Morocco’s markets rise as World Cup spending fuels largest IPO in decades Shares in SGTM jumped by 10% on Dec. 16 after the construction firm raised roughly $550 million from its IPO, underscoring demand in a market that has featured few new listings in recent years. Morocco
Egypt secures Qatari investment boost, launches first SCZONE industrial deal Bilateral trade between the two countries rose to $143 million during the first 10 months of 2025. Egypt
Mideast funds back Paramount's $108B Warner Bros. takeover bid Netflix appeared to have won a weeks-long bidding war with Paramount and Comcast, securing a $72 billion equity deal for Warner Bros. Discovery's TV, film studios and streaming assets, but Monday's $108 billion bid changes the calculus. Saudi Arabia
What role is Jordan playing in Syria's reconstruction? As Syria’s southern neighbor, Jordan is already positioning itself as a logistics hub and diplomatic broker for Syria’s reconstruction. Syria
Saudi PIF eyes $27B Japan portfolio as kingdom courts Asian investment By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Palestine no longer a safe environment for investments Economic indicators show an increase in Palestinian investment outside Palestine, stirring fears about the Palestinian economy. Palestine
Turkey’s wealth fund borrows to rescue companies Having borrowed 1 billion euros from foreign lenders, Turkey’s controversial sovereign wealth fund has turned to rescuing troubled construction companies. Turkey
Will Lebanese wait hours in gas lines as fuel crisis bites? Lebanese citizens are living day by day the repercussions of the dollar scarcity crisis, as the fuel sector threatens an open strike next week if the government fails to find a proper solution. Lebanon
A closer look into Lebanon’s fixed currency Lebanon's fixed exchange rate has been a pillar of stability for two decades. However, poor economic conditions threaten its sustainability. Lebanon
Turkish regulator aims to hasten banking sector recovery as loan market remains weak A Turkish regulator instructed banks to write off $8.1 billion in bad debt, but analysts question whether the delayed move will suffice when it comes to reviving the nation’s troubled loan market. Turkey
Palestinian officials encourage competition among banks The Palestinian government in Ramallah will begin allowing Palestinian banks to compete with Bank of Jordan branches in the territories to collect citizens' payments for licenses and taxes owed to the Ministry of Transportation. Palestine
Ankara’s economic measures risk scaring off foreign banks Foreign-capital banks operating in Turkey are growing uneasy over economic measures aimed at pushing lenders to toe the line with government policies. Turkey
Will Egypt launch its own official digital currency? As Facebook announced it might not launch its digital currency as previously announced, experts in Egypt are debating whether the country should regulate digital currency. Egypt
Russia, Lebanon seek synergy in projects to rebuild Syria Moscow and Beirut each see potential benefits in working together to secure lucrative reconstruction contracts in Syria. Lebanon
Will Palestinian private sector rescue national economy? Business owners are trying to launch an initiative to lend the financially struggling Palestinian Authority as much as $200 million, but this effort has yet to take shape. Palestine
Iran’s central bank tightens grip on national payment system Iran’s central bank is increasingly closing loopholes in the country’s payment system that allowed for destabilization of the monetary and foreign currency markets. Iran
Egypt's parliament considering banking system draft law Egypt’s new Central Bank of Egypt draft law could raise the minimum capital requirement for banks tenfold. Egypt
