Overview

Large-scale projects and vehicle-sharing platforms enhance urban mobility
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Around the globe urban transport is experiencing rapid expansion, driven by economic growth and a global demographic shift towards urbanisation. Politicians, urban planners and private sector actors alike are working together to find new solutions for reducing congestion and increasing the speed and efficiency of urban transport. However, unless proactive steps are taken to plan and invest…

Overview

Mega-projects drive construction growth in Bahrain
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As a significant contributor to growth, Bahrain’s construction sector stood as the fastest-growing non-oil sector in 2018. Its expansion was supported by a surge in investment into infrastructure for energy, manufacturing and real estate. Rates of growth and lending have risen steadily in recent years on the back of a major oil and gas modernisation programme and a number of big-ticket projects.…

Overview

China's Belt and Road Initiative energises global construction industry
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From 206 BCE to 220 CE, China’s Han dynasty fostered a booming trade industry for silk, a precious commodity in high demand among the elites of the Mediterranean. The Silk Road was the name given to the network of trade routes connecting the East and West at the time. Later, spices and other precious cargo would be traded using the system, fostering not only economic, but also cultural links…

Overview

Affordable housing and high-end commercial space drive real estate expansion in Bahrain
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Real estate in Bahrain has remained resilient in the face of successive macroeconomic challenges, maintaining a positive – albeit subdued – growth trajectory in recent years even as rental and occupancy rates declined across the residential, commercial, and hospitality segments. While developers have struggled with persistent oversupply and weakening demand – particularly for luxury residential…

Overview

Urbanisation and youthful populations put pressure on emerging markets' housing supply
OBG
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Urbanisation is a mega-trend redefining contemporary life in both developed and emerging markets across the world. This mass rural-to-urban movement of people and expansion of cities to absorb formerly isolated villages is a relatively recent phenomenon, at least in the developing world. According to the UN, in 1950, 751m people lived in urban areas; however, by 2018 this number had risen to…

Overview

Government support for small and medium-sized enterprises key to sustainable economic growth
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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) drive global economic growth and employment, accounting for an average of 33% of GDP and 45% of the workforce in high-income countries, and over 60% of GDP and 70% of employment in developing economies. The rise of SMEs has been crucial to economic diversification and resilience, particularly in countries vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations.…

Overview

Key industries set to propel manufacturing in Bahrain forward
OBG
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Outside of financial services, Bahrain’s manufacturing sector has grown to become the largest contributor to non-oil GDP. The sector has benefitted from rising foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, one of the world’s leading global aluminium industries and increasing diversification into value-added production across several segments, most notably fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Manufacturers…

Overview

New tourism offerings solidify Bahrain's position in the GCC
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Home to one of the region’s most unique island geographies, UNESCO World Heritage sites and the popular annual Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix event, Bahrain already has much to offer visitors. The capital Manama has a long-established reputation for its high-end retail and hospitality offering, providing tourists from neighbouring states, notably Saudi Arabia, with a convenient getaway destination…

Overview

Hospitality market adapts to growing number of international travellers
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Aided by easier and cheaper travel, global tourism has experienced two decades of almost uninterrupted growth. According to the World Bank, the number of international departures more than doubled between 1997 and 2017, from 687m to 1.57bn per annum. With the global middle class estimated by the US-based think tank Brookings Institution to be expanding by as many as 160m people per year until…

Overview

Investment in education technology surges worldwide
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In an era characterised by profound technological disruption and intense global competition in new frontier industries, emerging markets are striving to improve and adapt their education systems to meet the demands of the modern economy and the needs of their citizens. As such, innovative solutions are increasingly being developed to address barriers within traditional education systems. Education…