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Middle East and Central Asia > Saudi Arabia

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Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Oman: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
2024 Selected Issues
Keywords:
capital markets incentives program; private sector employment; employment growth; SME growth; development in Oman; Digitalization; Capital markets; Stock markets; Securities markets; Global; South Asia; Caribbean
Cover Regional Economic Outlook, October 2021, Middle East and Central Asia: Trade-Offs Today for Transformation Tomorrow
Regional Economic Outlook, October 2021, Middle East and Central Asia: Trade-Offs Today for Transformation Tomorrow
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.

Abstract

A fragile recovery continues in the Middle East and Central Asia region. The region has made good progress since the beginning of the year, but new challenges have emerged. They include a pandemic wave in countries with weak vaccination progress and rising inflation, which has contributed to declining monetary policy space, adding to the difficulties posed by limited fiscal policy space. Additionally, divergent recoveries and concerns about economic scarring persist. Inequities are also on the rise, and countries will need to tackle the pandemic’s impact on debt, labor markets, and the corporate sector. Countries will face difficult tradeoffs amid this challenging environment as they continue to manage the current crisis. Ramping up vaccine acquisition and distribution remains the most urgent short-term priority. Additional support should be well targeted, and central banks may need to raise interest rates if inflation expectations start to increase. Improving policy frameworks will be important to reduce policy tradeoffs. Preparing for a new chapter by investing in a transformational recovery will be vital to the region’s future. Important priorities include reorienting the role of the state toward health, education, and social safety nets; leveraging global trends like digitalization; and investing in climate-resilient technology.

Keywords:
Middle East; North Africa; Caucasus; Central Asia; economy; pandemic; recovery; COVID-19; inflation; fiscal policy; monetary policy; regional outlook; country abbreviation; insolvency risk; GCC country; worse-performing firm; follow-up enterprise survey; nonwage outlay; firm resilience; formalization progress; Labor markets; Unemployment; Employment; Inflation; Middle East and Central Asia; Global; Central Asia and the Caucasus
Cover IMF Working Papers
Harnessing Digital Technologies to Promote SMEs in the MENAP Region
Ms. Inutu Lukonga
Policy makers in the MENAP region have been formulating policies and designing programs to develop small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with a view to create jobs and achieve inclusive growth. But while the programs have helped increase the number of enterprises, growth of SMEs continues to face barriers to growth. As a result, microenterprises predominate and SMEs contribution to employment remains below potential. Partial implementation of reforms explain some of the underperformance, but frictions in strategy design also played an important role. Sustaining current reforms is, therefore, not sufficient to achieve inclusive growth. Digital technologies have potential to boost SMEs productivity and growth and economies are rapidly digitalizing, thus SMEs need to embrace digital solutions to compete and survive. Therefore, for SMEs to be effective engines of inclusive growth, a rethinking of the SME development strategy is needed that makes SMEs’ digital transformation a priority.
Keywords:
WP; SME growth; MENAP country; financing SMEs; SME sector; SME support policy; SMEs in MENAP; SME lending; government service; digital economy; Small and medium enterprises; Business environment; Employment; Digitalization; Global; Middle East; North Africa; Sub-Saharan Africa; Digital Technologies; Inclusive Growth; MENAP Region; SME strategy; private equity; SME policy; SME data
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Jordan: Second Review Under the Extended Arrangement Under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, an Extension of the Arrangement, and Rephasing of Access-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Jordan
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This paper discusses Jordan’s Second Review under the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility, Requests for a Waiver of Nonobservance of Performance Criterion, an extension of the arrangement, and rephasing of access. Discussions highlight that the Jordanian authorities have preserved macroeconomic stability, maintain a prudent monetary policy, and ensured a sound financial system. Jordan faces a challenging environment—including low economic growth, high unemployment, and elevated public debt—underscoring the importance of swiftly implementing policies and reforms to bring public debt on a downward path, boost investment and productivity, and enhance inclusive growth. The enactment of long needed growth-enhancing reforms is encouraging, including the secured transactions law, the bankruptcy law, and the business-inspections law. The international community has strongly supported the new government’s commitment to maintain the reform momentum, strengthen growth, and reduce public debt. The London Initiative in February 2019 has helped unlock essential budget grants and concessional financing to support the authorities’ reform program.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; executive board assessment; electricity company NEPCO; NEPCO; reform effort; reform; access budget grant; reform public sector; telecommunication company; Income and capital gains taxes; Income tax systems; Arrears; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Saudi Arabia: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
Reform momentum remains strong under Vision 2030. New reform initiatives are being rolled-out under the Vision Realization Programs (VRPs). Oil prices have risen over the past year and are positively affecting fiscal and external balances. Higher oil prices provide both an opportunity and a risk to the fiscal reforms.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; SDR Department; deficit; amount; oil price; totaling SDR
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Saudi Arabia: 2018 Article IV Consultation-Press Release and Staff Report
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This 2018 Article IV Consultation highlights that Saudi Arabia’s real GDP growth is expected to increase to 1.9 percent in 2018, with non-oil growth strengthening to 2.3 percent. Growth is expected to pick-up further over the medium term as the reforms take hold and oil output increases. Risks are balanced in the near-term. The employment of Saudi nationals has increased, especially for women, but the unemployment rate among Saudi nationals rose to 12.8 percent in 2017. Credit and deposit growth remain weak, but both are expected to strengthen owing to higher government spending and non-oil growth. The fiscal deficit is projected to continue to narrow, from 9.3 percent of GDP in 2017 to 4.6 percent of GDP in 2018.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; SDR Department; deficit; amount; oil price; totaling SDR; oil export revenue; revenue reform; IMF staff calculation; IFC advisory; exchange rate; Oil prices; Employment; Budget planning and preparation; Energy prices; Global; Europe; East Asia; Asia and Pacific; East Africa
Cover Departmental Papers
Public Wage Bills in the Middle East and Central Asia
Ms. Natalia T. Tamirisa
and
Mr. Christoph Duenwald
Analysis of policies for managing public sector wage bills in the Middle East and Central Asia region. While some work has been done recently at the Fund on issues related to government employment and compensation, to our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically examine, with a focus on the Middle East and Central Asia region, the recent trends and drivers of public wage bills in the region and to identify key policy implications.
Keywords:
DPPP; DP; wage bill; bill reform; private sector; bill policy; bill growth; General government wage; data coverage; Government wage bill; Public employment; Wages; Employment; Public sector wages; Middle East; North Africa; Central Asia and the Caucasus; East Africa; Middle East and Central Asia
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Kuwait: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This Selected Issues paper analyzes energy price reform in Kuwait. It emphasizes that Kuwait should take advantage of current low global energy prices to strengthen efforts to reform domestic energy prices. In the longer term, this would benefit growth by increasing efficiency in the economy and creating space for higher public and private investment. In the short-term, one-off effects on inflation should be manageable. Productive activities more sensitive to energy costs, particularly the transport sector, would be able to adjust to higher energy prices more easily if the reform is gradual.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; firm; price; debt; companies debt; energy price; real estate; transport company; installments loan; beverages company; wage subsidy; Energy prices; Inflation; Labor markets; Employment; Fuel prices; Global; Asia and Pacific; Europe; Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Saudi Arabia: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
This Selected Issues paper assesses the importance of oil and interest rate spillovers for Saudi Arabia. Oil prices have fallen by more than 40 percent since mid-2014 while the Federal Reserve is expected in the coming months to begin raising its policy rate at the beginning of a gradual tightening cycle. Given the importance of oil to the economy and the peg of the riyal to the U.S. dollar, these are two key developments for Saudi Arabia. Although a temporary drop in oil prices would likely have little effect on the economy and banks given the financial cushions that have been built-up, a longer-lasting period of low oil prices would have a more significant impact.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; price; oil price; private sector; government spending; equity price; energy price; NPL ratio; price reform; Energy prices; Oil prices; Fuel prices; Labor markets; Electricity; Global
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Saudi Arabia: Selected Issues
International Monetary Fund. Middle East and Central Asia Dept.
Saudi Arabia: Selected Issues
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; price; oil price; private sector; government spending