Layla Hassan

QatarEnergy's North Field East LNG expansion — the world's largest LNG project — has completed Phase A at a cost of USD 28.7 billion, adding 32 million tonnes per year of new capacity and positioning Qatar to produce 126 million tonnes of LNG annually by 2027, cementing its lead as the world's largest LNG exporter.

Saudi Arabia's NEOM megaproject has opened its first residential district for early residents and workers in 2026, with THE LINE's mirrored facade structure advancing in the Tabuk desert and the broader NEOM development receiving USD 500 billion in committed investment as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accelerates Vision 2030 delivery.

The Kuwait Investment Authority has grown its assets under management to an estimated USD 969 billion in 2026, maintaining its position as one of the world's five largest sovereign wealth funds and continuing its strategy of diversifying Kuwait's national wealth across global equities, private equity and infrastructure.

Bahrain has emerged as the Gulf's leading fintech destination, with FinTech Bay hosting over 500 registered companies across Islamic finance, payments, digital banking and insurtech sectors — supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain's sandbox regime, the most permissive in the region.