
Saudi Arabia ranked third globally in 'Creation of Firms,' fourth in 'Equal Opportunity,' and seventh in 'Large Corporations' in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, advancing to 13th overall out of 70 countries and third among G20 nations, driven by regulatory reforms including updates to Companies Law, Commercial Register Law, and E-Commerce Law through government-private sector partnership.
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Saudi Arabia participated in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, which evaluates economic performance across 70 countries using indicators such as firm creation, equal opportunity, and corporate sector strength.
RIYADH— Saudi Arabia achieved advanced global rankings in indicators related to the Ministry of Commerce in the 2026 IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, ranking third globally in the "Creation of Firms" indicator, fourth globally in "Equal Opportunity," and seventh globally in "Large Corporations.
The Kingdom advanced in the overall ranking to 13th globally out of 70 countries, ranking third among G20 countries, after the United States and China. Compared with its ranking in last year's report, Saudi Arabia advanced one place in "Creation of Firms," three places in "Equal Opportunity," and two places in "Large Corporations.
These results were achieved through a partnership between the government and private sectors to facilitate business activities, enable commercial establishments to continue their growth and expansion, and advance the legislative environment. A total of 110 regulations were reviewed and developed, most notably the Companies Law and its regulations, Commercial Register Law and its regulations, Law of Tradenames and its regulations, Franchise Law and its regulations, E-Commerce Law and its regulations, and Law of Commercial Courts and its regulations.
The developed regulations also included the Movable Property Securing Law and its regulations, the Bankruptcy Law and its regulations, and the Implementing Regulations of the Law on Precious Metals and Gemstones.

To minimize disruption from a planned three-day bank strike from September 28 to 30, the Indian government has directed public sector banks to stay open on Sunday, ahead of the preceding weekend holidays.

Asian crude oil imports are projected to reach 23.96 million barrels per day in September, the highest since the US-Iran war began, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters. While this exceeds August levels and shows gradual recovery, imports remain about 13% below pre-war levels. China, the world's largest importer, increased purchases to 8.93 million bpd in August but remains 2 million bpd below February levels. Oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have risen from April-May lows, with Saudi Arabia loading up to 12 million barrels in one day for ship-to-ship transfers off Oman. Brent crude traded at $102.8/barrel, WTI at $92.02, and Murban at $113.1 on September 24, 2026.

Public sector banks in India will open on Sunday, September 27, ahead of a proposed three-day nationwide bank strike from September 28 to 30, potentially affecting remittances from UAE residents.

The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation detected 377 fake Emiratisation cases across 266 companies in H1 2026, utilizing AI and digital monitoring to enforce national employment targets under the Nafis programme.

India will introduce a Merchant Discount Rate of 0.4% on UPI payments above Rs2,000 for eligible merchants starting October 15, 2026, while keeping person-to-person transfers free for customers, including NRIs using UAE numbers. The fee is capped at Rs300 and cannot be passed to consumers.

A World Economic Forum survey shows 56% of chief economists expect global economic stability or improvement, up from May, but only 28% believe fiscal support will remain a key resilience factor. Geopolitical conflicts, AI scrutiny, and cost-of-living pressures are cited as ongoing risks, with future resilience expected to rely on supply chains, innovation, and energy adaptation, particularly in the U.S. and China.