The Middle East Economy

As many countries turn to debt to help fund their recoveries from the coronavirus pandemic, an increasing number of governments and companies are looking at sustainability-focused financial instruments such as green bonds to fund major projects.

While the coronavirus pandemic has had a negative impact on many businesses throughout 2020, a recent rebound in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has pointed towards a partial recovery in investor sentiment – as well as demonstrating that certain sectors have taken on greater importance as a result of Covid-19.

With the world’s gaze increasingly trained on the upcoming US elections, emerging economies are also grappling with the question of how to facilitate voting in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to pose multiple challenges for governments, development banks are playing an important role in aiding the recovery in emerging markets.

While global investment is expected to fall sharply this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, impact investment – the funding of projects that generate a positive social or environmental impact, as well as a financial return – is tipped to hold relatively steady, and could play a key role in the recovery of emerging market economies.

As governments around the world continue to grapple with the economic and health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, policymakers in emerging markets have been seeking effective ways to support their informal sectors. In response to the growing crisis, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has called for a 'new deal' aimed at protecting informal workers.