The regional economy performed strongly in the fourth quarter of 2022 owing to a successful FIFA World Cup, a booming tourism season, and favorable trade agreements being signed by energy exporters. Furthermore, the quarter saw an influx of new capital as international and domestic investors opened new offices in the region.
Heading towards the new year, food security remains on top of the agenda for the region, while enhancements in food tech, and the continued rise of meat and dairy alternatives providing have proved to be a nifty tool to combat lingering supply chain and labor shortages and addressing food security.
M&A activity in the regional logistics sector continues to be buoyant, fueled by the proliferation of trade agreements, a growing expat population and the continuing e-commerce boom.
The introduction of VAT into the UAE will soon be completing 5 Years, however, many businesses have been unable to understand and appreciate the VAT zero-rating conditions for exports of goods.
Despite the recent global market downturn and recession fears, economic sentiment remains strong within the GCC region on the back of growth in the tourism and oil.
Spurred on by government initiatives and the emergence from COVID-19, the GCC IPO markets are now seeing unprecedented levels of activity, captivating institutional and retail investors alike.
Amidst global economic uncertainties, the MENA region is on a growth trajectory fuelled by elevated oil prices and accelerating business-friendly reforms. The global logistics market is estimated to be $9.1Tn in 2022 and is expected to reach $12.3Tn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%. A combination of initiatives by regional governments and developments in e-commerce are driving the growth in logistics and warehousing activity in the region.
Q1 has seen a continued rise in deal activity in a number of sectors within our M&A and Transactions Advisory team. Following on from our Q4 2021 update, we are delighted to share this quarter's Food & Beverage (F&B) edition, summarising key themes, issues and activity in the sector. It has been a busy start to the year in F&B across the GCC and broader MENA region and we will continue to watch closely throughout the year.
Let’s call a meeting to discuss COVID-19 epidemic risk management. No, let's not. Calling a meeting creates a state of panic and promotes congregating in groups at a time when a virus can be transmitted to two people from one infected person- it is not a good idea. What is, however, is having team leaders, risk champions, business continuity professionals, Human Resources, and communications teams collaborate online and agree on a comprehensive strategy to manage the risk and here is how to do it.
As a member of Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD), and in response to an assessment of the UAE’s tax framework by the European Union Code of Conduct Group, the UAE has committed to ensuring standards related to Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) are implemented.
The world’s leading survey of mid-market companies, Grant Thornton’s IBR, once again provides vital insight into the health of the global mid-market. These results for H1 2019 reflect the views of nearly 5,000 mid-market companies across 30+ countries interviewed in May and June of this year.
With the Chinese financial services industry entering international jurisdictions, where does Islamic Finance fall in it's path of growth?
Our annual report on women in business reveals that introducing policies alone is not enough to drive real progress, and that gender diversity gaps remain at a leadership level. If policy is not driving more women to the top, despite widespread use, then what will?
The gender diversity issue has been on the business agenda for many years now, yet a third of businesses still have no women at a senior management level. We know that significant performance benefits come with having a diverse leadership team and there are certainly a large number of women capable of joining such teams.
In 2017, leadership teams are grappling with new conditions of global risk. With few predicting the happenings of recent years, businesses around the world are striving to prepare for the further possibility of inconceivable events.
24%: that is the proportion of women holding the most senior roles in businesses across the globe.