The Middle East

With Saudi Arabia’s recent budget providing the financial fuel for the country’s economic expansion and diversification, the government’s ninth development plan (NDP) 2010-14 provides the roadmap. The most recently updated version of the plan divides SR1.4trn ($373.1bn) among five development sectors. Developed by the Saudi...

One of Jeddah’s most pressing needs is a vast supply of new housing, both to cater for an expanding population and improve the quality of living for those in unplanned settlements. Growing 1.5% each year, Jeddah’s population is projected to be 13% higher in 2015 than in 2010, according to the Jeddah Development and Urban...

The A’sharqia, or Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, continues to be at the forefront of the country’s economic and industrial advancement. The province is also a microcosm of the government’s diversification efforts, with a...

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA), the Kingdom’s central bank, is widely viewed as one of the top insurance regulators in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. According to an October 2012 report released by AM Best, an international ratings agency, SAMA is “well respected locally” and is “one of the more...

With the spectre of the global economic slowdown still looming over advanced economies, investors weary of waiting for the long anticipated financial rebound might do well to look to emerging markets for potentially attractive yields. Four years on from the credit crisis, advanced economies are still lagging behind global...