Business

Bulgaria Adopts the Euro, Nearly 20 Years After Joining the EU

Business  A map of Bulgaria with the EU symbol is projected on the Bulgarian National Bank as people celebrate New Year's Eve and Bulgaria's adoption of the euro in Sofia, Bulgaria, Thursday Jan. 1, 2026. (AP)

Bulgaria Adopts the Euro, Nearly 20 Years After Joining the EU

Bulgaria became the 21st country to switch to the euro as it entered the New Year on Thursday, a milestone met with both cheers and fears, nearly 20 years…

Business Saudi Industry Ministry Concludes Ninth Licensing Round, with 24 Companies and Consortia Awarded 172 Mining Sites

Saudi Industry Ministry Concludes Ninth Licensing Round, with 24 Companies and Consortia Awarded 172 Mining Sites

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced on Wednesday the names of 24 companies and consortia that have won licenses in the ninth…

Business The milestone demonstrates the project’s increasing momentum as it shifts from early works to large-scale construction activity. (SPA)

Expo 2030 Riyadh Awards the Main Utilities and Infrastructure Works Package

In a step aimed at advancing construction activities, Expo 2030 Riyadh awarded its Main Utilities and Civil Works package to Nesma and Partners - marking a…

Business As 2025 draws to a close, Saudi Arabia records a year defined not merely by statistical growth, but by structural transformation across every major sector. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Closes 2025 with Historic Industrial Reform, Global Digital Leadership, Record-Breaking Economic Activity

The second half of December marked a transformative conclusion to the year for Saudi Arabia, defined by a major policy shift to empower the industrial sector,…

Business People walk down steps near a residential building area with a view of China Zun, the tallest skyscraper in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP)

China’s Factory Activity Snaps Record Slump on Festive Stockpiling

China's factory activity unexpectedly grew in December, snapping a record eight straight months of decline, lifted by a rise in pre-holiday orders ​as…


Business Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar talks during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, September 14, 2023. (Reuters)

Türkiye Says Russia Gave It $9 Billion in New Financing for Akkuyu Nuclear Plant

Türkiye's energy minister said Russia had provided new financing worth $9 billion for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by ​Moscow's state nuclear…

Business A humanoid robot Tiangong by Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics Co, moves an orange as a demonstration at its company, during an organized media tour to Beijing Robotics Industrial Park, in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, China May 16, 2025. (Reuters)

China Bets on Advanced Technologies to Revive Tepid Industrial Sector

China pledged on Friday to double down on upgrading its manufacturing base and ​promised capital to fund efforts targeting technological breakthroughs, after…

Business Year-end shoppers walk along at the Ameyoko shopping street ahead of the New Year in Tokyo, Japan, 26 December 2025. (EPA)

Japan Proposes Record Budget Spending While Curbing Fresh Debt

Japan's government on Friday proposed record spending for next fiscal year while curbing debt issuance, underscoring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's challenge…

Business People walk next to shopping centers in Beijing on December 19, 2025. (AFP)

China to Rein in Copper, Alumina Capacity Expansion Under Next Five-Year Plan

China will tighten oversight of new copper and alumina projects to curb irrational investment and disorderly expansion from 2026 ​to 2030, the country’s top…

Business Riyadh Air Launches ‘Employment First’ Overseas Aviation Training Scholarship Program

Riyadh Air Launches ‘Employment First’ Overseas Aviation Training Scholarship Program

Riyadh Air has announced its ‘Employment-First’ Overseas Scholarship Program, which aims to launch several scholarship tracks, starting with two specialized…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a speech at the 14th Council Meeting of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, in Tokyo on December 25, 2025. (AFP)

Japan PM Reassures Markets with Fiscal Discipline in Next Year’s Budget

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought on Thursday to ease market concerns over her expansionary fiscal policy, saying the government's draft budget…

Business Currency dealers monitor exchange rates as a screen (R) shows South Korea's benchmark stock index in a foreign exchange dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

Asian Shares are Mixed after US Stocks Drift to More Records

Asian shares were mixed Thursday in thin holiday trading, with most markets in the region and elsewhere closed for Christmas. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 edged…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A solar power project in Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Saudi PIF Backs Multibillion-Dollar Projects to Boost Sustainability

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has fully allocated the proceeds of its green bond issuance, directing $9 billion to eligible projects, in a move that…

Bandar al-Mosalam
Business A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)

Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

E-commerce sales in Saudi Arabia via "mada" cards soared to an all-time monthly high in October 2025, surpassing SAR30.7 billion. The surge in sales…

Business The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) celebrated the launch of its first direct flynas flight to Moscow, operating three weekly flights between…

Business People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

China on Wednesday listed more sectors eligible for foreign investment incentives, from tax breaks to preferential ​land use, in its latest effort to stem a…

Business The citrus production season in the Kingdom begins in July and continues through March each year. (SPA)

Environment Ministry Launches Saudi Citrus Season with Production Exceeding 158,000 Tons

The Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture launched on Wednesday the Kingdom’s citrus season in local markets as part of its efforts to support…

Business SLB has been awarded a five-year contract by Saudi Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

SLB Awarded 5-Year Contract to Stimulate Unconventional Gas in Saudi Arabia

Global technology company, SLB, has been awarded a five-year contract by Saudi Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields, the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business  People walk past a Christmas tree at the Taikoo Li shopping center in Beijing on December 24, 2025. (AFP)

US Says China Chip Policies Unfair but Will Delay Tariffs to 2027

US trade officials determined that China should be punished for employing unfair tactics to dominate the semiconductor industry, but will wait 18 months to…

Business The aircraft departed from Boeing’s manufacturing facility in Charleston, South Carolina. (SPA)

Riyadh Air Completes First Test Flight of First Boeing Aircraft

Riyadh Air achieved a significant milestone in the delivery process of its first aircraft from Boeing with the successful completion of the initial test flight…

Business Ships move through the Suez Canal, in Ismalia, Egypt, July 31, 2025. (Reuters)

Egypt High-Speed Trains to Connect Red Sea, Mediterranean

Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in the…

Business Virtual tower operations center – Air Navigation Services (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

Saudi Air Navigation: Virtual Towers Boost Efficiency, Open Control and Maintenance Roles to Saudi Women

Saudi Arabia is accelerating digital transformation in aviation as virtual air traffic control towers enter live operations, marking a first for the Middle…

Saeed Al Abyad (Jeddah)
Business Investment in artificial intelligence is expected to be a source of continued momentum for the US economy in 2026. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP/File

US Economic Growth Surges in 3rd Quarter, Highest Rate in Two Years

US economic growth in the third quarter came in at 4.3 percent on an annualized basis, easily topping expectations, according to Commerce Department data…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  Three direct flights will take place per week between Muscat and Taif via Oman Air - SPA

Cluster2 Company Launches Direct Flights from Muscat to Saudi Arabia's Taif

The Cluster2 Company, operator of Taif International Airport, announced the launch of three direct flights per week between Muscat and Taif via Oman Air,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk, in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia July 14, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Oil Prices Rise as US Ramps up Action against Venezuela Tankers

Oil prices rose on Monday after the US intercepted ​an oil tanker in international waters off the coast of Venezuela and tensions in Russia's war against…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The monthly Construction Cost Index survey results showed price stability in November 2025 compared with October 2025. SPA

GASTAT: Construction Costs in Saudi Arabia Rose 1% in November

The Construction Cost Index in Saudi Arabia rose 1% in November 2025 compared with the same month last year, driven by equal 1% increases in both residential…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: UK gold bullion bars are stacked at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo

Gold Breaks $4,400 for 1st Time on Fed Rate-cut Bets, Silver Hits New High

Gold jumped past the $4,400-per-ounce level for the first time on Monday, riding on growing expectations of further US rate cuts and strong safe-haven demand,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Shoppers fill the pavement on Regent Street in central London on December 21, 2025. (AFP)

UK Growth Revised Down in Second Quarter 

Britain's economy expanded less than initially estimated in the second quarter, according to revised official data released Monday, dealing a fresh setback to…

Business Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Finance Minister Says New Financial Control System Protects Public Funds

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan has said that the new Financial Control System constitutes a “fundamental shift” in the control methodology and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)