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 Morocco: Agricultural Activity, Production to Continue Despite Coronavirus

Morocco: Agricultural Activity, Production to Continue Despite Coronavirus

Morocco’s Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests (MAPMDREF) has affirmed that agricultural activity and…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business Kuwait Calls for Gulf Food Security Network to Provide Basic Supplies

Kuwait Calls for Gulf Food Security Network to Provide Basic Supplies

Kuwait has called for creating a joint food security network among Gulf states to ensure adequate and accessible food supplies and meet basic food shortages…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Saudi King Orders 9 Bln Riyal Private Sector Support for Citizens Affected by Virus

Saudi King Orders 9 Bln Riyal Private Sector Support for Citizens Affected by Virus

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz ordered on Friday the disbursement of up to 9 billion riyals ($2.39 billion) in financial support…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Tunisia May Impose Exceptional Taxes on Firms to Raise Coronavirus Funds

Tunisia May Impose Exceptional Taxes on Firms to Raise Coronavirus Funds

Tunisia may impose exceptional taxes on companies if the government does not find the funds needed during the coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Calls for Emergency OPEC+ Meeting

Saudi Arabia Calls for Emergency OPEC+ Meeting

Saudi Arabia called on Thursday for an emergency meeting of OPEC and other oil producers, a grouping known as OPEC+, to stabilize the oil market. Riyadh…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Epidemic Raises Tunisia Reserves to Record Level

Epidemic Raises Tunisia Reserves to Record Level

Tunisia’s Central Bank revealed an increase in the country’s foreign exchange reserves, which are now estimated at more than 20 billion Tunisian dinars (about…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Morocco: Tendrara Gas Sale Agreement Postponed Due to Coronavirus

Morocco: Tendrara Gas Sale Agreement Postponed Due to Coronavirus

British gas company Sound Energy PLC has announced requesting Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE) to postpone signing Tendrara…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business Saudi Government Platform to Reduce Financial Burdens on SMEs

Saudi Government Platform to Reduce Financial Burdens on SMEs

Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monshaat) has revealed a number of services that it has recently provided on its Mazaya platform in line with…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business KAPSARC: Disruption Too Big for OPEC to Rebalance Market Alone

KAPSARC: Disruption Too Big for OPEC to Rebalance Market Alone

The King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) revealed that the global oil market is going through an extraordinary period, which requires…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Crude Supply Increases as Pact to Rein In Oil Production Expires

Saudi Crude Supply Increases as Pact to Rein In Oil Production Expires

Saudi Arabia’s crude supply rose on Wednesday to a record of more than 12 million barrels per day, two industry sources said. This came a day after a producer…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Lebanon's Coronavirus Lockdown Piles Pressure on Flagging Currency

Lebanon's Coronavirus Lockdown Piles Pressure on Flagging Currency

The battered Lebanese pound has weakened even more during a coronavirus lockdown, with banks blocking access to already scarce dollars, forcing up their price…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Official: Shipping Traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal Unaffected By Coronavirus Crisis

Official: Shipping Traffic in Egypt's Suez Canal Unaffected By Coronavirus Crisis

Traffic in Egypt’s Suez Canal has not been affected so far by the spread of the new coronavirus, the chief of its authority, Osama Rabie, said on Wednesday. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Government Stresses Coordination to Monitor Challenges Facing Private Sector

Saudi Government Stresses Coordination to Monitor Challenges Facing Private Sector

The Saudi Ministry of Commerce told Asharq Al-Awsat that it was coordinating with government agencies to monitor challenges facing the private sector and…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Morocco Central Bank Takes Measures to Limit Economic Impact of COVID-19

Morocco Central Bank Takes Measures to Limit Economic Impact of COVID-19

Morocco’s central bank has announced a series of measures to increase three-fold the financial capabilities of banks to enable them to counter the impact of…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business G20 Coronavirus Plan Focuses on Poorer Countries' Debt Problems

G20 Coronavirus Plan Focuses on Poorer Countries' Debt Problems

The Group of 20 major economies said on Tuesday that they would present a coronavirus action plan in two weeks to address the debt vulnerabilities of the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia to Start Supporting Private Sector Employees

Saudi Arabia to Start Supporting Private Sector Employees

The Human Resources Development Fund (HADAF) announced the activation of a special initiative aimed at supporting Saudi private sector employees. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Dubai to Inject Fresh Capital in Emirates Airline

Dubai to Inject Fresh Capital in Emirates Airline

Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said on Tuesday the emirate's government was committed to fully support Emirates airline and will inject fresh…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Unveils High Levels of Food Self-Sufficiency

Saudi Arabia Unveils High Levels of Food Self-Sufficiency

Saudi Arabia announced on Monday that there are sufficient stocks of essential goods and food supplies to meet the market demand amid the coronavirus outbreak…

Saleh al-Zaid (Riyadh)
Business Lebanon: Banks Stop USD Withdrawals, Open Transfers to Students Abroad

Lebanon: Banks Stop USD Withdrawals, Open Transfers to Students Abroad

Lebanese banks are easing international transfers to students living abroad, head of the Lebanese Association of Banks (ABL) Salim Sfeir announced on Monday. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Saudi Arabia to Boost Oil Exports to 10.6M Barrels

Saudi Arabia to Boost Oil Exports to 10.6M Barrels

Saudi Arabia Energy Ministry official said the Kingdom intends to increase its crude oil exports, starting from May, by about 600 thousand barrels per day,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Virus Threatens Fragile Turkish Economy

Virus Threatens Fragile Turkish Economy

The Turkish economy was healing after a recession when the new coronavirus struck, leaving Ankara scrambling to contain the damage with stimulus measures worth…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Sisi Tells Authorities to Boost Egypt’s Strategic Food Reserves

Sisi Tells Authorities to Boost Egypt’s Strategic Food Reserves

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has told the relevant authorities to boost strategic reserves of staple goods, a presidency spokesman said on Monday,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Expo 2020 Dubai Organizers Recommend One-Year Postponement

Expo 2020 Dubai Organizers Recommend One-Year Postponement

Organizers of Expo 2020, a multi-billion-dollar world trade fair originally scheduled to open in Dubai in October, on Monday recommended a one-year…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SAMA Reveals Measures to Face Virus Consequences

SAMA Reveals Measures to Face Virus Consequences

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) has revealed a package of precautionary measures taken in the banking sector. SAMA, the Kingdom’s Central Bank,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)