the financial and banking sectors, the CBUAE said on Thursday.

“The Central Bank of the UAE is keen to promote collaboration with the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on the financial sector and to take forward the economic relations between the two countries,” Mr Balama said.

The Governor of the Central Bank of UAE met the head of the Central Bank of Turkey. Photo: CBUAE
The Governor of the Central Bank of UAE met the head of the Central Bank of Turkey. Photo: CBUAE

The bilateral currency swap agreement aims to help improve trade and investment ties between the UAE and Turkey.

The size of the agreement between the UAE dirham and the Turkish lira is Dh18 billion ($4.9bn) and 64bn Turkish lira ($4.7bn), the CBUAE said last month.

A foreign currency swap is an agreement to exchange currency between two parties, in which they swap principal and interest payments on a loan made in one currency for a loan of equal value in another currency.

The pact will remain for three years, with the possibility of an extension through mutual agreement.

The Central Bank of the UAE is keen to promote collaboration with the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey on the financial sector and to take forward the economic relations between the two countries
Khaled Mohamed Balama,
Governor, Central Bank of the UAE

The UAE and Turkey signed several agreements and protocols in various fields including health and medical sciences, sea and land transport, advanced industries and technology, climate action and culture during Mr Erdogan's first official trip to the country in almost a decade.

In November, the UAE formed a $10bn fund to support investments in Turkey, following talks between Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Mr Erdogan.

The investment fund aims to increase support for the Turkish economy and will focus on strategic sectors such as energy, health and food.

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike

They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users

Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance

They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians

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  • £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
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2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

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2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

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Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.

Benefits:  No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.

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The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.

The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.

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All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.

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Updated: February 21, 2022, 6:17 AM