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 UAE-China Boost Trade Exchange via Digital Expo

UAE-China Boost Trade Exchange via Digital Expo

The first edition of the China-UAE Economic and Trade Digital Expo will be held jointly by the UAE Ministry of Economy and the China Council for the Promotion…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business US Unveils Tariffs on France Over Tech Tax

US Unveils Tariffs on France Over Tech Tax

The United States on Friday unveiled heavy import duties on France in retaliation for the country's tax on American tech giants, but will hold off on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Moroccan Government Resorts to Incentives to Revive Economy

Moroccan Government Resorts to Incentives to Revive Economy

The Moroccan government has introduced new incentives in the revised draft budget law presented to parliament to revive the economy and overcome the recession…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business IEA Raises 2020 Oil Demand Forecast

IEA Raises 2020 Oil Demand Forecast

The International Energy Agency (IEA) bumped up its 2020 oil demand forecast on Friday but warned that the spread of COVID-19 posed a risk to the outlook. …

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Saudi Leadership Position Spurs Optimism Towards It Taking WTO Helm

Saudi Leadership Position Spurs Optimism Towards It Taking WTO Helm

The views of experts in Saudi Arabia confirmed that leadership elements possessed by the kingdom, which are exhibited in its presidency of the G20 group, in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Signs Contract to Establish World’s Largest Spinning Factory

Egypt Signs Contract to Establish World’s Largest Spinning Factory

Egypt’s state-run Cotton and Textile Industries Holding Co. has signed a contract with Gama Construction to establish a new spinning factory in El-Mahalla El…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business IMF, World Bank to Hold Fall Meetings Virtually

IMF, World Bank to Hold Fall Meetings Virtually

The IMF and World Bank Group announced Thursday that their annual fall meetings will be mostly virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic. "As we continue to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tuwaijri… An Economist Carrying the Banner of Correcting World Trade

Tuwaijri… An Economist Carrying the Banner of Correcting World Trade

Saudi Arabia nominated on Wednesday Mohammad al-Tuwaijri to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Tuwaijri enjoys a record…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business G20, Paris Forum Discuss Int’l Capital Flows Volatility

G20, Paris Forum Discuss Int’l Capital Flows Volatility

The Saudi G20 Presidency and the Paris Forum have discussed challenges around international capital flows volatility and possible policy responses to help…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business WAM

Dubai Launches Official Operations of Route 2020 Project

Dubai has officially inaugurated the Route 2020 Project which involves the 15 km extension of the Dubai Metro Red Line from Jebel Ali Station to Expo 2020…

Jonathan Liew (London)
Business Hottest Commodity in Lebanon's Economic Chaos: The US Dollar

Hottest Commodity in Lebanon's Economic Chaos: The US Dollar

The lines snaked around the block. Then they swelled to fill the whole street, before they turned into a raucous mob of men shoving to the front of the line…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia’s Unemployment Drops to Under 12%

Saudi Arabia’s Unemployment Drops to Under 12%

The unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia fell marginally in the first quarter of the current fiscal year when compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, a General…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Morocco's King Approves 2020 Budget Amendment

Morocco's King Approves 2020 Budget Amendment

A Council of Ministers, chaired by King Mohammed VI in Rabat on Monday, examined and approved the headlines of the edited draft budget 2020. The new budget…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Iran's Oil Storage Almost Full Amid Sanctions, Pandemic

Iran's Oil Storage Almost Full Amid Sanctions, Pandemic

Iran has slashed crude oil production to its lowest level in four decades as storage tanks and vessels are almost completely full due to a fall in exports and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Travelers are Venturing out Again but Avoiding Planes, International Trips, Survey Shows

Travelers are Venturing out Again but Avoiding Planes, International Trips, Survey Shows

Travelers are hitting the road again and taking vacations even as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of abating in many countries, a survey on Tuesday…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi NEOM, Air Products, ACWA Power Ink Deal for $5 Bn Green Hydrogen Production Facility

Saudi NEOM, Air Products, ACWA Power Ink Deal for $5 Bn Green Hydrogen Production Facility

Air Products, in conjunction with ACWA Power and Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, announced the signing of an agreement for a $5 billion world-scale green hydrogen-based…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Islamic Development Bank Discusses Private Sector Challenges amid Pandemic

Islamic Development Bank Discusses Private Sector Challenges amid Pandemic

The Islamic Development Bank Group’s (IsDB) private sector entities held on Monday a virtual seminar on Action Response to COVID-19 and the challenges facing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Business Morocco’s Foreign Demand Expected to Drop by 18%

Morocco’s Foreign Demand Expected to Drop by 18%

Morocco’s Haut Commissariat au Plan (HCP) said that it anticipates foreign demand to drop by approximately 18% in the second quarter of 2020, affected mostly…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Appetite for IPOs Returns to Saudi Financial Market

Appetite for IPOs Returns to Saudi Financial Market

With the psychological implications of the coronavirus subsiding and economy reopening amid health precautions, the Saudi financial market has witnessed a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi MAWANI Reports 15% Increase in Food Imports, Exports

Saudi MAWANI Reports 15% Increase in Food Imports, Exports

Saudi ports, supervised by the General Ports Authority MAWANI, reported an increase in the total food exports and imports from the beginning of this year until…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tunisian Inflation Drops to Below 6 Percent

Tunisian Inflation Drops to Below 6 Percent

Tunisia’s annual inflation rate in June slowed to less than 6 percent from 6.3 percent in May, official data showed on Monday. The slowdown is due to a…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Samsung Projects 23% Jump in 2Q Profit on Strong Chip Sales

Samsung Projects 23% Jump in 2Q Profit on Strong Chip Sales

Samsung Electronics Co. said Tuesday its operating profit for the last quarter likely rose 23% from the same period last year, helped by robust demand for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Thermometers in Hand, Dubai Opens for Tourists amid Pandemic

Thermometers in Hand, Dubai Opens for Tourists amid Pandemic

From French football jerseys to slick online campaigns, Dubai is trumpeting the fact that it reopened for tourism on Tuesday. With travel uncertain and the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Construction Sector to Complete 5,000 Projects Worth $1.6 Trillion

Saudi Construction Sector to Complete 5,000 Projects Worth $1.6 Trillion

The construction sector in Saudi Arabia has been the most affected by the suspension of economic activities during the coronavirus pandemic. However,…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)