Business

Egypt Seeks Faster Progress on Libya Gas, Refining and Power Projects

Business Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with Minister of Information Diaa Rashwan (not pictured) in Cairo, Egypt, March 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt Seeks Faster Progress on Libya Gas, Refining and Power Projects

Egypt aims to accelerate energy projects with Libya, including gas pipeline links, refining of Libyan crude in Egypt and an electricity interconnection,…

Business GCC transport ministers pose for a group photo following the 27th committee meeting in Kuwait. (GCC Railway Authority)

GCC: Railway Agreement Sets Joint Framework for Project Implementation and Operation

Jasem Albudaiwi, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), said on Sunday that the signing of the General Agreement on the GCC Railway Project…

Asharq Al Awsat (Manama)
Business A factory in Madinah’s industrial city. (SPA)

Mega Projects Drive Growth for Saudi Small and Medium Factories

Mega projects in Saudi Arabia are offering increasing opportunities for small and medium-sized factories to expand their businesses and integrate into local…

Sara bin Shamran (Riyadh)
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 Egypt to Join JPMorgan’s Government Bond Index

Egypt to Join JPMorgan’s Government Bond Index

Egypt’s Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait expected his country to join JPMorgan’s Government Bond Index Emerging Markets (GBI-EM) suite within a maximum period…

Sabri Najeh (Cairo)
Business Oman Promotes its Products Domestically, Globally

Oman Promotes its Products Domestically, Globally

Asila bint Salim Al Samsami, undersecretary of the Oman’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion for Investment Promotion, has revealed the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Muscat)
Business Bitcoin Tumbles After Turkey Bans Crypto Payments

Bitcoin Tumbles After Turkey Bans Crypto Payments

Bitcoin tumbled more than 4% on Friday after Turkey’s central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets for purchases citing possible …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Banks Acquire 80% of Debt Burdening Construction Firm ‘Binladin’

Saudi Banks Acquire 80% of Debt Burdening Construction Firm ‘Binladin’

The Binladin International Holding Group, one of the Middle East’s biggest construction companies, is witnessing remarkable progress in its debt restructuring…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Oil Rises Above $67

Oil Rises Above $67

Oil rose above $67 a barrel on Friday, gaining for a fifth session, as a stronger demand outlook and signs of economic recovery in China and the United States…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Turkey’s Central Bank Holds Rate Unchanged in 1st Meeting Under New Governor

Turkey’s Central Bank Holds Rate Unchanged in 1st Meeting Under New Governor

Turkey’s central bank held rates steady at 19 percent as expected on Thursday, in its first decision since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fired the former…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Syria Devalues Local Currency after Sacking Central Bank Governor

Syria Devalues Local Currency after Sacking Central Bank Governor

Syria devalued the pound on Thursday, bringing the currency's official exchange rate closer to the black market rate, two days after the central bank governor…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi White Land Tax Law amendments to Boost Development, Supply of Real Estate

Saudi White Land Tax Law amendments to Boost Development, Supply of Real Estate

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers approved on Tuesday a set of amendments to the executive regulations of the White Land Tax (WLT) program, in a move that…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Gulf Markets See Rising Oil Demand Expectations

Gulf Markets See Rising Oil Demand Expectations

Major Gulf stock markets closed higher on Wednesday, with the rise in oil prices after a revised forecast of demand for crude, while the Egyptian Stock…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business International Energy Agency Ups Oil Demand Forecast

International Energy Agency Ups Oil Demand Forecast

Vaccine rollouts are brightening the outlook for global oil demand, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday, though rising cases in some major…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Digital Transformation Enhances Productivity, Competitiveness in Saudi Arabia

Digital Transformation Enhances Productivity, Competitiveness in Saudi Arabia

Tim Callen, the International Monetary Fund’s Mission Chief to Saudi Arabia, said that the Saudi economy has made a major stride towards digital transformation…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Regulatory Framework Aims to Encourage Foreign Ownership of Real Estate in Saudi Arabia

Regulatory Framework Aims to Encourage Foreign Ownership of Real Estate in Saudi Arabia

After the Saudi government has recently approved a comprehensive strategy for the real estate sector, official information revealed an initiative within the…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business ADNOC Logistics and Services Acquires Two Additional VLCCs

ADNOC Logistics and Services Acquires Two Additional VLCCs

The United Arab Emirates’ shipping and maritime logistics unit of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has acquired two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs)…

Business Human Resources Ministry Inks Deal to Employ More Saudis in Pharmaceutical Field

Human Resources Ministry Inks Deal to Employ More Saudis in Pharmaceutical Field

The Makkah region branch of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has signed a nationalization agreement for the Saudi pharmacies sector with…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Business Calls to Intensify Financing Programs For Saudi Small Enterprises

Calls to Intensify Financing Programs For Saudi Small Enterprises

In light of Saudi Arabia's efforts to increase the participation of the private sector in the new initiatives to boost the Kingdom’s economy, investment and…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant Paves Way for Other Clean Energy Forms

Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant Paves Way for Other Clean Energy Forms

Kirsty Gogan, Managing Director, Managing Partner at LucidCatalyst, said that the UAE, through the commencement of commercial operations of the Barakah Nuclear…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Elected President of Digital Cooperation Organization

Saudi Arabia Elected President of Digital Cooperation Organization

Saudi Arabia was elected president of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) and Saudi national Deemah Alyahya was appointed the first secretary-general of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Electricity Company Installs Over 10m Smart Electric Meters

Saudi Electricity Company Installs Over 10m Smart Electric Meters

Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has installed 10 million smart electricity meters all over the Kingdom, of which four million were built from locally…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business IMF Warns On Rising Debt Risks in Middle East, Central Asia

IMF Warns On Rising Debt Risks in Middle East, Central Asia

The International Monetary Fund said on Sunday countries in the Middle East and Central Asia need to curb their financing requirements, as a surge in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Saudi Arabia Stresses Commitment to Accelerate Recovery of National Economy

Saudi Arabia Stresses Commitment to Accelerate Recovery of National Economy

Saudi Minister of Finance and acting Minister of Economy and Planning Mohammed Al-Jadaan affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to accelerate the process of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi-Swiss Double-Taxation Treaty Comes into Force

Saudi-Swiss Double-Taxation Treaty Comes into Force

The Saudi General Authority for Foreign Trade informed the private sector that the double tax agreement (DTA) signed with Switzerland has come into force,…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Sudan to Get $400m from Saudi Arabia, UAE for Agriculture

Sudan to Get $400m from Saudi Arabia, UAE for Agriculture

Sudan will receive $400 million from Saudi Arabia and UAE to fund agricultural production inputs for this year’s summer and winter seasons, the state-news…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Set to Boost Its Heritage, Cultural Economies

Saudi Arabia Set to Boost Its Heritage, Cultural Economies

Saudi Arabia is steadily moving towards developing its heritage and cultural economies with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launching the Kingdom’s masterplan…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business IMF: Lebanon Needs New Government, Radical Change of Direction

IMF: Lebanon Needs New Government, Radical Change of Direction

Lebanon cannot pull itself out of its economic crisis without a new government to transform the country and launch long-stalled reforms, a senior official at…

Asharq Al Awsat