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 Approves Bank of China License to Open in Kingdom

Saudi Arabia Approves Bank of China License to Open in Kingdom

The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday approved the granting of a license to Bank of China to operate in the Kingdom and authorized the finance minister to decide on any…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Oil, Gold Prices Spike After Iranian Attacks on US Bases in Iraq

Oil, Gold Prices Spike After Iranian Attacks on US Bases in Iraq

Oil prices steadied 1% higher on Wednesday, well below peaks hit in frenzied trading earlier in the day after a rocket attack by Iran on US forces in Iraq. …

Business Mount Lebanon Traders Call For Saving Sector From Collapse

Mount Lebanon Traders Call For Saving Sector From Collapse

The president of Mount Lebanon Trade Association, Nassib Gemayel, launched an urgent appeal to save the commercial sector from a possible collapse, warning…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Morocco to Spend $12 Bn to Secure Water Supply over Next Seven Years

Morocco to Spend $12 Bn to Secure Water Supply over Next Seven Years

Morocco will spend 115 billion dirhams ($12 billion) on water supply between 2020 and 2027 to meet increasing demand, the state news agency reported on Tuesday…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business France, EU Ready to Retaliate to US Threat of New Tariffs

France, EU Ready to Retaliate to US Threat of New Tariffs

France has warned it will retaliate with the full backing of the European Union if the United States imposes tariffs on up to $2.4 billion worth of French…

Asharq Al Awsat (Paris)
Business Saudi Business Sector Promised With Attractive Investment Opportunities in Cyprus

Saudi Business Sector Promised With Attractive Investment Opportunities in Cyprus

The Saudi business sector focuses on bolstering partnership opportunities and trade and investment cooperation with Cyprus. A Cypriot diplomat stressed the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Morocco Expects Quarterly Growth of 3.3%

Morocco Expects Quarterly Growth of 3.3%

Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) expects economic growth to amount to 3.3 percent in Q1 2020, exceeding the 2.5 percent growth during the same…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business Saudi Business Sector Promised With Attractive Investment Opportunities in Cyprus

Saudi Business Sector Promised With Attractive Investment Opportunities in Cyprus

The Saudi business sector focuses on bolstering partnership opportunities and trade and investment cooperation with Cyprus. A Cypriot diplomat stressed the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Egypt Prepares to Receive High-Level WB Delegation

Egypt Prepares to Receive High-Level WB Delegation

The Ministry of International Cooperation has started making preparations for a visit of a high-level delegation comprising executive directors of the World…

Business UAE Cabinet Approves 5-Year Multi-Entry Tourist Visa

UAE Cabinet Approves 5-Year Multi-Entry Tourist Visa

The United Arab Emirates cabinet approved on Monday the issuance of a five-year multi-entry tourist visa for all nationalities visiting the country, reported…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Somalian Parliament Approves New Petroleum Law

Somalian Parliament Approves New Petroleum Law

The upper house of Somalia’s parliament on Monday approved a new petroleum law, which aims to provide a regulatory framework that will help to attract…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt: Slight Increase in Transformative, Extractive Industries

Egypt: Slight Increase in Transformative, Extractive Industries

Egypt’s industrial production index for transformative and extractive industries slightly increased during October, according to the Central Agency for Public…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business SAMA to License Electronic Cash, Payment Companies

SAMA to License Electronic Cash, Payment Companies

Saudi financial authorities are considering a proposal for licensing electronic cash companies, within the framework of its regulation of payment services in…

Mohammed al-Hamidi (Riyadh)
Business Oil Surges Again after Trump Threatens Iraq Sanctions, Iran Retaliation

Oil Surges Again after Trump Threatens Iraq Sanctions, Iran Retaliation

Oil prices shot more than 2% higher on Monday, with Brent rising above $70 a barrel, after US President Donald Trump issued a threat to impose sanctions on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Siemens, Tarshid Reduce 4,300 Tons of CO2 Emissions in Saudi Arabia

Siemens, Tarshid Reduce 4,300 Tons of CO2 Emissions in Saudi Arabia

Tarshid, the National Energy Services Company, and Siemens Saudi Arabia have signed a smart energy agreement to reduce 4,300 tons of CO2 emissions and support…

Business Egypt Increases Suez Canal Toll 5%

Egypt Increases Suez Canal Toll 5%

Egypt announced a five percent increase on Suez Canal transit tolls for dry bulk vessels and LPG carriers, compared to rates applied during 2019, taking effect…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Tunisia to Invest $130 Million in Air Transport

Tunisia to Invest $130 Million in Air Transport

Tunisian authorities are planning on announcing TND367 million ($131 million) worth of investments to expand three airports in the country. Carthage…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Uber Completes Acquisition of Careem

Uber Completes Acquisition of Careem

Uber has completed the acquisition of Careem, the San Francisco-headquartered company has announced, saying Careem became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Uber,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Former Minister: Lebanon's Crisis Needs $20B -$25B Bailout

Former Minister: Lebanon's Crisis Needs $20B -$25B Bailout

Lebanon needs a $20 billion-$25 billion bailout including International Monetary Fund support to emerge from its financial crisis, former economy minister…

Business Morocco Allows Individuals to Open Hard-Currency Accounts

Morocco Allows Individuals to Open Hard-Currency Accounts

Moroccans who receive income from foreign sources are now allowed to open a hard-currency account or a convertible dirham account. Earlier, the income had to…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business Trade Ministry: Turkish Trade Deficit Narrows to $31.13 B in 2019

Trade Ministry: Turkish Trade Deficit Narrows to $31.13 B in 2019

Turkey’s annual trade deficit almost halved in 2019, decreasing 43.54% to $31.13 billion according to the special trade system, data from the trade ministry…

Business Lebanon Bank Employees Threaten to Go on Strike, Ask for Security Protection

Lebanon Bank Employees Threaten to Go on Strike, Ask for Security Protection

Bank employees in Lebanon threatened to go on strike, rejecting what they described as organized attacks by people who claimed to be representing anti…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Oil Prices Surge After US Strike Kills Iranian General

Oil Prices Surge After US Strike Kills Iranian General

Oil prices soared more than four percent Friday following news that the US had killed a top Iranian general, fanning fresh fears of a conflict in the crude…

Business Saudi Arabia Bans Insurance and Re-Insurance Activities within the Same Firm

Saudi Arabia Bans Insurance and Re-Insurance Activities within the Same Firm

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) has prohibited combining insurance and reinsurance brokerage activities in the same company, effective immediately, it…

Asharq Al Awsat