Online games boost internet cafes



"Online games are strictly prohibited" say the yellow posters around the computer areas of the American University of Sharjah library. These bans on online gaming at schools and libraries around the country have proven a boon to the owners of internet cafes. They are enjoying a surge in business as online gamers, mostly teenagers, flock to their venues to indulge their gaming passion.

Traditionally, the internet cafes have been places where travellers go to read their web mail, search the internet and take part in instant messaging. In the developing world, they provide the main source of internet access. In the UAE these days, the business model of the cafes is changing to one less reliant on those traditional users, as internet gamers get together to play. "We love the kids who play games here," says Abdul Aziz, a clerk at the Orchid Internet Cafe in Ajman. "We have 27 computer booths and normally we would have eight to 10 people in here at a time and a bit more in the evening. But with these kids, especially now that the schools are out, we get 20 to 25 people."

He says his cafe offers a number of packages ranging from Dh5 (US$1.36) for one hour to Dh50 for 23 hours. The players like the packages because their games can take some time to finish. "The most popular packages are the Dh10 for three hours and the Dh20 for eight hours," he says. Without giving figures, Mr Aziz says the online gamers have enabled the cafe to double its daily revenues. Hisban Chohan, a clerk at Al Bwadi Internet Cafe in Sharjah, says up to 50 people might gather at a time. Some will share computers with friends to play games while others wait for one of the 20 booths to become available.

"You see, schools are out and it's really hot out there so these kids come here to hang out and they play computer games," says Mr Chohan. The cafe brings in an average of between Dh250 and Dh300 a day, including between Dh150 and Dh200 from online gamers, he says. Razzak Yousuf, a 14-year-old from Ajman, says he sometimes spends up to Dh50 a week at cafes playing online games. "But on school days I would spend Dh10 to Dh15 a week," he says.

To accommodate the gamers without disturbing other users, some cafes have separated the gaming areas from the surfing section so those playing can cheer and share the excitement. "In our cafe, we have the surfing area downstairs and the gaming area up here to give surfers some privacy," says Khalid Omar, the owner of Acasa Cafe in Abu Dhabi. In addition to capitalising on online gaming to increase their revenues, the cafes are attracting customers by providing non-traditional services.

"In our cafe, we also offer calling services to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other parts of the world," says Mohammed Iqbal, a clerk at Al Raha Internet Cafe in Sharjah. A number of people come to his cafe to make calls using MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger and Google Talk. Whether they go online at home, in the office or at the cafes, the UAE leads the GCC with an estimated 888 internet users for each 1,000 residents, according to the market research company Euromonitor International. That puts it far ahead of Kuwait with 442 internet users per 1,000 people and Saudi Arabia with 321 users.

The total value of internet retailing in the country was estimated at $19.6 million last year, up from $5m in 2004, Euromonitor reported. business@thenational.ae

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  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
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Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”