All Countries and All Sectors

The outlook for Kuwait’s banking system over the next 12-18 months remains stable, according to a recent report by Moody’s Investors Services. Asset quality has improved markedly since the days of the global financial crisis, and lenders are well capitalised. However, the country’s lenders face other challenges, most notably a sluggish economy that has left demand for loans – particularly on the corporate side – limited.

An ambitious growth plan for Egypt’s tourism industry, a major contributor to the wider economy, is under way to steer the sector forward after political revolution in 2011 put a damper on arrival numbers and revenues. However, taking into account the revolution’s effects on the sector, Egypt still attracted an impressive 10m visitors in 2011 and maintained its position as the most-visited country in the region.

In subtropical South-east Asian climates, where air conditioning accounts for about 50% of a building’s energy use and up to 30% of operating costs, energy efficiency requires keeping cold air inside and hot air out. Some sector participants estimate that improvements to the “building envelope” can reduce the energy required to cool a building by 50-80%.

With pay rises across both the public and private sectors in Oman producing higher levels of consumer spending, some analysts are now revising their forecasts upwards for the Sultanate’s retail sector in favour of solid growth.

Rising visitor numbers are supporting the growth of Indonesia’s tourism industry, and the country is now looking to tap into growing markets and develop new destinations. While tourism is an important foreign currency earner and a moderate contributor to overall GDP, it is still small compared to regional leaders Thailand and Malaysia. Its growth outlook, however, is excellent.

As the first emirate to introduce a compulsory medical insurance scheme for expatriate workers in 2006, Abu Dhabi has long been a leader in the health care sector. Since then, the Health Authority – Abu Dhabi (HAAD) has continued to implement changes to improve the health insurance system.