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 Iraq Buys 1.09 Mln Tons of Local Wheat so Far this Season

Iraq Buys 1.09 Mln Tons of Local Wheat so Far this Season

Iraq’s grain board said on Saturday it has procured more than 1.09 million tons of local wheat since the start of the harvest season last month. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Ports Authority Expands Shipping Lines to East Asia

Saudi Ports Authority Expands Shipping Lines to East Asia

Saudi Arabia is continuing its efforts to reduce the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the Kingdom by increasing financing and commercial…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Iran's Stock Index Drops, Falls Below 1 Million Mark

Iran's Stock Index Drops, Falls Below 1 Million Mark

Iran's main stock index dropped below one million points Saturday, a week after topping that mark, state affiliated media reported. The Tehran Stock…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business ADNOC: Oil Markets Going Through Period of Instability, Cuts to Rebalance Situation

ADNOC: Oil Markets Going Through Period of Instability, Cuts to Rebalance Situation

The UAE Minister of State, CEO of Abu Dhabi Petroleum Company (ADNOC) and its group of companies, Sultan Al-Jaber, revealed on Friday that oil markets are…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Carmaker Kia Closes Algeria Assembly Line over Supply Disruptions

Carmaker Kia Closes Algeria Assembly Line over Supply Disruptions

South Korean carmaker Kia will shut down its assembly line in Algeria from Sunday due to supply chain disruptions after authorities imposed a ban on the import…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Algeria Plans Fuel Price Rise, Sees Economy Contracting 2.6% in 2020

Algeria Plans Fuel Price Rise, Sees Economy Contracting 2.6% in 2020

OPEC member Algeria will raise the price of gasoline and diesel to reduce its consumption and imports as the economy comes under pressure due to a sharp fall…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon Says Ready to Float Pound Only after Aid Secured

Lebanon Says Ready to Float Pound Only after Aid Secured

Lebanon is ready to terminate a 23-year-old dollar peg and float the pound, but only after it secures billions in aid, Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni said Friday…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon's Central Bank Seeks to Provide Dollars for Imports at Rate of 3,200 Pounds

Lebanon's Central Bank Seeks to Provide Dollars for Imports at Rate of 3,200 Pounds

The Lebanese central bank revealed on Friday that it's working to provide dollars for imports at an exchange rate of 3,200 Lebanese pounds to reduce food…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt's Central Bank: New IMF Loan Not to Add Burdens to People

Egypt's Central Bank: New IMF Loan Not to Add Burdens to People

The new financial agreement under which Egypt will obtain the new loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) does not require new economic reforms and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Oil Back at Early April Highs

Oil Back at Early April Highs

Oil prices touched a one and a half month high on Friday amid signs demand for crude was picking up as the world is hit by the coronavirus pandemic. West…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Morocco's Grain Imports Rise up to 38%

Morocco's Grain Imports Rise up to 38%

The National Ports Agency (ANP) revealed that grain imports amounted to 3.5 million tons in Tunisia at the end of the four first months of 2020, an increase of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Tourism Sector in Jordan Incurs Huge Losses

Tourism Sector in Jordan Incurs Huge Losses

Tourism in Jordan is one of the most affected sectors by the COVID-19 outbreak which raised many challenges for decision makers in the country who struggle to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Amman)
Business G20 Vows to Avoid 'Unnecessary' Trade Barriers on Essential Goods

G20 Vows to Avoid 'Unnecessary' Trade Barriers on Essential Goods

The Trade and Investment Ministers of the G20 and guest countries have pledged to avoid "unnecessary" trade barriers on essential goods including food during…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Sudan to Transfer Money to Poor Citizens After Removal of Fuel Subsidies

Sudan to Transfer Money to Poor Citizens After Removal of Fuel Subsidies

Sudan's finance minister laid out a new plan to transfer cash to the needy in an attempt to end the economic crisis worsened by costly fuel subsidies. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon: Private Schools in Tough Spot Amid Worsening Economic Crisis

Lebanon: Private Schools in Tough Spot Amid Worsening Economic Crisis

About 750,000 students and 60,000 teachers in private schools face an unknown fate amid a worsening economic crisis, which has been further exacerbated by…

Sanaa el-Jack (Beirut)
Business Egypt Government to Rationalize Expenditures

Egypt Government to Rationalize Expenditures

Egypt’s Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly called on the different ministries to start implementing a plan to control and rationalize expenditures in order to…

Mohammed Nabil Helmi (Cairo)
Business Hit by Coronavirus and Sanctions, Iran's Oil Exports Fall to Record Low

Hit by Coronavirus and Sanctions, Iran's Oil Exports Fall to Record Low

- Iran's oil exports have sunk to a record low as the coronavirus crisis compounds the impact of US sanctions already limiting shipments, underlining the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Arab Bank Group Says Profit Drops amid Coronavirus Provisions

Arab Bank Group Says Profit Drops amid Coronavirus Provisions

The Arab Bank Group, Jordan’s largest lender, reported on Wednesday a 36% drop in its first-quarter profit by the time it increased provisions to cope with…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Emirates Plans Flights to 9 Cities this Month

Emirates Plans Flights to 9 Cities this Month

Emirates Airline from May 21 plans to operate scheduled flight services from Dubai to London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Chicago, Toronto,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business UAE's ADQ to Acquire 50 Percent Stake in Agribusiness Company

UAE's ADQ to Acquire 50 Percent Stake in Agribusiness Company

The Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ) said it has agreed to acquire a 50 percent stake in Al Dahra Holding Company which specializes in animal feed…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dahbi )
Business IATA Urges Saudi Arabia for More Financial Support to Aviation Sector

IATA Urges Saudi Arabia for More Financial Support to Aviation Sector

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has urged the Saudi government for more financial support to its aviation sector, lauding it for introducing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business OPEC Slashes Oil Demand Forecast Again

OPEC Slashes Oil Demand Forecast Again

OPEC slashed its forecast on Wednesday for global oil demand this year and predicted this quarter would see the steepest decline even as some countries ease…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Lebanon Launches Talks with IMF to Salvage Economy

Lebanon Launches Talks with IMF to Salvage Economy

Lebanon began talks with the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday, aiming to secure some $10 billion of badly needed aid to help the country out of the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia, Russia Express Commitment to Oil Market Stability

Saudi Arabia, Russia Express Commitment to Oil Market Stability

Saudi Arabia and Russia are firmly committed to achieving oil market stability and expediting a rebalancing of the market, the energy ministers of the two…

Asharq Al Awsat