INSEAD Day 4 - 728x90

Economy

BYD logs record EV sales in 2025

It sold 2.26m EVs vs Tesla's 1.22 by Sept end.

Google to invest $6.4bn

The investment is its biggest-ever in Germany.

Pfizer poised to buy Metsera

The pharma giant improved its offer to $10bn.

Ozempic maker lowers outlook

The company posted tepid Q3 results.

Kimberly-Clark to buy Kenvue

The deal is valued at $48.7 billion.

Web Summit Qatar 2026: Doha’s Bid to Become the Next Tech Hub

Early signals hint that Web Summit Qatar 2026 will be its biggest edition yet, with participation expected to outpace the...
  • Qatar’s rising ambition to become a global tech hub, high digital adoption, and fast-growing startup support ecosystem has made it the summit’s natural destination
  • GCO and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) have reinforced that ambition with a series of long-term national programs designed to attract entrepreneurs and global firms

Saudi Arabia’s high-stakes race toward Vision 2030: Diversifying amid global uncertainty

Moving forward, lower oil revenues will continue to pose challenges to the Saudi economy and its overall targets. Earlier this...
  • As non-oil growth accelerates and private investment rises, the Kingdom faces the challenge of sustaining momentum without overstretching its fiscal limits
  • Vision 2030 is reshaping the Kingdom’s economy at unprecedented speed, but sustaining growth amid lower oil revenues will test policymakers

Syria to start replacing currency from Jan 1: central bank chief

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from...
  • Central bank chief Abdul Qadir al-Hasriya said that "January 1, 2026, is the start date for the replacement process" for the currency
  • Hasriya said the move comes at a "pivotal national juncture that reflects the beginning of a new economic and monetary era"

“New Suez Canal on rails”: Egypt high-speed trains to connect Red Sea, Mediterranean

Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the...
  • The Green Line, as it is known, is the latest of a long list of megaprojects undertaken by El-Sisi's government in the past decade
  • The Green Line will run across the country's north, from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean

UAE builds resilient economy outpacing skeptics and shocks

From the 1980s onward, the federal government and individual emirates launched broader diversification and liberalization programs to reduce reliance on...
  • Decades of strategic diversification, agile governance and private-sector dynamism have turned the UAE into a global benchmark for sustainable growth
  • From the oil windfalls of the 1970s to today’s AI-driven economy, the UAE’s long-term vision is delivering fiscal strength, investor confidence and global relevance

US launches pact for AI supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies to face China

The United States signed an agreement on the supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies concerned about China's growing clout --...
  • Dubbed the "Pax Silica," adapting the Latin terms for peace and silicon, a key material in AI, the partnership aims to secure supply chains
  • China has quickly taken a dominant position in the race for resources in the fast-growing area of artificial intelligence, mining around 70 percent of key rare earths

MENA emerges as fast-growing global e-trading hub, UAE leads with over half-trillion dollars in volume

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is rapidly becoming one of the world’s most dynamic retail e-trading markets,...
  • The study, Trading’s New Horizon: How Access, Innovation and Ambition Are Fuelling MENA’s E-Trading Boom, draws on two years of data from 62,850 verified traders across the region
  • The report notes that MENA traders are young, digitally savvy and highly educated, and nearly 86% are aged 18–44, and 64% hold a university degree—far higher than Europe’s 39%

Qatar’s economic momentum accelerates as diversification gains global recognition

However, Qatar faces downside risks from a deeper global economic slowdown that could weaken energy demand and LNG prices amid...
  • World Bank, Standard Chartered, and Moody’s highlight Qatar’s resilience, strong GDP outlook, and rising non-hydrocarbon strength
  • Backed by digital transformation, AI investment, and stable credit ratings, Qatar’s non-oil sectors lead regional growth

Saudi powers forward with deficit spending to fund diversification of its oil-dependent economy

Saudi Arabia greenlit its 2026 budget Tuesday, projecting a deficit of 165 billion riyals ($44 billion) as the kingdom presses...
  • The Arab world's largest economy is overseeing a major push to slash its dependence on oil revenues, with officials pouring billions into projects to attract investment and tourism
  • The budget figures will be keenly watched by energy industry experts, with the hopes of gleaning insights into where Saudi Arabia expects oil revenues to head in the near future

 Kuwait rises on the strength of collaboration: Airlines deal and sweeping reforms fuel economic revival

In addition, Kuwait hosted a major joint meeting between the GCC and the United Kingdom in October focused on a...
  • As S&P upgrades Kuwait’s credit rating and non-oil sectors surge, the country’s 2025 policy strategy proves that collaboration can be a catalyst for long-term sustainable growth
  • Major fiscal reforms, new regional agreements, and a booming non-oil economy position Kuwait for stronger investment flows and renewed global confidence

Gold, silver prices tumble as investors soothed by Trump’s Fed pick

Gold and silver prices dived Friday, European stock markets ended the week up while Wall Street fell slightly with investors reassured...

Latest News

Global economy set for “sturdy growth” in 2026, MENA growth to outpace global economy

The Middle East and North Africa region is expected to outperform the global economy in 2026, with GDP projected to...

SoftBank lifts OpenAI stake to 11% with $41bln investment

Tokyo, Japan -- Japanese tech investor SoftBank said Wednesday that its stake in OpenAI is now around 11 percent after...

Syria reveals new post-Assad banknotes

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa unveiled on Monday new banknotes replacing those showing ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and his family, hoping...
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600
INSEAD Day 4- 300x600

Most Read

China says to launch digital currency action plan

Beijing, China -- China will on January 1 launch an "action plan" for boosting management and operations of its digital...
  • The "action plan" will see banks pay interest on balances held by clients in digital yuan -- a move to incentivize broader adoption of the currency.
  • The plan also includes a proposal to establish an international digital yuan operations centre in the eastern financial hub of Shanghai, the report said.

Web Summit Qatar 2026: Doha’s Bid to Become the Next Tech Hub

Early signals hint that Web Summit Qatar 2026 will be its biggest edition yet, with participation expected to outpace the...
  • Qatar’s rising ambition to become a global tech hub, high digital adoption, and fast-growing startup support ecosystem has made it the summit’s natural destination
  • GCO and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) have reinforced that ambition with a series of long-term national programs designed to attract entrepreneurs and global firms

Saudi Arabia’s high-stakes race toward Vision 2030: Diversifying amid global uncertainty

Moving forward, lower oil revenues will continue to pose challenges to the Saudi economy and its overall targets. Earlier this...
  • As non-oil growth accelerates and private investment rises, the Kingdom faces the challenge of sustaining momentum without overstretching its fiscal limits
  • Vision 2030 is reshaping the Kingdom’s economy at unprecedented speed, but sustaining growth amid lower oil revenues will test policymakers