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 Calls for Establishing Egyptian-Greek Economic Zone in the Mediterranean

Calls for Establishing Egyptian-Greek Economic Zone in the Mediterranean

Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers (UAC) Khaled Hanafi has called for establishing a joint economic zone between Egypt and Greece. He said…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Saudi Stock Exchange to Stimulate Sustainability for Family Businesses

Saudi Stock Exchange to Stimulate Sustainability for Family Businesses

The Capital Market Authority of Saudi Arabia (CMA) and Tadawul are mobilizing to increase the momentum of stimulating the Saudi private sector towards the…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Lebanon: Banking Association not Boycotting Finance Ministry Talks

Lebanon: Banking Association not Boycotting Finance Ministry Talks

Lebanon’s Banking Association will continue talks with the Finance Ministry and the government’s adviser Lazard to reach an agreement on the country’s…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Morocco’s OCP Group to Halt Fertilizer Sales in US if Duty Imposed

Morocco’s OCP Group to Halt Fertilizer Sales in US if Duty Imposed

Morocco’s OCP group have plans to halt fertilizer sales in the US if the Commerce Department decides to impose an anti-subsidy duty on its products, two senior…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Eurozone Business Activity Returns to Growth in July as Lockdowns Loosen

Eurozone Business Activity Returns to Growth in July as Lockdowns Loosen

Eurozone business activity bounced back to growth in July as more parts of the economy that were locked down to curtail the spread of the coronavirus reopened…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Turkish Economy to Contract in 2020

Turkish Economy to Contract in 2020

Turkey's economy is expected to shrink this year for the first time in more than a decade as the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions hit demand,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Establishes Largest Regional Port for Importing, Processing Grains

Saudi Arabia Establishes Largest Regional Port for Importing, Processing Grains

The Saudi Ports Authority (MAWANI) and SALIC, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company, a Public Investment Fund owned company, signed an…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Gold Poised for Best Week in More Than 3 Months on Stimulus Bets

Gold Poised for Best Week in More Than 3 Months on Stimulus Bets

Gold was headed on Friday for its biggest weekly gain in more than three months as it steadied near a nine-year high, benefiting from a weak dollar and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Finnair Plunges to Q2 Loss After Pandemic Grounded Flights

Finnair Plunges to Q2 Loss After Pandemic Grounded Flights

Finnair plunged to a second-quarter loss as the coronavirus pandemic kept most flights grounded, and said it would make a similar loss this quarter, despite an…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Fund to Help Facilitate Investment in Tourism Sector

Saudi Fund to Help Facilitate Investment in Tourism Sector

The CEO of the Tourism Development Fund in Saudi Arabia has revealed that the fund aims to stimulate and facilitate investment in the tourism sector. Qusai…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Audit: Lebanon Central Bank Governor Inflated Assets as Liabilities Grew

Audit: Lebanon Central Bank Governor Inflated Assets as Liabilities Grew

Lebanon's central bank governor inflated the institution's assets by over $6 billion in 2018, its audited annual accounts show, underlining the extent of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Virus Surge Interrupts Hopes for Swift US Economic Recovery

Virus Surge Interrupts Hopes for Swift US Economic Recovery

The worsening COVID pandemic risks choking off the US economy's fragile recovery and turn what some investors hoped would be a sprint back to normal into a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Twitter Misses Quarterly Ad Sales Estimates While Usage Surges

Twitter Misses Quarterly Ad Sales Estimates While Usage Surges

+Twitter Inc missed Wall Street's lowered expectations for quarterly revenue on Thursday despite surging usage, as the coronavirus-spurred economic slowdown…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Internet Speed Increases 400% in Saudi Arabia

Internet Speed Increases 400% in Saudi Arabia

Internet speed in Saudi Arabia has increased 400 percent during the past three years, revealed the Governor of Saudi Communications and Information Technology…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia Confirms Indicators of Economic Recovery

Saudi Arabia Confirms Indicators of Economic Recovery

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan revealed that the Saudi economy has witnessed recovery indications as of current July supported by economic openness…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business German Stimulus Measures Lift Consumer Morale

German Stimulus Measures Lift Consumer Morale

German consumer morale improved more than expected heading into August, helped by a temporary cut in value-added tax (VAT) as part of the government’s stimulus…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business France to Help Railway Firm SNCF With Several Billion Euros

France to Help Railway Firm SNCF With Several Billion Euros

France will help state-owned railway company SNCF survive the coronavirus crisis by providing several billion euros, Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business G20 Highlights Importance of Digital Technology

G20 Highlights Importance of Digital Technology

The Saudi Presidency of the G20 stressed on Wednesday that there is an agreed framework to tackle the digital divide in the world. “If a health crisis like…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business ADNOC, ADQ Form Joint Venture to Catalyze UAE’s Chemicals Sector

ADNOC, ADQ Form Joint Venture to Catalyze UAE’s Chemicals Sector

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, and holding company ADQ signed on Tuesday a joint venture agreement to launch an investment platform to fund and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Sudan to Adjust Pound's Exchange Rate over Two Years

Sudan to Adjust Pound's Exchange Rate over Two Years

Sudan’s adjusted budget for 2020 includes measures to adjust the exchange rate of the country’s pound, allowing it to achieve its “real price” over the coming…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Shura Council Calls for Supporting SMEs

Saudi Shura Council Calls for Supporting SMEs

The Saudi Shura Council has recently called for supporting small and medium enterprises, as this week’s sessions brought about a demand for increased financing…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business Saudi Arabia Considers Full VAT Exemption on First Residence

Saudi Arabia Considers Full VAT Exemption on First Residence

Saudi Minister of Housing Majed al-Hogail announced that authorities were considering the full exemption of VAT on Saudi citizens’ first residence. He…

Eman Al-Khattaf (Al-Dammam)
Business Egypt’s Economic Growth Drops 3.1% in 20/21

Egypt’s Economic Growth Drops 3.1% in 20/21

Egypt’s economic growth will slow to 3.1 percent in the fiscal year 2020/2021 that began this month due to the coronavirus pandemic down from 3.5 percent…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Study: Renewables EU's Biggest Source of Electricity

Study: Renewables EU's Biggest Source of Electricity

Renewable energy sources such as the wind and the sun overtook fossil fuels as the European Union's main generators of electricity in the first half of this…

Asharq Al Awsat