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 When Will Tourists Return to Africa? Continent Must Guess

When Will Tourists Return to Africa? Continent Must Guess

Raino Bolz quickly diversified when his tourism business in South Africa´s winelands crashed to a halt in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. He sold a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon Central Bank Head Says Won't Quit Despite Rumors amid Crisis

Lebanon Central Bank Head Says Won't Quit Despite Rumors amid Crisis

Lebanon's central bank governor, who has been in the post since 1993, said he had no plan to resign despite rumors he would quit amid a deep financial crisis…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE Posts Budget Surplus of $2.65b in Q2

UAE Posts Budget Surplus of $2.65b in Q2

The UAE federal government posted a budget surplus of AED9.75b ($2.6 billion) at the end of the second quarter of 2020, and a surplus of AED7.95b ($2.1 billion…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Egypt Holds Talks to Sell Surplus Power to Europe, Africa

Egypt Holds Talks to Sell Surplus Power to Europe, Africa

Egypt has begun talks over plans to sell electricity to Europe and Africa, pressing its advantage as a producer of cheap renewable energy in a bid to become a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Etihad Airways to Provide COVID-19 Insurance to Passengers

Etihad Airways to Provide COVID-19 Insurance to Passengers

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways on Monday said it would cover medical and quarantine costs for passengers if they contract the new coronavirus after travelling on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Prospect of Stronger Demand Propels Aluminium Towards 7-Month High

Prospect of Stronger Demand Propels Aluminium Towards 7-Month High

Aluminum prices rose on Monday towards 7-month highs as stronger economic growth and demand in Europe and elsewhere raised the prospect of rising exports of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business GMIS Summit Stresses Importance of Inclusive Industrial Development

GMIS Summit Stresses Importance of Inclusive Industrial Development

International officials and experts stressed the importance of industrial development that is comprehensive and sustainable, which also makes use of advanced…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Saudi General Auditing Bureau: A New Phase of Strengthening Supervisory Roles

Saudi General Auditing Bureau: A New Phase of Strengthening Supervisory Roles

Saudi Arabia’s General Auditing Bureau has launched a new identity, which is aimed at developing its supervisory role and raise its professional performance to…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business German Industry Foresees Slight Rise in Output in Coming Months

German Industry Foresees Slight Rise in Output in Coming Months

German industrial firms which were battered by the coronavirus-induced economic downturn expect production to increase slightly in the coming months, a survey…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt’s Trade Deficit Declines by 8.6%

Egypt’s Trade Deficit Declines by 8.6%

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) said that the trade deficit value declined to $3.30 billion during the month of June 2020…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Inflation Rate in Tunisia Slows to 5.4% in August

Inflation Rate in Tunisia Slows to 5.4% in August

Tunisia’s annual inflation rate in August slowed to 5.4 percent from 5.7 percent in July and 5.8 percent in June, official data showed on Saturday. …

Al Mongi Al Saidani (Tunis)
Business Saudi Candidate Sets 6-Axis-Framework to Head WTO

Saudi Candidate Sets 6-Axis-Framework to Head WTO

With the end of the second phase of the nomination process, Saudi Arabia’s candidate for the presidency of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Muhammad bin…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Lebanon: Prices of Food Commodities on the Rise Despite Drop in Exchange Rate

Lebanon: Prices of Food Commodities on the Rise Despite Drop in Exchange Rate

Lebanese citizens are getting accustomed to the increasing prices of the food commodities, but they believe the prices will drop with the decline in the…

Inas Sherri (Beirut)
Business Pandemic Turns Summer Into European Tourism's Leanest Season

Pandemic Turns Summer Into European Tourism's Leanest Season

Bruges mayor Dirk De fauw first realized something was desperately wrong with European tourism when on a brisk March morning he crossed the Burg square in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business G20 Ministerial Meeting Stresses Promotion of Economic Growth Through Education

G20 Ministerial Meeting Stresses Promotion of Economic Growth Through Education

The Education Ministers of the Group of 20 major economies have committed during a virtual meeting under the G20 Saudi Presidency in enabling all people to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business UAE Cabinet Restructures Emirates Development Bank Board

UAE Cabinet Restructures Emirates Development Bank Board

The UAE Cabinet, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has approved the restructuring of the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business China's Xi Promises More Market Opening at Trade Fair

China's Xi Promises More Market Opening at Trade Fair

President Xi Jinping pledged to open China’s service industries wider to foreign competitors as its first in-person trade fair since the coronavirus outbreak…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business OPEC’s 60th Anniversary Celebration Postponed

OPEC’s 60th Anniversary Celebration Postponed

The celebrations of OPEC’s 60th Anniversary, which were originally scheduled this month in Baghdad where the Organization was founded, have been postponed. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)
Business ACWA Power Completes Financing Agreements for Dubai Solar Park

ACWA Power Completes Financing Agreements for Dubai Solar Park

Saudi Arabia's ACWA Power has completed all financing agreements of the 900MW fifth phase of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai. The Dubai…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Commuters Trickle back to 'Ghost-Town' London, Data Suggests

Commuters Trickle back to 'Ghost-Town' London, Data Suggests

More people are returning to work in London, data showed on Friday, an encouraging sign for Prime Minister Boris Johnson who has urged Britons to start…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi: 500 Licenses for Foreign Investments Granted in H1

Saudi: 500 Licenses for Foreign Investments Granted in H1

The Saudi Ministry of Investment said it has issued more than 500 licenses for foreign investment during the first half of 2020, despite the repercussions of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia: Coronavirus Will Not Affect Long-Term Economic Plans

Saudi Arabia: Coronavirus Will Not Affect Long-Term Economic Plans

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has confirmed that its strategic projects for economic development and diversification remain in motion and that the coronavirus…

Asharq Al Awsat (Sanaa)
Business WFP: Supplies Still Flow Despite Beirut Blast

WFP: Supplies Still Flow Despite Beirut Blast

Beirut port's capacity to handle wheat and other bulk cereal imports has collapsed to about a fifth or less of its level before a massive blast smashed its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business EU Share of Electric Cars Grew During Virus Lockdown Months

EU Share of Electric Cars Grew During Virus Lockdown Months

The market share of electric cars in Europe increased during and immediately after the worst of the pandemic lockdowns, industry figures showed Thursday, even…

Asharq Al Awsat