Saudi Arabia’s biggest event and infrastructure programmes are moving into a new phase of delivery.

Construction activity at the Expo 2030 Riyadh site is accelerating, with some of the largest packages set to be awarded before the end of this year. Infrastructure works are gathering pace and preparations are intensifying for an event that is expected to reshape the capital long after its six-month run comes to an end.

At the same time, the lessons emerging from this summer’s expanded Fifa World Cup provide an early guide to the opportunities – and challenges – Saudi Arabia will face as it prepares to host football’s biggest tournament in 2034.

August’s Market Focus turns to the Maghreb, where four economies are following increasingly divergent paths. While Morocco is benefiting from World Cup-driven investment and a booming tourism sector, Algeria is deploying record public spending, Tunisia is pressing ahead with strategic power investments despite fiscal constraints, and Libya is seeing sustained interest from oil and gas investors undeterred by ongoing political disputes. The report examines what is driving this divergence and where the region’s strongest opportunities now lie.

This edition also includes MEED’s annual ranking of the Top 50 GCC banks, exploring how regional lenders have demonstrated remarkable resilience through recent geopolitical turbulence, supported by strong funding, capital buffers and government backing.

In the latest issue, we speak to renewable energy consultancy SgurrEnergy about why developers are increasingly moving beyond standalone solar towards hybrid renewable energy projects that combine battery storage and other technologies to deliver round-the-clock power.

We also examine how geopolitical tensions, shifting trade routes and supply chain disruption are driving a new wave of global investment in port infrastructure, and consider what Saudi Arabia must do to unlock greater pools of private capital as sovereign funding gives way to a more institutionally financed infrastructure model.

Finally, we congratulate the winners of the Mena Banking Excellence Awards 2026, recognising the retail, digital and SME institutions that are setting new benchmarks for innovation, customer experience and business banking across the region.

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

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

> AGENDA: Expo 2030 Riyadh construction gathers pace

> FOOTBALL: What the 2026 World Cup means for Saudi Arabia 2034

> AWARDS: Mena Banking Excellence Awards reveals retail, digital and SME winners

> LEADERSHIP: Private capital and the GCC infrastructure inflection

> PORTS: Geopolitical risk shapes $513bn of global ports projects

> INTERVIEW: Developers look beyond standalone solar

> MAGHREB MARKET FOCUS: 
> COMMENT: Maghreb fortunes diverge
> GOV'T & ECONOMY: Elections fail to change the Maghreb's political realities
> PAYMENTS: Morocco’s payments shift remains cash-led
> OIL & GAS: Morocco strives to work out feasible energy strategy
> OIL & GAS: Libya’s oil and gas project market has grown by 48%
> OIL & GAS: Value of Algerian extractive projects more than doubles
> POWER & WATER: Tunisia drives Maghreb power investment with $1.4bn electricity link
> CONSTRUCTION: Morocco is bright spot in Maghreb construction
> CONSTRUCTION: Algeria’s record budget sets stage for construction comeback
> TOURISM: Morocco tourism hits record highs
> TOURISM: Tunisia's tourism sector eyes record growth

> MEED COMMENTS: 
> I Squared deal is latest sign of PIF's new playbook
> Projects market holds its nerve
> Saudi water sector awaits next catalyst
> Gulf IWPPs risk becoming a two-horse race

> GULF PROJECTS INDEX: Gulf index maintains growth run

> JUNE 2026 CONTRACTS: Middle East contract awards

> ECONOMIC DATA: Data drives regional projects

> OPINION: The moving finger of time

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