CEOs in the Middle East today operate in a very complex environment, characterized by fast-evolving regulations, start-up challenges, changing consumer behavior and technological disruptions, among others. Their job becomes even more demanding taking into consideration the fact that the region itself is witnessing a massive and rapid change amid low...

Middle East investors have always been interested in the real estate market of the British city of London but lately the investment has seen a dramatic upsurge. According to market reports, billions have been poured in by regional investors in commercial as well as luxury residential properties in London and...

By Gareth Smyth When Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri took to Saudi television in November to resign and accuse the Shia group Hezbollah of planning his assassination, some amount of capital vacated Lebanon. But the market reaction was muted, with private-sector deposits at commercial banks falling just 1.5 percent month-on-month....

By Gareth Smyth On December 18, 2017, a visiting delegation from the International Monetary Fund gave a generally upbeat assessment of the Iranian economy, estimating 4.2 percent GDP growth in the current fiscal year ending in March. Ten days later, protests broke out in Iran’s north-eastern Iranian city of Mashhad,...

Steadfast on the path of economic diversification and structural reforms, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) seem to have finally found the equilibrium to adjust to the “new reality” of lower oil prices. This is reflected in the just released outlook for the region in 2018 by...

TRENDS speaks with Jorn Lambert, Group Executive, Digital Channels in Emerging Payments, Mastercard, about how Mastercard is offering richer experiences to its regional clients and sees massive opportunities in this region that are beyond developed markets. When it comes to evolving payment technology, how do you look at Middle East region? Today, consumer...