According to World Bank (2021), the economic recovery post-COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) has been uneven and tumultuous. Reasons for this include exposure to oil-price fluctuations, the impact of pandemic, public demonstrations, and political instability.

Although the MENA region encompasses a variety of countries — wealthy, stable and oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well as less secure countries such as Iraq and Syria — it plays an important role in the global economy. Handbook of Banking and Finance in the MENA Region explores the trends in finance and banking of the MENA region, including theoretical and empirical perspectives from researchers around the globe.

The first part of the book explores numerous reforms in the region's banking and finance, including digital technology, financial technology (fintech) and green finance. While financial inclusion in the Gulf Cooperation Council is much higher, the other countries in the MENA region have yet to overcome this trend, and the second part of the book provides specific case studies of ways in which banks have contributed to the region.

The final section of the book considers macroeconomic factors and financial development. Together these perspectives enrich the discussion of facts and development challenges in the finance and banking of the MENA region as a whole.

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