#Economy

Egypt’s finance minister says cutting inflation is priority

Egypt’s finance minister says cutting inflation is priority

Inflation dipped to 33.3 per cent in March from a record 38.0 per cent in September

World leaders need to avoid protectionism, said International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva Image courtesy IMF

IMF chief urges global policymakers to avoid protectionism

Addressing the Atlantic Council, Georgieva highlighted the pandemic’s lingering effects, including a staggering $3.3tn in global output losses since 2020, with vulnerable nations disproportionately impacted

Consumer spending rises in 2023 shows Majid al Futtaim State of the UAE retail economy report

UAE consumer spending rises 13% in 2023, reveals retail report

The report showed that e-commerce spending continued growing in 2023, with a 15 per cent growth rate since 2022

UAE reportedly considering 10-year golden business licences

UAE reportedly considering 10-year golden business licences

The new trade licences are expected to increase government revenue, ensure business continuity, and promote economic growth

Bahrain Golden Licence attracts billions in FDI _ Getty Images-1471641887

Bahrain: Golden licence initiative attracts $2.4bn in investments

With Bahrain’s FDI stock relative to GDP surpassing the global average at over 81 per cent, international investors continue to trust its competitive value proposition

Saudi Arabia’s real GDP contracts 0.8% in 2023

Saudi Arabia’s real GDP shrinks 0.8% in 2023, oil sector weighs

The latest data shows that the economy contracted by 4.3 per cent in Q4 2023 after a 16.2 per cent year-on-year decrease in oil activities

Saudi Arabia transfers 8% Aramco stake to PIF

Saudi Arabia doubles sovereign fund’s stake in Aramco

The fund has held a 4 per cent stake in Aramco since 2022 and indirectly holds another 4 per cent that was transferred last year to Sanabil

Emaar’s Dubai Mall welcomes 105 million visitors in 2023

Dubai Mall becomes most visited place in 2023, with 105 million visitors

The latest figures from Emaar Malls shows that a record 20 million people visited the mall in the first two months of this year alone

UAE’s non-oil trade hits record Dhs3.5tn in 2023

UAE non-oil trade expands to record Dhs3.5tn in 2023

The country has initiated a raft of bilateral trade, investment and cooperation deals with several fast-growing economies

Saudi Arabia posts 2023 budget deficit of $22bn

Saudi Arabia posts 2023 budget deficit of $22bn

The government had estimated a deficit of SAR82bn in its December budget statement and is forecasting a deficit of SAR79bn in 2024

Egypt raises minimum wage by 50% as part of ‘urgent’ package

Egypt raises minimum wage by 50% as part of ‘urgent’ package

The Egyptian pound, fixed at EGP30.85 to the dollar since March, traded on the black market earlier this month as low as EGP71 to the dollar

BRICS: Dubai ranks 3rd among top 10 wealthiest cities, see full list here

Dubai lives up to its reputation as the ‘City of Gold’, hosting 72,500 millionaires, 212 of whom are centi-millionaires and 15 billionaires

saudi arabia GDP

Saudi Arabia’s real GDP contracts 3.7% Q4 2023

The preliminary data shows that Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted at a slower pace in Q4 2023 after a decline of 4.4 per cent in the previous quarter

Kuwait’s 2024/25 budget projects $19.1bn deficit

Kuwait approves 2024/25 budget, forecasts $19.1bn deficit

The projected deficit for the next fiscal year is 13.5 per cent lower than that forecast in the current year

Dubai D33 agenda on track, GDP growth rises 3.3% from Jan-Sep 2023

Accommodation and food services activities witnessed a strong 11.1 per cent growth in the first nine months of the year

UAE economy to grow by 5% in 2024

UAE economy to grow by 5% in 2024, says S&P Global

The rating agency is projecting continued strong momentum in Dubai’s hospitality, and financial services sectors to drive growth in 2024/25

Insights: Rethinking a new social welfare model for GCC countries Image: Supplied

Insights: Rethinking a new social welfare model for GCC countries

GCC welfare systems can be enhanced by strengthening coherence among social protection programmes, expanding the social insurance offering, and focusing on the economic activation of social assistance beneficiaries

linkedin - hiring and retaining

These 5 companies are the UAE’s ‘best’ employers

Top companies in the UAE continue to invest in creating a highly-engaged workforce with an average engagement score of 81 per cent, says a survey

Saudi Arabia e-visas now available to residents of 63 countries photo-courtesy-WAM

New business registrations surged in Saudi Arabia in 2023

In its latest bulletin, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce announced a 23 per cent rise in company registrations for the final quarter of 2023

UAE, Saudi Arabia non-oil sector grew strongly in December

UAE non-oil sector grew strongly in December, Saudi maintains solid growth

Both the Riyad Bank Saudi Arabia PMI and the S&P Global UAE PMI remained way above the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction

Oman heads into 2024 with projected budget deficit

The Sultanate of Oman is expecting a budget deficit for the year, after it swinging away from a surplus during 2023

Abu Dhabi’s non-oil growth surges 7.7% in Q3 2023

Abu Dhabi’s non-oil growth surges 7.7% in Q3 2023

The financial and insurance sector grew by 14.4 per cent YoY and the value-added by the industry surged to Dhs18.7bn

E concludes CEPA talks with Congo-Brazzaville

UAE concludes CEPA negotiations with Congo-Brazzaville

The trade deal builds on growing bilateral cooperation between the two countries, which saw non-oil trade hit a record $2.1bn in H1 2023

Key trade deal brings UAE, Mauritius closer together

The UAE and Mauritius, in first-of-their-kind negotiations, are set to boost each other’s economies in years to come with key trade deals in the pipeline

S&P Global affirms positive outlook on Bahrain

Bahrain notched up 2.45% growth in third quarter of 2023

The Kingdom of Bahrain showcased healthy GDP growth for the third quarter of 2023, according to the latest statistics revealed by that country.

UK

Has UK economy entered a recession? Q3 data suggest so

UK Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt said the outlook for the economy was not as bad as the updated official figures suggested

Dubai economy sees growth in H1 2023 -GettyImages-1392301478

UAE central bank raises GDP growth outlook to 5.7% in 2024

The apex lender projected that the country’s overall GDP will grow by 3.1 per cent in 2023

Wickremesinghe

WATCH: Ranil Wickremesinghe on resurrecting Sri Lanka’s economy

In this interview, Sri Lankan President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, talks in-depth about his country’s economic reforms and climate plans.

rupee

India’s rupee hits fresh new low against UAE dirham

India’s currency has weakened slightly against the UAE dirham in early trade, mainly off the back of dollar strength

ADDED launches SME finance facilitator programme

ADDED launches SME finance facilitator programme

The programme aims to foster trust between SMEs and financial institutions, and lead to collaborative credit assessment