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 Arabia, Iraq Confirm Cooperation to Stabilize Oil Markets

Saudi Arabia, Iraq Confirm Cooperation to Stabilize Oil Markets

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, made a telephone call on Thursday to Iraqi Prime Minister Adel…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt’s Net Foreign Reserves Rise to $45Bn

Egypt’s Net Foreign Reserves Rise to $45Bn

Egypt’s net foreign reserves rose to $44.969 billion last August from $44.916 billion last July, said the central bank of Egypt on Wednesday. Egypt faces a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Tunisia’s Central Bank Expects Inflation to Drop to 6.9%

Tunisia’s Central Bank Expects Inflation to Drop to 6.9%

The Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) expects the inflation to drop to 6.9 percent by the end of this year, compared to at least 7.8 percent in 2018. BCT…

Mongi Saidani (Tunis)
Business Turkey Says it Faces up to $3 Billion in Trade Losses with Britain under No-Deal Brexit

Turkey Says it Faces up to $3 Billion in Trade Losses with Britain under No-Deal Brexit

Turkey may lose trade with Britain worth up to $3 billion in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Trade Minister Ruhsar Pekcan said on Wednesday, adding that many…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business S&P: Drop in Lebanon's Foreign Currency Reserve to Test Peg

S&P: Drop in Lebanon's Foreign Currency Reserve to Test Peg

An international ratings agency warned Wednesday there is a risk that customer deposit flows, particularly by nonresidents, could continue to decline in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt to Boost Presence in African Market Through Medicine Exports

Egypt to Boost Presence in African Market Through Medicine Exports

Egypt has shown determination to strengthen its influence and presence in Africa after the government discussed Tuesday a national plan on medicine exports,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Skyrocketing Unemployment Ails Sudan 

Skyrocketing Unemployment Ails Sudan 

Sudan’s joblessness rate has risen from three million to eight million in the past seven years, according to a private sector draft initiative for economic…

Seifyazal Babekir (Khartoum)
Business Hariri Says Lebanon Targets Deficit of 7% of GDP Next Year

Hariri Says Lebanon Targets Deficit of 7% of GDP Next Year

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his government would aim to cut the budget deficit to 7 percent of GDP next year as part of reforms seeking to rein in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Aramco Set to Finalize Bank Selections Within Days

Aramco Set to Finalize Bank Selections Within Days

Saudi Aramco aims to select underwriters for its initial public offering as soon as this week, as the energy giant accelerates preparations for the world’s…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business Syrian Pound at Record Low on Black Market, Says Report

Syrian Pound at Record Low on Black Market, Says Report

The value of the Syrian pound against the dollar has fallen sharply to its lowest rate in history, an economic publication said Tuesday. On the black market…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business APICORP Records $70Mn Profit in H1 2019

APICORP Records $70Mn Profit in H1 2019

The Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP) has announced a net profit of $70.4 million during the first half of 2019. The gross operating income…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Sudan’s Economy Shrinks 2.1% in Q2 2019

Sudan’s Economy Shrinks 2.1% in Q2 2019

A report on the Ministry of Finance and National Economy’s performance for Q2 2019 revealed a budget deficit of 16 billion Sudanese pounds ($355 million), with…

Ahmed Khalil (Khartoum)
Business Turkish Inflation Falls More than Expected, Paving Way for Rate Cut

Turkish Inflation Falls More than Expected, Paving Way for Rate Cut

Turkey's annual inflation rate fell slightly more than expected to 15.01% in August, data showed on Tuesday, resuming its downward trend and likely paving the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Stock Value Jumps 20.8%

Saudi Stock Value Jumps 20.8%

The total value of Saudi stock traded in the market during August jumped by 20.8 percent compared to the previous month, at a time when the total purchases by…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia: $206 Mn to Beneficiaries of Sakani Program

Saudi Arabia: $206 Mn to Beneficiaries of Sakani Program

Saudi Real Estate Development Fund announced that more than $206 million were deposited during August in the accounts of beneficiaries of Sakani program…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Dubai Sets up Real Estate Planning Commission

Dubai Sets up Real Estate Planning Commission

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ordered the creation of a committee to study the needs of the real estate market, evaluate all future…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Yasir al-Rumayyan Appointed Aramco Chairman

Yasir al-Rumayyan Appointed Aramco Chairman

Yasir al-Rumayyan, governor of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, has been appointed as chairman of state-owned oil giant Aramco. The announcement was made…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Cutting Interest Rates Helps Ease Pressure on Egypt’s State Budget

Cutting Interest Rates Helps Ease Pressure on Egypt’s State Budget

A cut in interest rates will improve the investment climate, create job opportunities, increase the private sector’s activities and help the state budget save…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Iraq's Oil Exports Rise to 3.6Mn Barrels Per Day

Iraq's Oil Exports Rise to 3.6Mn Barrels Per Day

Iraq’s crude oil exports have risen to 3.603 million barrels per day (bpd) in August, from 3.566 million bpd in July, the country’s Oil Ministry said in a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Saudi Arabia: 6.2% of Funding for SMEs Comes from Banks, Firms

Saudi Arabia: 6.2% of Funding for SMEs Comes from Banks, Firms

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority’s monthly bulletin has shown that the funding of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by the banking sector…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Abu Dhabi Plans Dollar Bond Issue

Abu Dhabi Plans Dollar Bond Issue

Abu Dhabi plans to issue US dollar-denominated bonds this year, three sources familiar with the matter said, its first since 2017, as the emirate seeks to take…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Exclusive - Construction and Politics: New Cities Shape Egypt’s Future

Exclusive - Construction and Politics: New Cities Shape Egypt’s Future

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi is seeking to shape his country’s future through 14 new fourth generation cities that have been designed according to…

Mohammed Abdo Hassanein (Cairo)
Business Jerusalem’s Light Rail Project Sparks Controversy

Jerusalem’s Light Rail Project Sparks Controversy

The Palestinian Authority (PA) asked the government of Spain to prevent a Spanish company from participating in constructing infrastructure on occupied…

Asharq Al Awsat (Ramallah)
Business Egypt: Investments Worth $6.8 Bn for Electricity Sector in 2019 Fiscal Year

Egypt: Investments Worth $6.8 Bn for Electricity Sector in 2019 Fiscal Year

Egypt’s Ministry of Planning said the total investments targeted for the electricity sector during the fiscal year 19-2020 was estimated at 111.9 billion…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)