Business

Saudi Arabia Expands Tourist E-Visa Eligibility to Four More Countries

Business The tourist visa allows visitors to attend events, perform Umrah, and visit exhibitions and conferences (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Expands Tourist E-Visa Eligibility to Four More Countries

Saudi Arabia has expanded its electronic tourist visa program by adding four countries to the list of eligible nationalities: Mexico, North Macedonia, Serbia,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
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 A Zohr gas field platform in Egyptian waters. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Egypt Launches Intensive Program to Drill 75 Oil Wells in Eastern Desert

Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum announced the launch of an intensive drilling campaign in the Gulf of Gharib fields, located in the Eastern Desert, as part of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business A real estate project in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

US Tariffs Have Limited Impact on Saudi Real Estate Market

More than two weeks after US President Donald Trump imposed a 10% tariff on imports from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—part of a broader global…

Mohammed al-Mutairi (Riyadh)
Business  Shoppers walk with their bags at the Dongmyo Flea Market in Seoul on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

South Korea, US, to Hold Trade Talks This Week, Seoul Says

South Korea and the United States will hold trade consultations this week in Washington at the suggestion of the United States, Seoul's trade ministry said on…

Business People walk on a touristic street in Beijing, China, 18 April 2025. (EPA)

China's US Envoy Urges End to Trade War, but Warns Beijing Ready to Fight

China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, has urged Washington to seek common ground with Beijing and pursue peaceful coexistence while warning that…

Business Logos of ADNOC are seen at Gastech, the world's biggest expo for the gas industry, in Chiba, Japan, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai/File Photo

China's ENN, Zhenhua Oil Agree LNG Deals with ADNOC

China's privately controlled ENN Natural Gas and state-run Zhenhua Oil have each signed a term deal to buy liquefied natural gas from Abu Dhabi National Oil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, seen in April 2025, said he considered Fed independence to be a matter of law. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP

Trump Goes to War with the Fed

Donald Trump's simmering discontent with the US Federal Reserve boiled over this week, with the president threatening to take the unprecedented step of ousting…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business This pool photo taken and released on April 18, 2025 by Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP) shows China's President Xi Jinping (C-L) walking with Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen (C-R) past the honour guard upon his departure at Phnom Penh International Airport. (AFP)

China’s Leader Ends Southeast Asia Tour Touting Beijing’s Reliability vs. US Tariff Threats

Chinese President Xi Jinping capped a three-nation Southeast Asia tour in Cambodia on Friday, promoting Beijing's reliability as the region faces economic…

Business  Cyclists ride through an intersection as the Tokyo Skytree (C-behind) looms in the background in the Minowa area of Tokyo on April 15, 2025. (AFP)

Japan Cautions about Uncertainty from Trump Trade Policies

Japan's government warned of uncertainty over the impact of US trade policies as tariffs could hurt the global economy but it also said in a monthly report on…

Business A fisherman feeds cats his recently caught small fish from the Marmara Sea, along the Kadikoy sea promenade in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. (AP)

Türkiye's Simsek Says Disinflation to Continue, FX Pass-through Limited

Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said on Friday that disinflation would continue despite some recent deterioration in expectations, adding that the…

Business  Ships are seen under construction at the Jinling Shipyard in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 14, 2025. (AFP)

United States Eases Port Fees on China-Built Ships after Industry Backlash

The Trump administration shielded on Thursday domestic exporters and vessel owners servicing the Great Lakes, the Caribbean and US territories from port fees…

Business US Energy Secretary during the press conference at the Saudi Energy Ministry (Reuters)

Wright to Asharq Al-Awsat: Diversification, Investment Can Go Hand in Hand

Amid growing global economic uncertainty driven by trade tariffs and their impact on oil prices, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright visited the Middle East this…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)
Business Agricultural labourers harvest the wheat crop at Chadiala village in the northern Indian state of Punjab April 10, 2008. REUTERS/Ajay Verma (INDIA)

Tunisia Gets Offers in 75,000 T Soft Wheat Tender, Traders Say

The lowest price offered in the international tender from Tunisia's state grains agency on Thursday to purchase about 75,000 metric tons of soft wheat was…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A jeweller shows a gold bar at his shop in downtown Kuwait City on May 20, 2024. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Gold Prices Retreat from Record High as Investors Cash In

Gold prices pulled back from a record high on Thursday as investors booked profits following a rally driven by concerns around US President Donald Trump's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A logo of Türkiye's Central Bank (TCMB) is pictured at the entrance of the bank's headquarters in Ankara, Türkiye April 19, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Turkish Central Bank Surprises with Rate Hike to 46% after Market Turmoil

The Turkish central bank hiked its key interest rate by 350 basis points to 46% on Thursday, in a surprise move that reversed an easing cycle and slightly…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business File photo of the Saudi capital Riyadh - File/AAWSAT

Saudi Arabia, Indonesia Boost Cooperation in Mining Sector

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef signed in Jakarta a memorandum of understanding with Minister of Energy and Mineral…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Visitors flock to one of the events of “Riyadh Season 2024” (SPA)

Attractive Environment Drives Surge in Private Tourism Facilities in Saudi Arabia

As Saudi Arabia experiences a surge in visitor numbers, there is a growing need to expand tourism infrastructure to keep up with demand. In this context,…

Ayat Nour (Riyadh)
Business Container cargo ships docked at Bangkok port (Reuters)

Will Tariffs Accelerate Free Trade Deals?

More than 70 countries are waiting for their turn to sit at the negotiating table with US officials, as they scramble to avoid a wave of new tariffs imposed by…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Business Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reacts as he speaks to reporters after a Japanese negotiator held ministerial talks at the White House regarding US tariffs, at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 17 April 2025. FRANCK ROBICHON/Pool via REUTERS

Trump Bails 'Big Progress' in Japan Tariff Talks

President Donald Trump touted "big progress" in tariff talks with Japan on Wednesday, in one of the first rounds of face-to-face negotiations since his barrage…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILED - 17 November 2019, Egypt, Ismailia: A container ship sails through the Suez Canal. Photo: Gehad Hamdy/dpa

Egypt's Revenue from the Suez Canal Plunged Sharply in 2024

Egypt's revenue from the Suez Canal plunged by almost two thirds last year, officials said Wednesday, attributing the sharp drop to regional tensions and wars…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business People wait their turn in a queue outside an ATM in Damascus on April 16, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

Syria, World Bank Discuss Tools to Support Syrian Economic Recovery

Members of the Syrian government and a delegation from the World Bank discussed in Damascus tools to support Syria's economic recovery, the Syrian foreign…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Chinese made cars, including Volvo and other brands, are seen at the port in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 16, 2025, as they wait to be loaded onto ships for export. (Photo by AFP)

WTO Slashes 2025 Trade Growth Forecast

The World Trade Organization sharply cut its forecast for global merchandise trade from solid growth to a decline on Wednesday, saying further US tariffs and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: Gold bars are displayed at a gold jewelry shop in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh May 8, 2012. REUTERS/Ajay Verma/File Photo

Gold Prices Hit Records Above $3,300/oz

Gold prices pierced the $3,300 an ounce barrier to hit record highs as investors sought a refuge from the turbulence surrounding trade tensions between the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Ministry of Tourism Records Growth in Licensing Numbers for Private Hospitality Facilities in 2024

Saudi Ministry of Tourism Records Growth in Licensing Numbers for Private Hospitality Facilities in 2024

Preliminary data from the Ministry of Tourism indicates a 333% growth in the number of licenses issued to private tourism hospitality facilities in 2024…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business OPEC logo is seen in this illustration taken, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Oil up 1% on Potential for US-China Talks, Iraq Output Cut Plan

Oil prices rose around 1% on Wednesday, as the market drew some strength from the possibility of trade talks between China and the United States and a report…

Asharq Al Awsat