Business

IMF: Any Slowdown in AI-driven Growth Would be Factor for Central Banks

Business IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks during the Annual Meetings Plenary at the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 16, 2026. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

IMF: Any Slowdown in AI-driven Growth Would be Factor for Central Banks

Central bankers around the world would need to consider any slowdown in AI-driven growth as they assess steps in their fight against inflation, International…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A worker carries loaves of bread for sale at a bakery in the capital city of Cairo, Egypt November 4, 2026. (Reuters)

World Food Prices Dip in October, but Remain Higher Than a Year Ago

World food prices edged lower in October as weaker import demand contributed to monthly declines in cereal, dairy and meat prices, but were still nearly 6%…

Business Copper at the Aurubis copper smelting and refining plant in Hamburg, Germany. (Reuters)

Copper Falls, Set for Worst Week Since March on AI Rout

Copper dropped on Friday and was set for its biggest weekly drop in London since March, as a rout in technology stocks battered markets. Benchmark three…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Workers walk at Kalyon Karapinar solar power plant in Karapinar, Konya province, Türkiye, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

Emerging Economies Set to Match Advanced Nations’ Renewable Capacity Additions, IEA Says

Emerging ‌and developing economies outside China are expected to add as much new renewable energy capacity as advanced economies for the first time over…

Business Gold bracelets displayed in a shop window on Green Street, east London, UK, April 30, 2024. (AFP)

Gold Drops Over 1% on Higher Oil Prices; US Payrolls Data in Focus

Gold prices slipped on Friday as oil prices rebounded, fanning inflation worries and higher-for-longer interest rate expectations, while investors awaited key…


Business Container ships cross under Suez Canal Bridge which is known as the "Peace Bridge" normally following a Suez Canal tugboat sinking yesterday after colliding with a Hong Kong-flagged LPG tanker in the waterway of the Suez Canal, Egypt, August 6, 2023. (Suez Canal Authority/Handout via Reuters)

Egypt Announces New Oil Discovery in Gulf of Suez 

Egypt's petroleum ministry on Tuesday announced a new oil discovery in the Geisum and Tawila West Concession in the Gulf of Suez. The new discovery was…

Business Electrolyzer for green hydrogen production. (Getty Images)

H²Egypt Agrees with Chinese PERIC to Assemble Electrolyzers in Cairo

Dalia Samir, Co-Founder and Director of Hydrogen Egypt (H²Egypt), unveiled a partnership deal with Chinese PERIC to assemble and produce parts of the…

Sabri Najeh (Cairo)
Business Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly meets a delegation from the American company, Apache. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

US Apache Plans $1.4 Bln Investments in Egypt in 2024

The US-based energy company Apache Corporation plans to invest around $1.4 billion in Egypt in 2024, stated John Christmann, CEO and President of Apache's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A mobile hydrogen-powered unit at Techno Valley Science Park in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

Green Hydrogen: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Egypt Lead the Way

The Arab Gulf and Egypt have joined the global race to secure a share of the green hydrogen industry, either through production or through long-term contracts…

Business Libyans are seen in the old city of Tripoli, Libya. (Reuters)

Libya’s Central Bank Announces Reunification after Years of Civil War Division

Libya’s central bank announced Sunday its reunification after being split for nearly a decade due to the country’s long-running civil war that resulted in two…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A view of one of the Al Shuaibah projects. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

ACWA Power, Badeel, SAPCO Reach Financial Close for Two Al Shuaibah Solar PV Projects 

ACWA Power, a Saudi-listed company and a leader in the energy transition, the Water and Electricity Holding Company (Badeel), wholly owned by Public Investment…

Business People queue in front of a bakery selling subsidized bread in Tunis' Halfaouine district, on August 19, 2023. (AFP)

Bread-Short Tunisia to Restore Flour Supply to Some Bakeries

Tunisia will again supply flour to more than 1,000 non-subsidized bakeries in the North African country after most of them ceased operating, government and…

Business  People onboard of a ferry boat cross the Bosphorus under the Galata bridge in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP)

Türkiye Begins Rolling Back Costly FX-Protected Deposits

Türkiye’s central bank began rolling back on Sunday a growing and costly scheme that protects lira deposits from FX depreciation, marking another move toward…

Business Steven Rees, the Managing Director of Investments for the Middle East and North Africa at JP Morgan Private Bank

JP Morgan: Diverse Assets Can Weather Expected Recession

Nowadays, the global economy is facing numerous threats that cannot be ignored. The US banking sector has experienced significant disruptions, while markets in…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Dubai)
Business An unnamed Chinese company was also accused of dumping, with a dumping rate of more than 122 percent - AFP

US Says China, Germany and Canada Dumping Tin Mill Steel

The US Commerce Department has accused China, Canada and Germany of allowing companies operating there to engage in unfair pricing activities, according to a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk Twitter account is seen in this illustration taken July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Elon Musk Says X Will Strip Ability to Block Accounts

Social media company X, formerly known as Twitter, will remove a protective feature that lets users block other accounts, owner Elon Musk said on Friday. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SPA

Saudi Arabia, India Sign Digital Economy Deal

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology signed a cooperation agreement on digitization and electronic manufacturing with the Republic of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business File photo: Physical imitation of Bitcoins are pictured at a cryptocurrency exchange branch near the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul on October 20, 2021, a day after Bitcoin took another step closer to mainstream investing with the launch of a new security on Wall Street tied to futures of the cryptocurrency. Ozan Koze, AFP archive

Bitcoin Drops to New Two-month Low as World Markets Sell Off

Top cryptocurrency bitcoin hit a fresh two-month low on Friday, breaking out of its recent tight range as a wave of risk averse sentiment swept through world…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Turkish Minister of Finance Mehmet Simsek speaks on Thursday during the general assembly of the Banks Association of Türkiye. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Finance Minister Expects 4.5% Growth in Türkiye This Year

Turkish Minister of Finance Mehmet Simsek has said that Ankara expects the nation's economy to grow by around 4.5% in 2023. “In 2023, we are forecasting a…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly chair the “Riyadh Gulf-Chinese Summit for Cooperation and Development” in December (SPA)

China-Gulf Relations: 'More Than Just Oil'

A recent report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) noted that the economic relations between the GCC countries and China go beyond oil and trade, but constitute…

Asharq Al Awsat (Davos (Switzerland))
Business Lujiazui Financial City Authority in Shanghai, China, receives the office data plate in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lujiazui Financial City Authority Establishes Office in Riyadh as Regional Investment Gateway

China's Shanghai Lujiazui Financial City Authority (SLFCA) has opened its representative office in Riyadh as a commercial investment gateway to access the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A view shows the exterior of Lebanon's Central Bank building in Beirut, Lebanon March 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo Acquire Licensing Rights

Lebanon's C.bank Reports $8.6 bln in Liquid Foreign Assets

Lebanon's Central Bank said on Thursday that its liquid foreign assets stood at $8.57 billion as it disclosed the numbers for the first time in a push for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  The establishment of the Insurance Authority in Saudi Arabia aims to regulate the sector under a unified entity and enhance company competitiveness (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Adopts New Regulations to Foster Competitive Insurance Entities

The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, approved on Tuesday the establishment of the Insurance Authority. This move aims to foster…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Car prices witness unprecedented increase in Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia Takes Action Against Violators in the Automotive Sector

The Saudi government has successfully identified several potential violations that could harm competition within the automotive sector. The Kingdom intends to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Two traders on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) - AFP

Saudi Arabia Cuts Holdings of US Treasuries to Lowest Since 2016

Saudi Arabia sold down its holdings of US Treasuries in June to the lowest in more than six years. The kingdom held $108.1bn of Treasury securities in June,…

Asharq Al Awsat
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

Abu Dhabi's ADNOC Gas Signs 5-yr LNG Supply Deal with Japex

Abu Dhabi's ADNOC Gas said on Thursday it has signed a five-year deal to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Japan Petroleum Exploration Co (Japex). The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power is the “Preferred Bidder” for the construction and operation of Dubai Water Project - WAM

ACWA Power Chosen as Preferred Bidder for Dubai Water Project

UAE’s Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has selected Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power as preferred bidder for construction and operation of phase 1 of its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia, China Sign 12 Cooperation Agreements Exceeding SAR 5bn

Saudi Arabia, China Sign 12 Cooperation Agreements Exceeding SAR 5bn

The Saudi-Chinese Business Forum kicked off in Beijing under the patronage of the Minister of Municipal, Rural Affairs, and Housing, Majid bin Abdullah Al…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The supermoon rises above Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023. (AP)

Iraq Set in ‘Battle’ Against Dollar Smugglers, Says Central Bank Governor 

Iraq has made strides implementing US dollar supply restrictions targeting Iran but faces an uphill battle with a banking system unaccustomed to strict…