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 Tadawul Expands with Derivative Instruments, Future Contracts

Tadawul Expands with Derivative Instruments, Future Contracts

In a bid to provide new opportunities for investors and hedge equity trading risks, the Saudi Stock Exchange, Tadawul, announced the launch of trading in…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Al-Dammam)
Business Apple Wins Fight against $15 Bln EU Tax Order

Apple Wins Fight against $15 Bln EU Tax Order

Europe’s second-highest court on Wednesday rejected an EU order for Apple to pay 13 billion euros ($15 billion) in Irish back taxes, dealing a blow to the bloc…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egyptian Pound Strengthens after Return of Indirect Foreign Investments

Egyptian Pound Strengthens after Return of Indirect Foreign Investments

The Egyptian pound strengthened on Tuesday against the US dollar, backed by an increase in foreign exchange flows into the Egyptian market, reaching EGP15.99…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business OPEC Predicts Record Increase in Oil Demand

OPEC Predicts Record Increase in Oil Demand

Global oil demand will increase by a record seven million barrels per day (bpd) in 2021 as the global economy recovers from the coronavirus crisis but will…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Saudi Aramco Says Reorganizing Downstream Business

Saudi Aramco Says Reorganizing Downstream Business

Saudi Aramco said on Tuesday that it will be reorganizing its downstream business to support its global growth strategy, aiming to complete it by the end of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dhahran)
Business US Consumer Prices Rebound in June

US Consumer Prices Rebound in June

US consumer prices rebounded in June after three straight monthly declines as businesses reopened, but the underlying trend suggested inflation would remain…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Thailand Gears up for Motor Show as Pandemic Restrictions Ease

Thailand Gears up for Motor Show as Pandemic Restrictions Ease

Thailand’s capital on Tuesday prepared to host its twice-postponed annual auto show, with organizers saying it would showcase the country’s success in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Morocco Expects Liquidity Needs to Reach $15b

Morocco Expects Liquidity Needs to Reach $15b

Liquidity needs in Morocco will worsen in 2020 and amount to 153.9 billion dirhams ($15.3), an increase of more than 91 billion dirhams ($9.1 billion)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Egypt Witnesses 15% Increase in Newly-Established Companies in June 2020

Egypt Witnesses 15% Increase in Newly-Established Companies in June 2020

The General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) has seen a 15.4 percent increase in the rate of newly-established firms in Egypt during June 2020,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Bahrain to Inject $470 Million Emergency Expenditure to State Budget

Bahrain to Inject $470 Million Emergency Expenditure to State Budget

Bahrain will inject $470 million as emergency expenditures to the state budget 2020, state-owned Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported a royal decree.
 The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Lebanon: Speculations Swing Beirut’s Dollar Up, Down

Lebanon: Speculations Swing Beirut’s Dollar Up, Down

The Lebanese people’s cheers did not last long with the tangible improvement in the exchange rate and the speculations about the US dollar reaching the…

Ali Zeineddine (Beirut)
Business Saudi Aramco President: Oil Demand Recovering From Pandemic Effects

Saudi Aramco President: Oil Demand Recovering From Pandemic Effects

Saudi Aramco CEO Eng. Amin al-Nasser said that oil demand was headed towards recovery, admitting that the oil industry faced one of the most difficult…

Iman Al Khataf (Dammam)
Business Tunisia Expects Budget Deficit to Reach 7% of GDP

Tunisia Expects Budget Deficit to Reach 7% of GDP

Tunisia is negotiating a number of countries, including Saudi Arabia, France and Italy to defer this year’s loan payments, as it expects its economy to shrink…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tunis)
Business South Korea Allocates Up to $95 bln to Boost Economy

South Korea Allocates Up to $95 bln to Boost Economy

South Korea's government launched a plan on Tuesday to spend 114.1 trillion won ($94.6 billion) on a "Green New Deal" to create jobs and help its economy…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Small Businesses Around the World Thrive to Survive amid COVID-19

Small Businesses Around the World Thrive to Survive amid COVID-19

As economies around the world reopen, small businesses that help define and sustain neighborhoods are struggling. In New York’s Jackson Heights neighborhood…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Nigeria Stress Commitment to OPEC+ Deal

Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Nigeria Stress Commitment to OPEC+ Deal

Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Nigeria underlined on Monday their complete commitment to the OPEC+ deal. In a series of telephone calls between their respective…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Red Sea Int’l Airport Takes off with Contract Award to Nesma & Partners, Almabani

Red Sea Int’l Airport Takes off with Contract Award to Nesma & Partners, Almabani

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), the developer behind one of the world's most ambitious tourism initiatives, has awarded its largest value contract to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Sudan Hands out Cash to Ease Economic Crunch

Sudan Hands out Cash to Ease Economic Crunch

Sudan has begun distributing cash handouts under an internationally backed plan to help millions cope with an economic crisis aggravated by the coronavirus…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Global Shares Gain on Hopes for Recovery, Despite Outbreaks

Global Shares Gain on Hopes for Recovery, Despite Outbreaks

Global shares rose Monday, cheered by upbeat projections for a global economic rebound that were tempered by worries over expanding coronavirus outbreaks. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Life after Zoom: Corporate Travel Agents Plot Safe Return to Business Trips

Life after Zoom: Corporate Travel Agents Plot Safe Return to Business Trips

Corporate travel agents are using the coronavirus-induced lull in bookings to work with companies on how to get their staff out of Zoom videoconferences and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SAMA: Saudi Insurance Sector Grew 8% in 2019

SAMA: Saudi Insurance Sector Grew 8% in 2019

Saudi Arabia’s insurance sector witnessed a growth of 8 percent in 2019, marking the first increase in three years, with total written premiums reaching SR37.8…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Economic Activity to Grow by End of Q3 2020

Saudi Economic Activity to Grow by End of Q3 2020

Indicators for recovery and growth of the Saudi economy are improving starting from the end of Q3 2020. This comes after easing the strict COVID-19 lockdown…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Turkey Revokes Experience Requirement for Central Bank Deputy Governor

Turkey Revokes Experience Requirement for Central Bank Deputy Governor

Turkey has revoked a requirement that central bank deputy governors have 10 years prior experience and dropped a rule that banks set aside 20% of annual profit…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egyptian Officials Make Local Inspection Tours to Reassure Tourists

Egyptian Officials Make Local Inspection Tours to Reassure Tourists

Egyptian ministers toured various resorts and airports in the country that began receiving visitors earlier this month while maintaining health measures to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)