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 OPEC+ Says Additional Voluntary Oil Production Cuts Will Be 1.66 Mln Bpd

OPEC+ Says Additional Voluntary Oil Production Cuts Will Be 1.66 Mln Bpd

The 48th Meeting of OPEC’s Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) was held via videoconference on Monday. The Committee reviewed the crude oil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Reducing Oil Production: A New Pillar to Support Global Economic Conditions

Reducing Oil Production: A New Pillar to Support Global Economic Conditions

In support of the stability of the global oil markets, and the enhancement of the balance between supply and demand, the member of the Organization of…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Largest Gas Turbine Maintenance Centers Outside the US Join Saudi ‘MODON’

Largest Gas Turbine Maintenance Centers Outside the US Join Saudi ‘MODON’

CEO of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON) Eng. Majed Al-Argoubi and President of General Electric (GE) Saudi Arabia and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Boeing Affirms Support for Safe, Sustainable Aviation Market in Saudi Arabia

Boeing Affirms Support for Safe, Sustainable Aviation Market in Saudi Arabia

Boeing Co. is looking to support the growth of the aviation sector in Saudi Arabia over the coming years, according to Omar Arekat, vice president of Boeing's…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi-British Partnership to Establish First Hospitality Investment Fund

Saudi-British Partnership to Establish First Hospitality Investment Fund

A British giant in the global hospitality industry has revealed talks with Saudi authorities to establish a fund aimed at accelerating and developing…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Egypt's Net Foreign Assets Drop by $1.3 Bln in February

Egypt's Net Foreign Assets Drop by $1.3 Bln in February

Egypt's net foreign assets (NFAs) declined by 49.8 billion Egyptian pounds in February as pressure on the currency continued to build. The second drop in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Saudi Arabia, Russia, Gulf, Arab Countries Announce Voluntary Oil Output Cuts

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Gulf, Arab Countries Announce Voluntary Oil Output Cuts

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC+ oil producers on Sunday announced voluntary cuts to their production, with Riyadh saying it would cut output by 500,000 barrels…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Fintech Sector Sees Unprecedented Growth

Saudi Fintech Sector Sees Unprecedented Growth

A report by the Washington-based Saudi-American Business Council pointed to an “unprecedented” growth in the field of startup investments. Saudi Arabia…

Heba El Koudsy (Washington)
Business S&P Revises Oman’s Outlook to ‘Positive’

S&P Revises Oman’s Outlook to ‘Positive’

S&P Global Ratings has revised Oman’s outlook to positive and affirmed its ratings at 'BB', in light of improving fiscal performance. S&P said in its…

Asharq Al Awsat (Muscat)
Business Baghdad and KRG Close to Deal to Resume Iraq’s Northern Oil Exports

Baghdad and KRG Close to Deal to Resume Iraq’s Northern Oil Exports

Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) are close to striking a deal aimed at resuming northern oil exports, four sources…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business IMF Approves $15.6 Bln Ukraine Loan

IMF Approves $15.6 Bln Ukraine Loan

The International Monetary Fund said on Friday its executive board approved a four-year $15.6 billion loan program for Ukraine, part of a global $115 billion…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi to Identify Challenges Facing Construction Permits for Commercial Buildings

Saudi to Identify Challenges Facing Construction Permits for Commercial Buildings

Efforts are underway to identify the challenges related to obtaining construction permits for commercial buildings in Saudi Arabia. Proposed solutions are…

Business UAE Central Bank Revokes License of Russia’s MTS Bank

UAE Central Bank Revokes License of Russia’s MTS Bank

The Central Bank of the UAE announced that it has been decided to cancel MTS Bank’s Abu Dhabi licence, wind down its operations within six months from the date…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business World Bank Says Recoveries in Asian Economies Losing Steam

World Bank Says Recoveries in Asian Economies Losing Steam

Developing economies in Asia have mostly regained ground lost during the pandemic but are seeing their recoveries stall as productivity lags, the World Bank…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Chinese Companies Rush for US Listings ahead of New Rules

Chinese Companies Rush for US Listings ahead of New Rules

The number of US IPOs by Chinese firms jumped in March, as some of them rushed to set up offshore listings before rules take effect that will complicate the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Unemployment Hits Record Low, Approaches ‘Vision 2030’ Target

Saudi Unemployment Hits Record Low, Approaches ‘Vision 2030’ Target

In the last quarter of 2022, the unemployment rates in Saudi Arabia hit a historical low of 8%, which is only one percentage point away from the targeted rate…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business OPEC+ Unlikely to Tweak Oil Policy in Monday Talks

OPEC+ Unlikely to Tweak Oil Policy in Monday Talks

OPEC+ is likely to stick to its existing deal to cut oil output at a meeting on Monday, five delegates from the producer group told Reuters, after oil prices…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Saudi Arabia Raises Minimum Limit for Entities Reporting Economic Concentration

Saudi Arabia Raises Minimum Limit for Entities Reporting Economic Concentration

The Saudi government has raised the minimum limit of annual sales at which entities should notify the authority of economic concentration transactions to SAR…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Egypt’s Central Bank Faces Multiple Crises, Limited Options

Egypt’s Central Bank Faces Multiple Crises, Limited Options

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will hold a periodic meeting on Thursday when options to contain successive shocks to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Alibaba Considers Yielding Control of Some Businesses in Overhaul

Alibaba Considers Yielding Control of Some Businesses in Overhaul

Alibaba Group said on Thursday it will look to monetize non-core assets and consider giving up control of some businesses, as the Chinese tech conglomerate…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Sudan’s Wheat Import Requirements to Rise to 3.5 Mln Tons in 2023

Sudan’s Wheat Import Requirements to Rise to 3.5 Mln Tons in 2023

Sudan will need to import 3.5 million tons of wheat this year because of a 30% drop in the projected local harvest after farmers switched to planting different…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt to Raise Food Subsidies Spending by 20% in FY 2023/24 Draft Budget

Egypt to Raise Food Subsidies Spending by 20% in FY 2023/24 Draft Budget

Egypt expects to raise its allocation for food subsidies by 20% and for petroleum products by 24% in the 2023-24 fiscal year, according to a draft budget…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Aramco JV HAPCO Breaks Ground on New Refinery and Petrochemical Complex

Aramco JV HAPCO Breaks Ground on New Refinery and Petrochemical Complex

A ground-breaking ceremony took place on Wednesday for a major integrated refinery and petrochemical complex being developed by Huajin Aramco Petrochemical…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SALIC Supplies 1.2 Million Tons of Strategic Commodities in 2022

SALIC Supplies 1.2 Million Tons of Strategic Commodities in 2022

The Saudi Agricultural Investment and Livestock Production Company (SALIC), which is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, announced on Tuesday that it…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)