Business

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Business Officials from the General Organization for Social Insurance at an earlier meeting with businessmen and businesswomen at the Riyadh Chamber (SPA)

Saudi Arabia Offers 100% Social Insurance Debt Waiver to Businesses That Have Exited Market

Saudi Arabia's General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI) has made businesses that have ceased operations and exited the Saudi market eligible for a 100%…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A general view shows Ras Tanura's oil production plant near Dammam in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province (AFP)

From Aramco's Profits to State Budget Revenue: How Do Oil Proceeds Reach Government Coffers?

Saudi Aramco's financial results and Saudi Arabia's third-quarter budget performance report, released on the same day, revealed a divergence between the…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)
Business Representation of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration taken September 10, 2025. (Reuters)

Crypto Dips on Democrat Midterm Wins, Binance Hack Dents Optimism

Cryptocurrencies briefly dipped on Wednesday as Democrats won majorities in both the Senate and House in the US midterm elections, a potential blow to an…

Business A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images file)

Saudi Non-Oil Sector Expands for Seventh Straight Month

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector continued to expand in October, with business activity and output growth accelerating despite a decline in the Riyad Bank…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business  A general view of Riyadh city during the early hour of evening at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Growth in Non-Oil Revenue Bolsters Saudi Budget Resilience

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil revenue surpassed oil revenue in the third quarter of 2026 for the first time since 2020, highlighting progress in diversifying…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)

Business  People stand looking across the river at the skyline in the coastal city of Rabat on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

Morocco’s Inflation Rises to 0.9% in March

Morocco's annual inflation, measured by the consumer price index, rose to 0.9% in March from -0.6% a month earlier, the statistics agency said on Wednesday. …

Business Aerial view of the One Contribution container ship sailing under the Tokio flag as it enters the Panama Canal in Panama City on April 21, 2026. (EPA)

Strait of Hormuz Blockade Drives up Costs at Panama Canal

The war in the Middle East has boosted demand to move vital cargo through the Panama Canal to such an extent that one vessel carrying liquefied natural gas …

Business Vehicles pass a petrol station as they make their way down the A3 during the morning rush hour near Ripley, south-west of London on April 22, 2026. (AFP)

UK Inflation Jumps in March as Middle East War Propels Energy Prices

Britain's annual inflation rate jumped to 3.3 percent in March as the Middle East war sent oil and gas prices surging, official data showed Wednesday. The…

Business The State Bank of Pakistan logo is seen at a reception desk at its headquarters in Karachi (Reuters)

Pakistan Receives Additional $1 Billion from Saudi Arabia Under $3 Billion Package

Pakistan’s central bank said Tuesday it had received $1 billion from Saudi Arabia’s finance ministry as a second tranche of a recently agreed $3 billion…

Asharq Al Awsat (Islamabad)
Business NEOM Port in Saudi Arabia (NEOM)

NEOM Port Reshapes Global Trade Routes from Northern Saudi Arabia

On April 15, Saudi Arabia’s NEOM posted a terse but telling message on X: “Europe- Egypt- NEOM- GCC: your faster route.” Accompanied by a map, the post…

Zeinab Ali (Riyadh)
Business Dr. Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, speaks at the IMF, World Bank spring meetings. (IMF)

Azour to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi Arabia Has Strong Financial Buffers to Confront War Impact

“This is a multidimensional shock.” That is how Dr. Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund,…

Hala Saghbini (Riyadh)
Business  The sun rises behind tankers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP)

Alternative Routes for Middle East Oil and Gas Due to Hormuz Disruption

The US-Israeli war with Iran has disrupted shipping through ‌the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil chokepoint, exposing the Middle East's…

Business US Energy Secretary Chris Wright testifies before a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Strategic Forces Subcommittee hearing on US President Donald Trump’s budget request for the Department of Energy on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, April 21, 2026. (Reuters)

US Official Says Gas Prices Have Peaked Despite Iran War

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Tuesday that gasoline prices appeared to have peaked after a surge linked to the Iran war -- a marked shift in tone a day…

Business Residential units in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Cooler Housing Prices Restore Balance to Saudi Real Estate Market

A cooling in Saudi Arabia’s residential property prices signals a notable shift toward a more balanced and sustainable phase after years of rapid gains,…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business A nana store. (nana)

After Hundreds of Millions in Investments, Saudi Grocery App nana Faces Survival Test

Saudi Arabia’s commercial court has opened a new phase in the trajectory of nana, a grocery delivery app, after approving financial reorganization proceedings…

Abeer Hommadi (Riyadh)
Business Commercial vessels are seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

War in Iran Is Causing Biggest Energy Crisis in History, IEA Says

The ‌conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel is creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the world, the head of the International…

Business  A drone view shows oil tankers at Petrobras distribution terminal operated by Transpetro, a Petrobras subsidiary responsible for oil and gas transportation in Sao Sebastiao, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 20, 2026. (Reuters)

Oil Falls on Expectations US-Iran Talks Likely to Proceed, Opening Supply

Oil prices fell over $1 on Tuesday, reversing gains in the previous session, on expectations peace talks between the US and Iran will take place this week and…

Business A man walks past parked Lufthansa aircraft at the airport as Lufthansa pilots are on a two-day strike, in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP)

Iran War Fuel Hike Adds $100 to Long-Haul Flight Cost, Study Says

Disruption to global oil supplies from the Iran war has added more than $100 to the price of long-haul flights from Europe, a cost likely to trigger higher…

Business An image taken with a slow shutter speed showing an Indian woman walking in front of gold ornaments at a jewelry shop on the occasion of the Akshaya Tritiya festivities in Bangalore, India, 20 April 2026. (EPA)

Gold Eases on Firmer Dollar as Investors Await Clarity on US-Iran Talks

Gold prices eased on Tuesday as the dollar firmed, while investors waited to see if the US and Iran are meeting this week for peace talks after renewed…

Business This aerial picture shows cars and trucks loaded with goods waiting to cross over into Syria at the al-Rabia border crossing on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

Iraq Reopens Rabia Border Crossing to Boost Fuel Oil Exports via Syria

Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid…

Business A container ship is seen in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

IFAD to Asharq Al-Awsat: Repercussions of Hormuz Closure Trigger Global Food Security Shock

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said the repercussions of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a global food security…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business A display of gold bars, each weighing 1000 grams, at a gold and silver refinery in Vienna (AFP)

Inflation Woes and Firmer Dollar Drag Gold Lower as US-Iran Tensions Revive

Gold prices fell on Monday owing to a stronger US dollar and renewed inflation fears after another closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 17, 2026. (Reuters)

European Shares Slip as Hopes for US-Iran Peace Fade

European ‌shares declined on Monday, as hopes for peace in the Middle East ebbed with tensions reigniting after Washington seized an Iranian cargo ship…

Business Saudi Central Bank Governor Ayman Alsayari. (International Monetary Fund)

Saudi Central Bank Governor Says National Model Has Shielded Economy from Shocks

Saudi Arabia’s economy has emerged as a model of resilience and crisis readiness, Central Bank Governor Ayman Alsayari said, citing steady progress under the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business A general view of oil tanks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, February 19, 2014. (Reuters)

IEA Proposes Building Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline to Bypass Hormuz

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol proposed building a new oil pipeline linking Iraq’s Basra oil fields and Türkiye’s Mediterranean oil…

Asharq Al Awsat (Istanbul)
Business A person looks at a stock market graph inside the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei, Taiwan, 20 April 2026. (EPA)

Taiwan Business Group Urges Beijing, Taipei to Keep Politics Out of Trade

The head of one of Taiwan's top business groups said on Monday both Beijing and Taipei should leave politics out of resuming normal trade and tourism exchanges…

Business  Tankers and gas carriers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP)

Oil Prices and Stocks Climb as US-Iran Standoff Keeps Strait of Hormuz in Limbo

Oil prices climbed more than 5% while Asian shares also advanced Monday as a standoff between Iran and the US prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz…

Business  Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright testifies during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

Trump Says Energy Chief ‘Wrong,’ Expects Lower Gas Prices as Soon as Iran War Ends

US President Donald Trump ‌on Monday dismissed his top energy official's view that gas prices will not drop until 2027, saying Americans can expect lower costs…

Business  A street food vendor uses a mobile phone while waiting for customers on a street in Hanoi on April 17, 2026. (AFP)

IMF, World Bank Meetings Show Limits in Mitigating Shocks, Reliance on US for Solutions

Global finance leaders, whipsawed by Middle East war news, came to grips this past week with their inability to mitigate the economic damage from increasingly…