Earlier this month Saudi Arabia’s Riyad Bank closed a $750m “sustainability” sukuk (Islamic bond), the latest in a wave of high-profile issuance across different regions. ESG-related sukuk are set to see rapid growth in 2022, even as the broader sukuk market softens.
Amid an increase in global demand and concerns over key supplies, global oil prices are approaching $100 per barrel for the first time since 2014. But, with prices rising, what does this mean for the renewable energy transition, especially in Gulf countries?
A number of remittance-focused financial technology (fintech) start-ups are gaining traction in emerging markets. In doing so, they are making inroads on market share that was formerly the preserve of established financial service providers.
On the back of higher oil prices and a stronger global economic environment, the Middle East returned to growth in 2021, with a number of governments taking the opportunity to implement long-term plans aimed at diversification and modernisation.
COP26 has focused the world’s attention on the need for a more sustainable economic model that ensures profits and growth are not achieved at the expense of ecological health and social well-being.
With a population larger than the other five GCC countries combined, Saudi Arabia accounted for more than 50% of the region’s food imports prior to the pandemic, and 80% of food consumed in the Kingdom came from abroad.
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