According to the report, the global economic outlook remains unusually fragile with the situation in the Euro-zone being the main source of uncertainty.
However, also the US is facing mounting fiscal challenges while growth is clearly slowing in the Asian economies.
The already established dichotomy between the relatively stagnant advanced economies and much more resilient emerging markets looks certain to persist, although we are witnessing a renewed turn to stimulus measures in both cases.
The GCC region is set for growth with buoyant oil prices boosting fiscal balances, and governments’ planned infrastructure projects expected to underpin growth in many sectors.
This edition of Bahrain Economic Quarterly contains two special articles that provide an analysis of the microfinance industry in Bahrain and the positioning of the Kingdom within the global rankings.
The Microfinance article provides an examination of the microfinance market in Bahrain, identifying key players and evaluating different aspects of the industry.
The history and landscape of the microfinance industry dates back to 1998 and a brief outline traces its evolvement to the present day. An overview of all the microfinance providers’ services and the composition of their loans are given. Finally, the article looks at possible improvements in the sector, and outlines several challenges which it faces.
The Global Rankings article assesses Bahrain‘s standing in international indices and reviews the Kingdom’s performance in various component indices. This piece provides an update about the Kingdom’s progress and identifies areas for further improvement. The analysis lists the most recent global rankings of Bahrain according to 16 leading international indices.
Evaluation of the reports demonstrates that Bahrain has attained impressive results in a number of indices. Although some of this standing has been eroded lately, Bahrain’s position remains highly competitive on a global scale.