PAGE 10 CHINA DAILY ASIA WEEKLY JULY 5-11, 2013 CoverStory Yuan makes strides in Dubai IN JUST A FEW YEARS THE CURRENCY HAS BECOME A KEY PLAYER IN THE MIDDLE EAST’S FINANCIAL CENTER By SUDESHNA SARKAR in Hong Kong
[email protected] Though the event happened three years ago, Haytham El Maayergi doesn’t have to pause for a moment to recollect the date. It is imprinted on his mind, being a landmark trans- action not only for Standard Char- tered Bank, where he is head of trans- action banking for the United Arab Emirates, but in the banking history of the entire Middle East as well. “In October 2010, we opened a yuan account in Dubai for the retailer Rivoli,” he says. “This put Standard Chartered on the map as the fi rst foreign bank in the Middle East to open a yuan account for a corporate in the region.” The Rivoli Group, a luxury retail AFP chain headquartered in Dubai Emirati employees work at the with over 120 international brands Standard Chartered Bank’s including Gucci, Bvlgari and Omega, trading room at the Dubai started the pathbreaking account to International Financial Centre. promote itself to Chinese buyers. It was the fi rst foreign bank With access to end-to-end yuan to off er yuan accounts in the trade settlement services, clients can Middle East. expect a shorter settlement cycle for goods and services, increased con- trol, and transparent pricing, says “In 2012, Standard Chartered UAE Of them, ICBC alone reportedly al funding sources in Europe.