1/ 🇲🇦 Morocco: Morocco is on track for 5% growth in 2026, driven by an agricultural rebound. Tourism is adding momentum, with Q1 arrivals up 7% YoY and September emerging as a major tourism month.
2/ 🇯🇴 Jordan: Jordan is deepening ties with China, seeking $1bn+ in financing for renewable energy, storage, mining and manufacturing projects following King Abdullah’s August visit.
3/ 🇦🇪 UAE: The UAE’s five largest banks earned $10.37bn in H1, up 7.8% YoY, while Dubai and Abu Dhabi markets added roughly Dh37bn in August market cap.
4/ 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia: Riyadh’s Expo 2030 infrastructure buildout is accelerating, with new contracts expanding the high-voltage electricity network serving the Expo site.
5/ 🇪🇬 Egypt: Egypt attracted $327m in startup funding in H1 2026, the highest in Africa, while a renewed LE50bn tourism financing program is supporting further hospitality investment.
6/ 🇮🇱 Israel: Strategic M&A remains strong, with Visa acquiring BioCatch for $2.4bn and Cyera acquiring Oasis Security for $1bn, highlighting continued demand for Israeli cybersecurity and fraud-tech.
7/ 🌍MENA Startups: MENA startups raised $881m across 154 deals from March–July. H1 funding reached $1.7bn, down 18% YoY, as capital increasingly concentrates in larger ecosystems and scalable companies