Today's Gulf intelligence covers 6 key signals shaping regional markets. The stories below represent the most material developments for portfolio positioning and strategic awareness.
Qatari Diar, the real estate arm of Doha’s sovereign wealth fund, has appointed the US architecture firm behind Dubai’s Burj Khalifa to design the masterplan of a smart city project on Egypt’s Mediter
Euro-area firms were confronted with higher interest rates and tighter lending conditions in the second quarter when the Iran war clouded the region’s economic outlook, according to a survey published
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis declared an immediate naval blockade on Saudi Arabia on Monday, Reuters reported, bringing the U.S.-Iran war officially to the southern entrance of the Red Sea and threate
Oil held a two-day gain as the US and Iran continued hostilities in the Middle East, while Yemen’s Houthi militants threatened to blockade Saudi Arabia’s maritime traffic in the Red Sea.
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) has signed a six-year engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) framework agreement with the Petrojet-ENPPI Consortium.
Halliburton has secured multi-year lump sum turnkey (LSTK) contracts from Aramco for work across several onshore fields in Saudi Arabia.
Brent holding $80-85 range. OPEC+ discipline intact through Q3. Non-OPEC supply growth slowing. Asian demand forecast revised up 0.4% by IEA.
GCC bank profits up 18% YoY. NIMs stabilizing. Loan growth strongest in Saudi (22%) and UAE (16%). DIFC: 47 new fintech licenses Q1.
Dubai residential transactions hit AED 42B in April — monthly record. Saudi giga-project awards reached $18B Q1.
Gulf VC: $1.2B across 84 deals Q1. Saudi startups 37% of total. Fintech and logistics lead. 3 deals above $50M in Riyadh.