Business

Gold Rises over 1% as Softer Oil Prices Ease Inflation Worries

Business The People's Bank of China's gold holdings increased by 830,000 ounces in October (Reuters)

Gold Rises over 1% as Softer Oil Prices Ease Inflation Worries

Gold rose more than 1% on Monday as softer oil prices eased inflation concerns, while investors awaited key US inflation data and fresh signals from the…

Asharq Al Awsat
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 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
Business Saudi Red Sea Development Inks Deal to Build Workers’ Residential Village

Saudi Red Sea Development Inks Deal to Build Workers’ Residential Village

The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) awarded UAE-based ARCCO-Speedhouse and Saudi al-Majal al-Arabi Group contracts for the construction of a residential…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Business Saudi Maaden Seeks to Acquire Meridian Fertilizer Group

Saudi Maaden Seeks to Acquire Meridian Fertilizer Group

Saudi Arabia's largest mining company, Maaden, seeks to complete the first global acquisition of Africa’s Meridian Fertilizer Group. The process is expected to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia: ECA, Virgin Hyperloop Sign Agreement

Saudi Arabia: ECA, Virgin Hyperloop Sign Agreement

Saudi Arabia’s Economic City Authority (ECA) and Virgin Hyperloop One announced a development partnership to conduct a study to build the world’s longest test…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business UNCTAD: Egypt Largest Foreign Direct Investment Recipient in Africa

UNCTAD: Egypt Largest Foreign Direct Investment Recipient in Africa

Director of Investment and Enterprise at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) James Zhan stressed that Egypt has been providing a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Samba Expects Non-oil GDP Growth to Reach 2.6% in 2019

Samba Expects Non-oil GDP Growth to Reach 2.6% in 2019

The Saudi non-oil gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to grow around 2.6 percent in 2019, compared to 2.2 percent last year, according to Samba Financial…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Up to $12 Billion Potential Collaboration between UAE’s ADNOC and Wanhua

Up to $12 Billion Potential Collaboration between UAE’s ADNOC and Wanhua

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, signed on Tuesday, a Partnership Framework Agreement with Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd.,Wanhua Chemical, to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Abu Dhabi)
Business Financing Completed for Dumat Al-Jandal Wind Power Plant in Saudi Arabia

Financing Completed for Dumat Al-Jandal Wind Power Plant in Saudi Arabia

The consortium consisting of EDF Renewables and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, Masdar, has completed the financing of the Dumat al-Jandal utility-scale wind…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business On Hard Road to Reform, Lebanon May Need Old Friends

On Hard Road to Reform, Lebanon May Need Old Friends

Heavily indebted Lebanon has passed a budget seen as a “first step” towards fixing its public finances but still has much to do to steer the country away from…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Egypt, EU Agree on Future Projects for 2020

Egypt, EU Agree on Future Projects for 2020

Egyptian officials held a meeting with European Union Ambassador to Egypt Ivan Surkos to discuss future projects between Egypt and the European Union for 2020…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Saudi Transport Authority Launches e-Portal to Manage Transfer of Goods

Saudi Transport Authority Launches e-Portal to Manage Transfer of Goods

The Saudi Public Transport Authority launched the Bayan e-portal that enables carriers and loading brokers from issuing a document to transfer goods. The…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Arabia Inks Air Transport Services Deal with Senegal

Saudi Arabia Inks Air Transport Services Deal with Senegal

Abdulhadi al-Mansouri, head of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, signed in Jeddah on Monday an air transport services deal with Senegal. Senegal was…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Morocco: Government Allocates $1 Bn to Develop Regions

Morocco: Government Allocates $1 Bn to Develop Regions

Moroccan regions will benefit from financial transfers of $1 billion by the year 2021 which will to improve the regional infrastructure and achieve equitable…

Latifa Larousni (Rabat)
Business Lebanon Bank Deposits Expected to Recover from Dip, Says Senior Banker

Lebanon Bank Deposits Expected to Recover from Dip, Says Senior Banker

Deposits in Lebanese banks are expected to recover from a dip in the first five months of 2019 as customer optimism returns after approval of the state budget,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Real Estate Refinance, Deutsche Gulf Finance Ink Deal on Low Profits Mortgages

Saudi Real Estate Refinance, Deutsche Gulf Finance Ink Deal on Low Profits Mortgages

The Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC), a subsidiary of the Saudi Public Investment fund (PIF), signed Sunday a partnership agreement with Deutsche Gulf…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business Saudi SIMAH Launches ‘Amwalak’ Initiative

Saudi SIMAH Launches ‘Amwalak’ Initiative

Saudi Credit Bureau (SIMAH) launched “Amwalak” initiative, describing it as one of the cultural financial programs for 2019. The initiative deals with…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Cement Sales Rise in June

Saudi Cement Sales Rise in June

Saudi cement companies witnessed a remarkable improvement in sales, which proves the vitality of the Kingdom’s economy and the effectiveness of the…

Shujaa al-Baqmi (Riyadh)
Business Startup Companies in Middle East Soar During H1 2019

Startup Companies in Middle East Soar During H1 2019

Middle East and North Africa (MENA) startups data platform MAGNiTT has released its H1 2019 MENA Venture Investment Report. The report provides an in-depth…

Asharq Al Awsat (Dubai)
Business NOC: Libya’s Largest Oilfield Shut Down Since Friday

NOC: Libya’s Largest Oilfield Shut Down Since Friday

Libya’s El Sharara oilfield has been shut down since Friday due to a suspected valve closure and an investigation has been launched, the National Oil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Saudi Accreditation Center to Enhance Quality, Protect Consumers

Saudi Accreditation Center to Enhance Quality, Protect Consumers

Saudi Arabia is looking to raise quality standards through the Saudi Accreditation Center (SAC), which revealed its objectives, including consumer protection,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business Saudi Payments Network Registers Growth of 47% in 6 Months

Saudi Payments Network Registers Growth of 47% in 6 Months

The Saudi Payments Network (MADA) has registered in the first half of this year record numbers, with a rise of 47 percent compared to the first half of last…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Business IMF Lauds Saudi Economic Reforms

IMF Lauds Saudi Economic Reforms

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lauded the Saudi government for the progress achieved in the agenda of economic and social reforms. This came in a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business Turkish Defense Firms Set to Lose Billions after F-35 Removal

Turkish Defense Firms Set to Lose Billions after F-35 Removal

Turkish defense companies helping to build F-35 stealth fighter jets are set to lose work worth billions of dollars after Washington said it was removing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business IMF Urges Morocco to Move Toward a More Flexible Exchange Rate

IMF Urges Morocco to Move Toward a More Flexible Exchange Rate

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reiterated on Tuesday its call on Morocco to move towards a greater exchange rate flexibility with a view to…

Lahcen Mokena (Casablanca)