Oxford Business Group

17/08/2026

Oman has undergone one of the Gulf's most disciplined economic transformations of the past decade – reducing public debt by more than 30 percentage points of GDP, restoring investment-grade credit ratings across all three major agencies, and growing its non-hydrocarbon economy to nearly three-quarters of GDP.

Our latest report, produced in partnership with ominvest, examines how Vision 2040, the Estidamah programme and targeted capital allocation are converting national policy objectives into concrete, investable opportunities – across financial services, green hydrogen, digital infrastructure, logistics and tourism.

With the Muscat Stock Exchange targeting emerging market reclassification, the International Financial Centre of Oman launching under English Common Law in 2026 and a $140bn green hydrogen strategy scaling rapidly, the report makes the case that Oman's inflection point for long-term capital is now.

Read the full report: https://tinyurl.com/2et6txdd

Oman's economic transformation is one of the Gulf's most compelling – and least reported – investment stories. In just five years, the sultanate has cut public debt from 68% of GDP to approximately 36%, restored investment-grade credit ratings across all three major agencies, and grown its non-h...

05/08/2026

From the launch of our latest sector-by-sector report on the economy of Qatar and how humanisation is shaping urban transformation in Madinah to the outlook for Syria’s pharmaceutical sector and the evolution of Saudi Arabia's banking and advertising sectors, here are the highlights of our latest economic research on the world's most dynamic markets.

Oxford Business Group's latest economic research highlights on the world's emerging markets - July 2026

04/08/2026

Can free zones and institutional reforms help Qatar attract the next wave of regional and international investment?

Read our analysis in The Report: Qatar 2026 to know more: https://tinyurl.com/2pkspxsf

Qatar occupies a strategic position in global trade as the world’s second-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG). While trade revenue has historically withstood hydrocarbons price volatility, 2026 has brought new challenges, including export disruptions, shipping constraints and damage to...

04/08/2026

How are Islamic banks driving digital finance transformation in Qatar? Fahad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Group CEO, Alrayan Bank Group, shares his views:
https://tinyurl.com/2rkswa9f

Interview: Fahad bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Group CEO, AlRayan Bank, on Islamic banks pushing the sector’s digital transformation How does the recent growth of Qatar’s Islamic finance sector shape its next phase of development in financing and retail banking? AL KHALIFA: Reaching QR393bn ($104.8bn)...

03/08/2026

Can Qatar's innovation ecosystem make the leap from nurturing start-ups to building globally competitive scale-ups?

Read our analysis in The Report: Qatar 2026 to find out: https://tinyurl.com/mpmszc3h

Qatar’s technology development ecosystem continues to gain momentum, with incubation-focused efforts beginning to deliver results and government attention shifting to market access, scale and commercial outcomes. The country has built a thriving support network for entrepreneurs through the Minist...

03/08/2026

How is Qatar building smarter, more sustainable and resilient cities for future generations? Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Minister of Municipality (وزارة البلدية), explains: https://tinyurl.com/45xf3ymf

Interview: Abdullah bin Hamad bin Abdullah Al Attiyah, Minister of Municipality, on sustainable urban planning How can municipal regulations and service delivery policies be adapted to accommodate the forecasted rise in housing stock by end-2026? AL ATTIYAH: The comprehensive urban plan provides an....

03/08/2026

With the youth comprising nearly 60% of its population – which presents both a significant responsibility and a tremendous opportunity – how is Uzbekistan enhancing access to higher education and improving academic quality?

Kongratbay Sharipov, Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation (Oliy ta’lim, fan va innovatsiyalar vazirligi), shares his thoughts on the country's strategies to achieve its education goals, including leveraging the use of emerging technologies.

Read interview here: https://tinyurl.com/6txr9m67

On enhancing access to higher education and integrating emerging technologies into learning How is the ministry expanding access to higher education while also bolstering academic quality? KONGRATBAY SHARIPOV: Youth comprise nearly 60% of Uzbekistan's population, presenting both a significant respon...

02/08/2026

Can digital technologies transform how Qatar plans, builds and manages its next generation of infrastructure projects?

Read our analysis in The Report: Qatar 2026 to find out: https://tinyurl.com/49u3mnkx

Across the GCC, construction and real estate are undergoing a quiet but consequential shift as digital technologies move from pilot-stage experimentation to system-wide adoption. Long characterised by large-scale projects, fragmented supply chains and labour-intensive delivery models, the region’s...

02/08/2026

How can 5G, AI and cloud technologies accelerate Qatar’s transition to a digital economy? Insights from Sheikh Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani, CEO, Ooredoo Qatar : https://tinyurl.com/8zmyju8a

01/08/2026

Can a new wave of incentives and regulatory reforms help Qatar become one of the region’s most competitive destinations for foreign investment?

Read our analysis in The Report: Qatar 2026 to know more: https://tinyurl.com/3jhzuw8s

Since the 2000s, Qatar’s investor proposition has evolved considerably as authorities have aligned foreign direct investment (FDI) policy, venture capital (VC) incentives and labour mobility to bolster private-sector confidence and accelerate growth. Efforts have ramped up in recent years and in e...