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A report by Grant Thornton has found that, like their global counterparts, the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), highlights two key features of regional labour markets.

The global healthcare industry is currently experiencing a technological revolution, which may seem grandiose, however, we are witnessing a shift from traditional to modern- tech simulated healthcare, which will enable both medical professionals and patients to access new virtual resources, further aiding effectiveness and efficiency.

Senior leaders face an array of ever-increasing complex, interconnected and fast-evolving risks and challenges. Few of these are as critical and so poorly understood as the risk of cyber-crime, specifically given that real life and online are becoming increasingly indistinguishable from each other.

Islamic Finance is an important segment of the global financial services market, with exposure across almost 75% of the globe, as highlighted by the IMF. In correlation to the global footprint of Islamic Finance, the segment has an equally important fiscal impact with over 400 banks and 150 Takaful providers offering solutions, equally over $100 billion Sukuk’s are issued per annum.

Across MENA, business leaders continue to place technological advancement at the top of their agenda, as they aim to promote efficiency to reduce costs and attract digital generations as the workforce of the future.

The business environment in which Owner Managed Businesses (OMBs) operate within continues to evolve with the emergence of new technology, innovation, changes in financial management, client needs and increased regulation.

The GCC region is well positioned to exploit the lucrative opportunities that e-commerce offers, given the generational demographic shift that we are witnessing and which will inevitably have a seismic impact on businesses for the future

This report draws on insight from our International Business Report, plus data and interviews from Grant Thornton teams around the world. It explores what skills the boards of 2025 will need, and what needs to happen between now and then to get there. Businesses should not view these changes we have identified as additional extras.e

The gender diversity issue has been on the business agenda for many years now, yet a third of businesses still have no women at a senior management level. We know that significant performance benefits come with having a diverse leadership team and there are certainly a large number of women capable of joining such teams.

Our commitment to quality underpins all that we do. This report is a public statement of Grant Thornton’s commitment to provide high-quality assurance, tax and advisory services to businesses and organisations operating throughout the world.

Whilst 2015 marked a recent peak in global M&A transactions with US$ 3.8 trillion deals, the highest since 2007, there was some diversity in the geographical markets which will be of interest to both vendors and acquirors.

Hotels have largely been dismissive of any threats to their core business model over the past five years. But by 2020, the exponential growth of various online platforms will have forced them to change and innovate. The good news is that traditional hotels have numerous options at their disposal: rethinking the experience they offer, unbundling pricing, setting up new partnerships and more.

The gender agenda and the benefits of having a diverse board and workplace has long been studied, yet we still see no significant change.

In 2017, leadership teams are grappling with new conditions of global risk. With few predicting the happenings of recent years, businesses around the world are striving to prepare for the further possibility of inconceivable events.

This alert follows on from the update in December 2015 and is intended to provide a brief synopsis of impending Value Added Tax (VAT) which has been confirmed at 5 per cent from 1 Jan 2018.

Drawing on data and insight from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, this report considers the outlook for the global economy in 2016 and explores UAE trends for 2016.