PRO Partner Group Blog

Saudi Arabia is aiming to rapidly develop its education sector, both in size and quality. Among the G20 countries, it is set to be the first in population growth for the coming five years. These factors are contributing to opening a wide range of opportunities for foreign investors in the field of education. Education is given huge importance in Saudi Arabia and parents spend large sums of money on private tuition to ensure a high quality of education for their children, creating great scope for an e-learning business in what is a relatively new and untapped market. This article provides practical information on how to start an online tutoring business in Saudi Arabia as well as some of the key considerations. Read more

Moving your family or business to another country can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to understanding different cultural norms, laws, and government restrictions. No matter where you move, understanding a new tax code can become quite difficult. Fortunately, the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar has one of the simplest tax schemes in the world. This article is a guide to the different types of individual and corporate taxes in Qatar, the circumstances under which they are imposed and any exemptions that apply. Read more

The Executive Office for Control & Non-Proliferation announced the publication of an updated Guidance on Counter Proliferation Financing for FIs, DNFBPs, and VASPs Read more

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) along with the Ministry of Labour (MoL) and the Ministry of Interior (MoI) have announced the launch of a provisional commercial licence in Qatar which will enable prospective business investors to proceed with administrative processes around company formation while waiting for a final commercial licence to be issued. The provisional licence reinforces Qatar’s ongoing effort to encourage Foreign Direct Investment and to support the private sector by easing the requirements of doing business in the country. This article is a guide to the requirements for obtaining the provisional commercial licence as well as other key considerations. Read more

A Mission Visa is a type of permit issued for professionals who would like to come to the UAE to work with a local company for a specific short-term project. An employee is considered as a probationary worker under these types of visas. In the past, a company providing a Mission Visa to a foreign worker had to submit a bank guarantee of AED 24,000 to the Ministry of Labour however, as of October 2018, this requirement was removed to allow for a more efficient process. Read more

The UAE’s real estate sector is the biggest and fastest growing in the Middle East region. The Dubai real estate market continues to increase month on month with the value of real estate sales transactions quickly positioning the UAE as the most attractive, and flexible real estate investment destination. Transactions surrounding real estate have historically been used to help facilitate money laundering (ML) and the financing of terrorism (FT) operations and recent studies suggest that in the UAE, through the use of cash and cheques, real estate has become one of the most popular ways to launder money. Read more

ADIPEC has grown to become one of the largest oil and gas exhibitions in the world, bringing together 150,000 global energy leaders, policymakers, innovators and industry professionals to create a unique event that not only showcases thousands of products, services and solutions across the entire energy value chain, but also offers a great opportunity for networking and knowledge sharing and an ideal platform from which to launch and promote an oil and gas company in the capital. With the return of ADIPEC to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, this article examines the requirements for setting up an oil and gas company in the capital and outlines the role of ADNOC and the Supreme Petroleum Council within the process. Read more

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing an economic transformation. Historically, much of the nation’s GDP (approximately 40%) and government revenues (about 75%) have come from the oil industry. In 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman unveiled the Saudi Vision 2030 plan anticipated to revolutionise Saudi Arabia’s economy, reduce dependence on oil and bolster the private sector through foreign investment by the year 2030. Now is the perfect opportunity for foreign investors looking to take advantage of Saudi Arabia’s thriving economy, and geographic location central to the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. This article is a guide to six of the top sectors that offer the best business opportunities for foreign investors. Read more

Saudi Aramco, officially known as Saudi Arabian Oil Company is the largest oil producer and one of the largest integrated energy and chemicals companies in the world. It is the most profitable company in the world, with profits over the last 12 months hitting USD 279.4 billion, a figure equal to the combined total of global tech giants Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft. With such success, it is little wonder that demand to work with Aramco as a supplier is fiercely competitive and there are strict requirements to be met and rigorous standards to adhere to. This article looks at the process of becoming a supplier for Aramco, the requirements to be met and other key areas of consideration. Read more

The UAE is one of the fastest-growing markets for beauty and personal care products and services in the world. Consumers in the UAE are estimated to spend USD 247 per capita on personal care which represents the highest amount in the Middle East and 9th highest amount globally. Dubai, in particular has a predominantly young population, who are generally very image conscious and have plenty of disposable income and a strong desire to look and feel good. The demand for salons that can cater to these needs is therefore very high. If you’re considering setting up a salon in Dubai, there are several important issues to consider. This article offers practical advice and some of the key considerations. Read more