L, U and V shaped recovery
Throughout the decades, the global economy has never been impacted so badly in recorded history. However, it is safe to say that there is nothing wrong with the health status of the economy. We are...
Harnessing HR technology to support Omanisation
As the Sultanate of Oman moves towards an integrated Omanisation plan, aimed to bring national Omanis into positions of responsibilities within key organisations, it is an interesting time to look...
Planning for a society conscious of density
In a society that is now forced more than ever to be germophobe (afraid of germs) I wonder if the urban distribution will change after COVID-19 and in light of the new concept of social...
The growth and cost of remittance
Remittance is usually considered as an exercise of money transfer from a country to another. In general such transactions represent two main categories. The one where a person is paid abroad for a...
The crucial role of infrastructure
Narendra Damodardas Modi, or simply Modi, the 14th and current Prime Minister of India, in service since 2014, rolled out a number of major infrastructure projects aimed to bring the country to the...
Business continuity during the time of COVID-19
The world is shaken by the virus. Economy and finance are taken by storm. Travellers all around the world are cancelling their flights. What is best to do for businesses in case of such an emergency?...
The startup ‘El Dorado’ in MENA
The Middle East region and its natural extension North Africa, is a vast land rich in resources and opportunities. But the most valuable capital in the region is people and their talent. I met...
The future of cinema is without creativity
I was truly blessed to have a father who retired relatively young, and as a retirement gift he bought himself a cinema theatre, to play with as a hobby. That was 1996. The ‘90s were absolutely a...
Economic consequences of Wuhan coronavirus
I should begin this column with the disclaimer that my role at the Observer is to write a column about business and not politics. So any attempt to read between lines in this article is redundant, as...
Advertising everywhere: Have we gone too far?
A friend just shared with me a video showing a television set being installed on the floor in front of a WC in a public toilet. At first I looked at it with my conservative eyes and thought: “We...
FAREWELL SULTAN QABOOS
Sultan Qaboos is no more with us. He quietly passed away on January 10, 2020 in Muscat. The sad news hit me while I was in Singapore and brought tears to my eyes. One of the longest standing monarchs...
The oil and gas industry in 2019
Oil price has gotten all of us used to the constant roller coaster. We have seen it dropping in price from $115 to $50 in just a little over 6 months. And then again dropping to an incredibly low...
Automotive: The decade of China
While living in Oman, I have learned the passion for ‘sayarat’ (cars). In Singapore, I was somehow deprived of this pleasure, due the high cost of purchase and maintenance of vehicles. Hence, once...
Football tourism is booming. What is ahead for Oman?
I just returned from a short business trip to Madrid and Munich. Can you guess what these two cities have in common? It is not the language and it is not the food. Not car manufacturing nor the...
Insane sales are insane!
I come from Europe and back in the good old days, children would patiently wait the 2 magic occasions in a year to get a present: birthday and Christmas. Nowadays it has become ‘madness’. In fact...
True innovation in technology and mobile
Under Steve Job’s watch, Apple was a tech company with a focus on design and branding. It seems like the Apple of Tim Cook have managed to create and shine the lifestyle industry. Apple watch alone...
Time to digitise Omani nature
Green economy is booming. This is old news. It has been booming for nearly a decade. With many failed experiments to please the new environmentally conscious generation, we are now at a stage of...
From SMAC to DARQ technologies
Innovation has never been faster in recorded history. A traditional assessment for speed of an innovation is the 50 million users mark. It took for instance 64 years for the aviation industry to...
Paving the way for the bank of the future
Fintech (pronounced as feen-tek) is the financial technology buzzword that is slowly becoming reality. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, once said that while fintech aims to replace the financial...
How the fintech industry is booming in Singapore
Autumn is coming, but not in tropical hot Singapore where startups and financial institutions prepare for the annual appointment with Fintech Festival, one of the world’s largest events in the...