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  • Abu Dhabi tops Dubai as ‘smartest city’ in MENA region

    For the third consecutive year, Abu Dhabi ranked as the smartest city in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for 2023, according to the IMD Smart City Index released by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Switzerland in collaboration with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

  • Being A Female Tech Entrepreneur In The MENA Region: Opportunities, Challenges, And Lessons Learnt

    As a meeting point of international trade, the MENA is a rapidly growing and changing kaleidoscope of opportunities, and an ideal location to start a new enterprise. It really is the place to be, with support and encouragement available if the government's economy and visions align with yours. So, ensure this alignment happens by being flexible.

  • Saudi Arabia tops MENA region in debt issuance 

    Debt issuances in the Middle East and North Africa region nearly tripled in value year-on-year during the first quarter of 2023 to reach $26.9 billion, data from Refinitiv showed. Saudi Arabia topped the regional list accounting for 67 percent of the total bond proceeds, followed by the UAE with 17 percent, Morocco (9 percent) and Egypt (6 percent). Government and agencies issuers accounted for 55 percent of proceeds raised during the first quarter while financial issuers represented 45 percent of the market share.

  • Startup Wrap: MENA startups close to raising $1bn in funding in a single month after February boom

    Startups in the Middle East and North Africa region raised $760 million across 48 deals in February 2023, twice the figure in the same period last year. The funding value last month increased by 638 percent month-on-month and the number of deals increased twofold to 48, according to Wamda’s monthly reports. Egypt startups led February’s rise, closing $422 million in funding with the vast majority of that thanks to fintech MNT-Halan raising $400 million in a single round.

  • MENA leads online marketplace orders globally with over $25bn in 2022

    While marketplaces offered a slew of rewards and promotional channels to woo customers, MENA customers preferred to follow recommendations and reviews on content platforms to firm up their purchase decisions – accounting for 28 percent of all purchases – as against cashback offers emerging as the top influencer for customers globally in 2022, the study said.

  • Revealed: MENA leads online marketplace orders globally with over $25bn in 2022

    The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region emerged as a bright spot for online orders from marketplaces globally, posting a 21 percent surge in sales to hit a whopping over $25 billion in 2022 amid signs of a global slowdown trend in online sales post-pandemic, a latest study said.

  • Challenges new and old: The myriad economic issues affecting MENA through the lens of public opinion

    Real GDP in the region rebounded in 2022, expanding by an estimated 5.7%, as oil and gas exporters enjoyed windfalls from higher export prices. The economic rebound also reflected the recovery in services and tourism. The pace of economic growth in the region is expected to slow to 3.5% in 2023, as the boost from the post-pandemic reopening and global growth eases.

  • Rising energy prices fuel economic growth in MENA

    According to an International Energy Agency (IEA) report earlier this month, global oil demand is set to rise by 2 million barrels per (bpd) this year to 101.9 bpd. The Asia-Pacific region, with a projected growth in demand of 1.6 million bpd, fuelled by a resurgent China, dominates the growth outlook. A report by Deloitte showed that the global upstream industry is projected to generate its highest-ever free cash flows of $1.4 trillion by the end of 2022.

  • Citizen priorities on the environment and climate change in MENA

    The results of the seventh wave survey from Arab Barometer, a non-partisan research network that provides insight into Arab citizen views, shed light on regional perspectives on issues of climate change, water resources, and the environment. The survey, fielded between October 2021 and July 2022, included respondents from 12 countries across the Middle East and North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, and Tunisia.

  • World Bank most concerned in MENA about Lebanon and Tunisia

    The World Bank is particularly concerned in the Middle East and North Africa region about Lebanon and Tunisia and, to a lesser extent, Egypt and Jordan, the bank's vice president for MENA said on Tuesday. "We have a number of tensions in those countries," including debt levels and high inflation, Ferid Belhaj told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai.