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 Egypt’s Trade Ministry Denies Setting Limits to Imports from Saudi Companies

Egypt’s Trade Ministry Denies Setting Limits to Imports from Saudi Companies

Egypt’s Trade and Industry Ministry denied reports that it had introduced restrictions aimed at limiting imports from Saudi companies. “The economic and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Mitsubishi to Transfer Hydrogen Technology, Ammonia, High-Efficiency Equipment to Saudi Arabia

Mitsubishi to Transfer Hydrogen Technology, Ammonia, High-Efficiency Equipment to Saudi Arabia

Koichi Nakagawa, Research Director and Chief Consultant at the Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) Middle East, revealed that Mitsubishi is planning to launch…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Cairo for a Future Strategy with OFID

Cairo for a Future Strategy with OFID

Egyptian Minister for International Cooperation Rania al-Mashat has confirmed that Arab financial institutions led by Saudi Arabia have provided $9 billion for…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Oil Prices Steady Amid Fears Over Slowing China Demand

Oil Prices Steady Amid Fears Over Slowing China Demand

Oil prices steadied on Monday as worries over slowing demand in China prompted investors to take profits on gains made earlier in the day on concerns over…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business China Economy Grows 4.8% in 1st Quarter as Virus Bites

China Economy Grows 4.8% in 1st Quarter as Virus Bites

China's economy grew 4.8 percent in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday, warning of "significant challenges" ahead as a resurgence…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Libya Halts Operations at El Feel Oilfield, Zueitina Port Due to Protests

Libya Halts Operations at El Feel Oilfield, Zueitina Port Due to Protests

Libya halted oil production from its El Feel oilfield on Sunday and two sources at Zueitina oil port said exports there had been suspended after protesters…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Unemployment Drops to 7.4%

Egypt Unemployment Drops to 7.4%

Unemployment in Egypt dropped to 7.4% in 2021, a 0.5% improvement from 2020, revealed the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics on Saturday. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Iraq Was Pressured to Increase Oil Output Away from OPEC, Says Oil Minister

Iraq Was Pressured to Increase Oil Output Away from OPEC, Says Oil Minister

Iraq was pressured to increase its oil production outside the remit of OPEC's policy on output, Oil Minister Ihsan Abdul Jabbar said on Saturday. He also…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Morocco Resorts to Liquefied Natural Gas following Algeria Pipeline Crisis

Morocco Resorts to Liquefied Natural Gas following Algeria Pipeline Crisis

Morocco has officially entered the international liquefied natural gas (LNG) market, Energy Minister Leila Benali reveled on Friday. She told a press…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Lebanon Inches Closer to Abandoning its Banking Secrecy System

Lebanon Inches Closer to Abandoning its Banking Secrecy System

Lebanon might soon abandon its “banking secrecy” system, which has been in place for more than six decades. The move comes as part of conforming to the…

Ali Zeineddine (Beirut)
Business World Bank Lowers Growth Forecast for Tunisia

World Bank Lowers Growth Forecast for Tunisia

The World Bank has just revised its growth forecasts downwards for Tunisia, dropping it from a previous forecast of 3.5 percent to 3 percent in 2022. The…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Soaring Costs Put Turkey’s Energy Importer under Pressure to Hike Prices

Soaring Costs Put Turkey’s Energy Importer under Pressure to Hike Prices

Soaring world energy costs are piling pressure on Turkey's state energy importer BOTAS to further hike prices as it falls deeper into the red, even as…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Hikes Fuel Prices amid Global Inflationary Pressures

Egypt Hikes Fuel Prices amid Global Inflationary Pressures

The Egyptian government increased fuel prices by nearly three percent on Friday, as global inflationary pressures spike in the wake of Russia's war on Ukraine…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business First Abu Dhabi Bank Withdraws Offer to Buy Controlling Stake in Egypt's EFG Hermes

First Abu Dhabi Bank Withdraws Offer to Buy Controlling Stake in Egypt's EFG Hermes

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has withdrawn its offer for a controlling stake in Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes, citing global market uncertainty. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Fitch Affirms Saudi Arabia’s Rating at A, Revises Outlook to ‘Positive’

Fitch Affirms Saudi Arabia’s Rating at A, Revises Outlook to ‘Positive’

Fitch Ratings revised on Thursday the outlook for Saudi Arabia’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from “stable” to “positive”, while…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business BlackRock Real Assets, UAE’s Mubadala Invest in India’s Tata Power Company

BlackRock Real Assets, UAE’s Mubadala Invest in India’s Tata Power Company

India's Tata Power Company said on Thursday that a consortium led by the US-based BlackRock Real Assets and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company would…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Riyadh Chamber Signs Cooperation Agreement with China Foreign Trade Center

Riyadh Chamber Signs Cooperation Agreement with China Foreign Trade Center

The Riyadh Chamber signed on Thursday an agreement with the China Foreign Trade Center (Canton Fair) to enhance and expand commercial, industrial and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business World Bank: War in Ukraine Raising Risks for MENA

World Bank: War in Ukraine Raising Risks for MENA

The war in Ukraine has "multiplied risks" for the Middle East and North Africa's poorer countries by raising food and energy prices, the World Bank said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Bahrain Records Improvement in Economic Sector Indicators

Bahrain Records Improvement in Economic Sector Indicators

Bahrain’s Ministry of Finance and National Economy has announced continued improvement in the financial and economic indicators of various economic sectors…

Asharq Al Awsat (Manama)
Business Egypt’s EGAS, Italy’s Eni Sign Agreement to Increase Gas Exports to Europe

Egypt’s EGAS, Italy’s Eni Sign Agreement to Increase Gas Exports to Europe

The Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (EGAS) and Italy’s Eni signed on Wednesday a framework agreement that will allow to maximize gas production and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Kuwait’s Development Fund: Sri Lanka’s Debt is ‘Sovereign,’ Can’t Be Canceled

Kuwait’s Development Fund: Sri Lanka’s Debt is ‘Sovereign,’ Can’t Be Canceled

The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) affirmed on Wednesday that the debts other countries owe it are “sovereign.” It referred to Sri Lanka…

Merza al-Khuwaldi (Kuwait)
Business Saudi Arabia Amends Import Licenses for Fruits, Vegetables

Saudi Arabia Amends Import Licenses for Fruits, Vegetables

Saudi Arabia has amended its import licensing guide by adding fresh fruits and vegetables so that the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture will be…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Iran's Oldest Tire Factory Shuts Down

Iran's Oldest Tire Factory Shuts Down

Iran's oldest tire factory has shut down due to "financial problems", state news agency IRNA reported Wednesday. Kian Tire was once the "largest producer of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Morocco’s 2022 Fuel Bill Seen up $2.5 Billion from 2021

Morocco’s 2022 Fuel Bill Seen up $2.5 Billion from 2021

Morocco’s fuel bill this year will increase by $2.56 billion (25 billion dirhams) compared to 2021, the top electricity official told parliament on Wednesday,…

Asharq Al Awsat