logo
Coface revises global GDP forecast to around 2%

Coface revises global GDP forecast to around 2%

Gulf Today15-04-2025

Inayat-ur-Rahman,
Business Editor
Coface, a global leader in trade credit insurance, debt collection, and business information services, has revised the global GDP growth forecast to around 2 per cent in 2025 due to the US tariffs.
Coface successfully concluded its exclusive conference in Dubai on Tuesday. The event convened leading voices from the financial, insurance, and technology sectors for an insightful discussion on the challenges and opportunities shaping global trade and risk management in 2025.
Jean-Christophe Caffet, Coface Group Chief Economist told Gulf Today that the main concept behind hosting the conference is to educate the world about the impacts of US tariffs on the world economy. He predicted that world economy will grow around 2 per cent this year lowering the previous forecast of 2.4 per cent due to US tariffs.
He urged different countries of the world to adopt the policy of negotiations and refrain from retaliation strategy in order to avoid the worst recession.
He mentioned that 'the 'great moderation', which is the economic golden age we have been experiencing over the last 30 years, characterized by robust economic growth, low inflation, and weak volatility, is definitely over.
'The current trade war will lead to significant supply chain disruptions, lower growth, and higher inflation, hence to a more stagflationary and volatile environment. Higher for longer interest rates remain a base case. Except, obviously, if something breaks in the financial sector. Corporate insolvencies are up, driven up by pressures on operating margins and a rise in interest expenses. They should continue increasing in the coming quarters, if not years'.
'The Country Risk Conference is Coface's flagship event, bringing together clients, top executives, brokers, leading business experts, and economists to examine the key risks businesses face today,' said Sandrine Sarikey, CEO Middle East at Coface. 'Our goal is to deliver crucial insights into the geopolitical, economic, and technological trends that will shape tomorrow's business landscape. Through our trade credit insurance, debt collection, and business information services, Coface remains committed to helping companies navigate complex markets with confidence and clarity.'
Senior executives, financial analysts, and regional business leaders attended the conference which addressed the pressing need for robust risk mitigation strategies in the face of economic volatility, geopolitical instability, and supply chain disruptions.
Coface executives shared their findings from the company's latest economic outlook report, detailing global and regional trends, sector risk assessments, and tailored solutions to support businesses in navigating uncertainty with influential local business people, journalists and trade specialists.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025 Crowns Malaysia's Next-Gen Pastry Talent
Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025 Crowns Malaysia's Next-Gen Pastry Talent

Arabian Post

timea day ago

  • Arabian Post

Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025 Crowns Malaysia's Next-Gen Pastry Talent

5 Finalists Each in the Bread & Viennoiseries and Cake Categories Compete for Top Honours SELANGOR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 June 2025 – The Anchor Pastry Challenge 2025, organised by Anchor Food Professionals Malaysia & Brunei, celebrated Malaysia's most promising young pastry chefs, offering them a platform to showcase creativity and technical mastery. Winners of the Cake Category, alongside Chef Jean-François Arnaud, Head Judge and Anchor Brand Ambassador The competition featured ten finalists; five each in the Bread & Viennoiserie and Cake categories, selected through rigorous assessments at UOW Malaysia located in Shah Alam. Judging was led by a distinguished panel of industry experts, including Meilleur Ouvrier de France Chef Jean-François Arnaud and Chef Judy Koh, Founder and Principal of Creative Culinaire The School; alongside media editors and food reviewers. ADVERTISEMENT 'Our aim is to nurture future pastry talents while demonstrating the versatility and reliability of Anchor's premium dairy products from New Zealand, one of the best places to produce dairy in the world,' said Peter Quah, Food Service Director of Anchor Food Professionals Malaysia. 'We're proud to see such exceptional skill and passion on display.' In the Bread category, participants showcased lamination and dough-handling techniques, focusing on precision, structure, and flavour. The Cake category challenged finalists to craft refined, visually stunning desserts highlighting artistry, texture, and balance. Held in a live kitchen environment under time pressure, the competition pushed participants to deliver high-calibre creations that reinforced both their culinary prowess and the performance of Anchor's professional-grade ingredients. Just like their brand vision, driving the future of dairy in foodservice. 6 winners were crowned at the end of the competition. The Gold prize winners received a solo demo showcase as the official Anchor winner along with a trophy, certificate and cash prize of RM2,500. The Silver and Bronze winners were awarded trophies, certificates and cash prizes of RM1,500 and RM 1,000 respectively. Chef Jean-François Arnaud, Head Judge of the competition, emphasised that events like this are vital for the growth of young chefs. He explained that by working together in the same kitchen, under the same theme and time constraints, participants can be guided on how to improve. 'That is how we elevate the level of pastry-making—not just in Malaysia, but globally,' he said. ADVERTISEMENT In the Bread & Viennoiserie category, the Gold Award went to Ooi Kin Weng from the Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts Malaysia, followed by Ryan Ang Rui Yan from Taylor's University, who received the Silver Award, and Sharifah Nur Adylla Binti Syed Zahirin, who earned the Bronze Award. Gold Award winner for the Bread & Viennoiserie category, Ooi Kin Weng, said that Anchor's butter and cream were incredibly versatile and high in quality, helping him produce his winning creation. 'When laminating the dough, the products were easy to work with and allowed me to achieve a beautifully soft texture,' said Ooi. Reflecting on his journey, he added, 'Winning this category means a lot to me, especially after making the switch from a career in IT to pastry. It's still the beginning of my journey, and I'm excited to keep learning and growing. One day, I hope to open my own place—something small to start with—and Anchor has truly fuelled my passion for viennoiserie.' In the Cake category, Tan Jia Le from the Academy of Pastry & Culinary Arts Malaysia took home the Gold Award, while Yap Jing Li from Taylor's University won Silver, and Sandee Churme Jia Ying, also from Taylor's University, secured the Bronze Award. Tan Jia Le, the Gold Award winner in the Cake category, credited Anchor's dairy products as a key component of her success. 'Their creamy texture and consistency helped me achieve a smooth finish and clean flavour that truly brought out the best in my cake. As a Gold Winner, I hope to inspire the next generation to choose quality ingredients and to never stop learning,' she added. Additionally, Ryan Ang Rui Yan and Yap Jing Li were selected for the Media Choice Awards in the Bread & Viennoiserie and Cake categories, respectively. Hashtag: #AnchorFoodProfessionalsMY #AnchorPastryChallenge #PastryChallenge #MalaysiaChef #pastryart #petitegateau #vennoissorie #pastry #entremet The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Over 1 million Pakistanis went abroad for work in a year, says report
Over 1 million Pakistanis went abroad for work in a year, says report

Gulf Today

time3 days ago

  • Gulf Today

Over 1 million Pakistanis went abroad for work in a year, says report

Tariq Butt, Gulf Today correspondent More than one million Pakistanis left the country for overseas employment during the current fiscal year, according to the Economic Survey 2024-25. It highlighted the migration trends across the provinces and regions, with Punjab leading the way by a significant margin. A total of 404,345 individuals from Punjab went abroad for work, making it the largest contributor to the country's overseas workforce. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) followed with 187,000 workers, while Sindh sent 60,424 individuals overseas for employment. The report noted that 29,937 people from the tribal areas and 29,591 from Azad Kashmir left the country in search of better job opportunities. Smaller numbers were recorded in the federal capital, with 8,621 workers, Balochistan with 5,668, and the northern areas contributing 1,692 workers to the global labour market. The data underscores the critical role of overseas employment in Pakistan's economy, particularly in terms of remittances, and highlights regional disparities in labour migration patterns. Meanwhile, the Economic Survey also said that Pakistan's Information Technology (IT) sector has been declared one of the fastest-growing segments of the national economy. It showed an impressive 23.7% growth in IT exports, which surged to $2.825 billion during the fiscal year. In March 2025 alone, IT exports reached $342 million, registering a robust month-on-month growth of 12.1%. The IT services sector also posted the highest trade surplus of $2.4 billion, underscoring its growing role in the national economy. Freelancers contributed significantly, bringing in $400 million in foreign exchange. Pakistan's startup ecosystem is showing signs of maturity, with more than 1,900 startups having completed training at National Incubation Centres. In a noteworthy development for gender inclusion, over 12,000 women have been economically empowered through various tech and entrepreneurship programmes. The telecom sector also posted strong performance, with revenues reaching Rs803 billion. The number of telecom users in the country climbed to 199.9 million, with a density rate of 81.3%. The sector contributed Rs271 billion to the national exchequer during the fiscal year. To bolster digital growth and cybersecurity, a Pakistan-China IT Working Group has been formed, signalling increasing international cooperation in technology. The survey said that IT remains a major contributor to Pakistan's export growth, with rising global demand for Pakistani software products driving momentum in the sector.

Sharjah realty sector zooms, hits Dhs5.5 billion in May
Sharjah realty sector zooms, hits Dhs5.5 billion in May

Gulf Today

time3 days ago

  • Gulf Today

Sharjah realty sector zooms, hits Dhs5.5 billion in May

Business Bureau, Gulf Today The Emirate of Sharjah recorded strong performance in its real estate sector during May 2025, with total trading value of Dhs5.5 billion across 8,415 transactions in various areas of the emirate. The total traded area of sales transactions reached 13.2 million square feet, which reflects the continued strength and strategic development of the emirate's real estate market. Sharjah's real estate performance reflects market dynamics and expanding demand. The real estate sector in Sharjah is undergoing a strategic transformation, marking a clear shift from traditional growth patterns toward a more advanced, diversified, and sustainable phase. This evolution is reflected in the rising range of investors and the increasing variety of real estate uses entering the market. Underlying this transition is the growing maturity of the sector, driven by a combination of key enablers — most notably, the government's proactive vision to enhance the business environment and the implementation of flexible, investor-friendly legislation. These reforms are designed to keep pace with dynamic market needs, offering both confidence and strong legal assurances to local and international stakeholders. At the same time, balanced urban expansion, along with ambitious development projects being implemented across the emirate, has helped reshape the real estate landscape in a more comprehensive and diverse manner. This trend has created new investment opportunities, supported by modern infrastructure and promising areas that are witnessing increasing interest from investors and developers. Statistics from May 2025 highlight the growing momentum in Sharjah's real estate sector, with a total of 8,415 transactions recorded across the emirate. Of these, 1,574 were sales transactions, accounting for 18.7 per cent of the total — a clear indicator of increasing demand for real estate. In parallel, mortgage activity remained strong, with 381 mortgage transactions, representing 4.5 per cent of all transactions and totalling more than Dhs1.1 billion in value. This level of financing activity reflects the growing confidence of both investors and financial institutions in Sharjah's real estate sector. Initial sales contract transactions totalled 1,486, accounting for 17.7 per cent of all real estate transactions, while ownership certificate recorded 3,619 transactions, representing 43 per cent of the total. Furthermore, 1,355 ownership deeds were issued during May, comprising 16.1 per cent of total transactions. This underscores the steady pace of ownership registration and property transfers, reinforcing the emirate's reputation for transparency, legal integrity, and a well-regulated real estate environment. Sales transactions took place in 134 areas across the various cities and regions of the Emirate of Sharjah. These properties included residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural lands. Regarding the type of property traded, 877 lands were traded, 395 of units in towers, and 302 of built-in land transactions. 'Al-Metraq' was the highest-traded area in terms of sales transactions. Sharjah City accounted for the majority of sales deals in May, recording a total of 1,426 transactions. 'Al-Metraq' ranked the highest in terms of the number of sales transactions, with 354, followed by 'Muwailih Commercial' area with 258 transactions. 'Tilal' area ranked third with 135 deals, then 'Rodhat Al Qarat' area recorded 67 transactions. In terms of the areas with the highest trading value, 'Muwailih Commercial' area ranked the highest with a trading value of Dhs352.2 million, followed by 'Tilal' with Dhs263.2 million, 'Al-Sajaa Industrial' area with Dhs140.9 million, and 'Al-Metraq' with Dhs114.9 million. In the Central Region, a total of 97 sales transactions were recorded, most of which were in the 'Industrial 1' with 17 transactions. In terms of trading value, 'Al-Blida' area ranked the highest with a trading value of Dhs13.8 million. As for the city of Khor Fakkan, it recorded 26 sales transactions, in which 'Al-Harai Industrial' area recorded 5 transactions. Meanwhile, Hay Hayawa 4 area had the highest trading value of Dhs3.6 million. Finally, and in Kalba city, 24 sales transactions were recorded, led by 'Al-Tarif 5' area with 7 transactions, while 'Al Soor 1' had the highest trading value of Dhs3.5 million. Meanwhile earlier the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department (Sharjah RERD) signed a memorandum of cooperation with Emirates Islamic bank (EIB) to activate a direct electronic link between the two parties. This step is part of the department's strategy to digitise its services and enhance the efficiency of real estate registration and financing procedures, which is in line with the Sharjah government's digital transformation efforts and the provision of smart interconnected services. The memorandum was signed by Abdul Aziz Ahmed Al-Shamsi, Director General of the Sharjah Real Estate Registration Department, and Farid Al Mulla, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Islamic, in the presence of several department directors and officials from both parties.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store