Opinion Banking and Finance GCC banks will prosper under Trump’s presidency The challenge for Gulf banks will be to keep their balance and focus in a volatile policy landscape February 13, 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
Analysis Industry 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 […] February 11, 2025
Manufacturing What Trump’s steel tariffs mean to the Middle East Donald Trump’s proposed US steel tariffs will put Turkish producers most at risk in the Middle East, while Gulf steel exporters will be sheltered from the worst of the damage, experts have told AGBI. On Sunday Mr Trump, the newly elected US president, said he would soon unveil 25 percent import taxes on all steel […] February 11, 2025
Analysis Health 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 […] February 9, 2025
Editor's Insight Economy Navigating volatility: The impact on GCC economies The optimism is welcome – but it may be misplaced. This week the Riyad Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index in Saudi Arabia hit its highest level in more than 10 years – a significant vote of confidence in the Arab world’s largest economy. There was positive news too on jobs in the kingdom. Employment rose “solidly” last year, […] February 7, 2025
Opinion Trade The Gulf has a tricky path to plot between China and the West It may be clichéd to call the Gulf a crossroads between north, south, east and west, but it is undeniably true February 5, 2025
Video length: 04:44 VIDEO Transport EVs and air taxis will shake up Mena insurance industry Motor insurance represents more than 50 percent of premiums in developing insurance markets such as the Middle East, says Vinay Surana, managing director for the region at Allianz Partners. The rapid development and introduction of electric vehicles, self-driving vehicles and air taxis will present new risks and demand new approaches and different ways of thinking, […] February 5, 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
Opinion Tech US ambitions are a fork in the road for GCC crypto If Trump follows through on deregulation, the States could be a serious competitor to the Gulf February 4, 2025
Opinion Trade GCC should target tariff-free food deals with Trump US agriculture could be looking for new export markets February 4, 2025
Opinion Oil & Gas Canada oil tariffs could weigh heavily on global markets Most respectable economists believe it is also bad news for the US economy February 3, 2025
Economy Bahrain to increase oil revenue contributions to wealth fund Bahrain has approved plans to increase its contribution from its oil revenues to its Future Generations Reserve wealth fund. King Hamad of Bahrain approved a new modified savings format, amending the 2006 law that dates back to when the sovereign wealth fund was established. The fund was created to allocate and invest amounts deducted from oil […] February 3, 2025
Telecoms Ooredoo to build high-speed data network for GCC Qatari telelcoms company Ooredoo Group has signed an agreement with French company Alcatel Submarine Networks to build a new submarine cable and fibre network connecting seven countries in the region. The project, called Gulf in Fibre, will connect the six GCC countries — Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman — and Iraq […] January 31, 2025
Logistics Red Sea attacks and ecommerce boost Middle East air cargo Strong ecommerce growth and attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have resulted in a 13 percent rise in air cargo shipments in the Middle East. The International Air Transport Association said global air cargo demand increased by 11.3 percent last year. The Middle East overperformed with 14 percent growth, while European carriers reported 11.2 percent growth and […] January 30, 2025
Tax Bahrain’s expat tax move ‘likely to be replicated GCC-wide’ Bahrain is proposing to levy a tax on expatriate remittances, a move an industry expert believes is likely to be replicated in other neighbouring Gulf countries. Members of parliament in the kingdom this week supported a revised proposal which would mean expat remittances face a two percent tax. “It would not surprise me if other […] January 30, 2025
Construction Contracts in Saudi Arabia rise 25% in value in 2024 The value of contracts issued by Saudi Arabia rose by almost a quarter year on year in 2024 to reach a record high of $146.8 billion. The kingdom accounted for more than half of all contracts issued across the GCC, which reached a new high of $273.2 billion, according to a report by the Kuwait-based […] January 30, 2025
Oil & Gas Opec+ to take joint stance on Trump oil policy The Opec+ group of leading oil producers is set to discuss President Donald Trump’s efforts to raise US oil production and take a joint stance on the matter, Kazakhstan said on Wednesday. Trump last week laid out a sweeping plan to help maximise oil and gas production, including by declaring a national energy emergency to speed up permitting […] January 30, 2025
Economy GCC central banks align with Fed to keep rates steady The central banks in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have aligned with the US Federal Reserve to hold their interest rates steady. The Central Bank of the UAE will maintain its base rate on overnight deposit facility (ODF) at 4.4 percent, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. No other central banks in the […] January 30, 2025
