Transport Kuwait awards railway contract to Turkish company Kuwait has awarded the tender for the first phase of its plan to build 111 kilometres of railway. The Central Agency for Public Tenders awarded the contract to Turkish engineering and consulting company Proyapi to carry out a study and detailed design to prepare tender documents for the railway. The first phase is expected to […] January 24, 2025
Opinion Oil & Gas Expect the unexpected with Trump and the Gulf Whatever the new administration decides, it is unlikely to happen quickly January 24, 2025
Economy Saudi Arabia has ‘great confidence’ in Lebanon’s reforms Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud visited Beirut on Thursday, the first trip to Lebanon by a Saudi foreign minister in 15 years. The visit coincided with early signs of recovery in Lebanon’s economy as it improves relations with Gulf states and others following the election of President Joseph Aoun. After his meeting with Aoun, Bin […] January 24, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Gulf has a strong hand in Trump’s $500bn AI project Two of the three tech giants that will spend billions of dollars building US artificial intelligence infrastructure in a partnership announced by President Donald Trump have been the recipients of significant Gulf investment. Japan’s SoftBank and US companies OpenAI and Oracle have committed $500 billion over four years to Stargate, an entity tasked with building […] January 22, 2025
Opinion Oil & Gas He came in like a wrecking ball but how will oil markets react? Donald Trump's slew of 'emergency' orders will have a huge impact on the region's oil producers January 21, 2025
Energy Trump doubles down on energy and trade on first day in job US President Donald Trump pushed forward with multiple, controversial campaign pledges on the first day of his second term in the White House, including on issues such as energy and trade that are bound to affect Gulf economies. Ascribing stubbornly high inflation to “massive” government overspending and “escalating” energy prices, Trump declared after his inauguration […] January 21, 2025
Analysis Trade Trump’s bravado fails to spook minerals market – so far Ordinarily, commodity markets tend to react strongly when leaders of major global economies announce plans for war and conquest. If those plans involve disrupting one of the world’s most important sea lanes and reversing centuries of peace with two major allies, you might even expect a certain panic. Yet, when US President-elect Donald Trump declined […] January 21, 2025
Opinion Economy Trump’s tariffs are bullish for GCC capital markets – for now King Dollar is currently the beneficiary of classic FX market overshooting January 20, 2025
Opinion Development Lebanon’s journey to renewal starts now Hope and optimism follow the arrival of a new prime minister and president January 20, 2025
Economy Lebanon and Sudan swell Arab countries’ public debt Public debt in Arab countries swelled by nearly $142 billion at the end of 2023, mainly because of a sharp rise in obligations by Lebanon and war-battered Sudan. Total debt increased despite a fall in Egypt’s public, mostly domestic, dues as a result of a large depreciation in the pound against the US dollar. The […] January 20, 2025
Tech KKR signs a $5bn Gulf data centre deal in Dubai KKR, the American investment giant, and the data centre platform Gulf Data Hub (GDH), based in Dubai, have signed a strategic partnership to invest $5 billion in data centres serving the Gulf. A joint press release on Friday said that funds “affiliated with KKR” will also acquire a stake in GDH, although it did not […] January 17, 2025
Analysis Sustainability Climate and cost: the Gulf’s water scarcity challenge Over the past 18 months, Saudi Arabia has set up a Global Water Organisation, established a stand-alone Saudi Water Authority and presided over the One Water Summit in Riyadh. At the summit on December 5, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for “collective action” to address water scarcity in the region and around the world. […] January 17, 2025
Analysis Trade Tariffs and tech on the UAE’s radar as Trump takes office When billionaire developer Hussain Sajwani appeared on stage with Donald Trump earlier this month to announce $20 billion worth of investment in US data centres, he did not hide his glee about the Republican’s return to the White House. The chairman of UAE-based Damac Properties called Trump’s re-election in November “amazing news” and said his […] January 17, 2025
Artificial Intelligence Saudi networking platform Halo AI secures $6m funding Saudi networking platform Halo AI has secured $6 million in seed funding to expand globally in a funding round led by Raed Ventures and Shorooq Partners, highlighting the Gulf region’s enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. Halo AI seeks to connect content creators and brands using highly autonomous or “agentic” AI technology developed by tech leaders such […] January 16, 2025
Economy Inflation, not war, is Gulf states’ top concern, says WEF Economic concerns such as inflation dominate risk perception for the coming year in the Gulf and across Mena, according to the World Economic Forum. Its survey of thousands of experts and business leaders, the Global Risks Report 2025, found that geopolitical conflict was the No 1 risk globally, selected by respondents as the “most likely […] January 15, 2025
Economy Slow restart predicted for GCC aid to Lebanon A resumption of badly needed GCC financial aid to Lebanon may take time, even though most Gulf countries have given their blessing to the new Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, according to observers. The six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council were previously among the biggest aid donors and investors in Lebanon, before they cut assistance as […] January 14, 2025
Opinion Economy GCC well-placed to be this year’s global growth standout The overall financial position of the region, especially the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is strong January 13, 2025
Logistics Fall of Assad reopens Syria route to Gulf for Turkey’s truckers The overthrow of the Bashar Al-Assad regime is great news for Turkey’s logistics sector, with hopes that the direct land route to the Gulf region through Syria may soon be re-established. While there will be strong demand for logistics in Syria as the country rebuilds after 13 years of civil war, Turkey’s truckers are looking […] January 13, 2025
Opinion Tourism Immersive storytelling, posh cuisine and branded flats: 2025’s hospitality trends Adaptability and innovation will be vital to maintaining the sector’s global appeal January 10, 2025
Analysis Real Estate Gulf property investors return to London Gulf investors are returning to the UK property market after four years, with experts attributing the change to the new Labour government and falling interest rates. Rashid Khan-Gandapur, director of real estate finance at the Bank of London and the Middle East, says the bank has seen a “massive uplift in GCC investment flow since […] January 10, 2025
