The economies in the Arabian Gulf continue to grow rapidly, despite instability and unrest afflicting their neighbouring countries in the Middle East. The Arabian Gulf countries are the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (“the GCC”) namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. These GCC countries are collectively important for any business with global aspirations and ambitions.

According to the International Monetary Fund (“IMF”), in the five year period following the financial crisis of 2008, the real gross domestic product of the GCC countries grew by 24 per cent - a stark contrast to negative growth experienced over the same period in the UK and in the Eurozone countries.

Growth Drivers in the Arabian Gulf