The Middle East

Rising health care costs, ageing populations and changing lifestyles in emerging economies are stoking demand for medical technology (medtech) solutions. These entail not just smart devices that remotely monitor and transmit biometric data, but any instance of technology that helps to deliver health services. These initiatives are happening...

With a strong fiscal base, a high average per capita income and a strong shopping culture, Kuwait looks set to rebound from a period of stagnant growth caused by declining oil prices. While the local retail sector is small compared to larger GCC markets like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, consumers are quickly catching up with their regional peers...

While e-commerce has become well established in more developed markets, the segment has been slower to take off in emerging economies. Online purchasing has been held down in these markets by financing, purchasing and logistics challenges. Nevertheless, online sales are growing rapidly in many developing countries in spite of these obstacles....

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the engines of global economic growth and employment, accounting for an average of 33% of GDP and 45% of the workforce in high-income countries, and over 60% of GDP and 70% of employment in developing economies. In the case of the latter, the rise in the number of SMEs has been crucial to economic...

The non-hydrocarbons industrial sector has long played a secondary role to oil and gas in Kuwait. As the country pivots towards easing the dependence of its economy on hydrocarbons, manufacturing is one of the sectors the government is looking to further develop, with the Public Authority of Industry (PAI) taking the lead. Sector stakeholders...