As prominent oil producers, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have played a significant role in the global energy market. However, as the world’s attention increasingly shifts towards environmental sustainability, understanding the implications of the GCC’s economic activities on CO2 emissions becomes indispensable. This research paper investigates the relationship between specific economic indicators and their impact on CO2 emissions in the GCC from 2001 to 2021. This study employs quantile regression, a robust statistical method that estimates the conditional quantiles of a response variable given a set of predictor variables. The findings reveal several essential insights: Financial institution efficiency is significant and negative at a 1% level at the lower (10th, −83,537.3) and higher quantiles (90th, −549,002.3). The relationship between the GDP per capita and CO2 emissions varies across quantiles, highlighting the complexity of the growth–environment nexus. Total patents exhibit a positive and significant relationship with emissions, underscoring the importance of directing innovation towards environmentally sustainable solutions. Renewable energy consumption displays a nuanced relationship with CO2 emissions, with a more substantial negative impact observed at higher consumption levels. This underscores the potential of renewable energy to mitigate emissions when integrated at scale. This study’s outcomes hold crucial policy implications for GCC countries as they seek to align economic growth with environmental sustainability. The findings emphasize the importance of fostering financial institution efficiency, promoting green innovation, and expanding renewable energy sources to reduce emissions.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide estimates of damage cost for several areas of the environment. In particular: to estimate the cost of degradation as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) at the national level; to enhance local capacity in environmental economics, in particular in the valuation of environmental degradation; and to provide an input to inter-sectoral environmental priority setting. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the above objectives a framework was developed to estimate the cost of environmental degradation in seven countries in the region, for six categories. Estimates reflect order of magnitude and therefore represent an indication of actual damage costs. A range of estimates was provided to reflect the uncertainty of the results. Damage costs are presented in annual values (in local currencies, in US$ dollars) and as a per cent of GDP. Expressing costs as a share of GDP provides a sense of magnitude and will allow cross-country comparison. Findings – The damage cost of environmental degradation in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in 2000 is estimated at US$ 9 billion per year, or 2.1-7.4 per cent of GDP, with a mean estimate of 5.7 per cent of GDP. In addition, the damage cost to the global environment is estimated at 0.5-1.6 of GDP, with a mean estimate of 0.9 per cent of GDP. Research limitations/implications – Owing to data constraints, no cost estimates are provided for some impact such as: degradation associated with industrial, hazardous and hospital waste, biodiversity loss, and impact of inadequately treated wastewater, thus calculations often represent lower bound estimates. Originality/value – This paper is a contribution in a process towards the use of environmental damage cost assessments for priority setting and as an instrument for integrating environmental consideration into economic and social development.

As prominent oil producers, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have played a significant role in the global energy market. However, as the world's attention increasingly shifts towards environmental sustainability, understanding the implications of the GCC's economic activities on CO2 emissions becomes indispensable. This research paper investigates the relationship between specific economic indicators and their impact on CO2 emissions in the GCC from 2001 to 2021. The study employs quantile regression, a powerful statistical method that estimates the conditional quantiles of a response variable given a set of predictor variables. The findings reveal several important insights: Financial institution efficiency is significant and negative at a 1% level at the lower (10th) -83537.3 and the higher quantile (90th) -549002.3. The relationship between GDP per capita and CO2 emissions varies across quantiles, highlighting the complexity of the growth-environment nexus. Total patents exhibit a positive and significant relationship with emissions, underscoring the importance of directing innovation towards environmentally sustainable solutions. Renewable energy consumption displays a nuanced relationship with CO2 emissions, with a stronger negative impact observed at higher consumption levels. This underscores the potential of renewable energy to mitigate emissions when integrated at scale. The study's outcomes hold crucial policy implications for the GCC countries as they seek to align economic growth with environmental sustainability. The findings emphasize the importance of fostering financial institution efficiency, promoting green innovation, and expanding renewable energy sources to reduce emissions

This study examines customer attitudes towards blockchain technology (BCT)-supported banking applications in Oman and explores the relationship between these attitudes and behavioral intentions, highlighting the influencing factors. Blockchain Technology (BCT) has disrupted the banking sector, but understanding customer attitudes towards BCT-supported banking applications and their impact on behavior remains limited. In pursuit of this objective, a quantitative research design was employed, involving the collection of data from retail bank customers in Oman through a structured questionnaire. The collected data underwent rigorous analysis using a robust Structural Equation Model, confirming the constructs' validity, reliability, and distinctiveness. The study uncovered that BCT has a positive impact on various aspects of the banking sector, including customer service quality, regulatory compliance, secured transactions, and cost reduction. By augmenting transparency, efficiency, and trust in banking transactions, BCT significantly improves customer attitudes towards BCT-supported banks. Furthermore, the research reveals that positive attitudes play a pivotal role in influencing customers' intentions to prefer and continue using these blockchain-backed banks. The study also highlights the importance of trust factors and transaction frequency as moderators in shaping customer attitudes and behavioral intentions in this context. The insights gleaned from this research hold practical significance for banks operating in Oman, offering guidance for tailored marketing campaigns, product design, and aligning their offerings with customer expectations in the realm of blockchain-supported banking applications. Additionally, the study provides practical recommendations for the successful implementation and adoption of blockchain-supported financial applications within the banking sector.

Purpose: This study aimed to analyze the relationship between extractive industry rents, as measured by oil, gas and mineral rents and corruption, as measured by the Corruption Perceptions Index, in 17 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries between 2010 and 2021. Design/methodology/approach: The study used a panel data technique, and the findings were consistent across all estimators, confirming the approach’s robustness. The study used a panel of least squares, fixed effect, feasible generalized least squares and a dynamic two-step system of generalized method of moments. Findings: The results indicated a significant positive relationship between gas rents and corruption, providing empirical evidence to support the resource curse hypothesis. Meanwhile, the results revealed a significant negative relationship between mineral rents and corruption and oil rents and corruption, providing empirical evidence to support the resource blessing hypothesis. Finally, the Pairwise Granger Causality test was used, and the findings showed the bidirectional causality between gas and corruption. Meanwhile, there were single causal directions between oil and corruption and between corruption and minerals. Practical implications: Based on the study findings, MENA countries should adopt a manufacturing-based growth system instead of a resource-based one, engage in economic diversification to escape the curse brought on by an abundance of resources, enhance the blessing of resources and benefit from oil wealth by promoting the activities of non-oil economic sectors. Originality/value: This paper enrich the literature by analyzing the unique political, economic and cultural characteristics and dynamics of nations with distinct challenges and opportunities in MENA countries.