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 Germany on 'Road to Recovery' as Business Morale Brightens Further

Germany on 'Road to Recovery' as Business Morale Brightens Further

German business morale improved more than expected in August as both manufacturing and services picked up steam, a survey showed on Tuesday, boosting hopes…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UN Says Tourism Impact of Pandemic Devastating

UN Says Tourism Impact of Pandemic Devastating

The United Nations chief says the tourist industry has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with $320 billion lost in exports in the first five months of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Boosts Food Security by Setting up National Grains Company

Saudi Arabia Boosts Food Security by Setting up National Grains Company

Saudi state-owned companies SALIC and the National Shipping Carrier of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) have formed a commodities joint venture, National Grains Company,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business SAMA Issues First Drone Insurance Product

SAMA Issues First Drone Insurance Product

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) has approved and issued the first-of-a-kind insurance product that covers risks of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Drop in Turkey's Currency Raises Stakes as Hotels Fight for Survival

Drop in Turkey's Currency Raises Stakes as Hotels Fight for Survival

When Deniz Tas reopened his 660-room hotel on Turkey’s sparkling Aegean coast in July he had only a modest goal - to break even for the rest of a tourist…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Activation of Algeria-EU Free Trade Deal Doubted

Activation of Algeria-EU Free Trade Deal Doubted

The activation of a long-planned Algeria-European Union free trade zone agreement on Sep. 1 seems uncertain, in light of widespread objections in the North…

Asharq Al Awsat (Algiers)
Business Saudi Arabia to Finalize Integrated Strategy for Energy Sector

Saudi Arabia to Finalize Integrated Strategy for Energy Sector

The Saudi Ministry of Energy and NEOM signed on Sunday a memorandum of cooperation that constitutes the Saudi road map for the implementation of future energy…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Bali Postpones Plan to Allow back Foreign Tourists Next Month

Bali Postpones Plan to Allow back Foreign Tourists Next Month

The Indonesian island of Bali has postponed a plan to reopen the country's biggest tourism hub to international tourists on Sept. 11, its governor said, due to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisia Govt Pushes for Bill to Revive the Economy

Tunisia Govt Pushes for Bill to Revive the Economy

Tunisian caretaker Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh has urged the parliament to hold an extraordinary session to approve a bill on reviving the economy and…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Saudi Energy Ministry to Assist Development of Mega Economic Zone Neom

Saudi Energy Ministry to Assist Development of Mega Economic Zone Neom

Saudi Arabia's energy ministry is to offer assistance so that Neom, a $500 billion high-tech development that includes tourism and sport facilities on the Red…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Call to Assess Economic Reform, Strategic Gains in ‘Saudi Vision 2030’

Call to Assess Economic Reform, Strategic Gains in ‘Saudi Vision 2030’

A recent study has called on assessing the economic reform journey Saudi Arabia has been embarking on in line with its Vision 2030, which Crown Prince Mohammed…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business France Delays Launch of COVID-19 Economic Reboot Plan to September

France Delays Launch of COVID-19 Economic Reboot Plan to September

The French government said on Saturday it would unveil details of its 100 billion euro ($118 billion) plan to reinvigorate the economy in the first week of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Asks Companies to Implement Self-Evaluation Measures

Saudi Arabia Asks Companies to Implement Self-Evaluation Measures

In a step aimed at reforming the local labor market environment, the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development urged on Friday all giant, large…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tunisia’s Foreign Direct Investment Drops 14.2%

Tunisia’s Foreign Direct Investment Drops 14.2%

Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows in Tunisia dropped 14.2 percent during the first half of 2020 compared to same period last year, and during the first…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business S&P Downgrades Lebanon Bonds to Default

S&P Downgrades Lebanon Bonds to Default

Credit ratings agency S&P on Friday downgraded more Lebanese government debt issues after missed payments, citing the country's worsening economic crisis…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Longtime Amazon Executive Jeff Wilke to Retire Next Year

Longtime Amazon Executive Jeff Wilke to Retire Next Year

Amazon retail chief Jeff Wilke, who has helped Amazon transform itself from an online bookstore into a global colossus, is retiring early next year. Wilke,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UK Public Debt Breaches 2 Trillion-Pound Mark for First Time

UK Public Debt Breaches 2 Trillion-Pound Mark for First Time

Britain's government debt has breached the 2 trillion-pound ($2.6 trillion) mark for the first time after heavy borrowing to support the economy during the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Renewable Energy Sector: Key Generator of Job Opportunities In KSA

Renewable Energy Sector: Key Generator of Job Opportunities In KSA

Saudi Arabia's renewable energy sector will be one of the main generators of jobs in the Kingdom for the next decade, according to recent estimates. The…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Kuwait’s Finance Minister Says Salaries to Remain Intact

Kuwait’s Finance Minister Says Salaries to Remain Intact

Kuwait’s Finance Minister Barak al-Shaitan affirmed that salaries and public subsidy would remain untouched, confirming adequate cash liquidity for paying them…

Merza al-Khuwaldi (Kuwait)
Business Eurozone Bond Yields Stabilize After Five Days of Falls

Eurozone Bond Yields Stabilize After Five Days of Falls

European government bonds stabilized on Friday, with yields edging up after five consecutive days of falling, ahead of eurozone factory activity data for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi THC Buys 10 Helicopters From Airbus

Saudi THC Buys 10 Helicopters From Airbus

The Helicopter Company (THC), which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF)- has signed a deal on Wednesday to buy 10 H125 helicopters from…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Source: Lebanon Can Only Subsidize Basic Goods for 3 More Months

Source: Lebanon Can Only Subsidize Basic Goods for 3 More Months

Lebanon's central bank will only subsidize fuel, wheat and medicine for three more months, an official source said on Thursday, as critically low foreign…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business South Sudan Central Bank: Foreign Exchange Reserves Have Run Out

South Sudan Central Bank: Foreign Exchange Reserves Have Run Out

South Sudan has run out of foreign exchange reserves as oil revenues have plummeted, and it cannot stop its currency from sliding, a central bank official said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Iraq Yields $100 Mn in Revenues after Expelling Militias from Frontier

Iraq Yields $100 Mn in Revenues after Expelling Militias from Frontier

Iraq's Border Ports Authority announced record financial revenues from customs duties as a result of the measures taken by the government of Prime Minister…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)