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 IMF, World Bank Postpone Planned 2021 Meeting in Morocco

IMF, World Bank Postpone Planned 2021 Meeting in Morocco

The Moroccan government, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund on Thursday said they will postpone plans to hold the World Bank Group-IMF Annual…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia's PIF Invests $1.3 Bln in India’s Reliance Retail

Saudi Arabia's PIF Invests $1.3 Bln in India’s Reliance Retail

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund said Thursday it will invest approximately $1.3 billion for a 2.04 percent stake in Indian conglomerate Reliance…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business EU Cuts 2021 Economic Outlook as Virus Spreads

EU Cuts 2021 Economic Outlook as Virus Spreads

The European Union's executive commission on Thursday lowered its growth forecast for the economic rebound from the coronavirus pandemic next year and said the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisian PM Warns of 3 Difficult Years Ahead

Tunisian PM Warns of 3 Difficult Years Ahead

Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi affirmed that the economic situation has aggravated, saying "Tunisia has not witnessed any similar economic and social crisis.” …

Asharq Al Awsat (Tunis)
Business Pandemic Puts Indonesia Into Recession; 1st Time in 20 Years

Pandemic Puts Indonesia Into Recession; 1st Time in 20 Years

Indonesia´s economy has fallen into recession for the first time since the Asian financial crisis more than two decades ago as the country struggles to control…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Erdogan Talks about Positive Growth as Central Bank Sells Gold Reserves

Erdogan Talks about Positive Growth as Central Bank Sells Gold Reserves

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed optimism that the economy will continue its positive performance and growth in the fourth quarter of 2020,…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Sudan Plans to Create 250,000 Jobs, Increase Oil Production

Sudan Plans to Create 250,000 Jobs, Increase Oil Production

Sudan aims to improve its economic sector to increase investment opportunities in the private sector, especially after the US said it will lift Khartoum from…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Business 15 Firms Submit Listing Requests in Tadawul

15 Firms Submit Listing Requests in Tadawul

Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) revealed there are currently 15 applications for new listings in the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) awaiting…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia, Indonesia Discuss Investment in Hajj, Umrah

Saudi Arabia, Indonesia Discuss Investment in Hajj, Umrah

An Indonesian delegation met on Tuesday with a number of Saudi businessmen and investors to discuss available investment opportunities in the Hajj and Umrah…

Asharq Al Awsat (Makkah)
Business Saudi Arabia Announces Labor Relation Initiative

Saudi Arabia Announces Labor Relation Initiative

Saudi Arabia launched on Wednesday the Labor Reform Initiative aimed at improving the contractual relationship between workers and employers. The Ministry…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Stocks Sweat on US Election Race, Safe-Haven Bonds Gain

Stocks Sweat on US Election Race, Safe-Haven Bonds Gain

Share markets were whipsawed, while bonds and the dollar gained on Wednesday as results from the US presidential election proved far closer than polls had…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE's flydubai to Start Direct Israel Flights this Month

UAE's flydubai to Start Direct Israel Flights this Month

United Arab Emirates airline flydubai on Wednesday said it would start direct flights to Israel this month with twice daily services between Dubai and Tel Aviv…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Luxury Vehicles, Recovering Auto Markets Boost BMW Profits

Luxury Vehicles, Recovering Auto Markets Boost BMW Profits

German automaker BMW said third-quarter net profit rose 17% to 1.81 billion euros ($2.22 billion) as regional auto markets recovered and highly profitable…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Morocco: Half a Million People Lost their Jobs in One Year

Morocco: Half a Million People Lost their Jobs in One Year

Morocco reported a loss of 581,000 jobs between the third quarter of 2019 and the same period this year. The national economy lost 237,000 jobs in urban…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Saudi Private Sector Output Records Highest Level Since Covid-19 Outbreak

Saudi Private Sector Output Records Highest Level Since Covid-19 Outbreak

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector expanded for the second consecutive month in October as output grew at a solid pace, recording its best performance in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business China's CNOOC Awards LNG Tender to Aramco Trading Via Shanghai Gas Exchange

China's CNOOC Awards LNG Tender to Aramco Trading Via Shanghai Gas Exchange

China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC) has awarded a tender to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the trading arm of Saudi Aramco in Singapore through the…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Libya Crude Output Rises to about 850,000 bpd

Libya Crude Output Rises to about 850,000 bpd

Libyan oil production has risen to about 850,000 barrels per day (bpd), a Libyan oil source told Reuters on Tuesday, up from about 800,000 bpd on Oct. 31. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Strict Irish COVID-19 Curbs Put 85,000 People Temporarily Out of Work

Strict Irish COVID-19 Curbs Put 85,000 People Temporarily Out of Work

Around 85,000 more people have claimed temporary COVID-19 jobless benefits since Ireland moved to the highest level of restrictions to fight the virus two…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Turkish Lira, The World’s Worst Currency in October

Turkish Lira, The World’s Worst Currency in October

Turkey’s inflation marched higher in October, when the embattled lira shed value to finish as the world’s worst-performing currency. Consumer prices last…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Euro Zone Bond Yields Increase, All Eyes on US Election Outcome

Euro Zone Bond Yields Increase, All Eyes on US Election Outcome

Euro zone bond yields rose on Tuesday with markets increasingly confident challenger Joe Biden would win the US presidential election, although trading was…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business 688 Trucks Loaded With Syrian Goods Enter Saudi Market

688 Trucks Loaded With Syrian Goods Enter Saudi Market

The Saudi General Authority of Customs confirmed the smooth flow of Syrian exports through Saudi ports to the local markets, indicating that trucks coming from…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business Aramco Earnings Up in Third Quarter

Aramco Earnings Up in Third Quarter

Saudi Arabia’s oil and gas giant Aramco announced Tuesday third quarter profits of nearly $12 billion despite that share prices of global oil companies have…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business New French Lockdown to Reduce Economic Activity by About 15%

New French Lockdown to Reduce Economic Activity by About 15%

The new four-week lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 in France is expected to reduce economic activity by about 15%, a Finance Ministry source said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arbah Successfully Exits Residential Project in Central London

Saudi Arbah Successfully Exits Residential Project in Central London

Saudi Arbah Capital announced on Monday the successful exit for its investors of a £27 million facility for the Regent Crescent high-end residential…

Asharq Al Awsat (Al-Dammam)