When the OPEC oil cartel was at the height of its power in the 1970s and early 1980s, Persian Gulf banks flourished like palm trees in a desert oasis. Arab governments, rich on oil revenues, were financing projects ranging from airports to universities, and the influx of money caused bank assets to grow 20% a year. Newly prosperous gulf families built banks as status symbols to impress their neighbors. The United Arab Emirates, which has a population of 1.3 million, had 53 banks in operation last year. Said an American economist who has studied the financial development of the Middle East:...
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