Singapore topped the list of countries in the latest IFC and World Bank  report on ease of doing business, while Saudi Arabia led the Middle East region on the list.

Economies continued to implement reforms that enhance local firms’ ability to do business, with transparency and access to information playing a key role in the reforms, said the 'Doing Business 2012: Doing Business in a More Transparent World' report.

It assessed regulations affecting domestic firms in 183 economies and ranked the economies in 10 areas of business regulation, such as starting a business, resolving insolvency and trading across borders. This year’s report data covered regulations measured from June 2010 through May 2011.

The report rankings on ease of doing business have expanded to include indicators on getting electricity. The report finds that getting an electrical connection is most efficient in Iceland; Germany; Taiwan, China; Hong Kong; and Singapore.

The global report shows that governments in 125 economies out of 183 measured implemented a total of 245 business regulatory reforms - 13 percent more reforms than in the previous year. In Sub-Saharan Africa, a record 36 out of 46 economies improved business regulations this year. Over the past six years, 163 economies have made their regulatory environment more business-friendly.

China, India, and the Russian Federation are among the 30 economies that improved the most over time.

Singapore was followed by Hong Kong, New Zealand, the US and Denmark on the list. The Republic of Korea was a new entrant to the top 10. 

Saudi Arabia took the 12th place overall on the list, while the UAE ranked 33, Qatar 36, Bahrain 38 and Oman 49.

The 12 economies that have improved the ease of doing business the most across several areas of regulation as measured by the report are Morocco, Moldova, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Latvia, Cape Verde, Sierra Leone, Burundi, the Solomon Islands, the Republic of Korea, Armenia, and Colombia. Two-thirds are low- or lower-middle-income economies.

“At a time when persistent unemployment and the need for job creation are in the headlines, governments around the world continue to seek ways to improve the regulatory climate for domestic business. Small and medium businesses that benefit most from these improvements are the key engines for job creation in many parts of the world,” said Augusto Lopez-Claros, director, global indicators and analysis, World Bank Group.  - TradeArabia News Service