TRENDS looks back at the events that grabbed attention worldwide. From Russia-Ukraine war to Saudi summits to Argentina's marvelous World-cup victory, 2022 had seen it all.

In order to achieve the Vision 2030 goals, the PIF and its portfolio companies seek to help the kingdom grow its annual non-oil GDP by about seven percent.

As the Gulf nations look to deepen economic partnership with China, the US, the region's dominant security force, watches with concern the GCC tilt toward its rival.

Companies in the region need to be proactive in their defenses against ever-changing nature of online threats, says Netskope’s VP for Middle East and Africa Jonathan Mepsted.

The UAE’s real estate market flourished during November as sales in Dubai alone crossed 10,000 transactions, the highest recorded since 2011, says a latest report.

Beside leadership and vision, trust, communication and transparency between all the stakeholders play a key role in any and every project’s success, experts had said at the event.

Even as serious rights violations -- including corruption, human trafficking, racism and discrimination -- persist across Europe and US, Western world opts to focus on Qatar.

Experts attribute the main reasons for the increase in the real estate demand to the UAE government's numerous initiatives and the high income level of investors.

"The current transition plan isn't working. We are still dependent on coal. We need to have a new consensus on the transition to renewable,” Amin Nasser added.

The 2022 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index compares 44 retirement income systems against more than 50 indicators and benchmarks.

The UAE stock market followed the trend of other markets worldwide and ended the week on a high note but the Saudi TASI index closed down 1.1 percent.

More than 15 countries and 670 companies in Asia have set (or are committed to setting) emission-reduction targets, thereby creating new green investment opportunities.

High oil prices drove equities up on both the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market, but Saudi equities did not follow the trend, remaining subdued toward the close of the week.

The world's richest countries have the highest happiness scores, which probably explains why Lebanon, facing its worst-ever economic crisis, ranks low in the MENA region.

Tunisia, the only democracy to remain a democracy after the Arab Spring, may turn authoritarian if a draft constitution published recently is approved.

Widespread availability of cashless payment methods and universal access to affordable internet services are major facilitators of digital transformation in the region.

Conversational AI contact center deployment saves agents US$80bn in labor expenses by 2026, while global spending on it is expected to hit US$1.99bn by 2022, says a report.

The odyssey of mourning over Britain's longest-reigning monarch in history will culminate in her state funeral in London on September 19.

The lowest average monthly salary is paid in Sri Lanka (US$143.62) and the highest in Switzerland (US$6142.1), according to a latest survey.

'Eco-friendly travelers' are gradually putting pressure on hospitality businesses in the Gulf region to incorporate green concepts and sustainability practices into service delivery.

After a nervous start to the week, the big stocks of the GCC, Al-Rajhi Bank, Retal Urban Development Company, and Emaar, boost the Saudi and the UAE markets, posting gains all around.

Except for the UAE and Bahrain, all GCC countries witnessed a steep decline in population. During the pandemic, the region also saw the exodus of a large number of expat workers.

Market experts predict a hard summer for the GCC retail industry as rising costs keep shoppers away from malls and stores amid soaring inflation and high cost of fuel.

Real-time shopping platforms accessible via multiple channels and featuring high-definition live streaming as well as personalized services are boosting client engagements.

Only the GCC countries score high on the Index that measures women’s inclusion, justice and security in 170 countries. UAE was the highest ranked country in the MENA region.

The Gulf countries have taken several measures to increase the local employment, especially in UAE and Saudi Arabia. This week's TRENDS Infographic looks at job situation in the region.

Artificial Intelligence market is growing in the Middle East by an estimated 20 percent to 34 percent annually, with GCC region taking the lead.

Dubai's multicultural family shopping and entertainment hub provides a unique platform to SMEs to test creative and innovative business concepts, says Naveen Jain of Global Village.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic teaches several lessons to regional businesses, says UAE Minister Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi.

Christine Harb, CEMEA Vice President of Marketing at Visa, believes that the workplaces should offer the right flexible benefits for women to join.

The Gulf region seems to have a better fiscal positions thanks to high oil prices and the recovery of the economies from the Covid-19 related woes.

The Kingdom's service sector is expected to grow rapidly once the major Vision 2030 tourism and entertainment projects - Qiddiya, the Red Sea project, NEOM, Al-Ula - are completed.

Alternative cinematic content is helping the emirate's creative economy diversify and contribute to its GDP, Butheina Hamed Kazim, Founder and MD of Cinema Akil, tells TRENDS.

Google's yearly report of top trending searches reveals the most popular keywords and topics across different categories, such as 'How to' or 'the most searched recipes'.

Saudi Arabia's benchmark index finished 1.3% lower, hurt by a 2.1% fall in oil giant Saudi Aramco and a 1.2% decline in country's biggest Islamic lender Al Rajhi Bank.

The insurance is being hailed as a step in increasing the attractiveness of the UAE labor market and its ability to attract local and international talent.

Gold consumption in the GCC region reached 47 tons in the first quarter of 2022, up 18 percent from the prior year. UAE consumption reached 12.50 tons in Q1 2022.

Mitigate the carbon footprint of every other alternative energy that we’re going to develop, says Occidental Petroleum chief Vicki Hollub at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Officials, top executives and experts at the TOP CEO Conference in Dubai brainstorm on ways to stabilise economies and secure health through policy reforms and latest technologies.

Mike Frayne, the CEO of Aviv Clinics Dubai, tells TRENDS that their medical program helps aging C-suite executives to get back to their top performance by helping them regain their memory, attention, focus and sharpness. 

Defying grim expectations of economic recession battering the world economy, Dubai has burnished itself by attracting a heavy dose of foreign investment to the tune of $7bn in 2021.

The regional economies in the creative sector are growing at a faster rate than inflation, says Michael Garin, General Director of Abu Dhabi Creative Authority.

The growth rate of Arab economies is expected to increase to around five percent in 2022 on the back of rising oil production and its prices in the international markets.

Four years after being scammed by a conman, and three months after Netflix made the 'most-watched documentary' out of their experience, Pernilla Sjöholm and Cecilie Fjellhøy will speak in Dubai of their refusal to fade away in silence.

What are the top constituents of stock exchanges spread across the GCC countries? Here’s our infographic.

Here’s a look at which countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have how much debt, and how they compare to their GDP.

Sheikha Lubna Bint Khalid Al Qasimi, the first woman to be an Emirati cabinet minister, opens up to TRENDS about changing perceptions, both in the UAE and abroad.

A leading magazine recently published Top 10 Richest Arab billionaires list and was criticized for ignoring many nationalities and known wealthy businessmen.

Around 40 free zones in the UAE are likely to attract more investors and FDI after they were declared exempt from the upcoming corporate tax regime, experts tell TRENDS.

Here’s a look at what landed the UAE and Saudi Arabia among some of the better countries with a pension scheme for retiring or retired employees from both the government and private sectors.