Jordanian firms have always had a tough time with institutional borrowing. But as competition between banks heats up, access to precious capital is more available than ever—as long as you can handle the audit. By Abdul-Wahab Kayyali

Early March brought the verdict in the Talal Abu Ghazaleh Group International (TAGI) vs. the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) case. The Supreme Court revoked TAGI’s appeal of the Council of Ministers’ expropriation decision for the property. Where do we go from here? By Abdul-Wahab Kayyali

Oil was king for generations. But in the face of environmental concerns and high prices, Jordan is beginning to take renewable energy seriously. Now comes the hard part: implementing a cost effective vision. By Bilal Hijjawi

2 piasters doesn’t seem like a lot of money these days. But when the Ministry of Environment proposed a 2 piaster tax on plastic bags hoping to spur innovation and environment-friendly alternatives, it found itself accused of threatening the viability of hundreds of local businesses and the livelihood of thousands. By Andrew Dumm

The price of oil and gas is rising so fast that it is upsetting the very foundation of the world’s economic order. Jordan, which has no provable supplies of conventional oil, finds itself highly vulnerable to the current wild price gyrations. The good news is that Jordan does have a commercially-viable resource of another type of oil. The bad news is that this oil is environmentally less attractive and isn’t as efficient as conventional fuel. What is this resource, how will Jordan exploit it and how will it impact the economy? By Bilal Hijjawi

Tourism is one of the cornerstones of the Jordanian economy. Last year it accounted for 13.4 percent of the nation’s GDP. But the rise in prices over the last year has meant that many of the sector’s strongest contributors are starting to feel the pinch. Restaurants are an important component of Jordan’s tourism industry, but they are a business that happens to come with small margins and very elastic demand, and since the government has been slow to come to their aid, many of Jordan’s restaurateurs have been left in a precarious position and are having to foot much of the bill themselves. By Noor Al Saleh