Business

Iraq Oil Output Exceeds 5 million bpd

Business Majnoon oil field near the Iraqi city of Basra (Reuters)

Iraq Oil Output Exceeds 5 million bpd

Iraq produces more than 5 million barrels of oil per day (bpd), Oil Minister Basim Mohammed told state news agency INA on Saturday. According to Reuters, Iraq…

Asharq Al Awsat
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 Al-Swaha: SEZ to Promote Saudi Arabia's Regional Leadership as Global Investment Hub

Al-Swaha: SEZ to Promote Saudi Arabia's Regional Leadership as Global Investment Hub

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Eng. Abdullah Al-Swaha lauded the launching of the Cloud Computing Special Economic Zone (SEZ ),…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Iraq’s Northern Oil Exports Stuck on Türkiye Negotiations

Iraq’s Northern Oil Exports Stuck on Türkiye Negotiations

Oil exports from northern Iraq to the Turkish port of Ceyhan remain at a standstill almost three weeks after an arbitration case ruled Ankara owed Baghdad…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE Signs New Contracts to Develop Energy Sector

UAE Signs New Contracts to Develop Energy Sector

The United Arab Emirates awarded ADNOC Drilling a five-year contract to provide integrated drilling services for the development of the Upper Zakum oil field…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Saudi Inflation Continues to Decline

Saudi Inflation Continues to Decline

Saudi Arabia’s inflation rate dropped to 2.7 % in March, against 3 % recorded in February, according to the latest report released by the General Authority for…

Business IMF Warns: MENA Region Faces 4 Challenges

IMF Warns: MENA Region Faces 4 Challenges

Growth of the real GDP in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is projected to slow this year to 3.1 percent from 5.3 percent in the previous year,…

Ahmed al-Ghemrawi (Cairo)
Business Crown Prince Launches 4 New Special Economic Zones in Saudi Arabia

Crown Prince Launches 4 New Special Economic Zones in Saudi Arabia

Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, launched on Thursday…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Inflation in Saudi Arabia Drops in March

Inflation in Saudi Arabia Drops in March

The inflation rate in the Kingdom remained relatively stable in the first quarter of 2023, reaching 3.4% in January, going down in February to 3%, and standing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Italy Vows Help with IMF in Bid to Stabilize Tunisia

Italy Vows Help with IMF in Bid to Stabilize Tunisia

Italy on Thursday vowed a host of investments in Tunisia and help negotiating an International Monetary Fund bailout as Rome seeks to stabilize the North…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Oil Edges Down on US Recession Risk

Oil Edges Down on US Recession Risk

Oil prices slipped on Thursday as the prospect of a possible recession in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer, offset concerns of tight supply…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Relies on Local Wheat Production, Increases Procurement Price 50%

Egypt Relies on Local Wheat Production, Increases Procurement Price 50%

Egypt's cabinet has raised the local wheat procurement price for the 2023 season to 1,500 pounds ($48.5) per ardeb (150 kilograms), it said in a statement on…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business ACWA Power to Develop $677 Mln Desalination Project in Saudi Arabia

ACWA Power to Develop $677 Mln Desalination Project in Saudi Arabia

ACWA Power has signed water purchase agreements for the 600,000 cubic meter per day Rabigh 4 Independent Water Plant (IWP) in Saudi Arabia. Valued at…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business GCC-listed Companies Register Record Profits

GCC-listed Companies Register Record Profits

Companies listed in the GCC markets registered record profits last year, achieving remarkable financial results that came in parallel with a significant…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Wind and Solar Hit Record 12% of Global Power Generation Last Year

Wind and Solar Hit Record 12% of Global Power Generation Last Year

Wind and solar energy represented a record 12% of global electricity generation last year, up from 10% in 2021, a report on Wednesday found. The report by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business China’s Sinopec to Take 5% Share in Qatar’s North Field East

China’s Sinopec to Take 5% Share in Qatar’s North Field East

China's state-owned oil and gas giant Sinopec will take a 5% stake in Qatar's North Field East expansion, part of the world's largest liquefied natural gas …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE Central Bank's Foreign Assets Exceed $136b

UAE Central Bank's Foreign Assets Exceed $136b

The total foreign assets of the UAE Central Bank exceeded $136.1 billion at the end of January for the first time in its history. The data showed that the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dahbi )
Business Saudi Arabia Tops G20 in Non-oil Private Sector PMI

Saudi Arabia Tops G20 in Non-oil Private Sector PMI

Saudi Arabia topped the G20 countries in the performance of the purchasing managers’ index (PMI) for the non-oil private sector, in January 2023. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Omani-Saudi Committee to Develop Dhahirah Economic Zone

Omani-Saudi Committee to Develop Dhahirah Economic Zone

The Public Authority for Special Economic Zones and Free Zones in the Sultanate of Oman (OPAZ) issued a decision to form an executive committee that would…

Asharq Al Awsat (Muscat)
Business IMF Issues Growth Warning as it Lowers 2023 Forecast

IMF Issues Growth Warning as it Lowers 2023 Forecast

The International Monetary Fund slightly lowered its outlook for the global economy on Tuesday, while predicting that most countries will avoid a recession…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE’s e& Takes Majority Stake in ‘Careem's Super App’

UAE’s e& Takes Majority Stake in ‘Careem's Super App’

The UAE telecom-tech giant e& is picking up a majority stake in Careem Super App through a binding agreement with Uber Technologies. Careem’s ride-hailing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Saudi Arabia to Supply Full Crude Contract Volumes to Asia

Saudi Arabia to Supply Full Crude Contract Volumes to Asia

Several informed sources said that the giant Saudi Aramco plans to supply full crude contract volumes loading in May to several North Asian buyers despite its…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Calls for Credit References Collaboration to Prevent Financial Fraud in the Middle East

Calls for Credit References Collaboration to Prevent Financial Fraud in the Middle East

Credit reference agencies and financial institutions should cooperate to prevent financial fraud in the Middle East, especially the Gulf countries, which have…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Egypt Expands the Beneficiaries of Initiative to Support Productive Sectors

Egypt Expands the Beneficiaries of Initiative to Support Productive Sectors

Egyptian Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said there was no alternative to enhancing the contributions of industrial and agricultural production to the structure…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business US Treasury: World Bank Could Lend $50b More Over Decade With Reform

US Treasury: World Bank Could Lend $50b More Over Decade With Reform

The World Bank's ongoing reform could result in a $50 billion lending boost over the next decade, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told AFP ahead of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia to Disclose Size of Recreational, Tourism Projects

Saudi Arabia to Disclose Size of Recreational, Tourism Projects

A Saudi official revealed a plan to expand the tourism sector and attract domestic and foreign investment, noting that the Ministry of Investment will soon…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)