Palestine’s banks have to contend with challenges that include political tensions, an underbanked population and no national currency.

Islamic finance should have a wider global appeal, writes Kuwait's central bank governor.

Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, governor of the Qatar Central Bank, talks to Kit Gillet about enduring the economic blockade and the country’s growing Islamic finance industry.

Evans Munyuki, recently appointed as group chief digital officer at Emirates NBD, talks to Joy Macknight about his plans to take the digitally mature bank to the next level of innovation. 

The protests over tax reforms that have hit Jordan in recent months and brought about the resignation of its prime minister set alarm bells ringing in the West as well as the wider Middle East. Adrienne Klasa examines how one of the region's most stable countries can now move forward.

Blockaded by several influential Arab countries since June 2017, Qatari banks have had to cope with ratings downgrades and an outflow of deposits. However, as Kit Gillet reports, they are still posting impressive profits and seem unfazed by such geopolitical unrest.

A year since four of its neighbours severed economic ties with Qatar, the country has unexpectedly found that the new economic circumstances have resulted in an accelerated programme of reforms. Kit Gillet reports.

Lebanon's economy has been underperforming in recent years, hit by political uncertainty and fears over the conflict in Syria. However, an injection of finance from a group of international donors, combined with excitement over oil and gas discoveries, provide some cause for optimism. James King reports.

Lebanese banks have weathered punishing conditions, including a tough new tax regime. Technological innovations continue to drive progress, but as James King reports, structural economic flaws must be addressed if they are to continue to thrive. 

Khalid Al Rumaihi, chief executive of Bahrain’s Economic Development Board, talks to James King about moving the country's economy away from oil, leveraging its financial hub credentials to attract fintechs and how Amazon gave it a vote of confidence by locating its first regional data centre there.