Côte d’Ivoire is an economic powerhouse in West Africa, posting average growth of 8% between 2011 and 2018. However, the rate of GDP growth in real terms fell to 6.7% in 2019 and is expected to contract to 2.7% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent widespread shutdowns. Looking to the future, the IMF expects growth to rebound to 8.7% in 2021, highlighting the country’s economic resilience.
Banks in the GCC are turning to consolidation and financial technology (fintech) to help overcome the economic fallout from Covid-19 and the drop in global oil prices.
Quarantine measures have been extended in Egypt, deepening the impact of the coronavirus on businesses, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular. The country’s banks are adapting to the crisis through increased digitalisation, but will this prove a lasting change?
Saudi Arabia is home to the second-largest insurance market in the GCC, accounting for approximately 33.6% of the region’s gross written premium (GWP) in 2018. Much of the sector’s growth over recent years has been the result of government action: the Kingdom ranks joint-second in the GCC region in terms of the breadth of its mandatory...
The threat of cybercrime has risen dramatically in recent years, and emerging markets are no exception. While the shift towards online platforms – along with the development of the internet of things, smart cities and blockchain technology – is generating significant opportunities for wealth creation and helping to raise efficiency, it is also...
Investment in alternative assets is taking place across an increasingly diverse array of financial instruments in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is a regional leader in mutual fund activity, with the deepest and most varied investment pool in the GCC. A large number of highnet-worth individuals and family offices, meanwhile, makes private equity (...
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