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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.

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.

The future of the insurance landscape is changing and the impact of strategy on mid-market companies is increasing. The Insurance sector in the UAE has recently shown signs of being impacted by the challenging economic environment and lowering oil prices. With new regulation being introduced in January 2015 by the UAE Insurance Authority, insurance companies are still going through the challenge of adapting to the new regulation whilst aiming to remain resilient to economic conditions.

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.

As consumers use online intermediaries to find the most economical rooms in a convenient location for their trip, hotels face a future in which the strength of their brand has dwindling influence over customer choice. But the hotels that can get branding right in a digital era face a clear opportunity to grow market share.

Globalisation is accelerating. While businesses are looking to unlock new revenue streams and governments are encouraging economic diversification, the increased connectivity of the digital age is lowering barriers to entry, opening up more international growth opportunities for dynamic businesses.

Fifty years on from the world’s first personal computer going into mass production, the Grant Thornton International Business Report reveals the scale of technology’s influence on business with the majority of firms now planning to automate operations and practices, potentially resulting in job losses.

Companies are increasingly focused on high-quality strategic transactions, with less time spent on investigating peripheral opportunities, according to our International Business Report (IBR), a survey of 5,400+ business leaders in 35 economies.

Drawing on 10,000 interviews with company leaders and international forecast data, this report considers the outlook for the global economy and what this means for business growth prospects in 2015.

New research from the Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) reveals that while business confidence in 2014 climbed to levels not seen since before the financial crisis, a recent spate of uncertainty is weighing on growth prospects for the year ahead.

Hisham Farouk, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton, a leading global advisor to family-owned businesses talks about what does 2015 have in store for the UAE economy.

Hisham Farouk, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton, a leading global advisor to family-owned businesses talks about the opportunities arising in the UAE.

Hisham Farouk, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton, a leading global advisor to family-owned businesses talks about the first six months of 2014.

Hisham Farouk, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton, a leading global advisor to family-owned businesses talks about the importance of work life balance.