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Rise of Generative AI
Welcome to the latest edition of Law Update titled “Rise of Generative AI.”
In this edition, we dive into the dynamic world of Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. TMT continues to play a vital role in positioning the region as an international business and social hub, driving significant growth and innovation.
Our focus in this Law Update is on the sector’s ongoing potential to advance and propel the region toward a more digital economy. We explore the benefits of embracing a digital transformation and how local authorities have responded by enhancing regulations to accommodate the evolving TMT landscape.
This edition covers a range of topics, including – the new Telecommunications & Information Technology Law in Saudi Arabia, the intricacies of trademarks in the Metaverse, and the legal challenges faced by the video game industry. Additionally, we take a regional perspective, discussing jurisdictions such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Bahrain to provide a comprehensive understanding of the TMT landscape.
We hope you thoroughly enjoy this packed issue of Law Update, filled with captivating articles that address key legal issues within a vital sector for the region.
Read the full edition
A complete spectrum of legal services across jurisdictions in the Middle East & North Africa.
Malcolm Abaza
Senior Associate
Biography
Malcolm is a senior, England & Wales admitted lawyer who trained with Simmons & Simmons in London and qualified in 2004. Malcolm speaks fluent Arabic and has extensive experience of working with written Arabic in a legal context.
Malcolm worked in both the UAE and Oman. He has been in the region from 2005 and has experience in international firms including Dentons and Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle. Malcolm also has significant experience working in-house, as regional counsel for firms including Western Union, International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank.
He has a wealth of regional experience advising on a broad range of corporate, commercial and financial matters, both in the context of international transactions and of local matters subject to UAE and Oman law.
Recent Experience
- Advising the Oman Investment and Finance Company on its recent merger with the Gulf Investment Services Holding Company.
- Translating Royal Decree. No. 18/2019 promulgating the Commercial Companies Law from English into Arabic.
- Drafting and negotiating a syndicated, Loan Market Association-standard facility agreement relating to a US$235,000,000 term loan for Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic)’s financing of the Muscat-Sohar Pipeline Project (MSPP).
- Preparing the project documents (i.e., consultancy agreements and construction contracts) for a number of projects collectively forming Oman’s national food security initiative, with a combined capital outlay of approximately US$1 billion.
- Advising Bank Nizwa on a US$ 45,000,000 Islamic finance facility for a local property development project and preparing the relevant security documentation.
- Advising Strategic & Precious Metals Processing (SPMP), a UK, UAE and Omani joint venture, on a US$70,000,000 Islamic finance facility for the development of a 20,000 tonne per year antimony processing facility in Oman.
- Advising Bank Nizwa on the drafting of Islamic finance documents and ancillary security documentation for a US$50,000,000 facility for the development of the Tibat field in Musandam, Oman.
Language(s)
Arabic
English
French
German
Education
2002 – Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School
1995 – MA Hons, Arabic University of Edinburgh
Admission
2004 – Solicitor, England & Wales
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