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 Sony Posts Milder-than-Expected First Quarter Operating Profit Fall on Gaming Demand

Sony Posts Milder-than-Expected First Quarter Operating Profit Fall on Gaming Demand

Japan’s Sony Corp surprised the market on Tuesday by reporting just a 1.1% profit fall for the cornonavirus-hit first quarter, as its gaming business thrived…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Bank Al Maghrib Issues MAD484 Million Banknotes in 2019

Bank Al Maghrib Issues MAD484 Million Banknotes in 2019

Bank Al Maghrib (BAM) said that MAD484 million banknotes were issued in 2019, recording a slight decrease compared to 2018. The production was made up of 44…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business UAE Approves 33 Initiatives to Support Economic Sector

UAE Approves 33 Initiatives to Support Economic Sector

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai revealed on Monday approving a general plan and agile package of 33…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Lebanon: Fall of BDL Reserves Imposes Review of Subsidized Basic Materials

Lebanon: Fall of BDL Reserves Imposes Review of Subsidized Basic Materials

Reports circulating on the decreasing hard currency reserves at Lebanon’s Central Bank indicate that the latter would no longer be able to subsidize basic…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Business Turkey's Imports from Iran Drop due to COVID-19

Turkey's Imports from Iran Drop due to COVID-19

Turkish imports from Iran fell sharply during the first half of this year affected by the coronavirus pandemic, consequently shifting the trade balance in…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business US LNG Exports Set to Rise for First Time in 6 Months

US LNG Exports Set to Rise for First Time in 6 Months

US liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports are on track to rise in August for the first month in six, rallying US gas prices by over 15% to a three-month high,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Ferrari's Orders Accelerate after Virus Hit to Full-Year Outlook

Ferrari's Orders Accelerate after Virus Hit to Full-Year Outlook

Ferrari trimmed its full-year earnings forecast on Monday after second-quarter income fell 60% due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, but said orders…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business German Factories Post First Growth in Activity Since Dec 2018 - PMI

German Factories Post First Growth in Activity Since Dec 2018 - PMI

German manufacturers saw in July an expansion in activity for the first time since December 2018, a survey showed on Monday, signalling that a recovery in the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business China's Young Jobseekers Struggle Despite Economic Recovery

China's Young Jobseekers Struggle Despite Economic Recovery

Biology student Ma Jingjing wandered the hall of a job fair in central China among other young Chinese hoping to find work in an economy crushed by the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Moderate Spending Proves Essential in Overcoming COVID-19 Pressures on Saudi Budget

Moderate Spending Proves Essential in Overcoming COVID-19 Pressures on Saudi Budget

Despite the growing debt and widening deficit gap, Saudi economists said that the Kingdom’s trends of moderate spending was vital to overcoming financial…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Siemens Healthineers to Buy US Cancer Care Firm Varian

Siemens Healthineers to Buy US Cancer Care Firm Varian

Germany-based Siemens Healthineers said Sunday it will buy US cancer therapy and research company Varian in a deal worth around $16.4 billion. Siemens…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Moroccan Dirham Drops against Euro, Rises against Dollar

Moroccan Dirham Drops against Euro, Rises against Dollar

Bank Al-Maghrib (BAM) reported the drop of the dirham by 0.41 percent against the euro and the its rise by 1.02 percent against the US dollar between July 23…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Iraq's Oil Exports Average 2.76 Mln Bpd in July, Says Ministry

Iraq's Oil Exports Average 2.76 Mln Bpd in July, Says Ministry

Iraq’s total oil exports for July averaged 2.763 million barrels per day (bpd), the oil ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The exports included 2.668…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Fitch Revises US Outlook to Negative from Stable

Fitch Revises US Outlook to Negative from Stable

Fitch Ratings revised the outlook on the United States’ triple-A rating to negative from stable on Friday, citing eroding credit strength, including a growing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Virus Wreaks Economic Havoc as Global Cases Top 17 Million

Virus Wreaks Economic Havoc as Global Cases Top 17 Million

The scale of economic devastation from the pandemic was laid bare on Thursday as Western economies recorded historic slumps, just as resurgent caseloads forced…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business France, Spain Report Startling Coronavirus Hits to Economies

France, Spain Report Startling Coronavirus Hits to Economies

France and Spain both reported precipitous and worsening contractions Friday for their coronavirus-battered economies, with the Spanish economy shrinking by 18…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Nigeria Expects to Comply with OPEC+ Output Quota

Nigeria Expects to Comply with OPEC+ Output Quota

Nigeria expects to comply with an oil output quota of 1.412 million barrels per day for May, June and July, the minister of state for petroleum resources said…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Turkey's Trade Deficit Jumps, Lira Continues to Slump

Turkey's Trade Deficit Jumps, Lira Continues to Slump

Turkey’s trade deficit has reached a record high level as the Turkish lira exchange rate continues to drop reaching seven liras threshold per dollar, forcing…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Egypt Finalizes 12 Oil, Gas Exploration Agreements

Egypt Finalizes 12 Oil, Gas Exploration Agreements

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek al-Mulla announced that research and exploration in the energy sector are ongoing in the country, despite the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business IATA: Safety Measures Revitalize Air Transport in Middle East

IATA: Safety Measures Revitalize Air Transport in Middle East

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments in the Middle East to harmonize biosafety measures for passengers across the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business SABIC to Build World’s First Renewable Power Chemical Plant

SABIC to Build World’s First Renewable Power Chemical Plant

SABIC’s polycarbonate facility signed a major agreement with Iberdrola, a world-scale electric utility company, that will transform it to the world’s first…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Get Me a Sofa! Spain Sees Post-Lockdown Furniture Boom

Get Me a Sofa! Spain Sees Post-Lockdown Furniture Boom

Spain’s furniture manufacturers say they are overwhelmed by demand after sales boomed at the end of lockdown in June, potentially erasing most of the year’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Seeks to Unify Local Issuances

Saudi Arabia Seeks to Unify Local Issuances

The Saudi Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday the completion of an early redemption of a portion of outstanding bonds maturing in August, September,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business UAE Outlines Economic Strategy to Face COVID-19 in Two Phases

UAE Outlines Economic Strategy to Face COVID-19 in Two Phases

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has outlined its economic strategy to face the coronavirus outbreak and said it is based on two main phases. According to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)