Adnan Ahmed Yousif, the president and chief executive of Bahrain-based Al Baraka Banking Group, believes that the scope for international expansion for Islamic finance is huge, and that improved oversight combined with scholarly jurisprudence is the key to a more harmonious global structure in the market.
With its guaranteed long-term liquefied natural gas revenues and ever-expanding array of foreign assets, Qatar boasts a profile that has set it apart from its Middle Eastern oil-exporting peers – even if it has found it necessary to curb some of its prodigious spending growth in the midst of weaker global oil prices seen in the past year.
The civil war in bordering Syria and a stagnant political scene have caused Lebanon's economy to grow at a slow pace in recent years. While factors such as the low oil price give some cause for optimism, the prevailing feeling of uncertainty in the country means few see it realising its full potential any time soon.
The countries of north Africa have been proving attractive for lenders from the Gulf region for decades, but in recent years this activity has picked up, with Egypt a particularly popular destination. Tom Stevenson looks at the reasons why Gulf banks are heading west.
Hit hard by the global financial crisis and a stagnant domestic political scene, Kuwait is now emerging as a stable, pro-business destination with a buoyant private sector and an economy moving away from its reliance on oil, as James King discovers.
The governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, Mohammad Al-Hashel, has every reason to look to the future with optimism, given that the country's banking sector is coping well with low oil prices, welcoming foreign entrants, bringing down its NPL ratio and helping diversify the country's economy.
Kuwait’s banks are slowly recovering from the global financial crisis and bankers are optimistic for 2015. However, issues remain, including high exposure to the real estate market, outstanding debt settlements and a funding shortfall for the country’s SMEs.
Despite facing budgetary pressures and a falling oil price, Hamood Sangour Al Zadjali, Oman's central bank governor, is optimistic over the country's future, describing to James King how directives to encourage SME lending and bring about a harmonious Islamic banking sector will bring huge benefits.
Unlike some of its more illustrious neighbours, Oman's banking sector was barely affected by the global financial crisis, thanks in no small part to its domestic focus and cautious central bank. However, while the short-term prospects are strong, a plummeting oil price and increasing competition at home pose longer term challenges.
US shale production has significantly altered the landscape of the global energy market. Ahead of the Institute of International Finance's annual spring meeting in Qatar, James King looks at how OPEC is responding to this seismic shift.
The Middle East's private equity market had a successful year in 2014, with several notable deals, a number of vehicles closing their fundraising and increased international interest in the market. James King investigates how likely it is that its popularity will extend into 2015.