BANKING - MIDEAST MONEY-Gulf banks eye European rivals' Middle East assets - Eyes on Turkish banks

www.reuters.com - DUBAI, June 20 (Reuters) - As struggling European banks scale back their worldwide operations, cash-rich Gulf lenders see a chance to expand by snapping up the Middle East assets of European rivals at attractive prices.
After years of building operations in the fast-growing Middle East and North Africa region, European lenders are shrinking back due to a crippling debt crisis at home and the need to raise capital to meet regulatory requirements.
Gulf banks are keen to seize an opportunity as profitable businesses from Turkey to Egypt have been put on the block by European banks at a time when valuations are near multi-year lows due to the volatility in financial markets. (source)

REPORTS - The first Deloitte Islamic Finance leaders survey in the Middle East

This is the first Deloitte Islamic Finance leaders survey in a biannual series targeted at industry practitioners and leaders of Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs) in the Middle East. The survey is based on interviews conducted with industry leaders between April and June 2010.

Several key themes emerged in the results of this survey. The first is a fair consensus on the need for an effective regulatory framework and good governance. The survey findings emphasize the importance of introducing new or revised regulatory measures–chief among them being Islamic accounting standards and risk management.

GENERAL - Turkey wants more cooperation in Balkans, Mid East and Caucasus, Turkish FM says

The Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday that Turkey wanted to expand its regional cooperation areas in the Balkans, Middle East and Caucasus.

Speaking at a TV program broadcast by private channel CNN Türk, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turkey had commitment to many regions due to its geographical position.  

GENERAL - Transatlantic survey shows Turks choosing to cooperate with Mideast

According to the 2010 Transatlantic Trends public opinion survey released yesterday by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the percentage of Turks who said Turkey should act in closest cooperation with countries in the Middle East on international matters has doubled to 20 percent from 2009 figures. Furthermore, the majority of Turks were not concerned about Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, in sharp contrast with the European Union and the United States respondents, who were concerned.