Analysis Oil & Gas Trump’s prospective energy team is a mixed blessing for Gulf Fossil fuel veteran energy secretary US production boost could hit price Likely to impact renewables drive The nomination of a fossil fuels veteran and climate sceptic as US energy secretary is likely to chime with Gulf expectations tha... Register now: It’s easy and free This content is available for registered members only. Register for your […] November 19, 2024
Analysis Construction Jeddah Tower will be world’s tallest building, but sky’s the limit Since the invention of the modern high-rise in the early 1900s, to the completion of the Burj Khalifa in 2010, the height of the tallest building in the world grew nearly five fold, or 661 metres, going from the 167 metres of the Philadelphia City Hall to the Burj’s 828 metres. The Jeddah Tower, on […] November 15, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Building more homes a better strategy for Kuwait, say experts Kuwait has tightened property ownership restrictions on non-GCC nationals in an attempt to make real estate more affordable for locals, but industry watchers say building more homes would be the better strategy. The small, oil-rich emirate has already imposed strict standards on nationals of countries from outside the Gulf who wanted to purchase domestic real […] November 15, 2024
Analysis Health Bahrain government rebuffs citizens’ quota in healthcare A unanimous call by the Bahraini parliament for half the jobs in private healthcare to be reserved for citizens has been rejected by the government on the grounds of possible harm to patients and the potential impact on foreign direct investment. Government officials told the National Assembly that the proposed quota would constrain private healthcare’s […] November 14, 2024
Construction US hardwood all the rage as UAE imports rise The UAE’s imports of US hardwood have spiked dramatically in the first three quarters of this year amid the construction boom in the emirates and neighbouring Saudi Arabia, as well as GCC consumers’ current preference for oak and walnut finishes. The value of American hardwood lumber sold in the UAE rose from approximately $9.5 million […] November 13, 2024
Analysis Health Healthy progress made in Saudi Arabia’s wellness drive Private health services in Saudi Arabia are rapidly expanding as its growing population and the focus on improving citizens’ wellbeing under the Vision 2030 programme bring in billions of dollars in new domestic and foreign investments. During the Global Health Exhibition, held in Riyadh at the end of October, Saudi officials announced deals worth $13.3 […] November 11, 2024
Analysis Tax Buoyant property market puts billions in Dubai’s coffers Dubai authorities have recorded a five-fold surge in the sums they earn from fees related to real estate transactions over the past five years to almost $4 billion, as the emirate’s property market grows stronger and prices rise sharply, AGBI has calculated. The transfer fee, payable to the Dubai Land Department (DLD) upon a sale, […] November 8, 2024
Analysis Tech US and China in race to get their tech into Gulf markets Gulf countries are likely to face mounting pressure to adopt American technology as the US tries to exploit its best-in-class semiconductor and artificial intelligence products to muscle China out of their markets before the Asian superpower catches up. The US is walking a fine line between increasing the regional uptake of its chips and software […] November 7, 2024
Trade Arab world welcomes Trump back to the White House The Arab world has hailed Donald Trump’s successful bid to return to the White House, with his long-standing personal, business and political ties to the region bringing hopes of closer bilateral relationships with the United States for the next four years. The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was the first GCC leader […] November 6, 2024
Analysis Giga-projects The remaking of Riyadh ahead of World Expo 2030 Expo 2030 is already propelling real estate development in Riyadh six years before the international fair is scheduled to take place – and, along with other giga-projects, is helping to shift the city’s core to the north. The World Expo, which typically takes place in a different city every five years, is expected to occupy […] October 31, 2024
Analysis Construction ‘Green’ cement falling short of meeting climate goals Construction has become as much a part of the Gulf landscape as the desert. But it is also one of the major contributors to carbon dioxide emissions, a key driver of climate change. GCC governments and developers, particularly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are pushing to find alternatives to traditional concrete and its basic […] October 25, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Mid-range housing leapfrogs affordable competition in Dubai Sales of affordable housing in Dubai declined over the past six years as a share of total transactions amid changing developers’ preferences and broader cost-of-living increases, industry professionals say. Properties below AED1 million ($272,000) peaked at 46 percent of all residential deals in the emirate in the third quarter of 2018. That figure has steadily […] October 16, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Real estate picks up in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province The Gulf city of Dammam and the Eastern Province that surrounds it have long trailed behind Riyadh, Jeddah and Mecca in the push for glitzy development, but real estate activity is picking up across the hospitality, residential and industrial sectors. The province, which has deep pockets thanks to its importance to the Saudi energy industry, […] October 14, 2024
Real Estate Riyadh leads Saudi Arabia’s hot property market Strong population and employment growth in Riyadh is driving a surge in real estate transactions as new properties cannot come on the market fast enough. A dramatic rise in the number of deals in the 12 months to the end of June was also visible in Jeddah and Dammam, according to a report this week […] October 11, 2024
Gaming Wynn Resorts says UAE site will earn $1bn in gaming revenue Wynn Resorts estimates that gaming revenue from its forthcoming resort in Ras Al Khaimah will be between $1 billion and $1.66 billion, it revealed at an investor presentation. The range assumes a UAE market size of $3 billion to $5 billion and Wynn’s 33 percent share of it, based on two more integrated resorts eventually […] October 9, 2024
Analysis Leisure & Hospitality Infrastructure needed to support Egypt’s tourism ambitions Regional and international hotel operators are keen to expand in Egypt, but the country needs to improve infrastructure such as airports to support its tourism ambitions, industry sources have said. Egypt aims to emulate the high-end hospitality and entertainment development that the UAE and other Gulf countries have pioneered, at the same time bringing in […] October 9, 2024
Analysis Construction Middle East crisis further hinders late project delivery The escalating Middle East conflict involving Israel, Lebanon and Iran is further hindering already stretched construction timelines in the Gulf. Safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is threatened, with concerns that Iran will close the waterway. This route is critical to GCC oil and gas exports. Building projects in the Middle East suffered some […] October 9, 2024
Gaming Wynn scores UAE’s first commercial gaming licence Wynn Resorts, the US hospitality group, has won the first commercial gaming operator’s licence in the UAE. The company, which has its headquarters in Las Vegas, is building a $4 billion, 1,500-room resort on Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, which is expected to open in 2027. The resort has now been licensed by […] October 7, 2024
Economy Kuwait’s economy holds up against challenges, says central bank Robust spending and “long-due” structural reforms expected to accelerate following “recent political developments” will help Kuwait’s economy overcome some challenges, according to the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK). Kuwait faced multiple challenges in 2023 in the face of high inflation, rising global interest rates and bubbling geopolitical tensions in the region, according to CBK’s 12th […] October 4, 2024
Analysis Tourism Gulf hospitality industry shrugs off war concerns Middle East hospitality veterans downplayed concerns over wider regional tensions this week, saying the industry has survived crises before and is poised to do so again. Government officials and corporate executives spoke during the Future Hospitality Summit, which is taking place in Dubai this week, just as military action intensified in Israel, Lebanon and Iran, […] October 3, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Off-plan luxury projects drive real estate risk in Dubai The rapid growth in off-plan development, particularly luxury properties, is injecting vulnerability in Dubai’s otherwise solid real estate market. Developers launched 391 projects in Dubai between January and mid-September, a 43 percent year-on-year increase. Many of the apartment towers in the pipeline are designed as high-end, and often branded, residences. “I feel there’s an oversupply […] October 2, 2024
Analysis Oil & Gas North Field expansion to power Qatar’s economy Qatar’s economy is likely to record only modest growth this year, but analysts predict that revenues generated from a North Field gas expansion will make it among the fastest-growing globally in two years’ time. Gross domestic product is forecast to surge to nearly 13 percent in 2026, after sluggish growth of only 1.5 percent this […] October 1, 2024
