Business

Iraq to Export More Kirkuk Crude Oil Next Month

Business Oil flows through the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline resumed in late September (Reuters)

Iraq to Export More Kirkuk Crude Oil Next Month

Iraq will export a ​total of 223,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February, up by 21% on the month, ‌loading programs show

Asharq Al Awsat
Business The logo of the World Economic Forum at the Davos Conference Center (AFP)

From Davos: The World Looks to Saudi Vision, from Reform to Delivery

At the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Saudi Arabia offered a compelling account of how long-term ambition can be translated into measurable results. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Davos)
Business The CEO of Saudi Aramco, Engineer Amin Nasser (World Economic Forum)

Nasser from Davos: AI Has Generated $6 Billion for Aramco

The CEO of Saudi Aramco, Engineer Amin Nasser, on Tuesday revealed fundamental transformations in the company's financial and operational performance thanks to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A boat makes its way past the Doha skyline in Doha, Qatar on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)

Qatar Central Bank Says AI Operational Risks Need Prudential Focus

The governor of Qatar's central bank said on Tuesday that operational risks emerging from technologies like Artificial Intelligence should ‌be treated as …

Asharq Al Awsat (Davos)
Business Croatian Central Bank Governor Boris Vujcic pictured during an interview with Reuters in Zagreb (Reuters file photo)

Croatia's Vujcic Nominated as ECB's Next Vice President

Croatia's Boris Vujcic was formally nominated on Monday as the European Central Bank's next vice president, putting him on track to become the first person…

Asharq Al Awsat

Business A diesel storage tank is seen at the Middle East Oil Refinery Company (MIDOR) in Alexandria, Egypt, November 7, 2018. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Lebanon Signs Deal to Purchase Natural Gas from Egypt

Lebanon said Monday it plans to purchase natural gas from Egypt, seeking to reduce its reliance on fuel oil for its ageing power plants in a country hamstrung…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Aerial view of brine ponds and processing areas of the lithium mine of the Chilean company SQM (Sociedad Quimica Minera) in the Atacama Desert, Calama, Chile, on September 12, 2022. (AFP)

Chile to Restore Global Leadership in Lithium Production

Chile's state-owned copper producer, Codelco, together with Chinese-backed private miner, SQM, announced on Saturday the creation of a giant company to exploit…

Asharq Al Awsat (Santiago)
Business The Tesla logo is seen in this illustration taken July 23, 2025. (Reuters)

China's BYD Poised to Overtake Tesla in 2025 EV Sales

Growing Chinese auto giant BYD stands poised to officially surpass Tesla as the world's biggest electric vehicle company in annual sales. The two groups are…

Business People walk past a shopping mall in Beijing on December 28, 2025. (AFP)

China Says to Launch Digital Currency Action Plan

China will on January 1 launch an "action plan" for boosting management and operations of its digital currency, a deputy governor of the country's central bank…

Business People shop in a Lidl store, as prices are displayed in both the Bulgarian lev and euro currencies, ahead of Bulgaria's adoption of the euro on January 1, 2026, in Sofia, Bulgaria, December 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Bulgaria Prepares for the Euro amid Excitement and Skepticism

Bulgarian banks, businesses and shoppers were preparing this week to say goodbye to ​the lev currency ahead of a move to adopt the euro on January 1, a long…

Business Vehicles drive past the El Palito refinery in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP)

Oil Rises as Investors Weigh Outcome of Trump–Zelenskiy Meeting

Oil prices rose on Monday as investors weighed the outcome of talks between the US and Ukrainian presidents on a potential ​deal to end the war in Ukraine, as…

Business A man walks on a street in Beijing, China, 24 December 2025. EPA/WU HAO

China's Finance Ministry: Fiscal Policies Will be More 'Proactive' in 2026

China's finance ministry on Sunday said fiscal policies will be more proactive next year, reiterating its focus on domestic demand, technological innovation…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Customers shop in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025. (Photo by Nikolay DOYCHINOV / AFP)

Bulgaria Adopts Euro Amid Fear and Uncertainty

Bulgaria will become the 21st country to adopt the euro on Thursday, but some believe the move could bring higher prices and add to instability in the European…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh (X)

Syria Prepares to Launch New Currency Amid Major Challenges

Syria’s central bank governor, Abdulkader Husrieh, said the new Syrian pound is not merely a means of exchange but a symbol of the success of the Syrian…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Business Gasoline tank trucks are seen outside the Rosneft Achinsk oil refinery plant, one of the biggest Siberian fuel suppliers, near the town of Achinsk, some 188 km (117 miles) west of Krasnoyarsk, April 28, 2011. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin

Russia Extends Ban on Gasoline Exports Until February

Russia has extended the temporary ban on gasoline and fuel exports, including producers and intermediaries, until the end of next February, the Russian news…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow)
Business FILE PHOTO: Tourists relax on the waterfront in front of Victoria Harbour, with the iconic skyline buildings as a backdrop, in Hong Kong, China June 28, 2023. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Hong Kong Expects 3.2% Growth this Year, Seeks to Maintain Momentum

Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan raised his 2025 economic growth forecast to 3.2% on Sunday, saying the city would bolster its role as a financial…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Containers are seen at the port in Shanghai, China, Oct. 13, 2025. (AFP)

China Passes Revised Foreign Trade Law to Bolster Trade War Capabilities

China on Saturday passed revisions to a key piece of legislation aimed at strengthening Beijing's ability to wage trade war, curb outbound shipments from…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A photograph released by the Lebanese Government Press Office on December 26, 2025, show Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaking during a press conference after a cabinet session in Beirut on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Handout / Lebanese Government Press Office / AFP)

Lebanese Cabinet Approves Draft Law on Financial Crisis Losses

Lebanon's government on Friday approved a draft law to distribute financial losses from the 2019 economic crisis that deprived many Lebanese of their deposits…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Türkiye’s Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar talks during a meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, September 14, 2023. (Reuters)

Türkiye Says Russia Gave It $9 Billion in New Financing for Akkuyu Nuclear Plant

Türkiye's energy minister said Russia had provided new financing worth $9 billion for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by ​Moscow's state nuclear…

Business A humanoid robot Tiangong by Beijing Innovation Center of Humanoid Robotics Co, moves an orange as a demonstration at its company, during an organized media tour to Beijing Robotics Industrial Park, in Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, also known as Beijing E-Town, China May 16, 2025. (Reuters)

China Bets on Advanced Technologies to Revive Tepid Industrial Sector

China pledged on Friday to double down on upgrading its manufacturing base and ​promised capital to fund efforts targeting technological breakthroughs, after…

Business Year-end shoppers walk along at the Ameyoko shopping street ahead of the New Year in Tokyo, Japan, 26 December 2025. (EPA)

Japan Proposes Record Budget Spending While Curbing Fresh Debt

Japan's government on Friday proposed record spending for next fiscal year while curbing debt issuance, underscoring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's challenge…

Business People walk next to shopping centers in Beijing on December 19, 2025. (AFP)

China to Rein in Copper, Alumina Capacity Expansion Under Next Five-Year Plan

China will tighten oversight of new copper and alumina projects to curb irrational investment and disorderly expansion from 2026 ​to 2030, the country’s top…

Business Riyadh Air Launches ‘Employment First’ Overseas Aviation Training Scholarship Program

Riyadh Air Launches ‘Employment First’ Overseas Aviation Training Scholarship Program

Riyadh Air has announced its ‘Employment-First’ Overseas Scholarship Program, which aims to launch several scholarship tracks, starting with two specialized…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a speech at the 14th Council Meeting of the Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, in Tokyo on December 25, 2025. (AFP)

Japan PM Reassures Markets with Fiscal Discipline in Next Year’s Budget

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought on Thursday to ease market concerns over her expansionary fiscal policy, saying the government's draft budget…

Business Currency dealers monitor exchange rates as a screen (R) shows South Korea's benchmark stock index in a foreign exchange dealing room at the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP)

Asian Shares are Mixed after US Stocks Drift to More Records

Asian shares were mixed Thursday in thin holiday trading, with most markets in the region and elsewhere closed for Christmas. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 edged…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A solar power project in Saudi Arabia (SPA)

Saudi PIF Backs Multibillion-Dollar Projects to Boost Sustainability

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has fully allocated the proceeds of its green bond issuance, directing $9 billion to eligible projects, in a move that…

Bandar al-Mosalam
Business A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)

Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

E-commerce sales in Saudi Arabia via "mada" cards soared to an all-time monthly high in October 2025, surpassing SAR30.7 billion. The surge in sales…

Business The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) celebrated the launch of its first direct flynas flight to Moscow, operating three weekly flights between…

Business People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

China on Wednesday listed more sectors eligible for foreign investment incentives, from tax breaks to preferential ​land use, in its latest effort to stem a…