When the first missiles and drones were fired at the GCC on 28 February, the region’s economic story pivoted abruptly, from long-term vision-building to near-term resilience.

The conflict is now the Gulf’s most consequential economic stress test in a generation. It is challenging the safe haven premium that underpins capital inflows, while disrupting the physical networks that keep the region’s economies running, from energy exports and shipping lanes to airports and tourism.

MEED editor Colin Foreman asks whether the GCC can sustain investor confidence as energy assets, trade routes, airports and banks absorb the shock. Read more here.

April’s market focus is on Saudi Arabia, where the Iran war is compounding the logic behind the kingdom’s strategic pivot in its investment plans.

This edition also includes MEED’s 2026 GCC contractor ranking, in which Chinese firms have surged to the top as Saudi spending cuts and geopolitical risks weigh on GCC construction activity.

In the latest issue, we explore the region’s evolving arbitration landscape; present exclusive leadership insight from Jacobs on the future of passenger rail in the Middle East; and talk to Leyla Abdimomunova, head of real estate and construction at the Public Investment Fund’s National Development Division, about remaking Saudi construction.

We hope our valued subscribers enjoy the April 2026 issue of MEED Business Review. 

Must-read sections in the April 2026 issue of MEED Business Review include:

> AGENDA: Gulf economies under fire

> LEGAL: Redefining the region’s arbitration landscape

> QATAR LNG: Qatar’s new $8bn investment heats up global LNG race  

> INTERVIEW: Leyla Abdimomunova, National Development Division, PIF

> LEADERSHIP: Shaping the future of passenger rail in the Middle East 

> SAUDI MARKET FOCUS: 
> COMMENT: Risk accelerates Saudi spending shift
> GVT &: ECONOMY: Riyadh navigates a changed landscape
> BANKING: Testing times for Saudi banks
> UPSTREAM: Offshore oil and gas projects to dominate Aramco capex in 2026
> DOWNSTREAM: Saudi downstream projects market enters lean period
> POWER: Wind power gathers pace in Saudi Arabia
> WATER: Sharakat plan signals next phase of Saudi water expansion
> CONSTRUCTION: Saudi construction enters a period of strategic readjustment
> TRANSPORT: Rail expansion powers Saudi Arabia’s infrastructure push

> MEED COMMENTS: 
> Iran war erodes LNG’s image of reliability
> Dubai's real estate faces a hard test
> Energy resilience matters as much as capacity
> Drawn-out conflict may shift planning priorities

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index rises amid tensions

> FEBRUARY 2025 CONTRACTS: Middle East contract awards

> ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects

> OPINION: The end of the republic and the end of times

> BUSINESS OUTLOOK: Finance, oil and gas, construction, power and water contracts