proudly present

MEI-Emirates NBD Business Lecture Series

featuring Ms Khatija Haque, Head of MENA Research, Emirates NDB

The NUS Middle East Institute (MEI) is pleased to partner again with the Emirates-NBD in organising the Middle East Business Lecture Series (MEBLS). The series aims to generate awareness and promote greater understanding of the economic and financial aspects of the modern Middle East by providing a forum for prominent and accomplished intellectuals in the business/finance sector to share their views and experiences on key issues. It is hoped that practitioners and industry experts in Singapore and the region can benefit positively from the information and knowledge discussed in the series and pave the way for healthy working ventures and relationships between Southeast Asia and the Middle East. This will be the third serving of the series which began in 2015

Abstract

GCC economies are going through significant structural changes, as they have had to adapt to significantly lower oil prices since 2015.  Governments in the region have had to work quickly to diversify their budget revenues away from an over-reliance on oil.  This has meant increasing non-oil revenues (investment and taxes) as well as tackling inefficient expenditure, including long-standing subsidies on energy and fuel.  At the same time, GCC countries have had to tap international capital markets for the first time in order to finance substantial budget deficits.  Khatija’s presentation will address the impact of low oil prices and fiscal adjustment on growth, liquidity and asset prices in the GCC, as well as the outlook for the coming years.