Business

Bahraini Transport Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Each Country to Finance Its Share of Gulf Railway Project

Business A conceptual rendering of the Gulf railway interconnection project. (X)

Bahraini Transport Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Each Country to Finance Its Share of Gulf Railway Project

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states took a new step toward completing the railway interconnection project by signing the project's general…

Merza al-Khuwaldi (Manama)
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 Aramco to Bring Google Cloud Services to Saudi Arabia

Aramco to Bring Google Cloud Services to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Aramco Development Co, a subsidiary of Aramco, has teamed up with Google Cloud to offer cloud services to customers in Saudi Arabia, Aramco said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Central Bank Raises Bill Issuance Cap to 10 Billion Riyals

Saudi Central Bank Raises Bill Issuance Cap to 10 Billion Riyals

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) raised the issue size of its weekly SAMA Bill offering from SAR 3 billion to SAR 10 billion, as of today, Dec. 20, 2020. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Central Bank of Egypt Expected to Keep Interest Rates Unchanged in Next Meeting

Central Bank of Egypt Expected to Keep Interest Rates Unchanged in Next Meeting

The Central Bank of Egypt’s (CBE) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is expected to keep interest rates unchanged in its next meeting, HC Securities & Investment…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business ADNOC Affirmed Globally Industry-Leading Credit Ratings by Fitch

ADNOC Affirmed Globally Industry-Leading Credit Ratings by Fitch

Fitch Ratings (Fitch) has affirmed ADNOC Group a standalone credit rating of AA+. According to Fitch, the rating reflects ADNOC’s high upstream production and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE’s SMEs Receive AED420 Million Trade Credit Support From ECI

UAE’s SMEs Receive AED420 Million Trade Credit Support From ECI

Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), the UAE Federal export credit company, has issued AED420 million (($114 million) worth of trade credit support to the small and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon’s MEA Set to Accept ‘Fresh Dollars’ Only

Lebanon’s MEA Set to Accept ‘Fresh Dollars’ Only

The head of Lebanon's airline said on Sunday the carrier would at some point need to demand payment for tickets bought in Lebanon using "fresh dollars", or…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Oman to Start Cutting Utility Subsidies in January

Oman to Start Cutting Utility Subsidies in January

man will start reforming its expensive system of subsidies in January by shifting the focus of its electricity and water spending to its poorest citizens, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisia’s Tourism Returns Drop by 64%

Tunisia’s Tourism Returns Drop by 64%

Tunisia’s tourism returns have dropped by 64 percent to 1.9 billion dinars ($691 million) from early 2020 until December 10, compared to the same period in…

Al Mongi Al Saidani (Tunis)
Business UAE Joins Resilient Network of Countries, Governments

UAE Joins Resilient Network of Countries, Governments

The UAE government signed the Resilient Government Charter, to join the network of resilient countries and governments. The network was established in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Saudi Arabia, Russia Hold Onto Balanced Oil Market

Saudi Arabia, Russia Hold Onto Balanced Oil Market

Saudi Arabia and Russia confirmed on Saturday that they would continue to work on balancing the oil market and stressed the importance of cooperation among…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business China Issues National Security Rules on Foreign Investment

China Issues National Security Rules on Foreign Investment

China published rules on Saturday for reviewing foreign investment on national security grounds, potentially broad measures that it insisted did not amount to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Economy to See Further Improvement In Second Half of 2021

Saudi Economy to See Further Improvement In Second Half of 2021

An economic report expected a gradual quarter-on-quarter improvement in the Saudi economy during the remainder of the fourth quarter of 2020 and next year,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tesla Shares Jump to Record High ahead of S&P 500 Debut

Tesla Shares Jump to Record High ahead of S&P 500 Debut

Shares of Tesla Inc rose to a record high on Friday in a frantic day of trading as investors geared up for the electric carmaker’s much anticipated entrance…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business IMF Allows Egypt to Draw $1.67b From Stand by Arrangement

IMF Allows Egypt to Draw $1.67b From Stand by Arrangement

The International Monetary Fund has completed the first review of Egypt’s reform program, allowing the country to draw $1.67 billion under a stand by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Energy Minister: OPEC Plus Saved Global Oil Industry

Saudi Energy Minister: OPEC Plus Saved Global Oil Industry

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz said that the OPEC Plus agreement saved the global oil industry, stressing that this market…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tourism Minister Says Saudi Arabia Eyes $58bn Investments by 2023

Tourism Minister Says Saudi Arabia Eyes $58bn Investments by 2023

Saudi Arabia is aiming to attract new investments worth SR220 billion ($58 billion) by 2023, and more than SAR500 billion until 2030, Minister of Tourism…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Oil Prices Hit 9-Month High

Oil Prices Hit 9-Month High

Oil climbed to a nine-month high on Thursday after government data showed a fall in US crude stockpiles last week, while progress towards a US fiscal stimulus…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE-Bahraini-Israeli Officials Discuss Investment Opportunities in Energy

UAE-Bahraini-Israeli Officials Discuss Investment Opportunities in Energy

Emirati, Bahraini and Israeli officials in the energy sector discussed investment opportunities, as well as the mechanism to strengthen and develop them. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Stimulus Hopes Boost Stocks to Record; Bitcoin Soars

Stimulus Hopes Boost Stocks to Record; Bitcoin Soars

World stocks scaled new peaks and oil marched higher on Thursday as investors lapped up risky assets on hopes of a US fiscal stimulus and the Federal Reserve's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Proactive Planning Helped Ensure Flow of Food, Medicine Into Saudi Markets: Commerce Minister

Proactive Planning Helped Ensure Flow of Food, Medicine Into Saudi Markets: Commerce Minister

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce and Investment identified 218 sensitive goods, and carried out periodic inspections to ensure the availability of…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Kuwait Signs Deal with Greece's DESFA on Liquefied Gas

Kuwait Signs Deal with Greece's DESFA on Liquefied Gas

Kuwait has signed a six-year, $106 million contract with Greek gas grid operator DESFA for the group to operate a liquefied natural gas import terminal in the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Abu Dhabi's ADX, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Sign MOU

Abu Dhabi's ADX, Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Sign MOU

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, the first time an Arab exchange has…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Egypt Says UAE Joins East Mediterranean Gas Forum as an Observer

Egypt Says UAE Joins East Mediterranean Gas Forum as an Observer

Egypt said on Wednesday that the United Arab Emirates has joined the Cairo-based Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum as an observer. Egypt, Israel, Greece,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Fiji Tourism Hit With Climate, Pandemic Double Whammy

Fiji Tourism Hit With Climate, Pandemic Double Whammy

Fiji dive operator Ashwin Pal was living his dream until the global pandemic hit, guiding tourists around an underwater wonderland of dazzling Pacific coral…

Asharq Al Awsat