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 Coronavirus Gives German Bicycle Retailers a Boost

Coronavirus Gives German Bicycle Retailers a Boost

The COVID-19 pandemic is giving German bicycle retailers a boost as consumers avoid public transport because of the risk of infection, the Ifo economic…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Emirates Says to Resume Flights to All 'Network Destinations' by Summer 2021

Emirates Says to Resume Flights to All 'Network Destinations' by Summer 2021

Dubai-based airline Emirates expects to resume flights to all "network destinations" by summer 2021, its chief operating officer said Thursday, after the COVID…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Nissan Failed to Report Income for Ghosn in Japan

Nissan Failed to Report Income for Ghosn in Japan

The case against former Nissan executive Carlos Ghosn may have taken another turn as Japanese media report allegations that the automaker declared as expenses…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Algeria to Allow Private Sector to Establish Banks, Transport Firms

Algeria to Allow Private Sector to Establish Banks, Transport Firms

Algeria will allow its private sector to establish banks as well as air and sea transport companies for goods and passengers to reduce spending, President…

Asharq Al Awsat (Algeria)
Business Saudi Ports Handle 25m Tons of Cargo in July

Saudi Ports Handle 25m Tons of Cargo in July

Saudi Arabia’s ports handled up to 25 million tons of cargo in July, the General Authority (Mawani) revealed on Wednesday, noting that the total number of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Energy Minister: Oil Demand Will Soon Recover to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Saudi Energy Minister: Oil Demand Will Soon Recover to Pre-Pandemic Levels

OPEC+ called for total compliance with oil production cuts after a draft report showed compliance of member states at 95% to 97% in July amid a slow recovery…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Saudi Sovereign Fund Sets up Real Estate Unit to Meet Housing Demand

Saudi Sovereign Fund Sets up Real Estate Unit to Meet Housing Demand

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), said on Wednesday it had set up a new real estate subsidiary dubbed Roshn to help meet…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Study Proposes Initiatives to Develop Non-Profit Sector

Saudi Study Proposes Initiatives to Develop Non-Profit Sector

A recent Saudi scientific study suggested four initiatives to develop the non-profit sector, such as improving its perceived image and adopting an independent…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business UAE Connects Its New Nuclear Power Plant to Electrical Grid

UAE Connects Its New Nuclear Power Plant to Electrical Grid

A nuclear power plant in the oil-rich United Arab Emirates has been connected to the country's power grid, authorities said Wednesday. The Barakah nuclear…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Iraq Inks Deal With Norwegian Firm to Build Oil Tankers

Iraq Inks Deal With Norwegian Firm to Build Oil Tankers

Iraq has reached an agreement with Norwegian shipbuilder Batservice Mandal over the construction of two oil tankers with a capacity of 30,000 tons each, Oil…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Tunisian Confederation of Industry: Authorities Should Announce Economic State of Emergency

Tunisian Confederation of Industry: Authorities Should Announce Economic State of Emergency

The President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, Samir Majoul, called on the government to activate the state of emergency to…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Algerian President Unveils Economic Recovery Plan

Algerian President Unveils Economic Recovery Plan

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune unveiled Tuesday a plan to revive the economy and reduce dependence on oil and gas as a source of foreign currencies by…

Asharq Al Awsat (Algiers)
Business National Airlines, First Choice of Saudis

National Airlines, First Choice of Saudis

National airlines remain the first choice of Saudis, according to a survey, in which 70 percent said that they prefer national airlines compared to 18 percent…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Fintech Industry Grows Threefold in 2020

Saudi Fintech Industry Grows Threefold in 2020

Fintech Saudi has revealed in its annual report 2019/20 that it is seeing the emergence of a growing fintech industry in the Kingdom. The number of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia Establishes Ministerial Panel to Fight Commercial Fraud

Saudi Arabia Establishes Ministerial Panel to Fight Commercial Fraud

Saudi Arabia has established a ministerial committee to oversee the national program to combat commercial cover-up and to propose solutions and initiatives to…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Egyptian Bank Beltone Diversifies in Hunt for Profitability

Egyptian Bank Beltone Diversifies in Hunt for Profitability

Egyptian investment bank Beltone Financial Holding is diversifying into non-banking financial activities in a bid to return to profit in 2021, its CEO told…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE GDP Hits USD100 Billion in Q1

UAE GDP Hits USD100 Billion in Q1

The UAE’s constant price GDP amounted to AED368.52 billion (USD100 billion) in the first quarter of 2020, including AED252 billion (USD68.5 billion) for non…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Egypt, Iraq to Establish Firm to Boost Bilateral Ties in Oil Sector

Egypt, Iraq to Establish Firm to Boost Bilateral Ties in Oil Sector

Egypt and Iraq discussed strengthening bilateral relations in the oil and gas sector through operating Egyptian oil companies in Iraq and establishing a join…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Iranian, UAE Tension Looms Over Trade

Iranian, UAE Tension Looms Over Trade

Iranian experts and traders are concerned that the tensions between Iran and the UAE could affect the mutual trade relations, at a time when Tehran is facing…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Bahrain’s Mumtalakat, Arcapita Sell Stake in NAS Neuron Health Services

Bahrain’s Mumtalakat, Arcapita Sell Stake in NAS Neuron Health Services

Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain, and Arcapita Group Holdings (Arcapita), announced the sale of their…

Asharq Al Awsat (Manama)
Business Egypt Shrinks Subsidized Bread Loaf by 20 gms, Revises Cost of Flour

Egypt Shrinks Subsidized Bread Loaf by 20 gms, Revises Cost of Flour

Egypt will shrink the size of its subsidized loaf of bread by 20 grams, a document seen by Reuters showed on Monday, allowing bakers to make more fixed price…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business German Economy Set for Rapid Growth Over Summer Months

German Economy Set for Rapid Growth Over Summer Months

The Germany economy is set for a rapid and broad-based recovery after an unprecedented peacetime contraction in the spring, but a coronavirus vaccine may be…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Offer Submitted to Merge UAE’s NPCC, NMDC in Integrated Entity

Offer Submitted to Merge UAE’s NPCC, NMDC in Integrated Entity

The United Arab Emirates’ National Petroleum Construction Company (NPCC) announced Sunday that it has submitted a merging offer to the Board of National Marine…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Oman Fulfills Total Requirements of Trade Facilitation Agreement

Oman Fulfills Total Requirements of Trade Facilitation Agreement

The Omani Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) said that Oman has fulfilled the requirements of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade…

Asharq Al Awsat (Muscat)