Key View

• Etisalat Digital has announced partnerships with First Abu Dhabi Bank and Vectramind to deliver smart building solutions and a digital healthcare platform respectively.
• Etisalat’s collaborations demonstrate its ongoing commitment to both its own digital initiatives, as well as the UAE’s Vision 2021 and Centennial 2071 strategies.
• By

Key View

• Following talks between Israel and the UAE, we are optimistic on the opportunities for Israeli firms to enter the more buoyant UAE renewables market.
• The UAE, which is reliant on foreign companies for constructing and operating solar infrastructure projects, presents strong opportunities for Israeli firms looking to expand, which

Key View

• At Fitch Solutions, we forecast the UAE inflation will average -1.9% in 2020.
• In 2021, we expect a combination of higher energy prices and an economic recovery will drive inflation to average -0.2%.
• The UAE policy rate – the repo rate – will be held at 0.75% until 2023 by the monetary authorities, mirroring our US Fed funds rate

Key View

• We at Fitch Solutions expect Abu Dhabi’s economy will contract by 6.0% in 2020, the sharpest drop in growth in more than a decade.
• A contraction in oil production owing to the UAE’s commitment to curb its output in line with the fresh OPEC+ agreement will weigh on growth in the near term.
• Non-oil activity will also be sluggish as a

Key View

• The UAE upstream sector faces pressure stemming from Covid-19, the associated loss of demand and sharp drop in prices. Though the country is less exposed to spending cutbacks than most markets globally.
• ADNOC will partially pare back on its ambitious spending plans, but project cancellations and delays will be limited and the long

Key View

• We at Fitch Solutions have sharply revised down our 2020 Dubai growth forecast to -2.3%, from 3.8% previously.
• As with our UAE recession forecast, our Dubai revision stems from the massive disruptions to economic activity being caused by Covid-19, and incorporates a one-year delay of the Dubai Expo.
• Nevertheless, growth will rebound

Key View

• Real GDP growth in Abu Dhabi will slow significantly in 2020 to 0.6%, from an estimated 3.0% in 2019, before strengthening to 2.3% in 2021.
• OPEC-led oil supply cuts will weigh on headline growth, keeping activity in the oil and gas sector virtually flat in 2020 compared to 2019, though we expect an uptick in 2021, assuming that cuts

The narrowing gender gap in the UAE over the coming decade offers new opportunities for consumer facing companies, with implications for retailers, consumer facing product manufacturers, advertisers and social media.

Key Developments

• The gender gap in the UAE is set to narrow in the coming decade (2020-2029) and beyond.
• The female population