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 Damascus: Poverty Rising Prompts Calls for Salary Increase

Damascus: Poverty Rising Prompts Calls for Salary Increase

Employees in Damascus are raising their demands for higher salaries, as the largest segment of the population has fallen below the poverty line because of the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Business Turkey’s Economic Confidence Index Down 3.3% as it Seeks to Borrow More

Turkey’s Economic Confidence Index Down 3.3% as it Seeks to Borrow More

Turkey's economic confidence index reached 80.7 in July dropping 3.3 percent from June, the Turkish Statistical Institute said Tuesday. The institute…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Hit by Sanctions and Rising Tensions, Iran's Oil Exports Slide in July

Hit by Sanctions and Rising Tensions, Iran's Oil Exports Slide in July

Iranian oil exports have dropped in July to as low as 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) due to sanctions and rising tension with the United States and Britain,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Mawani Issues Unified License for World’s Largest Container Shipping Operator

Saudi Mawani Issues Unified License for World’s Largest Container Shipping Operator

Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) has issued a unified license valid to operate in all Saudi ports for Maersk (Saudi Arabia), local subsidiary of Maersk…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Iraq, Iran Sign Agreement to Establish Investment Funds

Iraq, Iran Sign Agreement to Establish Investment Funds

Head of Iran’s Securities and Exchange Organization (SEO) Shapour Mohammadi announced the conclusion of a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with Iraq. One of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Business Maaden Executive President: KSA to Become 2nd Largest Global Phosphate Producer

Maaden Executive President: KSA to Become 2nd Largest Global Phosphate Producer

The Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) manages the entire mining sector in the country from gold to phosphate and is one of the world’s largest companies in…

Obeid Al-Suhaimi (Dammam)
Business Morocco's King Seeks New Development Model, Urges Govt. Reshuffle

Morocco's King Seeks New Development Model, Urges Govt. Reshuffle

King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Monday announced the launch later this year of a committee charged with elaborating a new development model to tackle social…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Recession Indicators Threaten Qatar’s Economy

Recession Indicators Threaten Qatar’s Economy

Qatar is facing an anticipated recession that would possibly beat the national economy during the coming period. The government's efforts to address the…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Riyadh)
Business SABIC Has No Interest in Taking Over Clariant, Says CEO

SABIC Has No Interest in Taking Over Clariant, Says CEO

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation has no interest in taking over Swiss chemicals firm Clariant AG after halting talks last week on their high-performance…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Egypt to Form Panel to Amend Value-Added Tax Law

Egypt to Form Panel to Amend Value-Added Tax Law

Egypt will form a committee to amend its value-added tax law, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait told reporters on Monday, without specifying what the changes may…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business PwC: Middle East Family Businesses Face 4 Challenges

PwC: Middle East Family Businesses Face 4 Challenges

Majority of family businesses in the Middle East are targeting growth over the next two years, however, they should consider a new concept amid growing…

Motleq Mounir (London)
Business Saudi Arabia: E-wallets Record 21m Operations

Saudi Arabia: E-wallets Record 21m Operations

The Saudi market has witnessed a wide expansion in points of sale devices that operate via the technique of Near-field communication, NFC, exceeding 360,000…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Erdogan Claims Lira Plunge a ‘Foreign Plot’ Against Turkey

Erdogan Claims Lira Plunge a ‘Foreign Plot’ Against Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed that the plunging value of the lira amounted to a "foreign plot" against Turkey. He told a gathering of his…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Business Oman Issues $3 bln Bonds

Oman Issues $3 bln Bonds

Oman raised $3 billion with its first foray in the international debt markets this year after receiving strong demand from global investors hunting for high…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business Kuwait’s Q8 Grows in Spain with Acquisition of 67 Fueling Stations

Kuwait’s Q8 Grows in Spain with Acquisition of 67 Fueling Stations

The Kuwait Petroleum Spain, a subsidiary of the state-owned Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI), also known by its trademark Q8, has purchased 67 fueling…

Asharq Al Awsat (Kuwait)
Business Moroccan Economy to Grow to 3.4% in 2020

Moroccan Economy to Grow to 3.4% in 2020

The Moroccan economy is expected to grow to 3.4 percent in 2020, after it dropped to 2.7 percent in 2019 due to the drought's impact on crops, according to the…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)
Business GASTAT: Real Estate Prices Increase at Record Rate

GASTAT: Real Estate Prices Increase at Record Rate

New indicators have shown the ability of Saudi Arabia’s non-oil sectors to witness growth. The latest indicator was issued by the General Authority for…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Clariant, SABIC Shelve JV Talks

Clariant, SABIC Shelve JV Talks

Clariant said on Thursday that joint venture talks with top shareholder Saudi Basic Industries (SABIC) had been shelved, a further setback for the Swiss…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Business New Road Toll Announced in Abu Dhabi, Charging to Start Oct. 15

New Road Toll Announced in Abu Dhabi, Charging to Start Oct. 15

Abu Dhabi expects to collect 400 million dirhams ($109 million) a year from a road toll to be introduced on Oct. 15, Ibrahim Sarhan al-Hamoudi, acting…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business NEOM Targets 1 Million People, 5 Million Tourists by 2030

NEOM Targets 1 Million People, 5 Million Tourists by 2030

The second phase strategy of NEOM will be complete by the end of 2019, with the project targeting 1 million people and 5 million visitors by 2030, announced…

Asharq Al Awsat (NEOM)
Business oil

Oil Rises Amid 'Gulf Tensions'

Oil prices rose on Thursday amid “Gulf tensions” and a big fall in US crude stocks, but gains were capped as weak Western manufacturing data indicated slowing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business ADNOC and Pertamina Cooperate in Oil, Gas Development Projects

ADNOC and Pertamina Cooperate in Oil, Gas Development Projects

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, has signed a Comprehensive Strategic Framework, CSF, with Indonesia’s energy company, PT Pertamina, Persero, to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Qiddiya Lays Foundation for World’s Largest Entertainment Project

Qiddiya Lays Foundation for World’s Largest Entertainment Project

CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company (QIC) stressed that the entertainment megaproject will start receiving its first visitors in 2023. He gave details on the…

Saleh al-Zaid (Riyadh)
Business IMF Says Approved Final $2 bn Loan Payment for Egypt

IMF Says Approved Final $2 bn Loan Payment for Egypt

The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday its board completed the fifth and final review of Egypt's $12 billion loan program, allowing authorities in…

Asharq Al Awsat