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 Gulf Shares Make Comeback After Coronavirus Fears

Gulf Shares Make Comeback After Coronavirus Fears

Stock markets in the energy-rich Gulf states bounced back Monday, following losses in the previous session driven by fears over the impact of the coronavirus…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Diaspora Has Big Role as Somalia Rebuilds Economy, Global Ties, Says Minister

Diaspora Has Big Role as Somalia Rebuilds Economy, Global Ties, Says Minister

Somalia’s 2-million strong diaspora has a huge role to play as the Horn of Africa country rebuilds its economy and resets ties with major international…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Aramco-SABIC Deal Receives Clearance From the European Commission

Aramco-SABIC Deal Receives Clearance From the European Commission

Saudi Aramco said on Sunday that its proposed acquisition of a 70% majority stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) from the Public Investment Fund…

Business Saudi Arabia to Implement Industrial Cities Project

Saudi Arabia to Implement Industrial Cities Project

Saudi Arabia has recently decided to implement the industrial cities project in the Kingdom. This step is aimed at accelerating the pace of benefiting from…

Asharq Al Awsat (Madinah)
Business Saudi Companies Enter Countdown to Disclose Financial Results

Saudi Companies Enter Countdown to Disclose Financial Results

Saudi firms have started the countdown to announce their financial results for the final quarter of 2019. Traders of the Saudi stock exchange are…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Gulf Bourses Down as Coronavirus Spreads

Gulf Bourses Down as Coronavirus Spreads

Stock markets in the Gulf slumped on Sunday on fears the spreading coronavirus outbreak could hurt the global economy and oil prices. Kuwait’s bourse, which…

Business Egypt Issues New Rules on Buying Treasury Stocks

Egypt Issues New Rules on Buying Treasury Stocks

gypt introduced exceptional measures on Sunday to make it easier for listed companies to buy treasury stocks, a move aimed at supporting the stock market…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business SIDF Stimulates Small Businesses, Entrepreneurships

SIDF Stimulates Small Businesses, Entrepreneurships

The Saudi Industrial and Development Fund (SIDF) has been seeking to stimulate small and medium enterprises by financing projects in the manufacturing sector…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Lebanon: Experts Call for Selling Part of Gold Reserves to Restructure Economy

Lebanon: Experts Call for Selling Part of Gold Reserves to Restructure Economy

With the deterioration of economic conditions to unprecedented levels, Lebanese officials are looking into the possibility to rescheduling the public debt and…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Business Aramco Secures Unconditional EU Okay for SABIC Deal

Aramco Secures Unconditional EU Okay for SABIC Deal

Saudi Aramco has gained unconditional EU antitrust approval for its $69 billion bid for a 70 percent stake in petrochemicals group Saudi Basic Industries Corp …

Asharq Al Awsat (Brussels)
Business OPEC Leaning Towards Larger Oil Cuts

OPEC Leaning Towards Larger Oil Cuts

Several key OPEC members are leaning towards a bigger than previously expected oil output cut, four sources with knowledge of the talks said, as oil prices…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Lebanon to Take Decision on Eurobonds Next Week

Lebanon to Take Decision on Eurobonds Next Week

Lebanon will take a decision on its Eurobonds — including one maturing on March 9 — in the coming week, information minister Manal Abdel Samad Najd said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Grants, Loans to Over 1000 Projects in 85 Countries

Saudi Grants, Loans to Over 1000 Projects in 85 Countries

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) revealed that the kingdom has provided official development assistance (ODA) for over 1000 projects in 85 countries…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business KSA: Group of Investors Briefed on 100 Privatization Opportunities

KSA: Group of Investors Briefed on 100 Privatization Opportunities

Saudi Arabia has hosted a huge banking and investment group in Riyadh, including 67 banks and financial companies that were briefed on up to 100 potential…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Oil Prices Plunge, Russia Confirms it Will Continue to Cooperate with Saudi Arabia

Oil Prices Plunge, Russia Confirms it Will Continue to Cooperate with Saudi Arabia

Russia is "very satisfied" with its cooperation with Saudi Arabia and wants to continue such collaboration within the alliance between OPEC and non-OPEC oil…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow)
Business Lebanon Begins 'Historic' Offshore Oil Drilling Amid Crisis

Lebanon Begins 'Historic' Offshore Oil Drilling Amid Crisis

Lebanon's president Thursday inaugurated the Mediterranean country's first offshore exploratory drilling for oil and gas, calling it a "historic day" for the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Lebanon to Ask for 7-Day Grace Period for Eurobond

Lebanon to Ask for 7-Day Grace Period for Eurobond

Lebanon intends to ask for a seven-day grace period for a $1.2 billion Eurobond that matures on March 9, as it is entitled to, in order to give financial…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Apache Corp, Pharos Energy Among Bidders for Shell's Egypt Onshore Assets

Apache Corp, Pharos Energy Among Bidders for Shell's Egypt Onshore Assets

Royal Dutch Shell’s onshore Egyptian oil and gas assets have drawn interest from American, Egyptian, Asian and Middle East bidders, two sources familiar with…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai) Asharq Al Awsat (London )
Business Lebanon Pays $71 Mln in Eurobond Interest

Lebanon Pays $71 Mln in Eurobond Interest

Lebanon on Wednesday paid $71 million in coupons due on Eurobonds maturing in 2025 and 2030, a source familiar with the matter said according to Reuters, a day…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon to Begin Offshore Energy Drilling on Thursday

Lebanon to Begin Offshore Energy Drilling on Thursday

Lebanon’s much-delayed search for offshore oil and gas is set to begin on Thursday with the results from its first exploratory well expected in the next two…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business SAMA to Introduce Independent Instant Payment System in Saudi Arabia

SAMA to Introduce Independent Instant Payment System in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) has revealed a project to introduce an instant payment system in the Kingdom. It announced licensing two digital…

Mohammed Al-Ayed (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia: SAGIA to Become an Independent Ministry

Saudi Arabia: SAGIA to Become an Independent Ministry

Transforming the Saudi General Investment Authority (SAGIA) into an independent ministry represents a fundamental shift in the national economy. Such a…

Obeid Al-Suhaimi (Dammam)
Business 72 Projects in 10 Years to Expand Saudi Entertainment Sector

72 Projects in 10 Years to Expand Saudi Entertainment Sector

Saudi Arabia is expected to witness the development of about 72 entertainment projects aimed at improving the quality of life which will support the GDP with…

Saleh al-Zaid (Riyadh)
Business Drillship off Lebanon to Start Oil and Gas Exploration

Drillship off Lebanon to Start Oil and Gas Exploration

A drillship anchored off Lebanon Tuesday to explore for oil and gas, an energy firm and the government said, raising hopes for a future boost to the country's…

Asharq Al Awsat