🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · Economy
10 storiesUAE and Thailand conclude CEPA negotiations as non-oil trade rises 75%
The United Arab Emirates and Thailand have concluded negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), announced in Bangkok on 8 October 2026 at a meeting between UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi…
GCC outward worker remittances hit record $161 billion in 2025, GCC-Stat says
GCC countries recorded the world's highest outward workers' remittances in 2025 at about $161 billion, up 13.6 per cent from 2024, according to the GCC Statistical Centre. The UAE was the largest source at $62.1 billion, followed by Saudi A…
UAE-EAEU economic partnership agreement enters into force
The Economic Partnership Agreement between the UAE and the Eurasian Economic Union entered into force on Tuesday, covering Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The two sides will grant preferential access across more than 86…
UNCTAD: UAE outward FDI hits $63.353bn in 2025, stock at $402.729bn
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) data show outward foreign direct investment flows from the UAE reached $63.353 billion in 2025, with outward FDI stock at $402.729 billion at the end of the year, compared with $55.560 billion in 2010. Glob…
Sharjah FDI projects grew 45% in 2025, Invest in Sharjah CEO says
Invest in Sharjah’s CEO said the emirate recorded 45 per cent growth in foreign direct investment projects in 2025. He attributed the UAE’s appeal to investors to four pillars, the first being economic diversification, with non-oil activiti…
UAE-Belarus trade in services and investment agreement enters into force
The Trade in Services and Investment Agreement (TISIA) between the UAE and Belarus entered into force on Wednesday, after being signed in Minsk on 27 June 2025. The UAE's Minister of Foreign Trade, Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, said it cr…
Oman GDP grows 5.1% in Q2 2026 as petroleum activities rise 14.7%
Oman’s gross domestic product at constant prices grew 5.1% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, reaching about RO 9.9 billion, according to preliminary data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information. Petroleum activitie…
UAE and Saudi non-oil sectors keep growing in September as PMI readings rise
S&P Global's September purchasing managers' indices signalled continued growth in the non-oil private sectors of the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while Egypt's PMI eased, Forbes Middle East reported. Saudi Arabia's Riyad Bank PMI rose to 5…
UAE enters world's top 25 in WIPO Global Innovation Index for first time
The UAE ranked 25th among 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organization, up five places from 30th in 2025 and its first time inside the top 25. The country placed first globally i…
Investopia Bridge 2026 opens in Abu Dhabi with ministers from UAE, Italy and Uzbekistan
Investopia Bridge 2026 opened in Abu Dhabi on October 7 under the theme "Investing in a More Resilient World", bringing together ministers, investors and business leaders to discuss investor confidence and long-term capital. Italy's Ministe…