MENA could unlock $1 trillion value by 2030
“The opportunity for MENA is significant, and the value will come from execution,” said Wissam Yassine, partner and Middle East...
Research
World Bank raises Saudi Arabia’s real GDP growth forecast to 7.9 percent in 2027
The revised forecast represents an increase of about three percentage points and comes as the bank expects the Saudi economy...
Economy
Global economy stabilizes as fiscal room narrows, WEF says
Expo 2020 DUBAI
Geostrategy
AI to cancer vaccines: Emerging technologies edge closer to large-scale adoption
World Economic Forum's Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report 2026, developed alongside the Dubai Future Foundation, has identified 10 technologies that...
- Advances in healthcare, energy and manufacturing increasingly depend on infrastructure, deployment capacity, regulation and public adoption.
- Among the technologies identified are everything-to-grid energy systems, direct lithium extraction and precision fermentation.
Economy
Bain identifies four priorities for sovereign wealth funds as assets approach $30 trillion
State-backed investors are expanding beyond traditional investment models, increasing exposure to alternatives, AI and direct deals while balancing returns with...
- Top 10 sovereign wealth funds hold more than 75% of global assets.
- Sovereign wealth funds reached about $15 trillion in assets under management in 2025.
Economy
Saudi Arabia rises to 13th in global competitiveness rankings
The Kingdom ranked 13th out of 70 economies assessed in the annual report, improving from 17th place a year earlier...
- The report attributed the improvement to stronger performance across all four of its pillars: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency and infrastructure.
- Overall, Saudi Arabia ranked among the global top 10 in 74 of the report's 262 indicators.
Economy
Saudi Arabia’s inflation rises to 1.8 percent in May on higher rents
Dubai, UAE -- Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate rose to 1.8% in May 2026, up from April, as higher housing,...
- The cost-of-living index increased to 105.3 points in May from 103.5 points a year earlier.
- GASTAT said the rise was driven primarily by a 3.7% year-on-year increase in housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, reflecting a 4.7% rise in rents.
Geostrategy
Middle East conflict slows global growth outlook, World Bank says
Most economies saw forecasts downgraded as rising energy costs, inflation and borrowing expenses create fresh challenges for growth and development...
- World Bank is making up to $60 billion available immediately through existing instruments to support affected countries.
- More than 30 countries are working with the institution to strengthen preparedness and enable rapid crisis responses.
Business
AI success in life sciences depends on people as much as technology: Bain
Organizations creating the most value from AI are not necessarily those deploying the most technology. Instead, they are redesigning workflows,...
- Organizations achieving the strongest AI outcomes prioritize a handful of enterprise-wide initiatives rather than dispersing resources across numerous experiments.
- Workforce adoption remains the biggest challenge, prompting successful companies to invest heavily in change management, skills development and leadership engagement.
Geostrategy
Saudi, UAE startups join World Economic Forum’s global tech cohort
Saudi Arabia was represented by intella, which develops Arabic-language speech recognition and analytics tools, and Nommas Technologies, which provides AI-powered...
- World Economic Forum's 2026 Technology Pioneers recognizes early-stage companies developing technologies with the potential to reshape industries and societies.
- The cohort underscores a shift in global innovation patterns, with emerging economies playing a larger role in frontier technologies.
Economy
PIF assets reach $910 billion by 2025 end, below Vision 2030 target
According to the latest Vision 2030 annual report, the real non-oil GDP reached $892 billion against a target of $904...
- The figure represents substantial growth for the sovereign wealth fund but remains below the programme's target of $1.09 trillion.
- The sovereign wealth fund is the main financial engine behind Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's plan to reduce dependence on oil revenues.
Economy
Saudi Arabia’s economy expands as oil and non-oil sectors grow
According to the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), all major economic sectors recorded positive annual growth during the quarter, reflecting...
- Oil and non-oil activities each increased 2.9% from a year earlier, underscoring balanced contributions to economic expansion.
- By regulatory sectors, the oil sector expanded 2.8% YoY in Q1 2026, while the non-oil sector grew 2.6%. The private sector posted growth of 2.8%.
Business
Microsoft data highlights Qatar’s rapid Artificial Intelligence growth
The finding place Qatar among the top ten countries globally for practical AI usage. Qatar's AI market reached approximately $59...
- Experts say governance, regulation and workforce skills will determine the long-term success of Qatar's AI ambitions.
- Several institutions have played a leading role in advancing AI adoption, including Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development.
MENA could unlock $1 trillion value by 2030
“The opportunity for MENA is significant, and the value will come from execution,” said Wissam Yassine, partner and Middle East...
Research
Company News
Latest News
Global economy stabilizes as fiscal room narrows, WEF says
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Saudi Arabia, UAE climb WEF Tourism Index despite Middle East conflict disruption
Saudi Arabia jumps 17 places since 2019 on workforce reform and Vision 2030 investment, while the UAE tops the world...
Business
Global economy stabilizes as fiscal room narrows, WEF says
World Economic Forum survey finds improving global outlook, but tighter fiscal space, geopolitical risks, AI investment uncertainty and living costs...
Expo 2020 DUBAI
As AI joins the workforce, who gives it authority?
The first generation of enterprise generative AI largely answered questions, summarised documents and produced content. A human usually remained responsible...
Opinion
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Geostrategy
SpaceX launches two Falcon 9 rockets 38 minutes apart
SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets from opposite US coasts just 38 minutes apart on Saturday, setting a new launch...
- Two Falcon 9 rockets launched from Florida and California, carrying Globalstar satellites and a classified US Space Force mission.
- Globalstar's eight satellites were successfully deployed, while the second rocket carried the classified USSF-366 mission.
Economy
UAE hiring rebound gains momentum as talent flows recover, report says
The the UAE Economic Graph Report 2026 by LinkedIn and the Ministry of Foreign Trade says real estate led hiring...
- Real estate led sectoral hiring growth, while education, construction, healthcare and logistics also exceeded national hiring averages.
- Female representation in leadership rose to 21.9 percent in 2025, from 18.8 percent a decade earlier.
Opinion
Cyber resilience is more than recovering from an attack
The question is no longer if an organization will experience a cyber incident. It is how well it will respond...
- Organizations increasingly adopt "assume breach" strategies, prioritizing detection, response and recovery alongside traditional preventive cybersecurity investments today.
- AI and automation accelerate threat detection and recovery, while boardrooms increasingly measure cybersecurity through business resilience outcomes instead.