Employment $5m US golden visa may be out of reach for some Arabs People born in Egypt and Morocco may find it more difficult than those born in Saudi Arabia or the UAE to secure President Trump’s $5 million “gold card” US permanent residency because of restrictions on capital flows. The Gulf and wider Mena region punch above their weight globally when it comes to the number of […] March 3, 2025
Mining Saudi Arabia turns to recycling to enhance mineral recovery As part of its push to make mineral mining a pillar of its otherwise hydrocarbon-dominated economy, Saudi Arabia is investigating how to increase extraction by recycling mining waste. This is providing a valuable opportunity for local startups and US technology companies. Since the start of the year, several startups in the critical minerals and rare […] February 28, 2025
Opinion Banking & Finance Miami’s Saudi love affair hasn’t convinced everyone Saudi Arabia is all the rage among US investors, but FDI constraints remain February 27, 2025
Aviation Riyadh Air start may be further delayed The start of Saudi Arabia’s new government-owned airline Riyadh Air could be delayed yet again. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas told a Saudi investment conference in Miami that the airline would start operations “by the end of the year”. But he was not more specific. Last month, the carrier pushed back its launch date by […] February 21, 2025
Trade InvestSaudi to open second US office in Miami Saudi Arabia’s investment promotion authority, InvestSaudi, will establish its second office in the United States in Miami to target flows to and from North and South America. Khalid A. Al-Falih, the Saudi investment minister, made the announcement on Thursday at the Future Investment Initiative summit in the South Florida city. “By selecting Miami as our […] February 21, 2025
Oil & Gas Trump hails Saudi Arabia at investment event in Miami Donald Trump’s speech on the opening day of a Saudi-backed investor summit in Miami once again highlighted the close relationship the US president is nurturing with the world’s second-largest oil producer. Calling Saudi Arabia a “special place with special leaders”, Trump individually greeted Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of the state-owned Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Mohammed […] February 20, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Saudi companies reap savings benefits with AI Companies in Saudi Arabia are already seeing the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in boosting efficiency and productivity. Sawaco Water Group, a desalinisation company in Jeddah, for instance, has reduced power consumption by 7 percent and chemical consumption by 15 percent at its largest plant since implementing new AI-driven monitoring systems, its CEO said this […] February 20, 2025
Analysis Construction Ambitious plans accelerate Gulf construction costs Construction costs in Saudi Arabia and the UAE are in danger of accelerating over the next few years as both countries pour billions into infrastructure, energy and housing projects, observers have warned. Rises in the prices of steel, cement, glass, aluminium and components for air conditioning systems are driving the growth of building materials costs, […] February 18, 2025
Analysis Trade Gulf-South America trade surges as economies grow When Dubai’s Emirates airline started flying from Dubai to Bogotá in Colombia last summer, it not only provided a vital link between the two cities but also highlighted growing trade and investment links between the Gulf and South America. UAE-Argentina non-oil trade surged more than 70 percent last year to $537 million, according to the […] February 17, 2025
Analysis Telecoms Red Sea attacks put security spotlight on vital subsea cables What do Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a new data centre in Saudi Arabia and the icy waters of the Baltic Sea have in common? In short, they reflect a new Gulf Arab, and indeed global, focus on protecting vital submarine cable networks and potentially developing alternative, terrestrial routes. The Yemeni militia’s […] February 17, 2025
Analysis Trade 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. […] February 14, 2025
Analysis Tourism 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 […] February 12, 2025
Opinion Economy Gulf sets the bar for proposed US sovereign wealth fund Plenty of questions remain, especially about how the entity will be funded February 11, 2025
Analysis Trade From fertiliser to minerals, GCC-Brazil ties move beyond oil Since the start of the year Saudi Arabia and the UAE have moved aggressively to expand their access to mineral resources in Brazil. In turn, Brazil is increasing purchases of Gulf fertilisers as economic links between the countries deepen. The Public Investment Fund-controlled mining giant Ma’aden is gearing up to open its first ever office […] February 5, 2025
Analysis Trade Trump tariffs ‘pose long-term risk to Gulf’, say economists Gulf economies could benefit in the short term from a tariff-led trade war between the US and some of its major partners, but they face longer-term risks of lower oil prices, tariffs on their own non-oil exports and high interest rates, analysts have warned. Although President Donald Trump delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico at […] February 4, 2025
Analysis Infrastructure 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 […] February 4, 2025
Analysis Real Estate Gulf investors seek property in Spain despite tax threat For a new generation of young, wealthy Gulf investors, London and Paris are out, and property in Marbella and Malaga is in, even if Spain’s leader is doing all he can to deter them. A fresh plan by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to impose a 100 percent tax on acquisitions of domestic real estate […] January 31, 2025
Analysis Tax GCC weighs impact of Trump’s global corporate tax moves Tax professionals in the Gulf are assessing how President Donald Trump’s pull-back of US support for an international corporate tax framework might affect GCC states’ implementation of it. In a day-one executive order last week, the returning US president repudiated “any commitment” made by the previous Biden administration toward the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and […] January 30, 2025
Analysis Finance Vast Gulf wealth funds splinter to make targeted investments Sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf are increasingly doing business via wholly-owned or affiliated entities as they become too big to manage specialised investment efforts, industry watchers are saying. MGX, an Emirati artificial intelligence-focused vehicle founded last year by Abu Dhabi’s fund Mubadala and the artificial intelligence company G42, made a splash by being one […] January 27, 2025
Logistics Shipping giants not yet ready to resume Red Sea route Two shipping giants said on Friday that they are in no rush to resume routes through the Suez Canal after a Yemeni militia announced earlier this week it will scale back hostilities against vessels transiting through the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea if the ceasefire in Gaza holds. Danish shipper Maersk and Abu Dhabi […] January 24, 2025
Oil & Gas Oil slips after Trump calls on Opec to lower prices Oil prices were down on Friday after US President Donald Trump drew a direct link between persistently high inflation and global oil prices during video remarks before the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump said he intends to address the problem by boosting domestic production and by asking “Saudi Arabia and Opec to bring […] January 24, 2025
Infrastructure Etihad Rail train to link Abu Dhabi and Dubai in 30 minutes Authorities from Abu Dhabi and Dubai formally unveiled plans on Thursday for a high-speed passenger rail link that will reduce travel between the two cities to 30 minutes. Spearheaded by Etihad Rail, the train service will reach speeds of up to 350km/h, and “pass through key strategic destinations and tourist attractions”, an Abu Dhabi media […] January 23, 2025
