Economy

Gulf states are active in the critical mineral sector, but their approaches and strategies vary widely.

The Saudi government projects that the budget deficit will narrow during 2026-28, but this will depend on a rebound in oil prices and tight control of spending.

U.S. authorizations for exporting advanced chips to the leading Gulf technology firms is sure to please regional authorities, who will push to broaden and accelerate technology collaboration with the United States.

Trade and investment links between the United States and Saudi Arabia appear to be growing and will get a further boost when the Saudi crown prince visits the White House on November 18.

When the Saudi crown prince meets President Trump in Washington, the main topics of discussion are likely to be commercial deals, a defense pact, a Saudi civilian nuclear program, and normalization with Israel.

Gulf insurers can embed environmental resilience, social safeguards, and governance rigor into underwriting to strengthen local markets and align with the expectations of global investors increasingly focused on ESG.

The Vision 2030 reforms are continuing to deliver positive economic outcomes, but the pace of gains is slowing in some areas.

Stalled AI deals announced during President Trump’s May visit to the Gulf may be getting back on track, but plenty of questions remain.