The Middle East Economy

Restricted by regulatory uncertainty and underdevelopment over the past two decades, the Saudi Arabian real estate market is poised for a breakout in the coming years as long-awaited mortgage law reforms and more than a million new units planned for construction look set to transform the domestic market.

Hoteliers are looking to benefit from the extraordinarily high demand created by Makkah’s continuing flow of pilgrims, who represent 90% of the city’s hotel guests. The demand stems not only from the fact that pilgrim numbers look set to increase, but also from a government drive to improve health and safety standards during the...

For all its economic success, its public works projects, forests of new economic cities rising from the desert and concerted efforts to infuse new resources into all levels of education, Saudi Arabia has yet to turn the corner on the its long-standing dilemma of how to get greater numbers of nationals into the workforce. For the...

Flying in the face of ongoing global economic malaise which has seen many Western economies struggling to regain their composure, Saudi Arabia continues to post strong economic growth on the back of its thriving petroleum sector anchored by a steady political and financial base. Although higher-than-expected oil demand played a...

The city of Al Ain is sometimes known as “the Garden City” in the UAE, and with good reason. While the UAE is largely composed of desert, Al Ain sits in the centre of a large oasis that it shares with the neighbouring Omani town of Buraimi and which has sustained human settlement for thousands of years. While Al Ain, one of three municipalities...

In December 2011 the UAE Cabinet approved a new draft Commercial Companies Law that will replace the companies law that has been in place since 1984. Under development for several years, the new law as specified by the draft could spur investment in Abu Dhabi by making it easier to operate in the UAE and improving corporate governance. However, when...