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 OPEC Points to 2020 Oil Surplus even as Demand Gradually Recovers

OPEC Points to 2020 Oil Surplus even as Demand Gradually Recovers

The world faces an oil surplus in 2020 even as demand gradually recovers and record supply cuts by producers help rebalance the market, according to OPEC…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Optimism on Recovery of Global Energy Industry

Optimism on Recovery of Global Energy Industry

Global energy giants representing the world’s leading oil, gas, and petrochemical companies united around the common purpose of ensuring sustainable global…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Sudan Further Opens Gold Trade to Private Sector

Sudan Further Opens Gold Trade to Private Sector

Sudan, a gold producer, has taken steps to open up the trade in the precious metal further to private investors, allowing them to handle all exports and taking…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisia's Economy Could Shrink by Near 7% This Year Amid Pandemic

Tunisia's Economy Could Shrink by Near 7% This Year Amid Pandemic

Tunisia's economy could shrink by up to 7% this year because of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the investment minister said on Wednesday. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Slight Growth Expected in Medium-Term in Islamic Finance Sector

Slight Growth Expected in Medium-Term in Islamic Finance Sector

S&P Global Ratings expected the Islamic finance industry to show low-to-mid-single-digit growth in 2020-2021 after the 11.4 percent in 2019 following strong…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Tadawul to Become Public Shareholder by Proceeding with Offering Plans in 2021

Tadawul to Become Public Shareholder by Proceeding with Offering Plans in 2021

The Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) has not been affected, in terms of its all share index (TASI), by the coronavirus implications, officials in the Kingdom’s…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business KNPC Completes Acid Gas Treatment Project at Al-Ahmadi Refinery

KNPC Completes Acid Gas Treatment Project at Al-Ahmadi Refinery

Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) said Tuesday it has completed its acid gas recycling project at Mina Al-Ahmadi Refinery. The project (NAGRP) mainly…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Aramco Completes Acquisition of 70% Stake in SABIC from PIF

Aramco Completes Acquisition of 70% Stake in SABIC from PIF

Saudi Aramco announced Wednesday the successful completion of its share acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) from the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Plans to Unify Strategy of Saudi-Foreign Business Councils

Saudi Arabia Plans to Unify Strategy of Saudi-Foreign Business Councils

Business leaders have welcomed Saudi efforts to implement fundamental changes to the regulations of joint business councils with the aim of boosting their role…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia Launches Program to Exploit Wind, Solar Energy

Saudi Arabia Launches Program to Exploit Wind, Solar Energy

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the Kingdom would strongly move towards completing the energy efficiency project that began years ago…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Housing Ministry Reports 17% Rise in Construction of Units

Saudi Housing Ministry Reports 17% Rise in Construction of Units

The number of completed housing units in Saudi Arabia increased 1.75 percent to 82,500 units during the first quarter of this year, compared to 81,100 units in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia Ranks 24 in IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020

Saudi Arabia Ranks 24 in IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020

Saudi Arabia is continuing its upward ascent in global competitiveness rankings. In the just-released World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020 published by the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisia Permits Funding Treasury through Domestic Loan

Tunisia Permits Funding Treasury through Domestic Loan

The Tunisian government has issued a decree permitting to demand a loan to meet part of the state budget's needs for 2020. The issuance of this loan can take…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Saudi Shura Council Approves Exempting Foreign Oil Companies from Tax

Saudi Shura Council Approves Exempting Foreign Oil Companies from Tax

The Saudi Shura Council approved the exemption of income taxes for oil and hydrocarbon production non-Saudi companies listed in the Saudi financial market,…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business Saudi Aramco Cuts July Crude Supplies to at Least Five Buyers in Asia

Saudi Aramco Cuts July Crude Supplies to at Least Five Buyers in Asia

The world’s largest oil exporter Saudi Aramco has reduced the volume of July-loading crude that it will supply to at least five buyers in Asia, seven sources…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business UAE: Finance Minister Launches Phase One of 'Accrual Accounting Program'

UAE: Finance Minister Launches Phase One of 'Accrual Accounting Program'

UAE’s Ministry of Finance (MoF) announced on Sunday the successful launch of the first phase of government entities to transition to accrual accounting. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Aramco Buys 2.1 Billion SABIC Shares

Aramco Buys 2.1 Billion SABIC Shares

State-owned Saudi Aramco bought 2.1 billion shares of Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) on the stock market on Sunday as it completed its deal agreed last year to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business First Post-Coronavirus IPO in Saudi Arabia

First Post-Coronavirus IPO in Saudi Arabia

Saudi real estate financing firm Amlak International said on Sunday it will float 30 percent of its shares in Riyadh, in what will be the exchange's first…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Sudan to Transfer Cash to its Neediest Citizens

Sudan to Transfer Cash to its Neediest Citizens

Sudan will begin rolling out an experimental program of direct cash transfers to its neediest citizens next week as it tries to wean the country off costly…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Stocks Record Longest Series of Weekly Gains

Saudi Stocks Record Longest Series of Weekly Gains

The Saudi stock market index has recorded the longest series of weekly gains in 2020, closing positively during the past week with over 100 points in gains. …

Shujaa Bogmi (Riyadh)
Business Tunisian Exports Witness 37.1% Drop in May

Tunisian Exports Witness 37.1% Drop in May

Tunisia’s foreign trade in May 2020 witnessed a sharp 37.1 percent drop year-on-year, following the COVID-19 outbreak, the National Institute of Statistics …

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Trade Resumes between Sudan, Egypt

Trade Resumes between Sudan, Egypt

The Sudanese government has announced the resumption of trade with Egypt after nearly a three-month standstill. Sudan closed its border crossings in March…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Business Dubai Future Foundation Recommends Developing a Regional Storage Hub

Dubai Future Foundation Recommends Developing a Regional Storage Hub

The Dubai Future Foundation has recommended developing a regional storage hub, allowing nearby countries to secure their supply chains. In a report, “Life…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Morocco Develops Automobile Industry Despite Global Trade Slowdown

Morocco Develops Automobile Industry Despite Global Trade Slowdown

Morocco’s recent involvement in global value chains for automobiles is an example of a country’s ability to expand its own trade despite global trade slowdown,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)