Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

analysis

Gulf Trump tariffs, US GCC trade, US GCC tariffs, US Gulf trade, US Gulf tariffs

Gulf likely to escape Trump tariffs, analysts say

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the other Gulf Arab states are likely to escape US President Donald Trump’s tariff ire, analysts say. This is because the world’s largest economy by and large runs a trade surplus with them, their value added tax (VAT) is relatively low and they peg their currencies to the US dollar. […]

Pipes to carry hydrogen being laid in Germany by energy company EnBW, which is developing Oman's hydrogen-export plan with Greek company Ecolog

Oman advances liquefied hydrogen export project

While countries in the Gulf have big ambitions for hydrogen projects, they are still trying to work out how to export it. Oman, however, is advancing plans to establish what it says is the world’s first commercial scale liquid hydrogen “corridor” to export to Europe green hydrogen produced domestically. Usually, producers think about transforming it […]

A tourist takes pictures in Chefchaouen, northern Morocco. The country's tourism startup culture is opening new markets beyond the traditional centres

Moroccan tourism startups build momentum ahead of World Cup

Startup innovation and entrepreneurship are helping to fuel growth in Morocco’s tourism industry. The sector’s importance to the economy is increasing as the country prepares to co-host the Fifa World Cup in 2030. Morocco welcomed 17.4 million international tourists in 2024, a 20 percent increase on 2023, the latest data from the UN World Tourism […]

US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussing mutual trade, during Trump's first term

$600bn Saudi-US trade pledge ‘unlikely to be achieved’

Saudi Arabia’s pledge to increase trade and investment with the US to at least $600 billion over President Trump’s four-year term is “very optimistic” and “unlikely to be achieved,” according to a Washington-based think tank. Instead the kingdom is prioritising domestic projects and faces lower oil revenue. The commitment was made by Crown Prince Mohammed […]

Gulf water parks, Gulf water park market, GCC water park market, Dubai water park, UAE water park

Gulf water park market risks saturation as numbers grow

With the Grand Hyatt Dubai due to open a new onsite water park this year, the UAE and wider Gulf region will add to an already vast collection of slides, lazy rivers, splash parks and other water-based leisure facilities. There being so many is perhaps not surprising given near year-round sunshine and heat in the […]

Gulf aluminium US

Gulf aluminium supplies to US to continue despite tariffs

Short-term supplies of aluminium from the Gulf to the US are set to continue despite new tariffs planned by President Trump, according to experts. The new US president announced tariffs of 25 percent on all supplies of aluminium into the US on Sunday. In 2024 the Gulf made up over 16 percent of US aluminium […]

PIF basketball

PIF backs $5bn NBA rival basketball league

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is planning to back a new $5 billion basketball competition in Europe and Asia that’s expected to rival the US’s National Basketball Association (NBA), according to media reports. The unnamed tournament will feature six men’s and six women’s teams playing in eight host cities in Europe and Asia. The competition […]

People, Person, Crowd

DeepSeek’s arrival opens door for Middle East AI developers

Serious competitor for ChatGPT Region must move quickly Balance between US and China A global artificial intelligence battle looks to be building between China and the US that could well benefit Middle East AI startups through lower dev... Register now: It’s easy and free This content is available for registered members only. Register for your […]

A survey found that only half of Gulf respondents managed to sleep the recommended six to eight hours per night

Tech specialists tap into Gulf’s market of the sleep deprived

People in the Gulf are among the worst sleepers in the world, research has found – and that makes the region a rousing proposition for sleep-aid businesses such as the US pair Whoop and Eight Sleep. A survey of 2,727 people across the GCC, published last month, found that only half manage to sleep for […]

Monitoring air pollution in Dubai. The UAE is seeking to quantify and reduce its impact on the climate

UAE companies have mixed success in cutting emissions

While many of the UAE’s major corporations are making limited progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, analysis by AGBI reveals that Emsteel (formerly known as Emirates Steel Arkan) is the standout performer. The UAE, the second-largest Arab economy, is seeking to quantify and reduce its impact on the climate, and in November pledged to slash its scope 1 […]

Reconstructing Turkey after the earthquakes

Turkey’s rebuilding goes on two years after devastating quakes

Two years since twin earthquakes devastated much of Turkey’s southern region, the country is still picking up the pieces. Fewer than one-third of the 680,000 homes lost have been rebuilt so far and 600,000 people are still living in converted shipping containers. More than 53,000 people lost their lives in the February 6 earthquakes, which […]

Men look at jewellery in the gold souk, Dubai. An unprecedented amount of gold has been sent from Dubai and other markets to New York in recent days in response to tariffs

Trump’s tariffs inject volatility into metal markets

President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs have increased uncertainty for global metals and minerals markets.  Demand for gold – a traditional safe haven – soared on Tuesday, with the price of international spot gold rising to $2,819.46 an ounce. The precious metal was trading still higher on Wednesday morning at $2,851.21 an ounce. This is despite […]

UAE cloud seeding

UAE ramps up cloud seeding to combat water shortage

The UAE is stepping up its use of cloud seeding as a cost-effective way to tackle its chronic water shortages. The technique, which the country first tried in the 1980s, involves shooting a salt flare into a cloud. The salt attracts water, the water drops collide with others and get bigger, and then fall as […]

US President Donald Trump with China's President Xi Jinping at a G20 conference: both countries are vying for Gulf trade

A 10% tariff on China – and a tricky calculation for the Gulf

At one minute past midnight in Washington, the United States’ 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports came into effect. Beijing retaliated moments later, announcing even heavier levies on US goods from next week. Canada and Mexico were granted a temporary reprieve after talks on Monday, but there was no last-minute deal for President Donald Trump […]

Colombian player Jhon Duran, aged 21, is moving from UK Premier League club Aston Villa to Saudi club Al Nassr

Saudi football spending takes youthful turn as big names depart

It says much for the evolution of football in Saudi Arabia that the main talking points of the winter transfer-window were of individuals leaving the league rather than multi-million dollar signings. The majority of headlines in the last week of January were devoted to the departures of Brazilian forward Neymar, effectively having his contract ripped […]

Oman infrastructure Musandam governorate, where construction of a new road has recently begun

Oman’s infrastructure push is vital for economic turnaround

Oman has made strides in enhancing its infrastructure over the past few years, but more is needed. Authorities seem keenly aware of this as they juggle costs and the health of public finances alongside broader efforts to grow the non-oil economy. Historically, the sultanate has been less open than its UAE neighbours to glitzy development […]

Western investors are increasingly looking to the Gulf for mergers and acquisitions, rather than Middle Eastern businesses only investing outward

Gulf mid-market mergers flourish as economy matures

International private equity companies are increasingly keen to buy mid-sized Gulf companies as the regional economy matures and GDP growth elsewhere falters, a corporate adviser tells AGBI. Other factors, such as Gulf family conglomerates seeking to narrow their business focus, are also spurring a rise in mergers and acquisitions, says James Jarvis, a director at […]

Jewellery makers will feel the impact of rising silver prices, as will industries including solar photovoltaics and electric vehicles

Tight supply and strong demand pressure silver prices

Gulf investors – and romantics – may have to keep a watchful eye on silver in the months ahead as tight supply and strong demand make their impact on prices. This will not only have consequences for those looking for jewellery, but also for industries ranging from solar photovoltaics (PV) to electric vehicles (EVs), and […]

Donald Trump delivers a speech at an oil drilling rig in Texas. He said last week that the US is 'not going to do the wind thing'

Trump’s climate agenda ‘may push UAE investors away from US’

Masdar and the UAE’s other renewable energy companies may need to rethink their US investments now that President Donald Trump has pulled the plug on new offshore wind projects, industry watchers have warned. “We’re not going to do the wind thing. Big, ugly windmills. They ruin your neighbourhood,” Trump said on his return to the […]