Research Briefing | May 20, 2021

MENA | Coronavirus tracker for the GCC – May update

Coronavirus tracker for the GCC – May update

Over the past week, there has been a series of announcements about plans in the GCC to ease lockdown and travel restrictions. These include Dubai allowing brunches and live music and reducing social distancing to 2 metres while increasing capacity in restaurants and hotels, and Kuwait allowing indoor dining and ending quarantine for vaccinated travellers. Travels restrictions are also being eased elsewhere as Saudi Arabia re-opened to international flights and Abu Dhabi announced plans to end quarantine restrictions on 1 July.

What you will learn:

  • The UAE is also moving forward with implementing the significant set of reforms announced over the past year. From 1 June, the UAE will allow 100% foreign ownership of onshore entities.
  • The new rules will strengthen investor confidence in the UAE and should simplify investment decisions and management of local assets, which will help the UAE benefit from the expected upswing in the global economy.
  • This MENA Weekly updates the Coronavirus tracker for the GCC, which draws on non traditional data sources such as Google location data and STR hotel occupancy data, and high-frequency data such as PMIs, commodity prices and financial market numbers.
Back to Resource Hub

Related Services

Post

Capital catalysts – Funding development when budgets are tight in Africa

In this presentation deck, we grappled with some of the Africa’s most pressing issues for 2024 and beyond. We explored Africa’s alternative funding strategies during challenging times, examined the continent’s growth hotspot, and unpacked South Africa’s political economy in the lead up to the general elections in 2024.

Find Out More
Apac key themes

Post

APAC Key themes 2024 – A year of living cautiously

In 2024, the main influence on Asia is likely to be a global slowdown, particularly in China and the US. Moreover, governments have limited policy space to deal with these headwinds. Other negative influences, however, are set to ease further, including domestic inflation, external pressure on interest rates, and softening semiconductor prices. Overall, we expect a bumpy year as issues become more country-specific and policy responses and economic outcomes diverge.

Find Out More