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Showing posts with the label Guide to Invest in the Middle East

Iran, a land of big business opportunities in agriculture, tourism, oil and natural gas

Iran a huge market of + 80 million consumers. Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures.  The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for developing and maintaining the Iranian rial, which serves as the country's currency. Tehran is the economic center of Iran, hosting 45% of the country's industries. The administration continues to follow the market reform plans. Iran has developed a biotechnology, nanotechnology, and pharmaceuticals industry. Iran has leading manufacturing industries in the fields of car-manufacture and transportation, construction materials, home appliances, food and agricultural goods, armaments, pharmaceuticals, information technology, power and petrochemicals in the Middle East. According to FAO , Iran has been a top five producer of the following agricultural produc...

Qatar, a rich land of heavy industrial projects, petroleum and natural gas industries

Qatar is a young market of + 2 million consumers. As of 2016, Qatar has the fourth highest GDP per capita in the world, according to the International Monetary Fund. The economic growth of Qatar has been almost exclusively based on its petroleum and natural gas industries, which began in 1940. Qatar is the leading exporter of liquefied natural gas. Established in 2005, Qatar Investment Authority is the country's sovereign wealth fund , specialising in foreign investment. As of 2014, it has investments around the world in: Valentino, Siemens, Printemps, Harrods, The Shard , Barclays Bank, Heathrow Airport, Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Volkswagen Group, Royal Dutch Shell, Bank of America, Tiffany, Agricultural Bank of China, Sainsbury's, BlackBerry, Santander Brazil, etc .  The country is free from taxes; however, authorities have announced plans to levy taxes on junk food and luxury items in the coming years. Qatar's proved reserves of gas are the th...

Yemen, a land of agricultural commodities, crude oil production and petroleum refining

Beyond huge challenges related to water scarcity , Yemen is an interesting country with a market of + 25 million consumers. Services are the largest economic sector , followed by the industrial sector, and agriculture. Petroleum production represents around 25% of GDP and 63% of the government's revenue. Principal agricultural commodities produced in the nation include grain, vegetables, fruits, pulses, qat, coffee, cotton, dairy products, fish, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels), and poultry. Most Yemenis are employed in agriculture . Sorghum is the most common crop. Cotton and many fruit trees are also grown, with mangoes being the most valuable. Yemen's industrial sector is centered on crude oil production and petroleum refining, food processing, handicrafts, small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods, aluminum products, commercial ship repair, cement, and natural gas production. The main export commodities are crude oil, coffe...

The United Arab Emirates, a land of powerful flag carriers, Petroleum and natural gas

Steadily, the United Arab Emirates is demonstrating its potential as the second largest economy in the GCC (after Saudi Arabia). The UnitedArab Emirates has the most diversified economy in the GCC with a market of + 5 million consumers. The UAE's economy remains extremely reliant on oil, and Petroleum and natural gas continue to play a central role in the economy. Dubai is running a balanced budget, reflecting economic growth. Tourism acts as a growth sector for the entire UAE economy. Dubai is the top tourism destination in the Middle East. The UAE has the most advanced and developed infrastructure in the region. In effect the UAE has been spending billions of dollars on infrastructure. These developments are particularly evident in the larger emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The northern emirates are rapidly following suit, providing major incentives for developers of residential and commercial property. Emirates, flag carrier of the UAE is one of the...

Kuwait, a land of petroleum, financial services, sovereign wealth fund, and a state-funded healthcare system

Beyond shocking household behaviors against foreign household workers, the dynamics are very exciting in Kuwait in terms of economic growth. Kuwait has a petroleum-based economy with a market of + 4 million consumers. According to the World Bank , Kuwait is the fourth richest country in the world per capita. Petroleum accounts for half of GDP and 90% of government income. Non-petroleum industries include financial services. Kuwait is a major source of foreign economic assistance to other states through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. Kuwait has proven crude oil reserves of 104 billion barrels, estimated to be 10% of the world's reserves. According to the constitution, all natural resources in the country are state property. The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) is Kuwait's sovereign wealth fund specializing in foreign investment. The Kuwaiti government has directed investments into Europe, United States and Asia Pacific. As of 2015 , the ho...

Israel, a land of innovations, tourism, quality university education, scientists, technicians, and engineers

+ 8 million consumers live in Israel . This country is considered the most advanced country in Southwest Asia and the Middle East in economic and industrial development.   Israel's quality university education and the establishment of a highly motivated and educated populace is largely responsible for spurring the country's high technology boom and rapid economic development. Despite limited natural resources , intensive development of the agricultural and industrial sectors over the past decades has made Israel largely self-sufficient in food production, apart from grains and beef. Imports to Israel include raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, fuels, grain, and consumer goods. Leading exports include machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, and textiles and apparel. In 2016, Israeli exports reached $51.61 billion. Israel has an impressive record for creating profit driven technolo...

Bahrain, a land of Petroleum production and processing, aluminium, finance and construction materials

The dynamics are positive in this country of + 1 million potential consumers. Then , one can observe that, Bahrain's banking and financial services sector, particularly Islamic banking, have benefited from the regional boom driven by demand for oil. Petroleum production and processing is Bahrain's most exported product. Aluminium production is the second most exported product, followed by finance and construction materials. Bahrain is home to a number of multinational firms and construction proceeds on several major industrial projects. Bahrain depends heavily on food imports to feed its growing population; it relies heavily on meat imports from Australia and also imports 75% of its total fruit consumption needs. In 2004, Bahrain signed the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement, which will reduce certain trade barriers between the two nations. As a tourist destination, Bahrain received over eight million visitors in 2008 though the exact number varies y...