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 ECB Plans to Redesign Euro Bills, Decision Expected in 2024

ECB Plans to Redesign Euro Bills, Decision Expected in 2024

The European Central Bank said Monday that it plans to redesign its euro banknotes, with a final decision on the new look expected in 2024. The euro was…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Aramco Enters Lubricants Market with Launch of ORIZON® Product Range

Aramco Enters Lubricants Market with Launch of ORIZON® Product Range

Aramco has announced its entry into Saudi Arabia’s domestic lubricants market, offering consumers a new line of lubricant products under the ORIZON® brand. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudis Spend $266 Mn on Instant Coffee

Saudis Spend $266 Mn on Instant Coffee

Saudis spend over $266 million on instant coffee, as the government attempts to convert 13 provinces in the country into a source of coffee production,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tunisian Budget Deficit Narrows by 23% in Sept.

Tunisian Budget Deficit Narrows by 23% in Sept.

Tunisia’s budget deficit narrowed to nearly 3.8 billion dinars (around $1.3 billion), or 23 percent, at the end of September 2021, compared to 4.9 billion…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Saudi Aramco Signs 5 Agreements with French Firms

Saudi Aramco Signs 5 Agreements with French Firms

Saudi Aramco has signed five agreements with French companies, including an agreement to explore a hydrogen-powered vehicle business with Gaussin, the oil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi SAMI Signs Agreement with Airbus on Joint Venture

Saudi SAMI Signs Agreement with Airbus on Joint Venture

Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) has signed an agreement with Airbus to form a joint venture specialized in military aviation services and maintenance,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Barkindo: OPEC Will Continue with Supply Adjustments for Oil Market

Barkindo: OPEC Will Continue with Supply Adjustments for Oil Market

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will continue with its supply adjustments for the oil market, the OPEC Secretary General said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi SAMI Forms Components Joint Venture with Figeac Aero

Saudi SAMI Forms Components Joint Venture with Figeac Aero

Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) is forming a joint venture with Figeac Aero to build a factory in the Gulf kingdom to make aerostructure components,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SPARK Becomes 1st Saudi Industrial City to Receive Sustainable Gold Classification With Distinction

SPARK Becomes 1st Saudi Industrial City to Receive Sustainable Gold Classification With Distinction

The Sustainable Building Program of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing awarded the King Salman Energy City (SPARK) the first sustainable…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dhahran)
Business Mubadala Signs 2 Agreements to Facilitate Investments in French Priority Sectors

Mubadala Signs 2 Agreements to Facilitate Investments in French Priority Sectors

Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor, Mubadala Investment Company, has announced the signing of two agreements aimed at facilitating investments in sectors of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Bitcoin Extends Downtrend, Falls 12.1% to $47,176

Bitcoin Extends Downtrend, Falls 12.1% to $47,176

Bitcoin shed a fifth of its value on Saturday as a combination of profit-taking and macro-economic concerns triggered nearly a billion dollars worth of selling…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UNWTO Adopts Saudi, Spanish Proposal to Support Global Tourism

UNWTO Adopts Saudi, Spanish Proposal to Support Global Tourism

The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) adopted on Friday a joint proposal by Saudi Arabia and Spain to form a UN task force to “redesign tourism for the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Madrid)
Business Turkish Inflation Soars Above 21%

Turkish Inflation Soars Above 21%

Turkey's annual inflation jumped more than expected to a three-year high of 21.31% in November, data showed on Friday, further exposing the risks of recent…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Asia Markets Mixed as Omicron, Fed Taper Keep Traders On Edge

Asia Markets Mixed as Omicron, Fed Taper Keep Traders On Edge

Asian markets were mixed Friday as traders tracked developments in the Omicron virus strain as it spreads around the world, fuelling concerns about the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Launches Project to Use Desalinated Water in Agriculture

Saudi Arabia Launches Project to Use Desalinated Water in Agriculture

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Abdulrahman Al-Fadley, launched a project to study the feasibility of using desalinated seawater…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Egypt Says LNG Exports at Full Capacity after Gas Price Surge

Egypt Says LNG Exports at Full Capacity after Gas Price Surge

Egypt's natural gas exports are at full capacity of about 1.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) from its two natural gas liquefaction terminals as it seeks to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business OPEC+ to Go Ahead with Oil Output Rise

OPEC+ to Go Ahead with Oil Output Rise

OPEC and its allies agreed on Thursday to stick to their existing policy of monthly oil output increases despite fears that a US release from crude reserves…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi: Diriyah Announces 1st of its Global Hotel Portfolio

Saudi: Diriyah Announces 1st of its Global Hotel Portfolio

Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) has announced the first 14 of its planned 38 hotel brands over the coming years, 15 minutes northwest…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business NEOM Establishes World’s First Public Vertical Mobility System

NEOM Establishes World’s First Public Vertical Mobility System

Saudi Arabia’s NEOM and Germany’s Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility, have established a joint venture company to design, implement, and operate the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business UAE Announces Rise in National Oil, Gas Reserves to 111Bln stb

UAE Announces Rise in National Oil, Gas Reserves to 111Bln stb

The United Arab Emirates said national reserves had risen by 4 billion stock tank barrels (stb) of oil and 16 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of natural gas…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Oil Rises as Investors Focus on OPEC+ Decision

Oil Rises as Investors Focus on OPEC+ Decision

Oil prices rose on Thursday, recouping the previous day's losses, as investors adjusted positions ahead of an OPEC+ decision over supply policy, but gains were…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Turkish Lira Seesaws as Cenbank Intervenes, Erdogan Speaks

Turkish Lira Seesaws as Cenbank Intervenes, Erdogan Speaks

A sharply fluctuating Turkish lira flirted with record lows on Wednesday as the central bank said it had intervened to prop up the currency, while President…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Jordan to Expand Oil and Gas Exploration Activities

Jordan to Expand Oil and Gas Exploration Activities

Jordan’s Energy Minister Saleh Al-Kharabsheh said on Tuesday that his country would begin oil exploration in two areas, Al-Jafr and Al-Sarhan, in February. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Amman)
Business Saudi Establishes New Authority to Drive Sustainable Development of Red Sea Economy

Saudi Establishes New Authority to Drive Sustainable Development of Red Sea Economy

The Saudi Council of Ministers has approved the Regulatory Arrangements of the Saudi Red Sea Authority (SRSA) that will streamline regulation to enable the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)