Business

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Business Officials from the General Organization for Social Insurance at an earlier meeting with businessmen and businesswomen at the Riyadh Chamber (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Saudi Arabia's General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has made businesses that have ceased operations and exited the Saudi market eligible for a 100%…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A general view shows Ras Tanura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province (AFP)

From Aramco's Profits to State Budget Revenue: How Do Oil Proceeds Reach Government Coffers?

Saudi Aramco's financial results and Saudi Arabia's third-quarter budget performance report, released on the same day, revealed a divergence between the…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)
Business Representation of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration taken September 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Crypto Dips on Democrat Midterm Wins, Binance Hack Dents Optimism

Cryptocurrencies briefly dipped on Wednesday as Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and House in the US midterm elections, a potential blow to an…

Business A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images file)

Saudi Non-Oil Sector Expands for Seventh Straight Month

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued to expand in October, with business activity and output growth accelerating despite a decline in the Riyad Bank…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business  A general view of Riyadh city during the early hour of evening at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Growth in Non-Oil Revenue Bolsters Saudi Budget Resilience

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil revenue surpassed oil revenue in the third quarter of 2026 for the first time since 2020, highlighting progress in diversifying…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)

Business 28 May 2026, Syria, Jobar: Syrians play in an Eid al-Adha amusement park in a devastated area amid the completely destroyed Jobar neighborhood on the outskirts of Damascus during the second day of the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice, Eid al-Adha. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa

New Syria Defines Its Economic Identity: ‘Partnership’ Replaces Privatization in Recovery Plan

Syria has settled the debate over the identity of its new financial and investment system, adopting a model of “strategic partnership” between the public and…

Muwafaq Mohammed
Business Russia’s Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, during a session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)

Russian Economy Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Russia is a Reliable Partner for Saudi Arabia

Russia’s Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov affirmed his country’s satisfaction with the level of development in its strategic relations with…

Raed Jaber (Moscow)
Business The Jafura field (Aramco)

South Korea's KEPCO Wins Saudi Jafurah Power Project

Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) said it had won a contract to build and operate the second phase of a cogeneration power plant at Saudi Arabia's Jafurah…

Asharq Al Awsat (Seoul)
Business A minibus moves along a main road underneath new Cairo Monorail track as a train moves above in the Fifth Settlement, a neighborhood of the New Cairo suburb of Cairo, on May 22, 2026. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP)

Egypt Says Close to Issuing $500 Million Japan Samurai Bond

Egypt is finalizing plans for its first yen-denominated bond sale in three years, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Reuters on a trip to Japan on Thursday. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows an offshore oil platform in Guanabara Bay in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, March 18, 2026.  REUTERS/Pilar Olivares/File Photo

Oil Falls as Lebanon and Israel Agree on a Ceasefire

Oil prices fell on Thursday as a ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon boosted hopes for a broader agreement to end the US-Israeli war with Iran that could…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The Saudi capital, Riyadh (Reuters)

IMF Praises Saudi Economy’s Resilience

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) affirmed that the Saudi economy has demonstrated high resilience in the face of regional geopolitical tensions that have…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins delivers the opening keynote before tens of thousands of attendees. (Cisco)

Cisco Says Networks Are Core to AI, Saudi Arabia Faces Readiness Test

Cisco used its annual Cisco Live 2026 event to present artificial intelligence as a new test for infrastructure, not merely a software wave or a move toward…

Nassim Ramadan (Las Vegas)
Business FILE PHOTO: Saudi Aramco logo and stock graph are seen through a magnifier displayed in this illustration taken September 4, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Saudi Aramco: Oil Refining Has Been Underinvested

The current oil supply crisis shows there is underinvestment in oil refining as demand holds resilient, Saudi state-owned Aramco's vice president of market…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business A drone view of vessels anchored in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Musandam, Oman, June 3, 2026. (Reuters)

OECD Cuts 2026 Global Growth Forecasts Over Mideast War Fallout

The war in the Middle East has dented economic growth prospects worldwide, with a more severe shock likely if no effective ceasefire is agreed before 2027, the…

Business The Saudi capital, Riyadh (Reuters)

Saudi Non-oil Private Sector Activity Hits 3-month High in May

Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector expanded at the fastest pace in three months in May as domestic demand improved and supply chains stabilized, while…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business The sun sets over a vessel off the coast of Dubai on June 2, 2026. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Regional War Weighs on Output, New Business Growth in UAE

The UAE's non-oil private sector expanded only modestly in May as war in the region and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz weighed on output and new…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Gold bangles are displayed at a jewellery store in Mumbai, India, March 20, 2025. (Reuters)

Gold Eases as Middle East Tensions Lift Oil, US Economic Data in Focus

Gold prices slipped on Wednesday, as renewed hostilities in the Middle East pushed crude higher and stalled US-Iran talks, while investors awaited upcoming U.S…

Business Muslims attend an Eid al-Adha prayer at El-Seddik Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, May 27, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt’s Private Sector Slump Deepens as Cost Pressures Hit Three-Year High

Egypt's non-oil private ‌sector remained mired in contraction in May, as a fresh surge in input costs squeezed demand, forced businesses into aggressive…

Business People shop in a bazaar in Tehran, Iran, 01 June 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iran’s Central Bank Says Inflation at WWII Levels

Year-on-year inflation in Iran reached a level in May unseen since World War II, underlining the economic pain average Iranians face as the country worries…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business  A National Housing Company project in Jeddah (Company handout)

Gov’t Action Cools Saudi Property Prices, Inflation Turns Negative

Saudi Arabia’s real estate market is showing clear signs that inflationary pressures are easing, after a package of government measures aimed at increasing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a plenary session of last year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. (Reuters)

Kremlin: Saudi Arabia Named Guest of Honor at St. Petersburg Economic Forum

The Kremlin said Saudi Arabia will be featured as the “guest of honor” at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, SPIEF, in 2026, which opens…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow)
Business Raindrops hang on a sign for Wall Street outside the New York Stock Exchange in Manhattan in New York City, New York, US, October 26, 2020. (Reuters)

Is the $1.8 Trillion Private Credit Market Headed for a ‘Credit Winter’?

Could private credit become the next global financial crisis? The question is gaining urgency across financial and regulatory circles after years of explosive…

Abeer Hommadi (Riyadh)
Business Members of a family gather to visit a patient at a Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib hospital in Saudi Arabia (website) 

Saudi Healthcare Firms Post $305 Million in Q1 Profit

Saudi Arabia’s listed healthcare companies reported combined net profits of SAR1.148 billion ($305.9 million) in the first quarter of 2026, as aggressive…

Mohammed al-Mutairi (Riyadh)
Business US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, DC, US, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Trump Administration Proposes 25% Tariff to Punish Brazil Over Trade Practices

The Trump administration has proposed a new punitive tariff of 25% on many imports from Brazil, after deciding its practices were unfair on a range of issues…

Business An oil rig operating in an oil field in the Permian Basin, Texas, USA (Reuters)

Oil Slips after Trump Says Talks with Iran are Ongoing

Oil prices trended lower on Tuesday following the previous session's sharp gains as the market remained cautious about progress in US-Iran peace talks. US…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Gulf leaders in a group photo during the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait in 2024 (SPA).

Report: Multi-Level Partnerships a Safeguard for Gulf Security

A recent analytical report says Gulf states are well positioned to play a larger role in shaping the regional security architecture in the aftermath of the war…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Business Gold bracelets on display for sale at a gold shop in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (AFP)

Gold Falls as Renewed Middle East Tensions Fuel Inflation Fears

Gold prices fell on Monday as renewed US-Iran tensions pushed the dollar and oil prices higher, fuelling fears of inflation and reinforcing the higher-for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudia Airlines will fly in pilgrims from across the globe. (SPA)

Saudia to Expand Its Fleet with Delivery of 12 New Aircraft in 2026

Saudia Airlines has finalized a deal with Airbus to receive 12 new aircraft in 2026 as part of its ongoing fleet expansion and modernization program. By…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  France's President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint statement with Masayoshi Son, Chairman and CEO of SoftBank Group Corp., at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, June 1, 2026. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)

Macron Announces 93 Bn Euros in ‘Choose France’ Investments

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he was expecting foreign investments amounting to 93 billion euros ($108 billion) at a conference dubbed "Choose…