Driven by strategic, economic, and geopolitical factors, multinational companies are increasingly viewing expansion opportunities in the Middle East.
As one of the world's most open and rapidly expanding economies, the region is a vital hub for global business, trade, and finance. Diversifying beyond oil and gas exports, the Middle East is now thriving across sectors such as construction and infrastructure, tourism, financial services, and technology.
While the region presents opportunities for growth, entering the market requires a nuanced understanding of its complex legal and regulatory frameworks. Companies new to the region must make critical decisions early on—such as selecting the optimal corporate structure, choosing between onshore and offshore entities, and evaluating the benefits and limitations of operating in one of the many free zones.
A solid understanding of things like the corporate tax frameworks, the factors at play when determining how to structure local presence, physical presence obligations, local national hiring requirements, workweek norms, local laws and regulations related to employee equity and benefit plans, and more will help companies to succeed in the Middle East.
Join us for a webinar on September 9 as Baker McKenzie lawyers from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates provide practical tips from a corporate, tax, employment, and compensation perspective to navigate the evolving legal and business landscape in the Middle East.
Topics will include:
- Corporate considerations: best practices and key points for establishing an entity in the region.
- The corporate tax landscape: pointers for understanding the tax and regulatory environment to develop a strategy for long-term tax efficiency.
- Engaging talent: engagement options for hiring local talent, as well as significant recent developments in local labor and employment regulations.
- Compensation matters: tax, compliance and regulatory issues related to structuring incentive compensation programs for employees.
