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 Spanish Airline to Downsize Due to COVID-19

Spanish Airline to Downsize Due to COVID-19

Spanish airline Iberia will reduce the size of its fleet, the number of destinations it flies to and how frequently as the new coronavirus pandemic continues…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Life Returns to Tunisia’s Carthage International Airport

Life Returns to Tunisia’s Carthage International Airport

The Tunis-Carthage International Airport welcomed on Saturday its first flights after resuming travel with other countries. Authorities imposed high health…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Saudi Private Sector Support Package Lessens COVID-19 Effects on GDP

Saudi Private Sector Support Package Lessens COVID-19 Effects on GDP

A support package provided by the Saudi government to the private sector since the beginning of the outbreak of the coronavirus would contribute to limiting…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Boeing 737 MAX Certification Flight Tests to Kick Off on Monday

Boeing 737 MAX Certification Flight Tests to Kick Off on Monday

Pilots and test crew members from the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Co are slated to begin a three-day certification test campaign for the 737…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Germany Cautions Virus Risk Still High as Economies Restart

Germany Cautions Virus Risk Still High as Economies Restart

German Chancellor Angela Merkel cautioned Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over, as regional outbreaks gave rise to fears of a second wave…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Leading Investors Discuss Regional, Global Investment Dynamics

Leading Investors Discuss Regional, Global Investment Dynamics

UAE Minister of State and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber has discussed regional and global investment…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Egypt Secures $5.2 Billion IMF Loan

Egypt Secures $5.2 Billion IMF Loan

The International Monetary Fund has approved a one-year $5.2 billion financing package for Egypt to help the country alleviate the economic impact of the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisian Government Reveals ‘Shocking’ Economic Figures

Tunisian Government Reveals ‘Shocking’ Economic Figures

Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh has warned that the country’s economic situation has taken a serious turn. In a parliamentary session on Thursday to…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Saudi Targets Lowest Cost of Electricity Globally Through Solar Energy Project

Saudi Targets Lowest Cost of Electricity Globally Through Solar Energy Project

Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman revealed that the Kingdom is shifting closer to activating energy efficiency programs and applications at an…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Banking Sector Awaits Major Merger Deal

Saudi Banking Sector Awaits Major Merger Deal

Potential merger talks have resurfaced for Saudi Arabia’s banking sector, with negotiations involving two banking giants, as the Kingdom’s coronavirus lockdown…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business G20 Debt Relief Program Draws 41 Countries

G20 Debt Relief Program Draws 41 Countries

A Group of 20 debt service suspension initiative agreed in April has received 41 applications from the 73 poor countries eligible for the official bilateral…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business IMF, Sudan Reach Reform Deal

IMF, Sudan Reach Reform Deal

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Wednesday it reached an agreement with Sudan on a reform deal that would back the 12-month Staff-Monitored Program …

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business Abu Dhabi-Based EOS to Invest $54.4 Million in Defense Technologies

Abu Dhabi-Based EOS to Invest $54.4 Million in Defense Technologies

Abu Dhabi-based EOS Advanced Technologies is planning to invest Dh200 million ($54.4 Million) to research next generation defense systems in 2021. Chief…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Lebanon's Berri Calls For Declaring State of Financial Emergency

Lebanon's Berri Calls For Declaring State of Financial Emergency

Lebanon’s Speaker Nabih Berri affirmed Wednesday the necessity to declare a state of financial emergency amid the drastic plunge of the local currency's value…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business  Moody's Downgrades Oman's Rating to Ba3

Moody's Downgrades Oman's Rating to Ba3

Moody's downgraded Oman's sovereign rating to Ba3 from Ba2, saying that the Sultanate would likely not be able to offset its lost revenue due to lower oil…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Hermes, Egypt's Sovereign Fund to Acquire 76% of Arab Investment Bank

Hermes, Egypt's Sovereign Fund to Acquire 76% of Arab Investment Bank

The Egyptian financial group Hermes Holding announced Wednesday its plans to acquire, with the Egyptian sovereign fund, a share of not less than 76% of the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business IMF Downgrades Outlook for Global Economy Amid Pandemic

IMF Downgrades Outlook for Global Economy Amid Pandemic

The International Monetary Fund has sharply lowered its forecast for global growth this year because it envisions far more severe economic damage from the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon’s Finance Minister: Negotiations with IMF Are Positive

Lebanon’s Finance Minister: Negotiations with IMF Are Positive

Lebanese Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni described negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as “good and positive.” He stressed that there was…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Saudi Arabia to Apply Reciprocity Principle to Imports as of July

Saudi Arabia to Apply Reciprocity Principle to Imports as of July

Saudi Arabia will apply the principle of reciprocity to imports from countries that impose restrictions on the Kingdom’s exports as of July, said the General…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Tunisia Allocates $2.1 Bln to Revive its Economy

Tunisia Allocates $2.1 Bln to Revive its Economy

Tunisian minister in charge of major national projects Lobna Jribi has announced that authorities earmarked around $2.1 billion to boost the country’s economy…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Oman: New Loan Program for Businesses Affected by COVID-19

Oman: New Loan Program for Businesses Affected by COVID-19

Oman’s ruler Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on Tuesday announced an emergency interest-free loan program for businesses most affected by the coronavirus pandemic,…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business S&P: Problem Loans in Turkish Banking Sector to Exceed 20% by 2021

S&P: Problem Loans in Turkish Banking Sector to Exceed 20% by 2021

S&P Global Ratings said on Tuesday it estimated problematic loans at Turkish banks would rise to more than 20% by next year, citing pressures from the country…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanese Pound Slips to New Lows, Trading 6,000 to the Dollar

Lebanese Pound Slips to New Lows, Trading 6,000 to the Dollar

Lebanon’s pound currency fell to new lows on Tuesday, trading above 6,000 to the dollar on a parallel market, according to market participants, as a severe…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Agreement with IMF Revives Foreign Investment in Egypt

Agreement with IMF Revives Foreign Investment in Egypt

Investments by international funds and foreign investors in the Egyptian market has increased in recent weeks due to the $5.2 billion agreement Cairo signed…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)