Business

Oil Falls as Trump Says New Iran Attacks ‘Unlikely’

Business A worker walks past oil pipes at a refinery in Wuhan, Hubei province March 23, 2012. (Reuters)

Oil Falls as Trump Says New Iran Attacks ‘Unlikely’

Oil prices fell at Monday's open after US President Donald Trump said he was highly unlikely to order new Iran attacks while talks to end the conflict make…

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 Dubai Expects 3.2% Growth in 2020

Dubai Expects 3.2% Growth in 2020

Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED) expects the real GDP growth to reach 2.1 percent this year, 3.2 percent in 2020, and 3 percent in 2021. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Aramco IPO to Help Saudi Economic Shift from Oil, Says Finance Minister

Aramco IPO to Help Saudi Economic Shift from Oil, Says Finance Minister

Saudi Aramco's listing will boost the Kingdom's efforts to diversify from oil as the bulk of proceeds will be injected in domestic projects, while the global…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Aramco Begins Trading after World's Biggest IPO

Saudi Aramco Begins Trading after World's Biggest IPO

Saudi Aramco began trading for the first time on Wednesday, gaining 10% in the first moments on the market and pushing its worth to $1.88 trillion, making it…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Central Bank Geared Up for Any Aramco-Related Liquidity Squeeze

Saudi Central Bank Geared Up for Any Aramco-Related Liquidity Squeeze

Saudi Arabia’s central bank is ready for any liquidity squeeze from Saudi Aramco’s initial public offering (IPO) and is closely monitoring local banks, its…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Damascus Allows Establishment of Two Oil Refineries

Damascus Allows Establishment of Two Oil Refineries

The Syrian Parliament has approved two bills to establish two private companies operating in the field of oil refineries. A company affiliated with “Katerji…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Paris Meeting Expected to Hold Aid Pledges Until After Govt Formation- Hariri's Adviser

Paris Meeting Expected to Hold Aid Pledges Until After Govt Formation- Hariri's Adviser

An international conference on Wednesday will probably signal a readiness to provide support for Lebanon once a new government is formed that commits to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business Challenges Facing Saudi Financial Prospects in 2020

Challenges Facing Saudi Financial Prospects in 2020

Saudi Arabia’s Finance Ministry, in a report, revealed that three economic and financial challenges face the Kingdom's economy in 2020. The most important…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Finance Minister: Saudi 2020 Budget Focuses on Spending Efficiency, Privatization

Finance Minister: Saudi 2020 Budget Focuses on Spending Efficiency, Privatization

Saudi Arabia announced a 1.02 trillion riyal ($272bn) budget for 2020 with revenues forecast at 833 billion riyals ($222.1bn). The Kingdom’s finance…

Saleh al-Zaid (Riyadh)
Business Lebanon Impasse Deepens as Financial Strains Grow

Lebanon Impasse Deepens as Financial Strains Grow

Lebanon’s political impasse has deepened after a tentative deal on a new prime minister unraveled, leaving the country rudderless as it grapples with the worst…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Backs Investment in Wireless Sensors to Forecast Floods, Weather Conditions, Natural Disasters

Saudi Arabia Backs Investment in Wireless Sensors to Forecast Floods, Weather Conditions, Natural Disasters

Two Saudi investment funds have revealed financing a promising wireless environmental sensor project. This step comes in line with the Kingdom’s attempt to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Thol)
Business Marc Antoine d’Halluin Named New MBC Group CEO

Marc Antoine d’Halluin Named New MBC Group CEO

MBC Group said on Monday it has appointed Marc Antoine d’Halluin as chief executive, replacing Sam Barnett who left in October after 17 years with the Middle…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Morocco’s Bank Profits Exceeded $1.1 Bn by End of September

Morocco’s Bank Profits Exceeded $1.1 Bn by End of September

The profits of eight main Moroccan banks reached $1.1 billion at the end of September, a 0.96 percent increase compared to the same period last year, while the…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business Egypt's Fuel Subsidy Bill Drops by 69%

Egypt's Fuel Subsidy Bill Drops by 69%

Egypt's spending on fuel subsidies dropped by about 69 percent year on year to 7.25 billion Egyptian pounds ($451 million) in July-September, Petroleum…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Saudi Arabia Removes Requirement by Restaurants for Singles, Families Entrance

Saudi Arabia Removes Requirement by Restaurants for Singles, Families Entrance

The Ministry of Municipalities and Rural Affairs announced on Sunday a decision to end requirements of segregation in restaurants in a statement published by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Rises up in Ranks of UN e-Commerce Index

Saudi Arabia Rises up in Ranks of UN e-Commerce Index

Saudi Arabia has risen up the ranks of the United Nations e-commerce index, reflecting the Kingdom’s achievements in promoting internet use. In a report by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Tourism Industry Continues its Revival

Egypt Tourism Industry Continues its Revival

Egypt has started to gradually regain its position among the major tourist countries in the world as its tourism sector is expected to recover strongly during…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Kuwait: Non-oil Exports Dropped 0.9% in November

Kuwait: Non-oil Exports Dropped 0.9% in November

Kuwait's non-oil exports fell 0.9 percent in November from a year earlier, said the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Saturday, citing an increase in the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Saudi Energy Minister: OPEC+ Would Only Ease Supply Curbs Once Global Inventories Fall

Saudi Energy Minister: OPEC+ Would Only Ease Supply Curbs Once Global Inventories Fall

OPEC and its allies would only ease supply curbs and pump more oil once global crude inventories fall and pricing reflects a tighter market, Saudi Arabia’s…

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)
Business Lebanon’s Hariri Appeals for more Help with Imports

Lebanon’s Hariri Appeals for more Help with Imports

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri wrote to the leaders of Germany, Britain and Spain on Saturday to request help in securing credit for imports,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business OPEC+ Oil Producers Agree on Extra 500,000 bpd Cuts

OPEC+ Oil Producers Agree on Extra 500,000 bpd Cuts

Saudi Arabia and Russia spearheaded a deal on Friday that will see the OPEC+ group of oil producers commit to some of the sector's deepest output cuts in a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)
Business Tunisian Inflation Slows Down

Tunisian Inflation Slows Down

Tunisia’s annual inflation rate fell to 6.3 percent in November from 6.5 percent in October, official data showed on Wednesday. In September the inflation was…

Al Mongi Al Saidani (Tunis)
Business ITFC Provided $50 Billion to Beneficiaries in 12 Years

ITFC Provided $50 Billion to Beneficiaries in 12 Years

The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) announced that the volume of funding for trade provided over the past 12 years amounted to $50…

Aisha Jaafari (Jeddah)
Business Lebanon: Depositors Highly Anxious Due to Banks’ Recent Measures

Lebanon: Depositors Highly Anxious Due to Banks’ Recent Measures

Despite official statements by Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) and the Association of Lebanese Banks, depositors’ anxiety is mounting amid strict measures adopted…

Business OPEC+ to Deepen Oil Output Cuts

OPEC+ to Deepen Oil Output Cuts

A panel of energy ministers representing the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC producers led by Russia recommended a deeper…

Asharq Al Awsat (Vienna)