Business

Gulf Railway Enters Implementation Phase, Targets 2030 Completion

Business Members of the GCC Transport and Communications Ministers Committee pose for an official photo in Manama (GCC). 

Gulf Railway Enters Implementation Phase, Targets 2030 Completion

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries signed an agreement in Manama on Sunday to advance a 2,117-kilometer railway linking all six member states by 2030, as…

Mirza al-Khuweildi (Manama)
Business A gold mine in Saudi Arabia (SPA) 

Saudi Gold Refinery Obtains 10 Gold Exploration Licenses in Tanzania

Saudi Gold Refinery Company (SGR) announced Sunday it has secured 10 licenses to explore gold in the Republic of Tanzania, covering a total area of nearly 1…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
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 Saudi Measures Boost Global Market Confidence in Aramco

Saudi Measures Boost Global Market Confidence in Aramco

Saudi measures taken by the capital, Riyadh, over the recent attacks on Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities have boosted global markets' confidence in Saudi oil…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Salameh Reassures Lebanese: Dollars Available, Customer Demand Met

Salameh Reassures Lebanese: Dollars Available, Customer Demand Met

Lebanese central bank governor Riad Salameh said on Monday that Lebanese banks were meeting customer demand for US dollars which can still be withdrawn from…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business UAE Central Bank Expects 2.4% GDP Growth in 2019

UAE Central Bank Expects 2.4% GDP Growth in 2019

UAE Central Bank expects the national economy to grow 2.4 percent in 2019, driven by faster growth in the non-oil sector compared to 1.7 percent in 2018, the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Turkey Could Lose up to 700,000 Tourists Annually After Thomas Cook Collapse

Turkey Could Lose up to 700,000 Tourists Annually After Thomas Cook Collapse

The head of Turkey's Hoteliers Federation said on Monday the collapse of British tourism agency Thomas Cook means Turkey could see 600,000-700,000 fewer…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egyptian Stocks Plunge, Pound Rises to Highest Levels in 3 Years

Egyptian Stocks Plunge, Pound Rises to Highest Levels in 3 Years

Egypt's stock fell to its lowest level since 2016 on Sunday after a few, but rare, protests on Friday evening, threatening to tarnish the nation’s image as an…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Lebanese Merchants Warn of Unprecedented Deflation

Lebanese Merchants Warn of Unprecedented Deflation

The dozens of banners, announcing 80 and 90 percent discounts, on shop windows in Lebanon’s Zalka region failed to attract any clients, amid an unprecedented…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Business Yemeni Riyal Depreciates Again, Hadi Orders Measures to Prevent Speculation

Yemeni Riyal Depreciates Again, Hadi Orders Measures to Prevent Speculation

The Yemeni riyal exchange rate has once again depreciated, now trading at 602 against the US dollar. Traders said it cost as much as 607 riyals to buy one…

Asma al Ghabri (Jeddah)
Business For Kurdish Iraq's Women Entrepreneurs, Persistence Pays off

For Kurdish Iraq's Women Entrepreneurs, Persistence Pays off

Smiling proudly, Zilan Serwud welcomed hungry customers swarming her newly-opened food truck in Kurdish Iraq. But launching the venture required more than just…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Morocco Exports 4.5% of Electricity Production

Morocco Exports 4.5% of Electricity Production

Morocco has begun to promote its new image as a source of clean energy, by implementing mega projects to exploit wind and solar energy to generate electricity…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business Egypt Ranks Fourth Globally in Travel, Tourism Performance Growth

Egypt Ranks Fourth Globally in Travel, Tourism Performance Growth

Egypt has ranked fourth in growth averages worldwide, according to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 issued in September. Egypt improved…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Somali President Signs Anti-Corruption Law

Somali President Signs Anti-Corruption Law

Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed on Saturday signed an anti-graft bill into law, a long-awaited piece of legislation in one of the world's most…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt Achieving New Boom in Gas Production

Egypt Achieving New Boom in Gas Production

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tareq al-Molla said that the natural gas industry in his country witnessed massive development in the past…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Abdul Mahdi Calls for Integrated Partnership between China, Iraq

Abdul Mahdi Calls for Integrated Partnership between China, Iraq

On the second day of his visit to China with half of his government members and all the governors of Iraq, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi called on major…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Business CBY Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Yemen Donors Must Transfer Funds through Central Bank

CBY Governor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Yemen Donors Must Transfer Funds through Central Bank

The newly appointed Central Bank of Yemen (CBY) Governor, Ahmed Al Fadhli, said the upcoming strategy will rely on a number of main factors and that monetary…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Business 'Show Me the Money'; Dollar-Hungry Businesses Squeezed in Lebanon

'Show Me the Money'; Dollar-Hungry Businesses Squeezed in Lebanon

Cars line up to fill their tanks but the worker at the gas station in Lebanon’s capital city waves them off, standing by the ‘Strike!’ signs. “No fuel today,”…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Business SABIC Qualifies 22 Investors for $1.1b Projects

SABIC Qualifies 22 Investors for $1.1b Projects

SABIC, one of the world's largest petrochemical manufacturers, has announced qualifying 22 investors to commence projects worth SAR4.3 billion (USD1.1 billion)…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Trade Exchange Between Egypt, US Records $5.3B

Trade Exchange Between Egypt, US Records $5.3B

The Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) revealed that the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and the US increased within the first seven months of 2019…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Report on Saudi Request for 20 Million Barrels of Iraqi Crude Not True

Report on Saudi Request for 20 Million Barrels of Iraqi Crude Not True

Iraq's State Organization for the Marketing of Oil (SOMO) on Thursday denied that Saudi Arabia had asked it for 20 million barrels of crude supplies for its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Lebanon Central Bank Agrees to Liquidation Request from Sanctions-Hit Bank

Lebanon Central Bank Agrees to Liquidation Request from Sanctions-Hit Bank

Lebanon's central bank said on Thursday it agreed to a request from Jammal Trust Bank, which was hit by US sanctions last month, to liquidate itself. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Fed Announces New Cuts on Interest Rates

Fed Announces New Cuts on Interest Rates

The US Federal Reserve cut interest rates again on Wednesday to help sustain a record-long economic expansion but signaled a higher bar to further reductions…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Aramco Acquires Shell’s Share of the Sasref Refining Joint Venture

Saudi Aramco Acquires Shell’s Share of the Sasref Refining Joint Venture

Confirming progress in its projects and aspirations despite the terrorist events against its oil plants last Saturday, Saudi Aramco has completed the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Arabia Subscribes to IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard

Saudi Arabia Subscribes to IMF's Special Data Dissemination Standard

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia has subscribed to its Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS), marking a…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Lebanese Economic Growth Zero if Not Negative, Says Finance Minister

Lebanese Economic Growth Zero if Not Negative, Says Finance Minister

Lebanon's economic growth is zero if not negative, leading to pressure on the central bank's foreign currency reserves, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Samba Presents Vision for Future of Banking Sector at Euromoney Saudi Arabia 2019

Samba Presents Vision for Future of Banking Sector at Euromoney Saudi Arabia 2019

Samba Financial Group has announced its participation as the main sponsor of the 14th edition of Euromoney Saudi Arabia Conference 2019 to be held on Sept. 18…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)