Oil price reform, tourism and trade revival to boost GCC economic prospects

Waving flag of Gulf Cooperation Council of the Persian Gulf States - Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE Emirates
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Updated 09 November 2021
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Oil price reform, tourism and trade revival to boost GCC economic prospects

  • The report added that hydrocarbon revenues constitute more than 60 percent of budget revenue on average for the region

Oil prices reform and a resurgence in tourism and global trade will improve the countries’ economic prospects and are expected to narrow the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ fiscal deficit/GDP ratio, Fitch Ratings said in a report.

Fitch’s forecasts assumed average Brent oil prices of $63 per barrel in 2021 and further removals in OPEC+ production cuts.

The ratings agency firm also added that reform momentum and improved political stability would further enhance prospects.

The report added that hydrocarbon revenues constitute more than 60 percent of budget revenue on average for the region. 

This “shows the region’s vulnerability to renewed oil price volatility in the near term and underscores the scale of the medium-term public finance reform challenge across the region.”

Currently, Fitch assigns four countries in the MENA region a “negative” outlook. These are: Jordan, Kuwait, Oman and Tunisia. 

This is due to the “lingering hit to public and external finances” these economies have suffered from as a result of the pandemic.

Liquidity and funding uncertainties remain risks for Kuwait and Tunisia, it said.


Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick appointed Meta president and vice chairman

Updated 13 January 2026
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Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick appointed Meta president and vice chairman

  • The former Goldman Sachs partner and White House official previously served on Meta’s board of directors
  • Powell McCormick, who was born in Cairo and moved to the US as a child, joins the management team and will help guide overall strategy and execution

LONDON: Meta has appointed Egypt-born Dina Powell McCormick as its new president and vice chairman.

The company said on Monday that the former Goldman Sachs partner and White House official, who previously served on Meta’s board of directors, is stepping up into a senior leadership role as the company accelerates its push into artificial intelligence and global infrastructure.

Powell McCormick, who was born in Cairo and moved to the US as a young girl, will join the management team and help guide its overall strategy and execution. She will work closely with Meta’s Compute and infrastructure teams, the company said, overseeing multi-billion-dollar investments in data centers, energy systems and global connectivity, while building new strategic capital partnerships.

“Dina’s experience at the highest levels of global finance, combined with her deep relationships around the world, makes her uniquely suited to help Meta manage this next phase of growth as the company’s president and vice chairman,” Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said.

Powell McCormick has more than 25 years of experience in finance, national security and economic development. She spent 16 years as a partner at Goldman Sachs in senior leadership roles, and served two US presidents, including stints as deputy national security adviser to Donald Trump, and a senior State Department official under George W. Bush.

Most recently, she was vice chair and president of global client services at merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners.