The Middle East

The ICT sector is primed for considerable expansion in the coming years as digital technologies become increasingly central to cross-sectoral operations and performance. Recently, the government has made significant financial and time savings after successfully shifting many internal processes and public services online, raising efficiency, productivity and coordination across...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 caused disruptions across the global economy, from food to energy, and prompted an increase in the number and sophistication of cyberattacks – exacerbating similar impacts from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Saudi Arabia’s defence expenditure was the sixth highest worldwide in 2021, behind the US, China, India, Russia and the UK. The localisation of industry, and enhanced research and development (R&D) are core to Vision 2030, the government’s long-term blueprint for development. Given the defence sector’s traditional prominence in the annual budget, it is among the areas...