DIWAN

Studies & Intelligence

Intelligence with context. Foresight that shapes decisions. The DIWAN register publishes commissioned studies, briefings, and market intelligence across sectors and jurisdictions.

Briefings room Membership

StreamsAll Trade & Capital 48 Law & Regulation 22 Country Files 181 Demand & Buyers 38 Platforms & Growth 154 Brand & Positioning 2 Commodities 21 Business 43 Technology 159 Cyber Security 3

GeographyAll

United Arab Emirates 22

Antigua and Barbuda 1

Bosnia and Herzegovina 1

Brazil 1

British Virgin Islands 1

Central African Republic 1

Hong Kong SAR, China 1

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. 1

Northern Mariana Islands 1

Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 1

St. Kitts and Nevis 1

St. Lucia 1

St. Martin (French part) 1

St. Vincent and the Grenadines 1

Sudan 1

Suriname 1

Sweden 1

Syrian Arab Republic 1

Trinidad and Tobago 1

Tunisia 1

Turkey 1

Turkmenistan 1

Turks and Caicos Islands 1

Virgin Islands (U.S.) 1

West Bank and Gaza 1

Yemen, Rep. 1

Zambia 1

Platforms & Growth

5 of 196 items

Photo · janith devinda / Unsplash

RNK-DIWAN-074Legal review

LEX · 01 OCT 2026

What the Gulf Actually Asks: Incorporation, Directors' Duties and Exit Costs in the GCC

A demand-driven legal review answering the questions readers put to the platform most — mainland vs ADGM vs DIFC, what boards owe, and what employment exits cost

Reader demand on the platform clusters on three questions: where to incorporate in the GCC, what directors owe once incorporated, and what employment exits cost. This study answers all three — a six-door comparison of UAE mainland, ADGM, DIFC, Saudi Arabia, QFC and Bahrain/Oman; the ADGM directors'-duties framework in plain language; and the notice and end-of-service formulas for DIFC, ADGM and the UAE mainland — with indicative costs and a decision playbook by profile.

≈46%SHARE OF READER QUESTIONS ABOUT FORMATION & JURISDICTION CHOICE

≈ USD 1,000ADGM TECH START-UP LICENCE, PER YEAR

14 daysDIFC NOTICE FOR MOST TENURES (3 MONTHS–5 YEARS)

Members

16 min$149Read →

Photo · Popup Agency / Unsplash

CTY-QA-2026Country intelligence

FORFAIT · 28 SEPT 2026

Qatar Economic Outlook 2026

A Forward-Looking Analysis

As Qatar approaches 2026, its economy is projected to stabilise with a GDP of USD 215.6 billion and a real GDP growth rate of 2.9%. The population is anticipated to reach 3.0 million, indicating continued demographic growth. These factors suggest a resilient economic environment, although challenges remain in inflation and reliance on hydrocarbon exports.

USD 215.6 billionGDP, CURRENT USD (2025)

2.9REAL GDP GROWTH (2025)

USD 72,525GDP PER CAPITA, CURRENT USD (2025)

Members

23 min$39Read →

Photo · Unsplash

RNK-DIWAN-050Legal review

LEX · 05 SEPT 2026

Where the Gulf Incorporates — The Formation Edition

The GCC's dominant legal question, answered for 2026: mainland vs financial centre vs Saudi entry — venues, costs, tax and the new rulebook

Nearly half of everything readers ask a GCC legal platform is one question in different clothes: where should this company live? This study answers it for 2026 — a year in which DIFC, ADGM and the QFC all posted record intake simultaneously, the UAE mainland gained venture-style share structures and statutory redomiciliation, Saudi Arabia replaced foreign-investment licensing with registration, and a 15% domestic minimum tax quietly harmonised the top end of the market. Includes a venue scoreboard, cost and tax tables, the 2026 legal rails, and a decision playbook for five founder archetypes.

≈45%SHARE OF PLATFORM READER DEMAND THAT IS FORMATION / JURISDICTION CHOICE

8,844DIFC ACTIVE COMPANIES AT END-2025 (RECORD YEAR: 1,924 NEW, +28%)

13,353ADGM ACTIVE LICENCES IN Q1 2026 (OPERATIONAL ENTITIES +34.5% Y/Y)

Members

16 min$149Read →

Photo · Veli Yunus Ünal / Unsplash

CMD-DIWAN-005Feasibility

FORFAIT · 24 JUL 2026

The Quiet Diversification Scorecard: Gulf Non-Oil Exports 2026

UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar measured against the Malaysia standard — what is genuinely scaling, what is statistical noise, and where the investable core sits

2025 delivered record non-oil export headlines across the Gulf — but decomposition shows the UAE's +45.5% is gold-inflated and Saudi Arabia's +18.9% masks a −0.1% fall in domestic-origin shipments. Benchmarked against Malaysia (86.4% manufactured exports; ECI #27 vs UAE #35, Saudi #60, Qatar #83), the genuine convergence is concentrated in petrochemical derivatives and aluminium, both stress-tested by the 2026 Hormuz closure. The study ranks the four scaling sectors and closes with a ranked investable shortlist: downstream polymer conversion, aluminium recycling/rolled products, outside-strait logistics, and selective agri-food platforms.

AED 813.8bnUAE NATIONAL NON-OIL EXPORTS, 2025 — RECORD, +45.5% YOY (GOLD-INFLATED); THE 2031 TARGET HIT FIVE YEARS EARLY

−0.1%SAUDI DOMESTIC-ORIGIN NON-OIL EXPORT GROWTH, 2025 — THE HEADLINE +18.9% WAS RE-EXPORT-DRIVEN

86.4%MALAYSIA'S MANUFACTURED SHARE OF EXPORTS, 2025 — THE BENCHMARK NO GULF STATE APPROACHES

Members

20 min$149Read →

Photo · Darcey Beau / Unsplash

CMD-DIWAN-002Feasibility

FORFAIT · 22 JUL 2026

Golden Visas and Beyond: The GCC Residency Economy in 2026

Benchmarking the UAE, Saudi and Qatar residency products against a closing West — and sizing the property, schooling, insurance and advisory economy they feed

Between October 2023 and February 2026 the investment-migration market inverted: Europe withdrew supply while the Gulf productized it. This study benchmarks five class-matched residency products, quantifies the residency-linked economy anchored by Dubai's AED 917bn property year, and maps the 12–24 month regulatory outlook and advisory funnel.

+9,800PROJECTED NET MILLIONAIRE INFLOW TO THE UAE IN 2025 — THE WORLD'S LARGEST (HENLEY & PARTNERS)

AED 917bnDUBAI REAL-ESTATE TRANSACTION VALUE IN 2025 ACROSS 270,000+ DEALS (DLD, VIA ZAWYA)

US$200kQATAR'S NEW PROPERTY-RESIDENCY FLOOR, ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 2025 — THE GCC'S CHEAPEST TICKET (IMI DAILY)

Open

14 min$149Read →

Studies & Intelligence

Platforms & Growth

What the Gulf Actually Asks: Incorporation, Directors' Duties and Exit Costs in the GCC

Qatar Economic Outlook 2026

Where the Gulf Incorporates — The Formation Edition

The Quiet Diversification Scorecard: Gulf Non-Oil Exports 2026

Golden Visas and Beyond: The GCC Residency Economy in 2026

Highlights

UAE Federal Regulatory Watch — The Enforcement Turn (Q4 2026)

Powering 87 Million: The Investable Electricity Model for DR Congo

Macao SAR, China: A Forward-Looking Economic Study for 2026

Monthly dossiers