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The Unlikely Star of Oman’s Diversification: How Farmers and Fishermen Outperformed Industry

In 2025, Oman’s fastest-growing non-oil sector was not technology, energy, or manufacturing. It was agriculture and fisheries. New GDP data reveals how modern logistics, processing, and SME integration have turned food production into one of the country’s most reliable engines of economic growth, challenging long-held assumptions about diversification priorities.

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Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 at a Fork: Scale Back or Borrow More?

Saudi Arabia entered May 2026 with a first-quarter budget deficit of $33.5 billion, more than double the shortfall recorded in the same period a year earlier. The Strait of Hormuz closure has cut oil revenues while government spending rises. Riyadh is now choosing between scaling back its Vision 2030 megaprojects or deepening its position in international debt markets. This analysis examines the fiscal data, the specific project decisions underway at NEOM and the Public Investment Fund, and the contrasting positions of Oman, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait in the same shock.

Beyond the Petrodollar Score 0%

Beyond the Petrodollar

The 2026 Strait of Hormuz disruption exposed critical weaknesses in global financial infrastructure. In response, GCC countries are building a sovereign digital settlement system using central bank digital currencies and platforms like mBridge. This shift is changing how trade is executed, reducing reliance on the US dollar, and giving the region greater control over capital flows.

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The Financing Gap Shaping Gulf Women Entrepreneurs

For women founders in the Gulf, geography shapes survival. In Kuwait, self-funding forces speed, sales, and commercial focus. In Qatar, state-backed grants make long development cycles possible. These two paths explain why women-led startups across the region look so different, and why many struggle to scale.

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The Skyward Shift: How Dubai Is Turning Airspace into Public Transport

In March 2026, Dubai will begin operating its airspace as a functional layer of public transport. Rather than expanding roads, the city is introducing a vertical mobility network that connects the airport, Downtown, Palm Jumeirah, and Dubai Marina through commercial flying taxis. The result is not just faster travel, but predictable movement in a city where time is an economic asset.

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