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 Gold supports some stablecoins (Reuters)

Gold Extends Decline as Inflation Woes Weigh on Rate Cut Bets

Gold prices slipped for a second consecutive session on Wednesday as war-led inflation concerns weighed on expectations for interest rate cuts, with markets…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business One of the projects of the National Housing Company in Jeddah (the company)

Saudi Vacant Properties Face Fees as Market Awaits Supply Increase

Following the adoption on Wednesday of the executive regulations governing fees on vacant properties, the Saudi real estate market is awaiting a new phase…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business The IEA slashed its previous forecast, which had projected a 1.5 million bpd drop in global oil supply (X)

IEA: Global Oil Supply to Fall by Around 3.9 Million bpd this Year

Global oil supply will not meet total demand this year as the Iran war wreaks havoc on Middle East oil production, the International Energy Agency said in its…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Tankers load oil cargoes at an offshore facility linked to Iraq’s Basra oil field. (Reuters)

Iraq Resumes Condensate Exports after Shipping Disruption

Iraq resumed condensate exports on Tuesday after a suspension caused by the Iran conflict and disruptions to regional shipping operations, the oil ministry…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Chair of the Corporate Board of the Olayan Group Lubna Olayan

US-Saudi Business Council Unveils Powerhouse Board of Directors

The US-Saudi Business Council (USSBC) has announced the appointment of its significantly expanded and reconstituted Board of Directors, featuring an…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business FILED - 25 March 2026, Hamburg: Containers are stacked at the stern of a container ship. Photo: Markus Scholz/dpa

Hapag-Lloyd Posts Q1 Net Loss on Severe Weather, Iran War Disruptions

German shipping group Hapag-Lloyd on Wednesday reported a first-quarter loss, citing the impact of lower freight rates and operational disruptions stemming…

Asharq Al Awsat (Berlin)
Business An oil tanker en route to the Syrian port of Tartus (Reuters)

TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips Sign Deal to Review Offshore Block in Syria

French oil major TotalEnergies, QatarEnergy and ConocoPhillips have signed a deal with the Syrian Petroleum Company to launch a technical review of the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Business STC’s pavilion at the LEAP international conference in Riyadh. (file photo)

Saudi Telecom Sector Reaps Returns from Cloud Investments

Saudi Arabia’s telecom sector entered a new stage of financial and operational maturity in the first quarter of 2026, as growth moved beyond subscriber gains…

Mohammed al-Mutairi (Riyadh)
Business Yanbu Industrial Port (SPA)

EU Chamber: Saudi Arabia Eliminated Dependence on a Single Maritime Chokepoint, Safeguarding Global Energy Markets

Amid growing maritime disruptions across global shipping routes, Saudi Arabia’s export capability through the Red Sea has emerged as a strategic safeguard…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Gold bracelets on display at a gold shop in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. (AFP)

Gold Falls as Fading Middle East Peace Hopes Lift Dollar, Oil

Gold fell from a three-week high on Tuesday, as slim hopes of a US-Iran peace deal drove the dollar and oil prices higher, clouding the US interest rate…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business People shop at a Lidl Supermarket on May 11, 2026 in the Crown Heights neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Getty Images/AFP)

US Consumer Inflation Expected to Have Increased Further in April Amid Iran War

US consumer prices likely rose at a solid pace for a second straight month in April, which would result in the largest annual increase in inflation in more…

Business  A money changer counts US Dollar notes at a money exchange office in Jakarta on May 12, 2026, amid the Rupiah's depreciation against the USD. (AFP)

Dollar Rises on Fading Hopes of Middle East Peace Deal

The US dollar strengthened broadly on Tuesday as talks to end the war in the Middle East showed no signs of progress, pushing oil prices higher and worrying…

Business Tugboats assist a container ship as it prepares to dock at the Manila International Container Terminal at the Philippine capital April 8, 2025. (AP)

Shipping Industry Fears Fuel Shortages as Iran War Squeezes Bunker Fuel Supply

Ship operators rely on a sludgelike substance known as bunker fuel to keep vessels running. The Iran war's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has choked off the…

Business  Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. (Reuters)

IAE: Iran War Undermines Confidence in Strait of Hormuz

The reputation of the Strait of Hormuz as a reliable artery for global energy trade may be permanently damaged by its prolonged closure, International Energy…

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)
Business FILE PHOTO: Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026./File Photo

Oil Prices Rise as Fragile US-Iran Talks Sustain Supply Worries

Oil prices rose nearly 1% on Tuesday as talks to end the US-Israeli war on Iran appeared fragile, with Tehran's response to a Washington proposal highlighting…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Officials are seen at a joint Saudi-Russian committee meeting. (SPA file)

Riyadh, Moscow Take Strategic Step toward Free Movement, Support for Investment and Tourism

The mutual visa waiver for visits between Saudi Arabia and Russia took effect on Monday, marking a significant strategic step to strengthen economic and…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Aramco CEO Amin Nasser speaks at a conference. (Reuters file)

Ongoing Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Drag Oil Market Recovery into 2027, Aramco CEO Says

The ongoing energy supply shock is the largest the world has ever experienced, and continued disruption of the Strait of Hormuz could delay oil market…

Business A view of the Saudi capital Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Reshapes Its Industrial Identity... From Assembly to Independent Innovation

Saudi Arabia is moving rapidly and steadily toward building a comprehensive industrial system, surpassing ambitions of mere assembly and importation, but…

Zeinab Ali (Riyadh)
Business Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser speaks at a previous Aramco event. (Reuters)

Saudi Aramco Beats Forecasts with Adjusted First-Quarter Income of $33.6 Billion

Saudi Aramco reported a sharp rise in first-quarter profit for 2026, beating analyst expectations as higher oil prices and increased crude sales offset…

Abeer Hommadi (Riyadh)
Business FILE PHOTO: Workers assemble Ather 450X electric scooter inside Ather Energy's manufacturing facility in Hosur in southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, March 23, 2025. REUTERS/Nandan Mandayam/File Photo

Indian PM Urges Reduced Fuel Use amid Middle East War Disruption

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged the people of India to cut down on petrol and diesel consumption amid supply disruptions due to the Middle East…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  Buildings including China Zun, the tallest building in Beijing, are seen in the central business district in Beijing at dusk on May 7, 2026. (AFP)

China Consumer Prices Rise on Iran War Oil Squeeze

China's consumer prices ticked up in April as the cost of crude oil rose globally due to the Iran war, official data showed on Monday. Helped by the surging…

Business An employee pumps gasoline into a customer’s motorbike at a gas station in Hanoi, Vietnam, 04 May 2026. (EPA)

Asia Braces for a Second Wave of Energy Shocks from the Iran War

Asia’s first defenses against energy shocks from the Iran war are running short and a more consequential second wave of impacts is beginning to hit. When the…

Business French President Emmanuel Macron and Kenya's President William Ruto attend "Africa Forward Summit 2026" at the Taifa Hall of the University of Nairobi, in Nairobi, Kenya, May 11, 2026. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Purchase Licensing Rights

Macron Announces 23 Bn Euros of Investment at Africa Summit

French President Emmanuel Macron announced 23 billion euros ($27 billion) of investment for Africa during a major summit on the future of the continent hosted…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  A Korean Air aircraft parked at the Incheon International Airport, South Korea (X) 

South Korean Airlines Cut Flights Amid Soaring Oil Prices

South Korean low-cost carriers have cut 900 round-trip flights and introduced unpaid leave and other emergency measures as the ongoing conflict in the Middle…

Asharq Al Awsat (Seoul)