Business

Buying gold in Dubai in 2026: how the daily rate is set, 22K vs 24K, the tax-free advantage, the Gold Souk vs malls, and smart tips to avoid overpaying.

Buy vs rent Dubai 2026: compare 20% down payments, the 4% DLD fee, mortgage rates, rental yields and break-even years to decide which makes more sense.

Learn how to send money from UAE in 2026: compare banks, exchange houses like Al Ansari and LuLu, and apps like Wise for the best rates and lowest fees.

Choosing where to set up a business in the GCC in 2026 — UAE, Saudi Arabia or Bahrain — depends on your target market, ownership preference, cost tolerance and regulatory appetite. This practical guide compares the three most popular Gulf business destinations across key metrics to help entrepreneurs and multinationals make the right call.

Dubai's real estate market recorded AED 120 billion in property transactions in Q1 2026 — a new quarterly record — as off-plan sales continued to dominate, prices per square foot in premium areas exceeded AED 3,000, and international investors from India, Russia, China, the UK and Europe maintained elevated purchasing activity.

Bahrain's Economic Development Board attracted a record USD 3.5 billion in Foreign Direct Investment during 2025, with the Kingdom's financial services, ICT, manufacturing and logistics sectors all recording new entrants as Bahrain leverages its strategic Saudi gateway position, competitive costs and regulatory excellence to compete for Gulf FDI.

Gulf Cooperation Council sovereign wealth funds have collectively crossed USD 4 trillion in assets under management in 2026, with Abu Dhabi's ADIA, Saudi Arabia's PIF, Kuwait's KIA, Qatar's QIA, Mubadala and ADQ among the world's most active investors reshaping global real estate, technology, infrastructure and private equity markets.

ADNOC is expanding its LNG production capacity toward 15 million tonnes per year as Abu Dhabi develops a parallel gas export strategy alongside Qatar, targeting European markets seeking alternatives to Russian pipeline gas and Asian buyers seeking supply security for their energy transitions through 2050.

Kuwait's Al Zour Refinery has reached its full designed production capacity of 615,000 barrels per day in 2026, making it the Gulf's largest refinery and one of the world's ten most productive, with output primarily targeting export markets in Asia and Europe and reducing Kuwait's dependence on imported petroleum products.

Oman's Muscat property market recorded 18% price growth in 2025 and is maintaining momentum in 2026, driven by Gulf investors diversifying beyond Dubai, Asian buyers attracted by Oman's residency-by-investment programme, and a growing expatriate professional community drawn by Oman's rising business environment rankings.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is generating AED 2 billion in projected revenue for Gulf hospitality businesses through match-day F&B, sports tourism packages and Saudi Arabia fan travel to North America, with UAE hotels, sports bars and airlines all reporting record bookings during Saudi Arabia's group stage fixtures.

GCC neobanks and digital banking platforms have collectively surpassed 15 million customers in 2026, led by UAE's Wio Bank and YAP and Saudi Arabia's STC Pay and Tabby, as the Gulf's young, tech-savvy population drives a digital finance revolution that is reshaping the region's banking landscape.