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 Morocco: Foreign Debt Reaches $35B

Morocco: Foreign Debt Reaches $35B

The Department of Treasury and External Finance at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Administration Reform in Morocco reported that the public foreign debt…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Business Experts: Egyptian Pound to Continue Strong Performance in 2020

Experts: Egyptian Pound to Continue Strong Performance in 2020

The Egyptian pound is expected to continue its strong performance during 2020, supported by the successful management of Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) in its…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Dozens of Lawsuits Filed Against Banks in Lebanon

Dozens of Lawsuits Filed Against Banks in Lebanon

Judicial sources in Lebanon revealed that dozens of lawsuits were filed by depositors against Lebanese banks on charges of withholding their money. The…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Business Turkey Seeks to Increase Exports to Libya

Turkey Seeks to Increase Exports to Libya

Turkey’s Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association, otherwise known as MÜSİAD, revealed that Ankara is looking to boost Turkish exports to Libya…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Oil Revenues to Constitute 60% of Govt Budget, Says Yemeni Minister

Oil Revenues to Constitute 60% of Govt Budget, Says Yemeni Minister

Yemen’s Oil and Minerals Minister Aws al-Awd has affirmed the government’s attempts to raise its oil production to about 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) in Q1…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business Supportive Economic Reform Initiatives to Achieve Saudi Financial Balance

Supportive Economic Reform Initiatives to Achieve Saudi Financial Balance

Initiatives supporting economic activities are a requirement to achieve a financial balance which Saudi Arabia depends on, according to a study currently…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business PMI: Turkish Factory Activity Contracts Slightly in December

PMI: Turkish Factory Activity Contracts Slightly in December

Turkish manufacturing activity contracted slightly for a third straight month in December, although output rose for a second month and factories expanded their…

Business Saudi Market Witnesses 7% Boom in 2019

Saudi Market Witnesses 7% Boom in 2019

The Saudi stock exchange total gains in 2019 amounted to 7 percent, especially with the Aramco IPO and traders rushing to buy its shares. The Saudi stock…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business German Trade with Iran Continues to Shrink due to US Sanctions

German Trade with Iran Continues to Shrink due to US Sanctions

German trade with Iran has continued to shrink with Iran due to the crushing economic sanctions imposed by the United States against Tehran. The Federal…

Business Saudi Arabia’s Non-Oil Private Sector Leads Growth in Q3 2019

Saudi Arabia’s Non-Oil Private Sector Leads Growth in Q3 2019

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector’s GDP rose 4.3 percent during the third quarter of 2019, confirming the success of the Kingdom's policy of pushing…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Oman 2020 Budget Projects Modest Rise in Spending, Deficit at 8% of GDP

Oman 2020 Budget Projects Modest Rise in Spending, Deficit at 8% of GDP

Oman’s government expects to increase spending this year by 2% to 13.2 billion rials ($34.38 billion), but its fiscal deficit will remain high at 8% of gross…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Aviation Association, BAE Systems Sign MoU

Saudi Aviation Association, BAE Systems Sign MoU

The Saudi Aviation Association signed on Tuesday a memorandum of understanding with BAE Systems Saudi Development and Training. The MoU seeks cooperation to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia’s Tarsheed Raises Energy Efficiency in 126 Public Schools

Saudi Arabia’s Tarsheed Raises Energy Efficiency in 126 Public Schools

Saudi Arabia’s National Program for Conservation and Energy Efficiency (Tarsheed) completed last week the rehabilitation of the first three batches of its…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Israel's Leviathan Field Begins Pumping Gas

Israel's Leviathan Field Begins Pumping Gas

Israel's offshore Leviathan field started pumping gas on Tuesday in what the operating consortium called "a historic turning point in the history of the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Discusses Solutions to Overcome Global Economy Crises

Saudi Arabia Discusses Solutions to Overcome Global Economy Crises

Saudi Arabia steps into the new year amid a challenge to provide sustainable development solutions to overcome the new century’s crises. This was revealed in…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Exxon Acquires over 1.7 Mln Exploration Acreage Offshore Egypt

Exxon Acquires over 1.7 Mln Exploration Acreage Offshore Egypt

Exxon Mobil Corp said on Monday it had acquired more than 1.7 million acres for exploration offshore Egypt, strengthening its portfolio in the eastern…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business China Seeks to Invest in Tunisia's Phosphate Residues

China Seeks to Invest in Tunisia's Phosphate Residues

Tunisia's state-owned phosphates producer Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa (CPG) has declared a state of alert after an announcement by the government on…

Al Mongi Al Saidani (Tunis)
Business  Chevron, Shell, Mubadala Win Bid for Oil, Gas Exploration in Red Sea

Chevron, Shell, Mubadala Win Bid for Oil, Gas Exploration in Red Sea

Three global companies have won Egypt’s first international bid to explore oil and gas in the Red Sea. Egypt said on Sunday it awarded oil and gas…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Bank Controls Exacerbate Crisis for Lebanese Students Abroad

Bank Controls Exacerbate Crisis for Lebanese Students Abroad

Susan, a fifty-year-old single mom with two children studying abroad, one in Paris and another in London, spends hours at the bank at least two days a week…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Business Oil Price Rise Muted in 2019 Despite Sanctions, Supply Cuts

Oil Price Rise Muted in 2019 Despite Sanctions, Supply Cuts

Oil prices rose more than 20% this year but there were no sharp spikes and crude futures barely sniffed $70 a barrel despite attacks on the world’s biggest oil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Sudan Passes 2020 Budget with Anticipated Deficit of $1.62 Billion

Sudan Passes 2020 Budget with Anticipated Deficit of $1.62 Billion

Sudan has passed its 2020 budget that includes an overall deficit of about 73 billion Sudanese pounds ($1.62 billion), Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Dubai Unveils 2020 Budget, Projects Record Spending

Dubai Unveils 2020 Budget, Projects Record Spending

Dubai unveiled a 2020 budget on Sunday, projecting record spending of $18.1 billion, up 17 percent on this year. The Gulf city state expects revenues too to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Competition Watchdog Approves Uber Acquisition of Careem with Conditions

Egypt Competition Watchdog Approves Uber Acquisition of Careem with Conditions

Egyptian regulators have approved Uber's $3.1 billion acquisition of regional rival Careem after agreeing to a set of commitments proposed by the US-based ride…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Sudan to Postpone Lifting of Fuel Subsidies, Says Minister

Sudan to Postpone Lifting of Fuel Subsidies, Says Minister

Sudan’s transitional government is to postpone lifting fuel subsidies, initially planned as part of the 2020 budget, the information minister said on Saturday…

Asharq Al Awsat