Business

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Business Officials from the General Organization for Social Insurance at an earlier meeting with businessmen and businesswomen at the Riyadh Chamber (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Saudi Arabia's General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has made businesses that have ceased operations and exited the Saudi market eligible for a 100%…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A general view shows Ras Tanura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province (AFP)

From Aramco's Profits to State Budget Revenue: How Do Oil Proceeds Reach Government Coffers?

Saudi Aramco's financial results and Saudi Arabia's third-quarter budget performance report, released on the same day, revealed a divergence between the…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)
Business Representation of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration taken September 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Crypto Dips on Democrat Midterm Wins, Binance Hack Dents Optimism

Cryptocurrencies briefly dipped on Wednesday as Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and House in the US midterm elections, a potential blow to an…

Business A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images file)

Saudi Non-Oil Sector Expands for Seventh Straight Month

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued to expand in October, with business activity and output growth accelerating despite a decline in the Riyad Bank…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business  A general view of Riyadh city during the early hour of evening at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Growth in Non-Oil Revenue Bolsters Saudi Budget Resilience

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil revenue surpassed oil revenue in the third quarter of 2026 for the first time since 2020, highlighting progress in diversifying…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)

Business Gold bars with Chinese characters reading _Fortune Gold_ are seen at a gold shop in Hangzhou. (AFP)

Gold Rebounds from Five-week Low but Inflation Fears Cap Gains

Gold prices edged higher on Tuesday from a five-week low hit in the previous session, although gains were limited as elevated crude oil prices kept inflation…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Key benefits include allowing Syrians entering the country to use their international bank cards domestically (X).

Syrian Central Bank Allows Dealings With Global Electronic Payment Companies

The Central Bank of Syria on Monday issued a decision allowing banks and local electronic payment companies to work with global electronic payment companies…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business AFP: A photo shows gold bangles and necklaces for sale at a gold shop at the Grand Baazar in Istanbul

Gold Eases as Inflation Jitters, Iran War Cloud US Rate Outlook

Gold prices nudged lower in thin trade on Monday, weighed down by inflation worries that clouded the US monetary policy outlook, while markets awaited…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Maritime tracking data indicates that global LNG shipments decreased to 33 million tons last month (X)

Global LNG Exports Fall to Two-Year Low

Global exports of liquefied natural gas fell to the lowest in almost two years in April, as the war in the Middle East disrupted flows of the super-chilled…

Asharq Al Awsat (New York)
Business Passers-by walk at Galata bridge on a rainy spring day in Istanbul, Türkiye, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)

Turkish Inflation Jumps to 4.18% m/m in April, Exceeding Forecasts

Turkish consumer price inflation surged to 4.18% month-on-month in April, while the annual figure climbed to 32.37%, data from the Turkish Statistical…

Business Dealers watch computer monitors near the screens showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between US dollar and South Korean won at a dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 4, 2026. (AP)

Seoul, Taipei Hit Records as Asian Stocks Track Wall St Tech Rally

Seoul and Taipei hit record highs Monday as tech firms led a rally across most Asian markets, tracking a healthy day on Wall Street fueled by more strong…

Business A person walks past a Barclays bank branch in central London, Britain, 28 April 2026. EPA/TOLGA AKMEN

Barclays Becomes Latest Brokerage to Bet on No Fed Rate Cuts in 2026

Barclays on Monday joined a growing list of brokerages to bet on no policy easing from the US Federal Reserve this year, citing prolonged high energy prices…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business The oil tanker Safeen Elizabeth sails across the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, Türkiye, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)

Oil Slips After Trump Says US Will Assist Ships Stranded in Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices eased on Monday after President Donald Trump said the United States would begin an effort to assist ships stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, but the…

Business FILE PHOTO: Blocks with symbols and atomic numbers of Rare Earth Elements (REE), in this illustration taken January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Australia, Japan Strengthen Critical Minerals Ties

Australia and Japan have beefed up their cooperation around critical minerals amid a state visit by Japan's prime minister, with the countries providing A$1.67…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business (FILES) An Emirati man stands at the oil terminal of Fujairah during the inauguration ceremony of a dock for supertankers on September 21, 2016. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP)

UAE Exits Arab Oil Exporter Group OAPEC

The United Arab Emirates has left the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), ⁠a statement from the intergovernmental organization that is…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Lebanese Central Bank Governor Kareem Said (AP)

Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor: 90% of Depositors Are a Priority, IMF Deal is ‘Last Credible Pathway’

Lebanon’s central bank Governor Karim Souaid said on Sunday a prioritization of smaller depositors that make up mostly 90 percent of accounts is both…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business People sit on a bench on the Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah Causeway as a Zhonggu Shipping container ship sails past on its way towards the port of Shuwaikh in Kuwait City on February 28, 2026. (Photo by YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP)

Kuwait: Oil Production Expected to Reach 2.628 Million bpd in June

Kuwait's oil production is expected to reach 2.628 million barrels per day in June, the state news agency (KUNA) quoted the country's oil minister as ⁠saying…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Containers assembled at a Saudi port (SPA)

Maritime Alliances Propel Saudi Arabia Toward Building Global Logistics Influence

In a short period, Saudi Arabia has moved into a phase of building global logistics influence through maritime alliances with major international companies…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Central Bank logo at the Financial Technology Conference (Photo: Turki Al-Oqaily)

Saudi Central Bank Reserve Assets Reach Highest Level in Six Years

Reserve assets at the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) recorded a notable increase in March 2026, reaching 1.86 trillion riyals ($496 billion), the highest level…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business FILE PHOTO: A view shows the logo of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) outside its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, May 28, 2024. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/File Photo

OPEC+ Hikes Oil Production Quotas, Reaffirms Commitment to Market Stability

The seven OPEC+ countries, which had previously announced additional voluntary adjustments in April and November 2023, namely Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Cartier during a presentation at a company event (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Nissan Says Gulf Strategy Unchanged Despite Geopolitical Challenges

Nissan Motor Co.’s Chief Performance Officer Guillaume Cartier said the Gulf and Middle East remain central to the company’s growth and profitability despite…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Riyadh)
Business A worker wears a protective mask at the Volkswagen assembly line in Wolfsburg, Germany, April 27, 2020. (Swen Pfoertner/Reuters)

Trump Auto Tariff Hike Could Cost Germany Nearly $18 Billion in Output

The tariff hike on cars and trucks from the European Union announced by US President Donald Trump could cost Germany nearly 15 billion euros ($17.58 billion)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Berlin)
Business Petroleum pump jacks are pictured in an oil field in California (Reuters)

Barclays Raises Oil Price Forecast to $100 Per Barrel in 2026

Barclays has raised its 2026 Brent crude forecast to $100 per barrel, signaling that prices could rise further if the impasse in the Strait of Hormuz continues…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business The Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry said on Saturday that the discovery was achieved following the successful drilling of the exploratory well “Nidoco N-2”. Photo: Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry

Egypt Says New Gas Discovery in Nile Delta Adds 50 mcf/d to Output

Egypt has announced a new natural gas discovery in the Nile Delta with an estimated production of around 50 million cubic feet per day (mcf/d). This will add…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business  A tanker, left, and a car carrier are anchored at sea in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from the coast near Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Friday, May 1, 2026.(AP)

Iraq Says Oil Output, Exports Can Recover within a Week Once Hormuz Crisis Ends

‌Iraq can restore oil output and exports to normal levels within seven days of the end of the crisis ‌over the ‌Strait of ‌Hormuz, Deputy …

Business A view of the Riyadh skyline, the Saudi capital (Royal Commission for Riyadh City)

Saudi Arabia Ranks Second Globally in Data Center Market Attractiveness

Saudi Arabia has ranked second globally, after the United States, among the most attractive markets for data centers—an achievement that reflects the Kingdom’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Independent small Chinese refineries purchase 90% of Iranian oil shipments (Reuters).

China Rejects US Sanctions on Five Oil Refineries

China will not comply with US sanctions against five firms targeted for purchasing Iranian oil, Beijing's commerce ministry said on Saturday. China is a key…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business A Spirit Airlines self bag-drop counter at Orlando International Airport, as the airline announced it was ceasing operations early Saturday morning following an impasse in talks with some creditors on a $500 million government bailout plan, in Orlando, Florida, US, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Spirit Airlines Shuts Down, Industry’s First Iran War Casualty

Bankrupt discount carrier Spirit Airlines ceased operations on Saturday, the industry's first casualty linked to the Iran war, after failing to secure creditor…

Business Passengers prepare to board trains at Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station in Shanghai on April 30, 2026, ahead of the Labour Day holiday which starts on May 1. (AFP)

China’s Railway Hit New Single-Day Passenger Record on May Day

China's railway network transported 24.8 million passengers on May 1, setting a new single-day record, according to data from the China State Railway Group. …