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  • Solar Power in MENA to See Six-Fold Growth in 2015
     

    The MENA region will see solar projects worth $2.7 billion unveiled in 2015, 6 times as much as 2014, according to Arabian Business, which cited a new study by the Middle East Solar Industry Association (MESIA). 1,800MW worth of solar projects will be tendered or awarded during the next 12 months, compared with less than 300MW […]

     
  • Investing in Middle East Healthcare for both Financial and Social Returns
     

    It is no secret that Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments are spending billions of dinars, riyals and dirhams on upgrading their healthcare infrastructure. Local and regional newspapers are filled with stories on newer, bigger and flashier hospital projects. Saudi Arabia’s 2013-2014 budget includes funds for 19 new hospitals in addition to the 102 hospitals currently […]

     
  • Cracking the Online Payments Puzzle in MENA
     

    Online payments have been at the center of electronic commerce challenges in the Middle East and North Africa since the first regional e-commerce sites came online. In many cases, they’ve kept both investors and founders worried about venturing into e-commerce businesses, and prevented many consumers from enjoying the benefits. Research shows that 47% of people […]

     
  • Long Taboo, Cinema to Return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
     

    Saudi Arabia will relax its ban on cinema and film-related activities in the Kingdom, according to reports. The change didn’t come with an announcement, but rather, with an adjustment to a feature on the Ministry of Labor’s web portal for entrepreneurs, according to Arab News. Information on how to register for cinema licenses is now […]

     
  • SUSRIS: The Emergence of the GCC+4 Against ISIS
     

    SUSRIS.com shares an assessment of the surge in recent diplomatic activity from Gulf expert Theodore Karasik, Director of Research and Development at the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA) in Dubai.  “A day before the meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia agreed to an American request to provide a base to train moderate […]

     
  • 5 Things to Know about the TASI Opening
     

    Last month’s announcement that the Saudi Arabian stock market, known as the Tadawul or TASI, would open to foreign investment has created waves of optimism from news outlets to seasoned investors. Most think the opening of the market will be great for investors and provide extra liquidity and capital into the market, but the Saudi […]

     
  • 35 percent of hotel rooms in Dubai occupied by Saudi Citizens on Summer Vacation
     

    Saudis are escaping the heat in the Kingdom by flocking to destinations abroad, but many aren’t making it far – a recent report in the Saudi Gazette finds that many are flocking to neighboring Dubai, a popular vacation spot for Saudis during the summer months. The Saudi Gazette reports that the high rates of Saudis […]

     
  • High Performance Government and MILE: Delivering on the Promise of eGovernment
     

    In a country with 185% mobile device penetration and some of the highest levels of Web usage in the world, how do Saudi officials deliver on the promise of eGovernment? Dr. Mohammed Mustafa Mahmoud, CEO of the Madinah Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship (MILE), says it’s not an easy task, given the high expectations of […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry Cracks Down on Counterfeits In Boost to Consumer Protection
     

    This week, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) issued a press release on the Ministry’s Web Site that authorities had seized over 6,000 counterfeit cellphones. Looking to send a message to would-be counterfeiters and violators of consumer protection regulations, MCI authorities placed the forged phones in a pile then drove over them all […]

     
  • Unusual Video Footage Shows Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mosque Under Construction
     

    Amazing footage of the ongoing construction at Mecca’s Grand Mosque surfaced on Facebook, showing the large-scale reconstructive efforts at the holy site in Saudi Arabia. The video, shot from what looks like a crane, shows worshippers circling the Kaaba with construction efforts ongoing at the mataf expansion not far away. The amateur footage shows the […]

     

MUST-READS

  • The Legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai

    These mega-events happen every five years and are hosted by countries based on a bidding competition overseen by the Bureau of International Exposition. They require massive tracts of land and are often positioned outside of major cities. The site for Expo 2020, for example, is located outside of Dubai South – about a 45-minute drive from the Burj Khalifa in downtown Dubai – and became the last stop on the Dubai Metro as of June 2021. So far, the legacy of world expo sites has followed similar trends

  • The Legacy of Expo 2020 Dubai

    If Dubai can accomplish an efficient post-expo transition into a sustainable and profitable city, then the first world exposition held in the Middle East could become the new international standard in legacy planning.

  • Dubai Inflation: Consumer Prices Skyrocket Less Than Year After Steep Deflation

    Consumer prices in Dubai are increasing faster than in Singapore and approaching levels seen across much of Europe, capping a sharp reversal after almost three straight years of deep deflation. Inflation in the Middle East’s business hub reached an annual 7.1% in July, the fastest since Bloomberg began compiling the data in 2016. The higher costs of transportation, recreation and entertainment, and food and beverages were the biggest contributors to the upswing, according to the city’s statistics authority.

  • Dubai crown prince to lead new committee on metaverse, digital economy

    Dubai has created a new committee to deliver on its aim to become a global hub for futuristic technologies. The Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy will be chaired by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

  • Dubai’s Union Coop Slumps on Debut as Gulf IPO Boom Loses Steam

    Union Coop’s slump is the latest indication that the Gulf IPO boom may be losing momentum. The Middle East was one of the few bright spots in the market for new share sales, but demand for risky assets has waned and equity benchmarks are trading well below their peaks in May.

  • Dubai Becomes New Switzerland for Traders of Russian Commodities

    Switzerland has for decades been home to middlemen helping to match Russian producers with buyers all over the world. Now, a ratcheting up of sanctions is prompting a migration to the emirate in the Persian Gulf.

  • Luxury retailers ramping up new store openings in Dubai and Saudi

    The Middle East accounted for just 3% of new store openings last year, although the market is considered a key hub for (very) high net worth consumers. Notably, in the region, ultra-luxury brands accounted for 92% of new store openings, with Saudi Arabia increasingly nestling itself as a key market alongside historical luxury capital Dubai.

  • Pakistan Says Saudi Arabia, Dubai Won’t Lend Money Without IMF Deal

    Pakistan’s finance minister said countries that have typically been generous in lending to the crisis-hit nation are proceeding more cautiously now. “We went to Saudi Arabia, Dubai and spoken to other countries -- they are ready to give money, but all of them say we need to go to the IMF first,” said the minister, Miftah Ismail, on May 28. That’s a pivot from the past. When Pakistan went through a similar economic crisis in 2018, the nation was able to secure backing from China, Saudi Arabia and the UAE before going to the International Monetary Fund. Now, China has yet to follow through with a pledge to re-issue loans to Pakistan repaid in late March.

  • Will rare Dubai delivery driver walkouts trigger more strikes?

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has in recent weeks seen rare walkouts by service workers. Delivery drivers for Talabat—a food delivery company that services the wider region—have organized a strike in Dubai to protest planned wage cuts. The walkout follows a similar strike held by drivers of Deliveroo, a competing food delivery service. The protests could indicate the rise of a new labor movement among foreign workers in Gulf countries.

  • Dubai tops global hotel occupancy ranking as 3.9 million foreign travellers visit emirate in Q1 2022

    Data released by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market 2022 highlighted a 214 percent year-on-year increase in international visitors during Q1 2022, marking the best first quarter performance since the pandemic