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 FILED - 16 March 2023, Bavaria, Munich: Gold bars and gold coins of different sizes lie in a safe on a table at the precious metal dealer Pro Aurum. Photo: Sven Hoppe/dpa

Gold Holds Steady with All Eyes on Trump's Tariff Plans

Gold prices held steady on Wednesday following a 2% decline in the previous session, while investors focused on US President Donald Trump's tariff plans, which…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A view of the King Abdullah Port. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Non-Oil Exports Continue Upward Trend with 18.1% Increase

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports, including re-exports, continued their steady rise, increasing by 18.1% year-on-year in December, reaching SAR 29 billion ($7.7…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson speaks at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Conference in Miami. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Franklin Templeton to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Arabia Is a Promising Market, Focus on Attracting Global Investments  

Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson unveiled the company's strategy to strengthen its ties with Saudi Arabia through three key pillars: leveraging regulatory…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Miami)
Business Officials are seen at the Saudi Aerospace Connect Forum in Jeddah. (SPA)

Saudi Aerospace Connect Forum Concludes with Strategic Deals, Key Announcements

The Saudi Aerospace Connect Forum, held under the patronage of Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef, concluded on Tuesday with the…

Business A flame rises from a chimney at Petronor oil refinery, owned by Spanish multinational energy and petrochemical company Repsol, in Muskiz, Spain, February 23, 2025. (Reuters) 

Oil Edges up as US Stockpile Report Counters Rising Supply Concerns 

Oil prices rose marginally on Wednesday, bouncing off two-month lows hit in the prior session after an industry group reported US crude stockpiles fell last…

Business One dollar bills are put in packaging bands during production at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington November 14, 2014. (Reuters)  

Global Debt Marches to Record High, Reaches $318 Trillion

The global debt-to-GDP ratio rose for the first time since 2020 last year, as the world's debt stock hit a new year-end record of $318 trillion and economic…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business US President Donald Trump looks on the day he signs an executive order in the Oval Office, at the White House in Washington, DC, US February 25, 2025. (Reuters) 

Trump Says He Will Offer ‘Gold Cards’ for $5 Million Path to Citizenship, Replacing Investor Visas 

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to offer a "gold card" visa with a path to citizenship for $5 million, replacing a 35-year-old visa for…

Business US President Donald Trump holds a hat reading "Trump was right about everything" after signing an Executive Order at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on February 25, 2025. (AFP)

Trump Orders New Tariff Probe into US Copper Imports

US President Donald Trump opened yet another front on Tuesday in his assault on global trade norms, ordering a probe into potential new tariffs on copper…

Business The logo of British multinational oil and gas company BP is displayed at their booth during the LNG 2023 energy trade show in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 12, 2023. (Reuters)

Iraq, BP Agree to Develop Four Kirkuk Fields

Iraq and oil major BP have signed a deal to redevelop four Kirkuk oil and gas fields, BP said on Tuesday, a breakthrough for Iraq, where output has been…

Business Mawani Introduces New Shipping Service Connecting Saudi Arabia, Syria

Mawani Introduces New Shipping Service Connecting Saudi Arabia, Syria

The Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has announced the addition of the new "EXS6" shipping service, operated by Caerus, to Jeddah Islamic Port. This direct…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The new system significantly boosts the airport’s capacity, enabling it to serve up to 175,000 travelers per day - SPA

King Abdulaziz International Airport Sees Inauguration of 70 E-Gates

Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, inaugurated on Tuesday the new e-gates system at King Abdulaziz International Airport…

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 Eases after Hitting Record, Safe-haven Flows Strong

Gold prices hovered near an all-time high on Tuesday, as fears of a trade war and instability amid US President Donald Trump's tariff plans drove safe-haven…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi non-oil exports grew by 18.1% in December 2024 compared to December 2023

GASTAT: Saudi Non-Oil Exports Increased by 18.1% in December 2024

Saudi non-oil exports grew by 18.1% in December 2024 compared to December 2023, while re-exported goods rose by 23.4%, merchandise exports declined by 2.8%,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business SABIC Manufacturing Site in Jubail, Saudi Arabia (Company's Website)

Saudi SABIC Expected to Achieve $1.2 Billion in Profits in 2024

Economic analysts expect Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) to achieve a net profit of approximately $258 million in the fourth quarter of 2024,…

Mohammed al-Mutairi (Riyadh)
Business Deputy Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources for Industrial Affairs Eng. Khalil bin Salamah visits the forum in Jeddah. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Launches First Aircraft Maintenance City in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia inaugurated on Monday its first industrial city dedicated to aircraft manufacturing and maintenance in Jeddah, marking a significant step in the…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business The SALIC headquarters.

Saudi Arabia’s SALIC to Buy Control of Olam Agri for $1.8 Billion

SALIC, a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), announced on Monday that it signed an agreement to increase its stake in Singapore’s Olam Agri…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The sun rises as an oil pumpjack labors Monday, Feb. 24, 2025, in Hobbs, N.M. (AP)

Oil Gains on Supply Concerns from Iran Sanctions, Strong Refining Margins 

Oil prices rose for a second day on Tuesday as fresh US sanctions imposed on Iran increased concerns supply might tighten and as global refining margins…

Business FILE PHOTO: A general view of oil tanks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, which is run by state-owned Petroleum Pipeline Corporation (BOTAS), some 70 km from Adana February 19, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo

Iraq Says it is Committed to OPEC+ Cuts

Iraq said Monday that it was committed to OPEC+ group’s supply agreement and that it would present an updated plan to compensate for any overproduction of its…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business The announcement was made during the first edition of the Aerospace Connect Forum in Jeddah. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Issues New Industrial Licenses for Aircraft Maintenance and Repair

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources announced the issuance of new industrial licenses for aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO)…

Business Gold bullion displayed in a store in the German city of Pforzheim (dpa)

Gold Trades Near Record Peak on Weak US Dollar

Gold prices edged higher on Monday to trade near their record peak, helped by a weaker US dollar, while investors looked ahead to a key inflation report due…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business An oil pump of IPC Petroleum France is seen during sunset outside Soudron, near Reims, France, February 6, 2023. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo

Oil Prices Steady as Traders Await Progress on Push for Ukraine Peace Deal

* Oil prices steadied on Monday as investors awaited clarity on talks to end the war in Ukraine and weighed up the prospect of a resumption in crude exports…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Syrian children play in the heavily damaged Baba Amr neighborhood following the return of their families to the central Syrian city of Homs on February 10, 2025. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

EU Begins Easing Syria Energy, Transport and Banking Sanctions

The European Union on Monday began easing energy and transport sanctions and banking restrictions against Syria, aiming to help breathe life into the conflict…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Sudani meets on Sunday with a delegation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). (Prime Minister’s press office)

Iraq Seeking to Lift European Ban on its Airline

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani met on Sunday with a delegation from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), led by Vice President…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Business Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed

Iraqi Minister: Oil Exports from Kurdish Region Will Resume in a Week

Oil exports from Iraq's Kurdistan region will resume in a week, the Iraqi oil minister said on Monday. Asked about when Iraq will resume oil exports from the…

Asharq Al Awsat