The Easiest Countries to Start-up a Business (51 to 100)

The ease of doing business index is an index created by the world bank. A high rank indicates simpler, better regulations for businesses and better law enforcement and property rights. The index is calculated based on laws and regulations, with the participation of thousands of government officials and worldwide independant consultants. Many factors are taken into account for defining a rank:

- Procedures, times, cost and capital required to start up a new business
- Dealing with permits in general, construction permits, procedures, time and cost
- Employment issues, ease of recruitment, labor cost and laws
- Registering property: procedures, time and cost
- Ease of getting banking facilities and credits
- Investors protection and law enforcement
- Tax rates
- Import and export facilities


RANKING:

51- Bulgaria
52- Botswana
53- Saint Lucia
54- Azerbaidjan
55- Tunisia
56- Romania
57- Oman
58- Rwanda
59- Kazakhstan
60- Vanuatu
61- Samoa
62- Fiji
63- Czech Republic
64- Antigua and Barbuda
65- Turkey
66- Montenegro 
67- Ghana
68- Belarus
69- Namibia
70- Poland
71- Tonga
72- Panama
73- Mongolia
74- Kuwait
75- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
76- Zambia
77- Bahamas
78- Vietnam
79- China
80- Italy
81- Jamaica
82- Albania
83- Pakistan
84- Croatia
85- Maldives
86- El Salvador
87- Saint Kitts and Nevis
88- Dominica
89- Serbia
90- Moldova 
91- Dominican Republic
92- Grenada
93- Kiribati
94- Egypt
95- Seychelles
96- Solomon Islands
97- Trinidad and Tobago 
98- Kenya
99- Belize
100- Guyana

The Easiest Countries to Start-up a Business (1 to 50)

The ease of doing business index is an index created by the world bank. A high rank indicates simpler, better regulations for businesses and better law enforcement and property rights. The index is calculated based on laws and regulations, with the participation of thousands of government officials and worldwide independent consultants. Many factors are taken into account for defining a rank:

- Procedures, times, cost and capital required to start up a new business
- Dealing with permits in general, construction permits, procedures, time and cost
- Employment issues, ease of recruitment, labor cost and laws
- Registering property: procedures, time and cost
- Ease of getting banking facilities and credits
- Investors protection and law enforcement
- Tax rates
- Import and export facilities


RANKING:

1- Singapore
2- Hong Kong
3- New Zealand
4- United Kingdom
5- United States
6- Denmark
7- Canada
8- Norway
9- Ireland
10- Australia
11- Saudi Arabia
12- Georgia
13- Finland
14- Sweden
15- Iceland
16- South Korea
17- Estonia
18- Japan
19- Thailand
20- Mauritius
21- Malaysia
22- Germany
23- Lithuania
24- Latvia
25- Belgium
26- France
27- Switzerland
28- Bahrain
29- Israel
30- Netherlands
31- Portugal
32- Austria
33- Taiwan
34- South Africa
35- Mexico
36- Peru
37- Cyprus
38- Macedonia
39- Colombia
40- United Arab Emirates
41- Slovakia
42- Slovenia
43- Chile
44- Kyrgyzstan
45- Luxembourg
46- Hungary
47- Puerto Rico
48- Armenia
49- Spain
50- Qatar

Japan and Libya overshadow a major crisis

With the war in Libya and the tragedy in Japan grabbing all news headlines, the world seems to be overlooking a very grave situation that has been unfolding in Ivory Coast. In fact more than one million citizens have fled their homes in the African nation, a country that seems to be slowly drifting towards a full-scale civil war. This is the reality of the situation facing this West African country and its population. Many calls have been made so far urging dialogue between the opposing parties. Very little attention is being paid by the international community and media to this worsening humanitarian crisis, which is causing massive exodus of people, many of whom have crossed the border into neighboring countries like Liberia and Ghana. Reports from Ivory Coast confirm that the situation is dramatic and is not getting the appropriate attention from the International community, and the events occurring in the African Nation are still being under-reported. Huge lack of funding also contributes to the worsening of the humanitarian situation.

The seriousness of the situation comes basically from the sharp political division in the country that is inevitably leading to a civil war in Ivory Coast. People are fleeing in all directions running for their lives with very little in hand or even nothing at all! Therefore the needs are huge and range from food, drinking water, to blankets and mattresses.

Why is the international community and the United Nations overlooking this crisis! Is it because Ivory Coast is a poor country or because it has no oil or natural reserves? The answer to this sad query remains unknown but what is sure is that hundreds of thousands of people are suffering and are in a desperate need for help.

Many observers are expressing regrets over the brewing civil war in a country that has been known for decades as being the “benchmark” for political stability in western Africa. The emergency funding in response to the crisis is yet far from seeing the light. Unfortunately we will only witness another big human tragedy unless the decision makers decide to make a move and contribute to the halting of such a tragedy.

The horror of wars

Seeing the pictures from Libya and the massacre of civilians from many Arab countries, we can only recall the abhorrent effects of war, of violence on man by man, and by doing so, strengthen the urgency of an appeal for an end to the use of weapons and to create a space for dialogue in the conflicts that are currently raging in Libya, Ivory Coast and the Middle East .

Following the atrocities witnessed on TVs on a daily basis, one can only fear for the safety of the civilian population and have concerns for the unfolding situation in Libya which is constantly growing. At moments such as these, of greatest tension, international bodies and people in positions of responsibilities must use all diplomatic means at their disposal to give space to even the weakest signs of openness to dialogue. Both sides of the Libyan conflict need to be appealed for an end to the use of weapons and an immediate start of dialogue.

What is happening these days is a most grave offense against humanity, because it is the deliberate violence of man by man. It is the most abhorrent effect of war, any war, while we should be seeking life and peace. The abyss opened by men who, when driven by blind violence, deny their dignity and brotherhood with each other. Yes, wherever he is, on every continent, in every nation, man is the son and brother to all humanity. But this being the son and brother is not a given. Unfortunately, this is revealed by the death tolls themselves.

We must want it, we must say yes to good and no to evil. We must believe in love and life, and reject any false image of Glory, that betrays man. Therefore, in times like these, the real answer is to join hands as brothers, and say: with the strength of love we desire to walk together in Peace, in Libya, North Africa, The Middle East and throughout the world.

Japan: from the earthquake to the nuclear plant

Recently, at the troubled Japanese nuclear power plants, a group of heroes are generously risking their lives to save the lives of many others. Like the firefighters of New York city on September 11. As then, the generous love for others, even at the cost of one’s life, is the true light in the darkness of this tragedy. It shines a light on the path to follow. It is a direction for a brave journey for all mankind to follow.


For days, images of the tragedy in Japan continue to upset every human being and provoke questions. From the very outset they have evoked memories of the tragic Indian Ocean tsunami six years ago, which also caused a frightening number of victims, and even more: a sea of suffering and pain that calls for our compassion, our sympathy and our prayers.

But with the space of a few days the world's attention has shifted to the disaster at the nuclear power plant. The Japanese have shown that they can cope with earthquakes in an admirable way, constructing buildings capable of withstanding the strongest shocks. In other countries the same shock would have caused countless deaths.

Yet even Japan’s technical progress has revealed, in one sense, and unexpectedly a weak point. It only took the serious damage of one of the approximately fifty Japanese nuclear power plants to cause a new fear of death that is spreading around the world, in addition to the tsunami’s destruction. Nuclear power is a great natural resource which man tries to use for his benefit, but if he loses control of it, it can turn against him. And nobody knows better than the Japanese people the effects of energy released from a nuclear source turned against man.

The safety of nuclear power plants and radioactive waste storage will never be absolute. It is right and necessary to reflect again on the proper use of technological power, its risks and its human price. This crucial topic should never be overlooked from now on. 

The law of silence will end

The time of terrorism is off.

Today is the time of liberation from repression, starting from today people will have the right to think, to speak, to say no, to believe in their country and in their new future full of hope, love and mercy.

Yesterday, people were obliged to accept that “The Man” is always right, he can do everything because he has full authorities, he is the leader, the chief, no one can stop him and no one should ask him why!

Tomorrow, this “Man” will be obliged to recognize that he is wrong, he made a lot of mistakes, his acts were dishonest and corrupt and people have the right to stop him at any time and to ask him to go!!!

History will never forget despotism and cruelty.

Yesterday, was the time of manipulation.

Tomorrow, will be the time of truth.

Yesterday, was the witness of fear and discrimination.

Tomorrow, will be the witness of trust and fairness because dictatorship is false and tyranny is immoral.

Yesterday, nothing was possible, the dream was illusion and the silence was an obligation.

Tomorrow, nothing will be impossible, the dream will come true and the law of silence will end…

What is democracy!

According to the books the democracy is the political orientation of those who favor government by the people or by their elected representatives; or
A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them .

According to what is happening in the Middle East, democracy is proclaiming war against civilians, killing people in the name of God and even burning its own country.

After all, who can define exactly what is the meaning of democracy ?

The democracy seems to be the appropriate way to defend the rights of selfish individuals, to obtain interests in some rich countries or to give a reason for violence and aggression.

However, without trying to give the right meaning of the word, I can understand that democracy cannot be divided into parts; it seems to be difficult to split democracy between many political objectives and goals.

Democracy cannot co-exist with bloodshed, revenge or atrocity.

Democracy is the given right of each citizen to live decently and honorably in his country with the fundamental rights that every person should have, notably the right to give his opinion, to speak, to think, to oppose and particularly to be represented by a legislative body, which believes that people’s dignity and rights are more crucial than wealth, authority and power.

Good reasons to invest in Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has proven throughout the years to be one of the favourite and most profitable places in the world to invest in. In fact the KSA has been gaining ranks at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) especially when it comes to the relative ease of establishing and starting up a new business or investment.

Many reasons have contributed to such developments:

Legal forces:

The KSA has gained stability in the region, along with a well structured legal system, political stability and international support, which provide to businessmen and entrepreneurs a very safe environment to invest in.


Demographic-economic forces:

- Saudi Arabia is the richest country in the Middle East and the Muslim world. This is because Saudi Arabia holds one of the world's largest proven oil reserves.
Residents from diverse cultures and background constitute Saudi complex society. Highly ranked executives, middle management employees, global investors, powerful entrepreneurs, these are the added value to such strong economy.

- The principal growth sectors are energy production and manufacturing, yet high-class tourism and international finance are the new sectors that are booming.

- The SAGIA (Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority) which is in the process of building an additional four mega economic cities around the kingdom, these cities represent the best environment for foreign businessmen and entrepreneurs to start up their own business with a 100% ownership.

- The CMA (Capital Markets Authority) that offers 100% foreign ownership, and a tailor-made financial regulatory system with laws taken from best practices in other leading financial centers like New York, London, and Singapore.

- The GDP (Growth Domestic Product) per capita is in a constant development.


Technological:

Saudi Arabia has a current strong emphasis on technological advancement; it creates a good opportunity for all entrepreneurs and global investors to start up their business in such environment.
On a financial view, technology plays an important role especially in the field of telecommunications, computing and advanced software improving the quality of services and returns to clients.


Social-Cultural:

Immigrants make up a large percentage of the Saudi workforce, which creates healthy social interrelations.
Hence, traditional forms of art and culture are preserved, diversification is however evident.

Potential Customers & investors:

Saudi Arabia's society offers the opportunity to target potential clients that would be interested in investments such as entrepreneurs, investors, high classed executives and wealthy individuals, which can prove the high growth of such commodities in the Saudi markets.

Barack Obama humble because smart

Every day we watch on TVs famous celebrities like actors, singers and politicians using their physical beauty,  their wealth and power or even their body to appear and to create their own world of authority, desire and even lies.

Simplicity and spontaneity are not the trend anymore, values and principles are becoming old fashioned.

But how did Barack Obama manage to become the US President, what did he use to make his dream come true:  his physical beauty, his wealth or his influence?

How is he doing to sustain his good leadership! Using the accurate and respectable wordings in all of his speeches, speaking with people with modesty and kindness and especially inviting people to open their hearts to accept the others and to build a new future.

Isn’t he the President of the United States? Shouldn’t he be raising his head, walking with great pride, addressing Nations in sophisticated kinds of speeches, talking with relative arrogance to people who wait for hours on the streets to cheer him or catch a smile from him?

Rather, he plays football with children, eats ice cream in the street and invites his friend for a hamburger lunch, and greets the white house staff as friends.

If I were Barack Obama, I would remind myself everyday that I’m the strongest man in the world, I would act accordingly and use my full authority to influence people and try to impose my opinions and thoughts.

But it seems that physical beauty, wealth and power are not the keys to be “the MAN”, The US President must have something else!

If we happen to be as intelligent as Barack Obama we would remember everyday that humbleness is stronger than power, more generous than wealth and more attractive than physical beauty.

People of Japan: magnificent strength!

I always asked myself how did Japanese people manage to become one of the biggest economies in the world, I know very well that Japanese people are very nice and smart but my question was always the same, how did this Country become so strong?

After the earthquake disaster, I was watching on TV the Japanese people and I was surprised: They were crying and they were praying for their missing beloved persons but they were, in the same time, incredibly calm and serene believing that Japan will be rebuilt again and very soon.

And I saw that most of them were leaving involuntarily their homes to avoid nuclear radiations and death, and in spite of such distress they still wanted to stay in their Country even  without home or food.

Today I’m asking myself if everyone of us is able to remain quiet and peaceful in such circumstances?

Is everyone of us able to pray and to hope even when he loses his family?

Is everyone of us able to keep believing even when, he feels that he lost everything?

Dear People of Japan, sorry because I still didn’t understand how can we build countries! With money? with weapons? with violence? with dictatorships?

Japan is the greatest example that nations are built with love, hope and a strong determination to restart when everything has been lost.

Saving the Libyan people or the Libyan oil?

Libya is an oil rich country and one of the world's top exporters of the black gold. The recent massive military intervention from the US, France and the UK in Libya is not a totally candid intervention with strictly humanitarian goals, in fact many analysts are beginning to argue whether such a global military action would have occured if the country in question were to be an oil-poor country with no resources. 

The recent events in the world have shown the impact of high oil prices on western economies, especially on industrialized countries. We have seen lately Central Bankers notably from Europe and the US struggling to find a balance between the increasing inflation due to constantly rising oil prices and the recession due to the financial crisis. Add to the fact that France and the UK depend on the Gulf countries for their oil imports and on Russia for their natural gaz. The recent uprising events in Libya have created the perfect environment for the super powers to put their foot and have a physical presence on the rich soil of Benghazi, where most of Libya's proven reserves are contained. It is also a moral response and a noble move to save civilian lives from Kaddafi's massacres.

This military move will certainly reduce the oil dependance of the industialized nations from battered oil producing countries.

While many African countires have suffered on many occasions several massacres and blood sheds, never such a military intervention has ever been observed. It would be certainly naive to deny the fact about oil and consider that the super powers are only doing this for mankind's sake! The next scenario would probably be the one like foreign military bases on the Libyan soil to "protect" the Libyan treasures as it has been the case with US military bases in Iraq for more than 20 years.   

Very sad, but true...

JAPAN: more than 10,000 people die in a strong earthquake, the world is horrified and fully mobilized.


AFRICA: more than 15,000 children die everyday from starvation, nobody cares, nobody even mentions it.

Think about it, it's very sad but true!

The strong ties between the USA and the KSA: is it love or reason?

The strategical relationship between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia goes back to late 1940's, just after the end of world war II, upon the discovery of the oil in the KSA. Oil which is synonymous of energy and which (according to some analysts) was the main startegic reason behind the war of the pacific from 1941 to 1945. Establishing excellent relations with the new royal regime at that time in the KSA was of prime importance for the US.

In fact these bilateral relations grew relatively fast when US companies were commissioned to discover and extract the commodity from the Saudi soil. And for decades, companies like Halliburton, Schlumberger, Aramco and others had the absolute exclusivity to discover new oil fields in the Kingdom and to extract the black gold and to ship it.

With time, those ties evolved between the two nations and became deep enough to "re-invent" the Saudi economy, in fact the Saudi currency (riyal) became strictly tied to the US dollar in a fixed exchange rate; Most of the Saudi's government oil revenues (as well as the royal family's) were being invested in the US markets, experts believe that Saudi money invested in the US represents around 7% of the US market. Until recently, the Saudi armament program was exclusively provided by US firms like: Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Mcdonall Douglas; At last but not least Saudi Arabian Airlines flies Boeing aircrafts almost exclusively.

Politically and diplomatically both States were constantly in perfect harmony and the KSA was one of the major allies of the US. The State visit of a newly elected US president to the KSA became a ritual, while Saudi citizens are usually granted multiple visas to the US for undefinite periods. (unlike all other Arab countries)

The KSA became practically operating according to the american way, as everything was built, designed, commissioned according to US standards. The list is long: the building codes in Saudi are US codes, the design and technical specifications for infrastructure projects are conducted according to the US standards, the heavy and sophisticated equipments (power production, water treatment, new technologies) are designed, built and operated according to the US industry codes.

We also note that the US Universities became the preferential destinations for Saudi students. Most of the new Saudi generation that are highly educated have graduated from US Universities, in a need to discover the technology and know-how of what is being developped in their mother land.

According to such evidences, many analysts and observers argue that the "Americanization" of the Saudi society did not happen naturally as a result of the interaction between two populations sharing the same history or culture or background! Instead, it is the fruit of a strategical pact that ensures safe and continuous flows of oil into the biggest oil consumer in the world at preferential prices (much below markets), in return the biggest oil producer of the OPEC countries enjoys an unconditional support and backup from the US policies makers.

Alcohol in Muslim law (article in French)

L’usage de l’alcool et de toute boisson alcoolique est formellement interdit  par l’islam, pourtant tout acte accompli par un ivrogne durant son ivresse est valable et ne doit pas être considéré comme nul.

En raison de cette réprobation générale visant l’alcool et tout ce qui touche à l’alcool, la grande majorité des « Fuquha’a » estiment que ce serait faire bénéficier l’ivrogne d’une certaine excuse qu’il tirerait précisément de sa propre turpitude ou faute si l’on décidait que les actes accomplis par lui durant son ivresse ne le liaient pas ; d’après eux, la validité de tels actes doit être maintenue ne serait-ce que comme punition des actes de l’ivrogne.

Il y a là évidemment une confusion fâcheuse du droit et de la morale. A s’en tenir strictement aux principes juridiques, l’ivrogne pendant tout le temps que dure son ivresse, est privé de raison ce qui devrait mener logiquement à en déduire la nullité de tout acte fait en état d’ébriété.

Or l’état d’ébriété dépend de l’ivrogne lui-même, parce que toute personne en buvant sait que l’excès dans l’alcool peut la rendre ivre.

En conséquence, vouloir annuler tout acte de l’ivre pendant son état d’ébriété parait parfois chose difficile parce l’état d’ivresse est en principe temporaire et par suite la preuve de cet état d’ivresse serait difficile à rapporter une fois l’alcool ne circule plus dans le sang de la personne.

Is Egypt the new China of the Middle East?

Egypt, country of the Nile and one of the oldest civilizations in the world, has always been the epicentre of history, culture, and changes. On the verge of one of the most important changes in its recent history, the home of the pharaohs looks at a bright and promising future. In fact, Should the new Egyptian regime succeed in realizing a "real change" in the country, a lot of potential awaits to be unleashed out of the egyptian economy which has several strong foundations.

The availability of cheap labor, the cheapest in the region and probably one of the cheapest in the world, backed by a population of more than 80 million egyptian, with an average GDP per capita among the lowest in the world (around 5,000 USD per year), the active population will have no problem at all competing with any country in the region, if not in the world since the labor cost in countries like India or China is comparable to the one in Egypt.

The egyptian population has another important component: the middle class, which is highly educated and qualified in most cases, fluent in French and English, helping to make commercial and trading activity relatively easy with western counterparts, unlike many countries in the Far East where only the national language is spoken. Besides all, egyptian people are so funny and very humble. 

Geographically, Egypt is at the center of the Middle East at the proximity of one of the biggest oil producers in the world, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and is also very close to Europe, which makes import & export activities to the euro-zone and de facto to the industrialized nations very convenient and time-saving.

Strategically, the Suez canal insures the sea traffic between the Far East, India and Saudi Arabia to Europe and the United States. Therefore, the strategic dependance of Egypt on other States is much less than other countries when it comes to exercise normally its commercial activities.

The country possesses substantial proven reserves of natural gas and is one of the exporters of this commodity to several countries in the region. This would bring down dramatically the production costs for eventual manufacturing or industrial activities. 

The considerable amount of funds that are expected to be retrieved from the old regime will undoubtedly bring a considerable boost to the economy, in fact around 70 billion US dollars are estimated to be heading back for the Egyptian treasury in the near future, and that would represent a surplus of funds equivalent to the government's budget for two years. Such amounts could be used to upgrade the country's infrastructure which is necessary for the economy to flourish. 

Egypt has all the necessary elements to become a big economy, the biggest in the region. All the ingredients of the chinese model are available in abundance to the egyptian people who has done a lot so far, and still have a lot more to do in the near future.

The secret of the Swiss Franc

The Swiss Franc has been outperforming all other major currencies in the past weeks/months. The main reason behind this appreciation is mainly due to the intriguing country behind this currency (switzerland) which has been playing the role of "safe deposit" of the world for several decades. It is believed that more than 30% of the world's wealth is deposited at Swiss Banks, a country with only 6.5 million citizens but also with more than 500 operational banks and major financial institutions. The famous Swiss banking secrecy has largely contributed to such facts, in addition to Swiss banks which have recently proved to be "facilitators" for the opening and funding of big offshore accounts in Switzerland for non-Swiss citizens and residents. 

The Swiss banking secrecy is a Swiss law ratified by the Swiss parliament. It prohibits the disclosure of any information related to Swiss bank accounts, whether it is the identity of a client, the nature of an account, or the cash balance involved. The system is so strict that any lift of the banking secrecy on any Swiss account would require a judgment from a Swiss judge in a Swiss tribunal.

Recent Geopolitical events, especially in the Middle East and North Africa have also suggested that the US dollar has lost its status as the most important safe haven currency in times of crisis. In fact it has been depreciating against all major currencies and commodities, reaching all time highs against gold, silver, the Canadian dollar and the Swiss Franc.

It is true that a strong currency puts the Swiss economy in a better position to cope with rising inflation, mainly generated from high oil prices and commodities, but this appreciation of the Swiss Franc comes to a high price: the industry. In fact Mr. Amman the Swiss minister of the economy has reiterated on several occasions that measures will be taken to protect the Swiss industry which is going to see it's export prices rising phenomenonly in the coming months.

Whether it is good or bad for any country to have a strong currency, will remain a question of balance. What we have seen over the years suggests clearly that currency prices abide by a cyclical pattern where extreme prices are unlikely to be sustained for long.