Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Emir of Abu Dhabi, appears in the Panama Papers as the owner of at least 20 shell companies. The offshore activities of his parents, three brothers, and of one his sons were already made public in a previous leak. None of the ruling families responded to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's questions.

According to the Panama Papers, two of the current King of Bahrain's sons, including Crown Prince Hamad, were co-owners of a shell company in the British Virgin Islands. Another of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa's sons, as well as one of his daughters, had already appeared in the Swiss-Leaks data. In 2011, mass protests in Bahrain were brutally suppressed. Tensions continue between the Shiite minority and the Sunni royal family, in part because many young Shiites are unemployed. Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa and Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Khalifa did not want to comment on the record. Neither any other family member wanted to comment.

Jordan's King Abdullah II appeared in connection with several Swiss bank accounts in Swiss-Leaks data. For a time, there were more than 40 million dollars in one of the accounts. According to the Panama Papers, his brother Feisal bin al-Hussein, currently the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces, intermittently held shares in Safacorp Finance Limited, a company headquartered in the British Virgin Islands. It is well known that corruption and the black market economy promote the uneven distribution of wealth in the country. Jordan's royal family did not respond to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's request for comment.

According to the Panama Papers, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the father of the current ruler and also Qatar's Emir until 2013, owned two shell companies. He ostensibly used one of them to purchase farmland in South Africa for big-game hunting. The country, which is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, has been heavily criticized for its treatment of guest workers. Qatar has been accused of human rights abuses and exploitation, and for its indifferent response to the high number of work-related deaths. Members of the al-Thani family did not respond to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's requests for comment.

Twenty-seven relatives of the current Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah appear in the Panama Papers, either as the owners or directors of shell companies. There are more aristocrats in Kuwait than in any other country on the Arabian Peninsula. Twenty members of the ruling family were also named in the Swiss-Leaks affair regarding slush funds at HSBC, the major international bank. In 2011, a scandal involving corrupt members of Kuwait's government and parliament triggered mass protests in the country. Members of the al-Sabah ruling family did not respond to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's request for comment.

Sultan Qabus bin Said appeared in the Swiss-Leaks data in connection to several Swiss bank accounts. Six additional family members apparently also held undeclared accounts at the Swiss branch of HSBC. The Arab Spring protests in Oman were largely the result of the population's dissatisfaction with the country's economy. The Sultan's family did not respond to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's questions.

The region's most powerful royal family is apparently very active in the offshore business: 57 members of the al-Saud family appear in the Panama Papers, Swiss-Leaks, and Offshore-Leaks. According to the Panama Papers King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud and his children own at least two companies in Luxemburg. For a time, one of these companies owned another ten shell companies. Experts estimate that about 30 percent of Saudis are unemployed and live in poverty. The Saudi royal family did not respond to the Süddeutsche Zeitung's request for comment.