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 The Omani Capital, Muscat (Omani News Agency)

Omani Revenues Rise 15% in 2024, Driven by Higher Oil Prices

Preliminary data from Oman’s Ministry of Finance showed that the country’s revenues in 2024 reached approximately 12.7 billion Omani rials ($33 billion),…

Asharq Al Awsat (Muscat)
Business 01 January 2025, Türkiye, Nisantasi: People celebrate the new year in Istanbul's prestigious district of Sisli, Nisantasi. Photo: Tolga Ildun/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Turkish Manufacturing Sector Nears Stabilization in December

Türkiye’s manufacturing sector contracted at the slowest rate in eight months in December, a business survey showed on Thursday, in a sign that the sector is…

Asharq Al Awsat (Ankara)
Business The Kingdom's total international trade volume reached SAR164.7 billion ($43.8 billion) in October. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Trade Surplus Grows to $5.5 Billion in October 2024

Saudi Arabia’s trade balance recorded a 30% monthly growth, achieving a surplus of SAR20.7 billion ($5.5 billion) in October 2024, according to the Kingdom’s…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business US Dollar and Euro banknotes are seen in this illustration taken July 17, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Dollar Resumes Upward Trend, Euro Hits Lowest since Nov 2022

The dollar hit new multi-month highs against the euro and the pound on Thursday, the first day of 2025 trading, as it built on last year's strong gains on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  A recent report confirms that the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative with the Saudi Vision 2030 marks the beginning of a new era of strategic partnership between the two countries. (AFP)

China Affirms Integration of Belt and Road Initiative with Saudi Vision 2030

A recent report from Fujian Daily has highlighted the growing partnership between China and Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the alignment of the Belt and Road…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business FILE - Pump jacks extract oil from beneath the ground in North Dakota, May 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

Oil Rises as Investors Return From Holidays, Eye China Recovery

Oil prices nudged higher on Thursday, the first day of trade for 2025, as investors returning from holidays cautiously eyed a recovery in China's economy and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/FILE PHOTO

Gold Extends Gains into New Year as Traders Brace for Trump Policies

Gold prices rose on Thursday, keeping up the momentum from a positive end to record-breaking 2024, as traders braced for US President-elect Donald Trump's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business General view of old Muscat, Oman. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/File Photo

Oman Appoints Central Bank Chairman, Governor

Oman has appointed Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said as chairman of the board of directors of the central bank, and Ahmed bin Jaafar Al-Musalmi as the bank's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Sri Lanka Seeks Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia, Activation of 10 Bilateral Agreements

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Omar Lebbe Ameer Ajwad revealed ongoing efforts to establish a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia and implement 10…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business NEOM Port (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Oxagon CEO: NEOM Port to Redefine Global Trade

Vishal Wanchoo, CEO of Oxagon, highlighted the city as a beacon of innovation and sustainability at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s transformation, saying that the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: Valves and pipes are seen at a gas compressor station in the village of Boyarka, outside Kyiv, April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo/File Photo

European Commission Says Bloc Can Cope with Halt of Russian Gas Flow

The European Commission played down the impact of a halt of Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday, saying the stop on Jan. 1 had been expected…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business GFH Partners Ltd. has announced a strategic investment in Manrre REIT. Asharq Al-Awsat

GFH Acquires Dubai-based Logistics Fund

GFH Partners Ltd., the DIFC-based global asset management subsidiary of GFH Financial Group BSC, has announced a strategic investment in Manrre REIT, a premier…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Al Zeyoudi said the agreements will strengthen rules-based international trade and enhance opportunities for trade in goods, services, and re-exporting. Asharq Al-Awsat

UAE Says to Expand CEPAs in 2025

Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi has affirmed that the UAE will continue to increase its Comprehensive Economic Partnership…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business The headquarters of the Saudi Capital Market Authority in Riyadh. Asharq Al-Awsat

Public Investment Funds Assets in Saudi Arabia Rise by 37%

The value of public investment fund assets—both domestic and foreign—in the Saudi financial market recorded an annual growth of 37%, increasing by nearly SAR43…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: A view shows an oil pump jack outside Almetyevsk in the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, June 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Oil Prices Set for Second Annual Loss in a Row, Stable Day on Day

Oil prices were on track to end 2024 with a second consecutive year of losses on Tuesday, but were steady on the day as data showing an expansion in Chinese…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold are placed in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/FILE PHOTO

Gold Set for Brightest Year Since 2010 on Rate Cuts, Safe-haven Demand

Gold prices were set to end a record-breaking year on a positive note on Tuesday as robust central bank buying, geopolitical uncertainties and monetary policy…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) logo

GASTAT: Saudi Women's Participation in Labor Force Reaches 36.2%

The General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) said Tuesday that the unemployment rate among Saudis in Q3 of 2024 was 7.8%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh (SPA)

Saudi Business Sector Achieves Trillions in Revenue Thanks to Government Incentives

Government incentives have played a pivotal role in enabling Saudi Arabia’s business sector to achieve operational revenues of SAR 5.3 trillion ($1.4 trillion)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The sun sets behind burning gas flares at the Dora (Daura) Oil Refinery Complex in Baghdad on December 22, 2024. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Iran Appoints New Representative to OPEC

Iran appointed oil ministry official Ali-Mohammad Mousavi as its new representative to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries known as OPEC. …

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business This picture taken on December 16, 2024 shows a vendor arranging items as people shop in Harbin, China’s Northeastern Heilongjiang province.(Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Xi Says China Must Apply 'More Proactive' Macroeconomic Policies in 2025

President Xi Jinping said China will put in place "more proactive" macroeconomic policies next year, state media reported, as he addressed a top political…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beijing)
Business A girl sells flowers to passersby on the Karakoy sea promenade in Istanbul, Türkiye, Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Türkiye Hikes Fuel Tax by 6%, Aims to Control Inflation

Türkiye imposed a 6% tax hike on fuel on Tuesday, after its finance minister said over the weekend that tax moves on fuel and tobacco would not affect the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows cityscape in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - December 1, 2024 REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour/File Photo

GASTAT: Net Inflow of FDI in Saudi Arabia at $4.2 Billion in 3rd Quarter of 2024

The net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Saudi Arabia amounted to SAR 16 billion ($4.2 billion) during the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 24%…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The initiative will boost economic growth and diversification, reinforcing ADNOC's commitment to supporting UAE's long-term prosperity. WAM

ADNOC ICV Program to Drive $54.4 Billion into UAE Economy in 5 Years

ADNOC is set to drive AED200 billion ($54.4 Billion) into the UAE's economy over the next five years through its In-Country Value (ICV) program, Emirates News…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business A view shows the Orenburg gas processing plant of Gazprom in the Orenburg Region, Russia September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Russian Gas Flows via Ukraine for Last Days as Transit Deal Crumbles

Russia pumped gas on Monday to European customers via Ukraine for one of the last days before a key transit deal expires at the end of the year, marking the…

Asharq Al Awsat