Economy

Equities are lightly traded across the region, and initial public offerings (IPOs) have been few and far between. In Dubai, however, a capital markets culture that has relied on private wealth and bank debt seems ripe for change. The emirate has four regulated trading platforms, and plans to encourage more activity on them are under way. In 2014 the first equity capital...

The administration of Sharjah, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, continued to implement its long-term economic plan in 2014, with major progress points including the government’s first international sale of sukuk, the sharia-compliant equivalent of bonds, and a partial opening of the real estate sector to foreigners. Efforts are ongoing to enhance...

The adoption of a technique called performance-based budgeting (PBB) could help Dubai’s government boost its efficiency, fulfil a government-wide mandate to leverage information and communications technology, and get the most out of its public spending. This process has the potential to save millions of dirhams, essentially by helping to anticipate costs more accurately...

Strong fundamentals and a diversified economy are keeping concerns at bay in Dubai, despite a potential cooling of investor sentiment across the region and weakening global conditions. Dubai announced a balanced budget for 2015 at the start of January, as it plans to increase spending by 9% year-on-year, with spending and revenues both projected at Dh41bn ($11.2bn),...

Developing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a priority for the Dubai government. As in many developing countries, these businesses account for the bulk of commercial establishments — about 95%, according to government figures. However, while they employ 42% of the workforce and account for 40% of the total value added in the economy, they are not seen as a...