Business

50-Year Contracts Open New Horizons for Real Estate Investment in Saudi Arabia

Business A neighborhood in the Saudi capital, Riyadh (SPA)

50-Year Contracts Open New Horizons for Real Estate Investment in Saudi Arabia

Long-term real estate investment models are opening new opportunities for Saudi Arabia's private sector, as the Kingdom seeks to expand partnerships with…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Gold chips displayed at a state-owned gold retail store in Surabaya, East Java (AFP)

Gold Rallies as Dollar, Treasury Yields Soften after US Midterm Results

Gold climbed to its highest level in over two weeks on Thursday as the fallout from the US midterm election results rippled through the global financial and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Hong Kong stocks rallied more than three percent on a broadly healthy day for Asian markets. Leung Man Hei / AFP

Tech Hit by New AI Worries on Positive Day for Most Markets

Tech firms tumbled Thursday as investors contemplated the outlook for the AI boom after Democrats swept the US midterms, partly on the back of growing anger…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Türkiye is rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity. But as host of COP31, the country faces growing pressure to match its clean energy ambitions with a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Yasin AKGUL / AFP

Türkiye Showcases Renewables Surge, but Leaves Coal Intact

On a windy hillside about an hour's drive northwest of Istanbul, the Catalca power plant was one of Türkiye's first large-scale wind farms and has been feeding…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Officials from the General Organization for Social Insurance at an earlier meeting with businessmen and businesswomen at the Riyadh Chamber (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Saudi Arabia's General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has made businesses that have ceased operations and exited the Saudi market eligible for a 100%…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)

Business Representatives from flynas, Riyadh Airports Company, and Syria during the launch ceremony of the Riyadh–Damascus flight route. (flynas)

Flynas Launches First Direct Flights Between Riyadh and Damascus After 12-Year Suspension

Saudi airline flynas has inaugurated direct flights between Riyadh and Damascus, becoming the first Saudi carrier to reconnect the two capitals after more than…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: Pump jacks pump oil at an oil field on the shores of the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan, October 5, 2017. Picture taken October 5, 2017. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor/File Photo

Oil Prices Headed for Rebound This Week as US-China Trade Talks Resume

Oil prices slipped on Friday but were on track for their first weekly gain in three weeks after US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping resumed…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A woman sells dried foods at a street market in Hanoi, Vietnam, 06 June 2025. EPA/LUONG THAI LINH

UN's FAO: World Food Prices Dip in May

Global food commodity prices declined in May, driven by marked drops in cereal, sugar, and vegetable oil prices, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Guohua Power Station, a coal-fired power plant, operates in Dingzhou, Baoding, in the northern China's Hebei province (AP)

China's Coal Power Plants Grow After 2024 Decline

China approved 11.29 gigawatts (GW) of new coal power plants in the first three months of 2025, already exceeding the 10.34 GW approved in the first half of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beijing)
Business People walk along the shore of lake on a warm spring afternoon in Zurich, Switzerland April 30, 2025. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Swiss National Bank Denies Currency Manipulation after Being Put on US Watch List

The Swiss National Bank does not engage in currency manipulation, the central bank said on Friday, after the United States added Switzerland to a list of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business People enjoy the sunset at Ramlet Al Bayda seaside in Beirut, Lebanon, 27 May 2025.  EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

IMF Sees 'Some Progress' on Lebanon Reforms, But Says External Support Needed

Lebanon has made progress on reforms needed to revive its economy but still has key steps to take and will need external funding on concessional terms, the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Chairman of the Management Board at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Nikolai Podguzov. Asharq Al-Awsat

Eurasian Development Bank Reveals Partnerships with the Gulf to Develop Energy Projects

Chairman of the Management Board at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Nikolai Podguzov revealed plans to cooperate with GCC countries, including Saudi Arabia…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Algiers)
Business An oil pump of IPC Petroleum France is seen at sunset outside Soudron, near Reims, France, August 24, 2022. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

Oil Steady after US Stockpile Build

Oil prices steadied on Thursday after falling more than 1% the previous day because of a build in US gasoline and diesel inventories and cuts to Saudi Arabia's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A food store in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Prepares Investment Environment for Food Security with Private Sector Participation

The Saudi government has granted the General Authority for Food Security (GFSA) the authority to expand its revenue sources through investment initiatives and…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)

Gold Holds Ground as Investors Eye US Payrolls Report

Gold prices held steady on Thursday as investors awaited US non-farm payrolls data due on Friday to assess the Federal Reserve's interest rate path, while…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump attends a bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

China Increases Scrutiny of Rare Earth Magnets with New Tracking System

China has introduced a tracking system for its rare earth magnet sector, three sources said, as its export restrictions on them begin to cut off customers…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A general view shows the great pyramid of Khufu in Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, June 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

Egypt's Headline Inflation Jumps to 16.8% in May

Egypt's annual urban consumer price inflation jumped to a greater-than-expected 16.8% in May from 13.9% in April, data from the state statistics agency CAPMAS…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business By empowering Saudi workers with high-tech skills, Port of NEOM is supporting NEOM’s vision of being a catalyst for a sustainable, diverse, and innovative ecosystem that enables regional economic resilience and advances the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 - SPA

Port of NEOM Strengthens Role in Global Supply Chain Connectivity

Port of NEOM has marked a major milestone with the arrival of the first fully automated, remote-controlled Ship-To-Shore (STS) and Electric Rubber-Tyred Gantry…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A general view of the new headquarters of Central Bank of Egypt, at the New Administrative Capital (NAC) east of Cairo, Egypt December 8, 2023. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

Egypt's Net Foreign Assets Retreat in April after March Jump

Egypt's net foreign assets (NFAs) fell by $1.5 billion in April, central bank data showed on Wednesday, retreating from March, when the approval of the fourth…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A participant shows gold bars during the 21st edition of the international gold and jewelry exhibition at the Kuwait International Fairgrounds in Kuwait City on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Yasser AL ZAYYAT / AFP)

Gold Holds Ground as Jobs Data offsets Safe-haven Demand

Gold prices held steady on Wednesday as stronger US jobs data countered safe-haven demand driven by simmering trade tensions between the US and China. Spot…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: A worker walks at Rumaila oil field in Basra, Iraq, November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani/File Photo

Oil Prices Steady as Expected OPEC+ Output Increase Offsets Canada Supply Pressure

Oil prices held steady on Wednesday as concern around the OPEC+ groups next output increase were offset by Canadian supply pressures due to wildfires there,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A Saudi flynas aircraft. (Asharq Al-Awsat) 

Saudi Arabia’s flynas Successfully Completes Final Allocation of IPO Shares

Saudi Arabia's flynas has successfully completed the final allocation process for its initial public offering (IPO) shares, setting a minimum allotment of 10…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business US President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. (Reuters)

Trump Says Deal with Xi ‘Extremely Hard’ as Steel Tariffs Double

Donald Trump said Wednesday it was "extremely hard" to reach a deal with China, but EU and US officials touted progress in their own trade talks despite the US…

Business A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Non-oil Private Sector Growth Boosts Saudi Arabia’s Economic Expansion

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued to witness steady improvements in operating conditions during May, mainly driven by an expansion in new…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business People attend a workshop within the Saudi Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. (SPA)

Monsha’at Showcases Saudi Arabia’s Entrepreneurship Journey at Expo 2025 Osaka

Saudi Arabia underscored its growing international presence as a hub for entrepreneurship through an interactive workshop held at its pavilion during Expo 2025…

Asharq Al Awsat (Osaka)
Business Most of Yemen’s population lacks essential services and struggles with limited means of livelihood. (AFP)

World Bank Predicts Deeper Decline in Yemen’s Economy Due to Ongoing Conflict

The World Bank has confirmed a 58% decrease in per capita income in Yemen and expects the country’s real GDP to shrink by 1.5% this year. The Bank anticipated…

Mohammed Nasser (Taiz)
Business A view of Qatar’s capital, Doha. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Qatar’s Budget Registers Deficit in Q1, First Since 2020

Qatar, the world's second-largest LNG exporter, recorded on Tuesday a budget deficit of 529 million riyals ($145.3 million) in the first quarter of 2025,…

Business Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 President, speaks at the United Nations climate change conference COP29 opening in Baku, Azerbaijan November 11, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

Abu Dhabi's XRG Targets Gas, LNG Capacity of 20-25 Million Tons a Year by 2035

XRG, the international investment arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), is aiming to have a gas and LNG business with a capacity of between 20 million…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A view shows the Kremlin Wall and the State Historical Museum in central Moscow, Russia August 21, 2024. (Reuters)

Moscow Poses No Threat to Britain, Says Russia's UK Embassy

Russia's embassy in London said on Tuesday that Moscow had no intention of attacking Britain, rejecting accusations by the British government of growing…

Asharq Al Awsat