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 Saudi Arabia’s Tajeer Rental System Includes over 300,000 Vehicles

Saudi Arabia’s Tajeer Rental System Includes over 300,000 Vehicles

The Saudi government launched Tajeer, an official car rental platform that reflects the Kingdom's success in employing technical innovations and transformation…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Aramco to Raise Crude Supply to 12.3 Mln bpd in April

Saudi Aramco to Raise Crude Supply to 12.3 Mln bpd in April

Saudi Aramco will raise its crude supply, which includes oil to its customers inside the Kingdom and abroad, to 12.3 million barrels per day (bpd) in April,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Authorities Ensure Availability of Goods in Temporarily Locked down Province

Saudi Authorities Ensure Availability of Goods in Temporarily Locked down Province

Markets and shops in the al-Qatif province remain open and supplies of food and goods are adequately available despite the temporary lockdown imposed by the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Qatif)
Business Finance Minister: Lebanon Will Resort to Disorderly Default If Creditors Refuse to Negotiate

Finance Minister: Lebanon Will Resort to Disorderly Default If Creditors Refuse to Negotiate

Lebanon will resort to a disorderly default if creditors are unprepared to negotiate, broadcaster LBC quoted Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni as saying on Monday…

Business Saudi Bourse Leads Gulf Rally as Oil Prices Recover

Saudi Bourse Leads Gulf Rally as Oil Prices Recover

Stock markets in the Gulf states made a strong rebound in opening trade Tuesday, led by the Saudi bourse which jumped 5.6 percent, as oil prices bounced after…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Turkey’s Economy Suffers Under Coronavirus

Turkey’s Economy Suffers Under Coronavirus

Credit rating agency Moody's has downgraded its forecast for the growth of the Turkish economy in 2020 to 2.5 percent instead of three percent. It said this…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Economy Minister: Lebanon Awaits Creditors' Decision on Whether to Cooperate, Sue It

Economy Minister: Lebanon Awaits Creditors' Decision on Whether to Cooperate, Sue It

Lebanon announced on Saturday that it could not meet its debt obligations and suspended repayment of a $1.2 billion Eurobond that matures on Monday, saying…

Business Saudi ACWA Power, Uzbekistan Ministry Sign Deals Worth $2.5B

Saudi ACWA Power, Uzbekistan Ministry Sign Deals Worth $2.5B

ACWA Power has revealed signing deals with the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan to amplify power generation and develop technical expertise. The three…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Gulf Stocks Down Sharply

Gulf Stocks Down Sharply

Gulf stock markets tumbled on Monday over fears about the widening coronavirus outbreak's effect on the global economy and following the loss of oil prices…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia to Hike Oil Output Above 10 Million bpd

Saudi Arabia to Hike Oil Output Above 10 Million bpd

Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, plans to raise its crude oil production significantly above 10 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, after the…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Tunisia Cuts 2020 Growth Forecast, Seeks New IMF Deal

Tunisia Cuts 2020 Growth Forecast, Seeks New IMF Deal

Tunisia will seek a new loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), its prime minister said on Sunday, after slashing the country's economic growth…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon Debt Talks Won't Last More than 9 Months if Well-Intentioned, Says Minister

Lebanon Debt Talks Won't Last More than 9 Months if Well-Intentioned, Says Minister

Negotiations to restructure Lebanon's foreign currency debt should not last more than nine months if well-intentioned, the economy minister told a local…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business AlUla Royal Commission to Receive Applications for Building Permits Next Sunday

AlUla Royal Commission to Receive Applications for Building Permits Next Sunday

Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU) has revealed details for Phase 1 of the AlUla South urban development program, with applications for building…

Asharq Al Awsat (AlUla)
Business Lebanon's Banks Ready to Talk on Sovereign Debt Overhaul

Lebanon's Banks Ready to Talk on Sovereign Debt Overhaul

Lebanon’s banks are ready to talk with the country’s foreign creditors as the government seeks to restructure its debt, a source familiar with the matter said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon Bondholders Stepping up Efforts to Form Creditor Group

Lebanon Bondholders Stepping up Efforts to Form Creditor Group

A set of Lebanon’s bond holders are to step up efforts to form a creditor group in the coming days after the country’s presidency signaled on Saturday it would…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon Set for Debt Default as PM Suspends March Bond Payment

Lebanon Set for Debt Default as PM Suspends March Bond Payment

Lebanon will not pay a $1.2 billion Eurobond due on March 9 as its foreign currency reserves have hit critical levels and are needed to meet the basic needs of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business G20 Finance Leaders Pledge 'Appropriate' Actions in Virus Response

G20 Finance Leaders Pledge 'Appropriate' Actions in Virus Response

G20 finance ministers and central bank governors on Friday pledged to take "appropriate" fiscal and monetary measures in responding to the coronavirus outbreak…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanese Central Bank Demands Foreign Exchange Dealers Not to Exceed Official Forex Rate

Lebanese Central Bank Demands Foreign Exchange Dealers Not to Exceed Official Forex Rate

The Lebanese central bank called on foreign exchange dealers on Friday not to buy foreign currencies at prices more than 30% beyond the rates set by the…

Business Russian Stance Thwarts OPEC’s Efforts to Protect Oil Market

Russian Stance Thwarts OPEC’s Efforts to Protect Oil Market

Oil prices tanked over 8% on Friday and hit their lowest since mid-2017 after Russia balked at OPEC's proposed steep production cuts to stabilize prices. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)
Business NEOM’s Upcoming Conference to Discuss Mobility Solutions

NEOM’s Upcoming Conference to Discuss Mobility Solutions

NEOM, the new global destination in northwestern Saudi Arabia, announced the holding of the first version of the NEOM Mobility 2020 conference on March 11-13,…

Asharq Al Awsat (NEOM)
Business Nine Economic Activities to Be Saudized by 70%

Nine Economic Activities to Be Saudized by 70%

The Saudi Ministry of Labor and Social Development has issued a ministerial order to “Saudize” wholesale and retail operations in nine economic activities by…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Samba Signs Deal on Funding Solutions to Financial System Affiliates

Samba Signs Deal on Funding Solutions to Financial System Affiliates

Samba Financial Group has signed the Maziah Program agreement, in which Samba provides funding solutions and banking products to persons affiliated with…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Demand for Raw Material Slips in Tunisia

Demand for Raw Material Slips in Tunisia

The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) has reported a fall in domestic demand for raw material and semi-manufactured goods in Tunisia, in a record-rate during the…

Al Mongi Al Saidani (Tunis)
Business Bahrain Central Bank Calls on Banks to Ease Debt Terms, Fees

Bahrain Central Bank Calls on Banks to Ease Debt Terms, Fees

Bahrain’s central bank on Thursday urged banks and financing companies to consider re-scheduling or granting deferrals on credit installments in light of the…