The PA plans to officially bid for observer status at the next WTO ministerial meeting on 21-22 October. All 153 members of the WTO have to approve the accession in a vote. If successful the PA will be able to observe all WTO meetings; one of the interim steps towards full membership.

An injection of $15m and JD 10m is needed to resolve Jordanian dinar and US dollar liquidity problems in the Gaza Strip. NIS 30m of damaged notes have been replaced recently and a transfer of NIS 300m is expected shortly.

Jordan Commercial Bank plans to expand and open a branch in every West Bank governorate. The expansion coincides with new PMA requirements that each bank must have at least $35m in capital.

PalTrade has launched a new programme to provide training in marketing from international experts. The programme will benefit 140 Palestinian companies and has specific components tailored towards the food processing and ICT sectors.

To download the full report please below: