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 Lebanon Will Probably Restructure Debt, Foreigners Will Be Paid, Says Senior Banker

Lebanon Will Probably Restructure Debt, Foreigners Will Be Paid, Says Senior Banker

Lebanon's sovereign debt is probably going to be restructured in a way that hurts neither the economy nor depositors, and foreign holders will be repaid, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Government Supports Nationalization of Workforce in Private Sector

Saudi Government Supports Nationalization of Workforce in Private Sector

Saudi Arabia has pushed for the implementation process of the nationalization policy of workforce in its private sector. This came as part of its campaign…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Aramco’s IPO Pushed to Record $29.4 billion

Aramco’s IPO Pushed to Record $29.4 billion

Saudi Arabian oil giant Aramco announced Sunday that its initial public offering raised a record $29.4 billion, a figure higher than previously stated after…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Abdulaziz bin Salman: Saudi Arabia Wants Sustainable Oil Prices

Abdulaziz bin Salman: Saudi Arabia Wants Sustainable Oil Prices

Saudi Arabia will work for oil market stability at a time of heightened tension in the region and wants to see sustainable prices, Energy Minister Prince…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business 23% of Wealth Management Clients in Middle East Are Looking to Move Assets

23% of Wealth Management Clients in Middle East Are Looking to Move Assets

A global survey prepared by Ernst & Young (EY) said 23% of wealth management clients in the Middle East are planning to move assets in the next three years,…

Motleq Mounir (London)
Business World Bank Cuts Forecast for Tunisia's Economic Growth to 2.2% in 2020

World Bank Cuts Forecast for Tunisia's Economic Growth to 2.2% in 2020

Tunisia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will reach 2.2 percent in 2020, according to new World Bank (WB) forecasts. These rates will be achieved…

Al Mongi Al Saidani (Tunis)
Business S. Korea's Exports to Iran Drop 90%

S. Korea's Exports to Iran Drop 90%

South Korea's exports to Iran dropped nearly 90 percent from a year earlier in the first 11 months of last year, data showed Sunday. In the January-November…

Asharq Al Awsat (Seoul)
Business Saudi Arabia to Host First Multidisciplinary Global Oil, Gas Conference

Saudi Arabia to Host First Multidisciplinary Global Oil, Gas Conference

Preparations are underway in Saudi Arabia to organize the first ever global conference aimed at discussing the multiplicity of specialties, technologies and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Plan Unveiled to Increase Local Content in Saudi Renewable Energy Industry Chains

Plan Unveiled to Increase Local Content in Saudi Renewable Energy Industry Chains

The King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) revealed on Saturday a plan to increase local content in the renewable energy industry chains…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Lebanon Central Bank Seeks Extra Powers, Wants Controls Standardized

Lebanon Central Bank Seeks Extra Powers, Wants Controls Standardized

Lebanon's central bank is seeking extra powers to regulate and standardize controls which commercial banks are imposing on depositors, the governor said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business UAE Energy Minister Expects Improved Demand for Oil in 2020

UAE Energy Minister Expects Improved Demand for Oil in 2020

UAE Minister of Energy and Industry Suhail Al Mazrouei expected demand for oil to increase in 2020, as the global economy is recovering due to ease in trade…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business IEA: World Economy Cannot Afford Oil Prices at $100 Per Barrel

IEA: World Economy Cannot Afford Oil Prices at $100 Per Barrel

The world economy cannot afford an oil barrel price hitting $100, said the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA). IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Gulf Stocks Extend Gains as US-Iran Tension Ease

Gulf Stocks Extend Gains as US-Iran Tension Ease

All major Gulf stock markets opened higher on Sunday, extending their gains from the previous session, amid relief at no further escalation in tensions between…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Calls For Boosting Joint Public, Private Efforts in Development Projects

Egypt Calls For Boosting Joint Public, Private Efforts in Development Projects

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the state's development projects need concerted efforts between the government and the private sector at the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Lebanon: Legal Confusion over Central Bank Governor’s Comments

Lebanon: Legal Confusion over Central Bank Governor’s Comments

Comments made by Lebanon’s central bank governor Riad Salameh have created a legal confusion in Lebanon after he said that banks were not compelled to give…

Hanan Hamdan (Beirut)
Business Sudan Opens up Gold Market in Bid to Raise Revenue

Sudan Opens up Gold Market in Bid to Raise Revenue

Sudan started allowing private traders to export gold, a measure designed to crack down on smuggling and attract foreign currency into the country’s cash…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Business Saudi Arabia to Launch 4 New Solar Projects within Renewable Energy Program

Saudi Arabia to Launch 4 New Solar Projects within Renewable Energy Program

Saudi Arabia is about to launch four giant projects to produce solar photovoltaic systems within a national renewable energy program. The Kingdom’s Energy…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Egypt Intensifies Efforts to Improve Slum Areas

Egypt Intensifies Efforts to Improve Slum Areas

The Egyptian government is deploying intensive efforts to develop slum areas, which represent a major challenge in the residential and real estate field. …

Waleed Abdul Rahman (Cairo)
Business ACWA Power Enters Azerbaijan, Bolsters Geographic Expansion

ACWA Power Enters Azerbaijan, Bolsters Geographic Expansion

Saudi ACWA Power signed an implementation agreement with the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan for developing, building and operating a 240 MW wind power…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Ghosn Escape Proves Fresh Headache for Nissan

Ghosn Escape Proves Fresh Headache for Nissan

Out of Japan and free to speak to the media, a fugitive Carlos Ghosn is proving a fresh headache for his old firm Nissan as it struggles to rebuild its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Damascus Estimates Syrian Deposits in Lebanese Banks Worth $45 Billion

Damascus Estimates Syrian Deposits in Lebanese Banks Worth $45 Billion

Damascus estimated on Thursday that Syrian deposits in Lebanese banks are worth around $45 billion, equivalent to a quarter of the entire deposits in Lebanon…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Business UAE Unveils Large Mosaic Made from Recycled Materials

UAE Unveils Large Mosaic Made from Recycled Materials

Masdar City has announced that it broke the Guinness World Record for the world's largest mosaic made from recycled materials. The mosaic, which measures 1…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Central Bank Governor: Lebanon Banks Won’t Go Bankrupt, but Foreign Support Needed

Central Bank Governor: Lebanon Banks Won’t Go Bankrupt, but Foreign Support Needed

Lebanon’s banks will not go bankrupt and deposits are secure but the country needs foreign support to pull itself from crisis, central bank Governor Riad…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Launches Electronic Signature Service

Saudi Arabia Launches Electronic Signature Service

The electronic signature service has been launched for banks in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)