The Middle East

Tightening liquidity conditions and a squeeze on profit growth proved to be the hallmarks for Qatar’s banking sector in 2016, as financial institutions across the Gulf were forced to respond to the effects of weak oil prices on the local economy. Despite tougher operating conditions, however, the sector remains resilient, with strong underlying fundamentals marked by high capital adequacy...

As a major hydrocarbons-exporting economy, Qatar owes both its prosperity and much of its continued growth to international trade. Indeed, in any given year the combined value of imports and exports can exceed three-quarters of the country’s GDP. As a result, and despite recent efforts towards economic diversification, the economy remains exposed to swings in the price of oil, with 2016 having...

Following a challenging 2016, when the price of Brent Crude dipped briefly below $30 per barrel and governments across the GCC were compelled to significantly adjust their fiscal plans, 2017 has brought the region some respite – both to current accounts and the wider economy. Qatar remained better insulated from the effects of oil price volatility than most countries in the Gulf, owing chiefly...

Since gaining independence in 1971 Qatar has quickly risen to prominence both regionally and internationally to become an economic, political and cultural powerhouse in the Middle East. With a relatively small local population and substantial revenues generated from having the third-largest proven natural gas reserves globally, Qatar has one of the world’s highest GDPs per capita: at current...

Driven by the need to accommodate rising enrolment and government efforts to address long-standing issues in public education, the education sector in Kuwait is undergoing significant reform in 2017. Government-directed reforms and investments include those initiated in the general education segment under Kuwait’s Integrated Education Reform Programme and School Education Quality Improvement...