While advanced economies generate the vast majority of insurance and reinsurance business, emerging markets are posting higher rates of growth. Complementing this underlying trend is a strong and expanding interest in catastrophic risk, which by nature tends to pertain to emerging markets. This is coming alongside fast-paced, sector-...
Despite difficult economic conditions, Oman’s insurers have succeeded in posting consistent net profits in recent years. With the economy recovering from the decline in global oil prices starting at the end of 2014, the industry is well positioned to take advantage of new opportunities. This is especially true as the government moves to...
GCC countries have long appreciated the importance of education for their sustained development. However, the sector, and higher education in particular, has risen as a priority over the past decade with the launch of ambitious economic diversification plans across the region. These strategies seek to harness the potential of the GCC’s...
One of the positive outcomes of the decline in oil prices over 2015 and 2016 has been a surge in activity in the GCC’s debt market. With oil revenues shrinking, governments around the Arabian Gulf have sought alternative sources of funding for their spending programmes, and the issuance of sovereign bonds has proved a useful solution for many...
Recent decades have seen a downward trend in corporate taxation, with headline corporate tax rates falling by 20 percentage points since the early 1980s. The average for advanced economies dipped to 22% in 2015, and investment incentives have further reduced effective rates for transnational corporations. After the 2007-08 global financial...
Muted investor sentiment since 2016 has resulted in a slowdown of activity on Oman’s stock market. Sovereign downgrades by all three major ratings agencies and constricted government spending in the wake of a rapid oil price decline have taken their toll on trading volumes, nudging the exchange’s index into a negative trend over 2018. However...
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