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
Iranian fintech firms carve their place in fast-changing landscape Fintech firms in Iran have overcome significant hurdles during the past year to participate in devising regulations and setting the stage to change the country’s financial landscape. Iran
US sanctions accelerate Iran’s blockchain drive Iran is accelerating work on its blockchain-enabled projects, which could potentially include a multilateral replacement for SWIFT, in light of the reimposed US sanctions. Iran
Turks cannot pay back lavish consumer debts While interest rates increase in Turkey, the country's laborers, white collar workers and retirees struggle to pay back debts or obtain new loans. Turkey
Turkey's Finance Ministry, Moody's have opposite views on economy's direction Moody's sees the Turkish economy as likely in recession, while Erdogan's son-in-law says positive results are on their way. Turkey
Why Palestinians put money in banks instead of investing The Palestinian Monetary Authority recently announced that customer deposits in local banks have reached $12.2 billion, a large amount that some economists question, given the deteriorating economy in the Palestinian territories. Palestine
Iran maneuvers to win back public trust in the rial While the Iranian rial has jumped 25% over the past week, there are major questions about whether the Central Bank of Iran will be able to sustain the upward momentum. Iran
Loans help Palestinian grads break into business world Unemployed college graduates can now benefit from a government loan program designed to integrate them into the labor market and boost the ailing Palestinian economy. Palestine
Will Egypt opt for controversial steps to fight tax evasion? Economists in Egypt are condemning statements by the head of the Egyptian Tax Authority, whereby the Ministry of Finance might be granted access to the bank accounts of some customers and companies in a bid to reduce tax evasion. Egypt
Iranian MPs pass anti-terror funding bill despite death threats Iran has taken an important step in gaining access to the international banking system. Iran
Will Egypt get handle on its public debt? Parliamentary committees are making noise about plans to address Egypt's public debt, in part by establishing mechanisms to optimize the use of loans and grants. Egypt
Why is Egypt canceling T-bond auctions? For the second time this year, the Egyptian government canceled the sale of treasury bonds after banks demanded higher interest rates. Egypt
US sanctions cause big losses for Iraqi investors in Iran As the United States reactivates sanctions against Tehran, Iraqi investors in Iran are taking major economic hits and some businesses are being forced to close. Iraq
