Economy

In its new strategy, the Saudi Public Investment Fund seems to focus more on investment returns and less on asset growth. How this will work in practice is less clear, including what it means for the future of existing projects, such as Neom.

As Gulf countries seek alternative routes beyond the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon is positioning Tripoli as a complementary Mediterranean gateway alongside Syria, but long-standing political and financial risks could limit serious capital inflows.

The regional conflict has so far had a limited impact on the Saudi labor market.

Beijing keeps treading carefully around conflict in the Middle East while seeking opportunities to deepen ties with key country partners through a longer-term regional engagement strategy.

Silicon Valley is exploring offshoring some of its compute demand. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are positioning themselves to capture some of it.

The United Arab Emirates’ space industry is entering a new phase of maturity, as private Emirati firms play an increasingly active role alongside government entities and international partnerships.

Attacks on the East-West oil pipeline and other targets in Saudi Arabia will result in a larger-than-expected economic contraction in the kingdom this year.

The UAE’s decision to halt trade and commercial ties with Iran reflects an exercise in applying carefully calibrated geoeconomic pressure amid an uncertain and evolving geopolitical context.