Studies & Intelligence

CTY-NZ-2026Country intelligence

New Zealand Economic Outlook 2026

A Comprehensive Analysis of Future Economic Indicators

As New Zealand approaches 2026, its economic landscape is characterised by a projected GDP growth recovery to 0.5% after a contraction in 2024. The population is expected to grow modestly, with urbanisation continuing to rise. Inflation is forecasted to stabilise, reflecting ongoing economic adjustments. These factors present both challenges and opportunities for investors and businesses.

Powering 87 Million: The Investable Electricity Model for DR Congo

Metro-grids, mining baseload and the Zambia corridor — three proven entries into the world's largest unserved power market

Only 22.5% of DR Congo's 112.8 million people have electricity, yet 2023–2026 produced three bankable templates: MIGA-wrapped urban metro-grids (Nuru), cheaper-than-diesel captive solar-plus-storage for mining (Kamoa-Kakula's $522m complex), and the $300m, 550 MW Kalumbila–Kolwezi import corridor. This feasibility study maps the demand, the capital stacks that actually close, the 2026 reform calendar, and where the next five flagship deals will come from.

Road Safety Crisis: Burundi

What would cut road deaths fastest in the world's poorest country per capita — and who pays for it

Burundi loses an estimated 1,546 lives a year to road crashes while officially recording 592 — a 2.6× undercount that is itself the first problem to fix. This feasibility study sequences five interventions by speed-to-lives-saved (crash data, post-crash care, corridor engineering, maintenance-backed enforcement, legal quick wins) and matches them to financing that already exists: a committed US$120M World Bank IDA corridor project, a lawful levy on mandatory third-party motor insurance, and catalytic grant windows. Indicative cost: US$10–20M over five years against US$30–60M of annual economic loss.

Road safety crisis: Liberia

What would cut road deaths fastest — and how to pay for it

Liberia records 236 road deaths a year; the WHO estimates the true toll near 794 — among the world's worst rates — with two-thirds of victims pedestrians and the crash burden costing up to 7% of GDP. This feasibility study sequences the fastest path down: pass the validated revision of the 1972 Vehicle and Traffic Law (Liberia still has no helmet, seat-belt or child-restraint law), concentrate speed management and pedestrian engineering on the Montserrado corridor that carries 58% of crashes, buy down pen-pen motorcycle risk through riders' unions rather than bans, and strengthen the new 25-ambulance post-crash chain plus one honest national crash registry. Priced at $20–30m over five years, it is financeable today from the petroleum-levy National Road Fund, development-bank corridor projects, and global road-safety philanthropy — roughly 2% of what crashes already cost Liberia every year.

Road Safety Crisis: Zimbabwe

What would cut 2,000 annual road deaths fastest — and how to pay for it

Zimbabwe records about 2,000 road deaths a year (2,015 in 2024, across 52,288 crashes) at a WHO-estimated 41.2 deaths per 100,000 — nearly triple the global average — with crash costs officials put above US$400M a year. This feasibility study ranks the fastest evidence-based fixes: corridor speed enforcement, black-spot engineering, a permanent financed post-crash care network, and an empowered lead agency with public data — financed by the instruments government has already named for its proposed Road Accident Fund: a 35% share of third-party insurance, fuel levies and fines.

Road Safety Crisis: Dominican Republic

What would cut road deaths fastest — engineering, enforcement, post-crash care and data — and how to finance it

The Dominican Republic has carried one of the world's highest road-death rates for over a decade — WHO estimated 64.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019, and national counts hovered near 3,000 deaths a year through 2024. Motorcyclists are about 70% of the dead, and 85% of killed riders wore no helmet. In 2025 fatalities broke downward for the first time (−33%, to 1,994), and penalties under the new certified-helmet regime begin in May 2026 — a rare window where enforcement, engineering, post-crash care and data reform can compound. This study ranks the interventions by speed of life-saving impact and maps a financing stack — insurance surcharges, ring-fenced fines, MDB safe-mobility lines and performance-based road contracts — that does not depend on the annual budget cycle.

Market signal: Energy Commodities in GCC

Two signals from a 30-day read of Gulf energy flows: the crude rebound is riding on workarounds, and diesel is now the scarce barrel

Gulf crude exports have clawed back above pre-war levels through pipeline and shuttle workarounds, even as tanker attacks in and around the Strait of Hormuz escalate — while refined products, above all diesel, remain structurally constrained, with Middle East diesel exports to Europe at a six-year low and European diesel prices at all-time records. Both signals reward the same positioning: outside-Hormuz loading, verified counterparties, and secured logistics.

Market Signal: The Winners' Market

Three signals from 13 September - 13 October 2026: a two-year unicorn, a barbell market funded from home, and Silicon Valley arriving at inception

GCC platform capital surged back in the window - $1.65B in Q3, up 108% - but to fewer hands, from closer by, and earlier: barq became MENA's largest-ever Series A ($329.5M at $1.85B) two years after launch with an Omani bank on the cap table; the Wamda and Magnitt prints confirmed a barbell (record $813M of mega-rounds over an early-stage base down 45%) with MENA investors at a three-year-high 58% of capital; and Ben Horowitz, Avra and East40 backed Riyadh's Echelon at inception. The study maps what each actor should do in 90 days.

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

AML rebuilt, permits enforced, mergers gated, quotas due: what changed in AE-FED and what operators must do before year-end

The UAE's federal rulebook has shifted from writing rules to enforcing them. This edition of the AE-FED regulatory watch covers four fronts that moved since our last issue: the wholesale AML rebuild under Federal Decree-Law No. 10 of 2025 (AED 100m fines, personal senior-management liability, a lower evidence bar, FATF evaluation year); the Advertiser Permit and SCA finfluencer regimes crossing into enforcement; the Competition Law's 2026 Executive Regulations making merger filing a suspensory stage-gate with a deemed-rejection default; and Emiratisation's 31 December 2026 checkpoint. With a dated 90-day radar and a five-move operator playbook.

Guyana 2026 – Economic Outlook and Investment Implications

DIWAN First Reading

The country’s GDP rose to USD 27.1 bn in 2025, driven by a real growth rate of 19.3 % and fuel exports representing 75.9 % of merchandise exports. Internet penetration reached 83 % and unemployment hovered around 12 % in 2025. These dynamics suggest a high‑growth environment but one that remains dependent on oil‑related revenues and vulnerable to external price swings.

Sierra Leone 2026 First Reading

Economic, social and investment outlook

The 2026 First Reading of Sierra Leone highlights a resilient macro‑economic backdrop characterised by steady real GDP growth and a growing population. However, high inflation, limited access to electricity and a modest digital footprint constrain investment potential. The country remains a low‑income economy with a trade deficit and modest foreign direct investment. While labour markets appear accommodative, structural constraints and governance challenges persist. The outlook suggests cautious engagement with a focus on infrastructure and inflation management.

Bangladesh 2026: Economic, Social and Environmental Outlook

First Reading

Bangladesh is expected to maintain real GDP growth around 4% in the coming years, while inflation remains high and the current account deficit widens. The population continues to grow at 1.2% annually, with urbanisation increasing to over 33% of the total. Digital connectivity and electricity access are near universal, supporting service‑sector expansion. Environmental risks such as flooding and cyclones persist, demanding resilience investment. Overall, the economy presents opportunities but requires careful risk management.

Yemen, Republic: Economic and Structural Assessment 2026

A desk‑based first reading of macro‑economic and institutional indicators

Based on World Bank data, Yemen’s GDP fell from USD 43.2 billion in 2014 to USD 21.6 billion in 2018, reflecting a contraction driven by conflict and fiscal shocks. Population continues to grow at roughly 3 % per year, reaching 40.6 million in 2024, while urbanisation remains low and labour market weakness persists with modelled unemployment around 17 %. Access to electricity has improved to 86.3 % but digital connectivity stays limited, and external balances show persistent deficits and negative foreign‑direct‑investment flows.

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.

Gibraltar: A First Reading for 2026

Assessing Future Prospects and Trends

Gibraltar's population is projected to reach 40,126 by 2025, reflecting a steady growth rate of approximately 2% per year. The territory's fully urbanised status and high-income classification indicate a concentrated consumer base. With universal access to electricity and robust digital infrastructure, Gibraltar presents a conducive environment for business and investment. However, potential risks such as economic downturns and regulatory changes must be monitored.

The Bahamas: Economic Outlook 2026

A Comprehensive Analysis of Future Economic Indicators

The Bahamas is projected to experience stable economic growth, with real GDP growth reaching 3.4% in 2024. The population is anticipated to grow steadily, contributing to a robust consumer market. Key indicators such as GDP per capita and internet penetration suggest a favourable environment for investment and business development.

Dominica: A Forward-Looking Economic Assessment for 2026

Exploring Growth Prospects and Socioeconomic Trends

As Dominica approaches 2026, the economy is projected to grow at a rate of 3.1%, with GDP per capita reaching USD 10,989. However, the population is anticipated to decline, raising concerns about sustaining a robust consumer base. The urban population share is increasing, indicating potential demand for urban services. Investment opportunities may arise, particularly in sectors aligned with demographic shifts.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Forward-Looking Economic Assessment for 2026

An Analysis of Future Economic Indicators and Trends

This study examines the economic landscape of Bosnia and Herzegovina as it approaches 2026, highlighting trends in GDP growth, population dynamics, and inflation. The findings suggest a mixed outlook, with steady economic growth but ongoing demographic decline, which may impact future consumer demand and workforce sustainability.

Sudan: Prospects for 2026

Sudan is currently navigating a challenging economic landscape marked by instability and negative growth. However, projections indicate a potential recovery in GDP and per capita income by 2025. The population is expected to grow steadily, while urbanisation remains low. The technological environment presents both challenges and opportunities for investment, particularly in mobile connectivity. Overall, Sudan's market conditions require careful assessment for future investments.

Israel 2026: Structural Resilience and the Limits of Digital Saturation

A First Reading of Macro-Financial Buffers and Market Entry Conditions

This study examines Israel’s economic position in 2026, anchored by a GDP of USD 610.8 billion in 2025 and a current account surplus. The analysis highlights a mature digital environment with high mobile and internet penetration, contrasted with a modest energy base. While foreign direct investment inflows have moderated, the country’s high-income classification and strong reserves offer significant buffers. The legal framework, a mix of civil and common law, requires careful navigation for commercial disputes. The assessment concludes that while macro-stability is evident, the narrow growth margin and persistent inflation call for rigorous risk containment in any investment strategy.

Sweden: Economic and Social Projections for 2026

A comprehensive analysis of Sweden's future economic landscape

Sweden's economic outlook for 2026 suggests a gradual recovery with a projected GDP growth rate of 1.5%. The population is expected to stabilise at approximately 10.6 million, with a significant urban population share. These factors, combined with a high level of internet connectivity and a robust healthcare system, indicate a conducive environment for investment and business operations.

French Polynesia: A Forward-Looking Economic Study for 2026

Assessing Future Economic and Social Dynamics

French Polynesia's economy is projected to grow steadily, with GDP reaching USD 6.3 billion in 2024 and a population increase to approximately 282,465 by 2025. The unemployment rate is expected to remain around 11.6%, indicating ongoing challenges in the labour market. Urbanisation will continue, with over 61% of the population living in urban areas. These factors will shape the market landscape for businesses and investors in the region.

Malaysia Economic Outlook 2026

A Comprehensive Analysis of Future Economic Trends

By 2025, Malaysia's GDP is projected to reach USD 472.2 billion, with a real GDP growth rate of 5.2%. The population is anticipated to grow to 36.0 million, with 77.4% living in urban areas. This urbanisation trend, combined with a stable inflation rate of 1.4%, suggests a conducive environment for investment and business expansion.

GCC Directors' Duties: The Governance Edition

One board seat, three legal families — what Gulf directors personally owe in 2026, and what breach now actually costs

The fourth edition in the demand series answers the second-largest question cluster on the legal platform (≈20% of reader queries): what do directors and managers personally owe, and when does the company's problem become theirs? The answer has changed. Between the Dubai Court of Cassation's AED 152m personal award against a vice-chairman and CEO, the UAE bankruptcy law's shadow-director reach, KSA's 2022 law with the region's first express business-judgment defence, and the NMC proceedings in ADGM — where judgment on civil fraud claims against the founder and former CEO was reserved on 3 July 2026 after a 15-week trial and a US$600m mid-closing settlement by Bank of Baroda — personal liability in the Gulf has moved from paper risk to enforced norm. This study maps the duties across mainland UAE, ADGM, DIFC and Saudi Arabia, prices the breach, and gives five board seats a 90-day protection playbook.

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.

Nigeria Food Security, Market Resilience and Agricultural Development Programme

Public dossier — an independent feasibility read on a balanced, local-first, import-triggered food-security programme for Nigeria

Nigeria enters the 2026 lean season with 34.7 million people projected in crisis-level food insecurity while headline inflation falls and reserves sit at a 17-year high — a paradox of macro recovery above and household food stress below. This dossier sets out the independent feasibility architecture for a proposed Food Security, Market Resilience and Agricultural Development Programme: commodity-by-commodity gap analysis instead of blanket imports, a local-first procurement doctrine with published import triggers, a redesigned strategic-reserve layer, a self-liquidating revolving trade-finance structure, and a gated pilot-first path. Every originating figure is treated as a hypothesis under test, not a fact.

The New Strategy Playbook

How humans formulate strategy in 2026 — across business, economies, society, development and health

The five-year plan is being retired. Across every domain — corporate boardrooms, finance ministries, consumer markets and health systems — the craft of strategy has shifted from periodic prediction to continuous adaptation. This study maps the live trends in how strategy is now formulated: compressed horizons and Bayesian updating, AI-augmented and decentralised strategy functions, states acting as market players, a rewritten social contract with consumers, and health strategy pivoting from cure to prevention. Every claim is sourced; the gaps between what leaders say and what they actually do are the opportunity.

The GCC Healthcare Gold Rush: Private Capital, Mandatory Insurance and the Provider Gap

Six-system benchmark, four mandate engines, a 2030 bed-gap model and a capital playbook for the most oversubscribed sector in the Gulf

Every GCC state has now switched on, or is arming, a mandatory health-insurance engine — Abu Dhabi (2006), Dubai (2014), the Northern Emirates (2025), Kuwait (2025), Oman (phasing), Saudi Arabia (13.2m private lives and doubling premiums to 2030) — while the region operates 1.3–2.3 hospital beds per 1,000 people against Germany's 7.8 and the OECD's 4.3. This study benchmarks the four buyer markets against Germany and Singapore, sizes the provider gap to 2030 (Saudi estimates alone range 8,500–27,000 beds), maps the private-capital wave (PureHealth's $3.5bn of European acquisitions, the $1bn Aster GCC buyout, three Saudi IPOs 64–119× oversubscribed), prices greenfield-versus-acquisition entry, and stress-tests the one risk the gold-rush narrative underweights: reimbursement.

Dubai and Abu Dhabi Residential 2026–2028: Supply, Yields and the Soft-Landing Question

Five-market benchmark, three scenarios to 2028, a district heat table and an investor playbook by budget band

Dubai and Abu Dhabi have decoupled: Dubai is late-cycle and decelerating (+6.1% YoY, transactions down 13.8% in H1 2026) into a 2027 scheduled supply wave of roughly 146,000 units, while Abu Dhabi is compounding at +27.8% against a pipeline one-tenth that size. Benchmarked against Riyadh, Singapore and Lisbon, this study models three explicit scenarios to 2028, maps district-level yields, and sets out entry rules by budget band. Base case: a shallow Dubai correction of roughly -3% in 2027 inside a 6%+ gross-yield cushion — a soft landing, decided almost entirely by delivery attrition.

The Regulator Shopping Guide: Fintech Licensing Across ADGM, DIFC, SAMA and QFC

Capital floors, real timelines and a decision matrix for payments, lending and digital-asset builders choosing a Gulf licence in 2026

There is no GCC passport: each licence buys one market, and the capital floors for a payments permission span roughly 150x between the cheapest and costliest sourced track (AED 100,000 for a CBUAE Category IV permission to AED 15 million for a stored-value facility). This study benchmarks the five regulators a Gulf fintech founder can realistically shop - ADGM FSRA, DIFC DFSA, SAMA, QFCRA and CBUAE - across licensing tracks for payments, lending and crypto, with sourced fees, capital requirements and authorisation timelines, and closes with a decision matrix mapping seven common business models to a primary and fallback regulator.

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.

The Remittance Rewire: Digital Corridors from the Gulf to South Asia

Gulf corridors set records while the world's biggest corridor shrinks - and the cheapest rail is now an app, not an agent

A benchmark study of the UAE-India, UAE/Saudi-Pakistan, Saudi-Egypt and US-Mexico remittance corridors: record Gulf-origin flows (Pakistan $41.6bn, Egypt $41.5bn, India $135.5bn) against a shrinking US-Mexico control ($61.8bn, -4.6%), the 4.59%-vs-7.30% digital-cash cost spread, the US 1% cash-remittance tax, and why instant-payment linkages - not CBDCs - are the retail rail of the next 24 months.

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.

The Gulf Data-Centre Race: Power, Chips and the New Digital Geography

Announced gigawatts, energized megawatts, and who actually captures the AI workloads

The Gulf has announced between 5 and 11 gigawatts of sovereign AI data-centre capacity while roughly 500 megawatts of third-party capacity is live today. This study benchmarks the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar against the two constrained incumbents — Singapore and Ireland — across capacity, power economics, latency position and regulation, and maps who captures which workloads to 2030.

Feeding the Gulf: The Food-Security Investment Map 2026–2030

Where sovereign capital is pulling private money — UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar benchmarked against the Netherlands and Israel, and the four-segment stack priced

Gulf food-security capital has moved upstream: over US$7 billion of verified sovereign and state-linked deals since 2020 now target the grain trade itself, while domestic production consolidates around what survives the desert P&L. This study benchmarks the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar against their two explicit reference systems — the Netherlands and Israel — then prices the four-segment investable stack: greenhouse-first controlled-environment agriculture, sovereign-anchored aquaculture, cash-yielding cold chain, and alternative proteins as a regulatory call option under Abu Dhabi's 2025 halal-integrated novel-food framework. It closes with the four co-investment structures that repeat across every disclosed transaction, and a candid risk register.

Sovereign AI in the Gulf: Compute, Models and Talent — Who Actually Leads

Announcement versus deployment across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar — benchmarked against Singapore and France

The Gulf sovereign-AI race has split into three distinct strategies: the UAE is deploying (a gigawatt-class campus physically under construction, chips export-licensed, a US$49bn infrastructure fund closed, and a continuous cadence of shipped models), Saudi Arabia is announcing at the largest scale (6.6GW by 2034) while execution is still early, and Qatar has pivoted to capital-as-strategy, buying exposure rather than building gigawatts. Benchmarked against Singapore and France, the UAE currently leads on execution score; the binding constraint for every programme is US chip-export approval, which has quietly become the real scoreboard.

The New Silk Routes: How Gulf Aviation Hubs Are Redrawing Global Transit

Dubai leads on volume, Istanbul on network, Doha on premium transfer — and Riyadh is pouring concrete for 120 million passengers by 2030

Four operating super-hubs on the Europe–Asia corridor moved roughly 303 million airport passengers in 2025 — Dubai 95.2M, Istanbul 84.0M, Singapore ~70.0M, Doha 54.3M — while Saudi Arabia builds a fifth designed for 120 million by 2030. This study benchmarks the five class-matched hubs, quantifies the order books that will decide the next decade, and unpacks the stopover-to-stayover economics that turned Dubai transit gravity into 19.59 million overnight visitors in 2025.

The Opinion Layer: GCC Legal Technology to 2026

Contract automation and Arabic legal AI are scaling fast, but a 40-plus-free-zone map and two common-law islands keep localization the hard problem

GCC legal technology is moving from pilots to working infrastructure across contract automation and Arabic-language legal AI, with government itself now a builder as well as a regulator. Funding is pre-seed-weighted against a single better-capitalised entrant, and jurisdictional fragmentation across 40-plus free zones plus the DIFC and ADGM common-law islands remains the region's defining localization cost, one that Singapore, the UK and the US do not face in the same form.

The Quiet Capital: Mapping the MENA Family-Office Intelligence Gap

Two hundred ninety offices or six thousand? The Gulf's family-office boom is real and registrable — and almost entirely unmeasured where it matters. Where the measurement gap becomes a market.

The Middle East's family-office population is quoted anywhere between 290 and 6,000-plus, overseeing an estimated ~$500bn or more — a definitional fog no other asset-owner class would tolerate. This study benchmarks DIFC and ADGM against Singapore, Switzerland and London, maps the ~$1tn succession wave onto the region's regulatory and services stack, and locates the commercial opening: the intelligence layer the boom has not yet built.

The Paper Trade: Digitising Physical-Commodity Flows Through the Gulf

Electronic bills of lading, the MLETR statute race and whether Dubai can take documentation share from Geneva, Singapore and London

Gulf economies already route $1.6tn of merchandise trade, yet the documents that carry title, credit and jurisdiction still clear through incumbent hubs and English law. This study benchmarks Dubai against Geneva, Singapore and London on legal enablement, firm concentration and registry depth. It finds the window to capture documentation share open until roughly 2030 — contingent on one missing federal statute rather than on technology.

The Silicon Sovereigns: How Gulf Capital Is Buying Its Way Into the AI Order

Compute, equity and chip diplomacy: an audit of what Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Doha are actually acquiring in the artificial-intelligence build-out

Between Microsoft's $1.5bn stake in G42 in April 2024 and the $49bn close of Abu Dhabi's MGX fund in July 2026, Gulf sovereign capital moved from the periphery of artificial intelligence to a load-bearing position in its financing. This study benchmarks the Gulf's sovereign AI vehicles against their Singaporean peers and finds that what the sovereigns are buying, in descending order of certainty, is compute, equity and influence — with access to American chips, not capital, as the binding constraint.

Easy to Start, Hard to Keep Clean: The UAE SME Formation and Compliance Market

Formation venues compete on price and speed; the durable cost of owning a UAE company now sits in the tax-and-filing stack that follows

The UAE remains one of the cheapest and fastest places in the Gulf to incorporate, with entry licenses from roughly AED 6,000 and approval in days. Since corporate tax took effect in June 2023, however, the recurring compliance line — registration, bookkeeping, VAT and corporate tax filings — has become broadly venue-independent and often exceeds the annual license renewal itself. This study benchmarks five formation venues against Saudi and Bahraini references and sizes the services market that keeps the country's ~557,000 SMEs clean.

The Journey Economy: Mapping MENA's Travel and Experiences Market

Beyond hotel counts: pilgrimage volumes, giga-project supply and the young intra-regional traveller reshaping the region's visitor economy

MENA's five headline travel markets each closed 2025 with record arrivals, a synchronised peak the region has not produced before. This study maps the market beyond hotel counts: tourism's GDP contribution, religious travel volumes, the under-digitised experiences layer, Saudi giga-project supply, and the young domestic and intra-regional demand that actually fills the rooms.