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This episode covers major Middle East regulatory developments including CMA’s capital increase approval for Asas Makeen, Bahrain Central Bank’s oversubscribed treasury bills, extension of CMA’s fee exemptions on debt issuances, and critical technology security patches from ASUS, HP, Samsung, and SmarterTools.
Regulatory news, updates, and insights for countries in the Middle East presented by the Carver Agents team
Welcome to Carver's Middle East Regulatory Updates for February 05, 2026.
Starting with key institutional developments, the Capital Market Authority has approved a significant capital increase for Asas Makeen Real Estate Development and Investment Company. The company’s capital will rise from 100 million to 300 million Saudi Riyals through the issuance of two bonus shares for every existing share. This move is funded by transferring 200 million Riyals from retained earnings, increasing the total outstanding shares from 10 million to 30 million.
In the financial sector, the Central Bank of Bahrain reported that its latest government treasury bills issuance, valued at 70 million Bahraini Dinars, was oversubscribed by 108%. These bills have a 91-day maturity and carry a weighted average interest rate of 4.85 percent, reflecting strong investor demand.
Meanwhile, the Capital Market Authority has extended the exemption from fees on debt instrument issuance requests. This extension covers issuers with publicly rated debt from CMA-licensed rating agencies and applies to two issuances per issuer until the end of 2027. This initiative aims to encourage greater market activity and transparency.
Turning to technology and cybersecurity, several major security updates have been released. ASUS has removed the vulnerable File Shredder feature in its Business Manager version 3.0.37.0 to address a local privilege escalation vulnerability. HP has launched HP ThinPro 8.1 SP9 to fix multiple critical and high-severity vulnerabilities in earlier versions. Samsung has also issued security patches for its flagship mobile devices, addressing several high-severity vulnerabilities from both Google and Samsung sources. Additionally, critical vulnerabilities have been identified in SmarterTools SmarterMail versions prior to Build 9511, including remote code execution and authentication bypass risks.
On the regulatory front in the space sector, the Communications, Space, and Technology Authority organized a session during the Space Debris Conference to gather stakeholder feedback on draft regulations and guidelines for the space industry. These documents are open for public consultation until March 24, 2026. The authority aims to create an attractive investment environment and foster sustainable growth in the space sector.
In workforce development, the Abu Dhabi Global Market Academy and the DGE Mawaheb Talent Hub have launched new industry-aligned programs. These include a Software Development Accelerator, Technology Infrastructure, and Strategic Business Intelligence courses, targeting 620 job placements in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. Similarly, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Communications has launched the iBridge – AWS Builder Accelerator program. This initiative offers Saudi nationals a four-week intensive cloud computing training in Virginia, USA, starting April 20, 2026, to enhance national cloud skills.
On the international cooperation front, Germany and Saudi Arabia have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to deepen collaboration on energy policy. The partnership focuses on carbon management, energy efficiency, digital transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and supply chain resilience. A high-level German delegation recently visited Saudi Arabia to expand cooperation in energy, startups, AI, defense, and future technologies, underscoring the strategic importance of this relationship.
In other news, Saudi Arabia participated in a United Nations committee meeting in Vienna to finalize the draft internal regulations for the UN Cybercrime Convention. This involvement highlights the Kingdom’s commitment to global cybersecurity governance.
Finally, the National Cybersecurity Authority is participating as a strategic partner in the 2026 National Scientific Innovation Olympiad, supporting initiatives to empower research and innovation in cybersecurity.
Thank you for listening to Carver's updates. For more details, visit us at carveragents.ai.