Economy and trade

A woman walks past a billboard displaying Iran's national flag at Enghelab Square in Tehran on June 14, 2026.

Analysis

US-Iran deal delivers $300 billion controversy, reconstruction questions

Under the US-Iran agreement signed on June 17, Tehran stands to receive sweeping sanctions relief, renewed oil sales, access to frozen assets abroad and perhaps the most controversial incentive of all: a proposed $300 billion investment fund.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

A picture taken on June 5, 2017, shows a man walking past the Qatar National Bank branch in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Gulf investment to turn inward to rebuild postwar infrastructure: QNB

Charles-Emmanuel de Beauregard, Qatar National Bank’s head of corporate and institutional banking, said that the Gulf countries will need to rebuild their logistics capabilities after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Aramco's VC arm sees boom in emerging technologies, retail

Anas Alqahtani, CEO of Wa'ed Ventures, expects strong growth in Saudi Arabia’s emerging technology and retail sectors over the coming years.

Latest News

Oil falls below $80 as markets rally on Iran-US peace deal: What to know

Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Gulf aluminum pursues global deals as Hormuz crisis accelerates shift

Aluminum from Dubai sits in the BMW Landshut factory on Oct. 25, 2024 in Ergolding, Germany.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Saudi Arabia lifts 5-year ban on Lebanon imports: What to know

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan before their meeting in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

Suez Canal traffic soars as Hormuz disruptions reroute energy trade

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish train

UK, Turkey in talks about third railway project

The project follows the UK government underwriting financing in July to support the construction of a 286-kilometer high-speed electric railway in southern Turkey.

Visitors and Aramco staff climb a dune at Shaybah, the base for Saudi Aramco's Natural Gas Liquids plant and oil production in the surrounding Shaybah field in Saudi Arabia's remote Empty quarter desert close to the United Arab Emirates, on May 10, 2016. Despite collapsed global oil prices, production is expanding at Shaybah, as it is in other units of the company at the centre of the kingdom's Vision 2030 drive for diversification away from oil. The Saudi government plans to sell less than five percent of

Saudi Arabia projects $21 billion deficit as economy diversifies from oil

The kingdom was among the world’s fastest-growing economies last year with almost 9% GDP growth after a petrodollar boom amid a global rise in energy prices due to inflation and the Ukraine war.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (L).

Impact of India-Mideast-Europe corridor extends far beyond countering China

Nagorno Karabakh

After Nagorno-Karabakh offensive, can Turkey play nice with Armenia?

Following Azerbaijani victory in Nagorno-Karabakh, Turkey is now laying the foundations for a rapprochement with Yerevan.

Muslim devotees take part in a rally to celebrate Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, which marks the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad, in Karachi on September 29, 2023. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan, Gulf Cooperation Council sign 'preliminary' free trade agreement

When the final trade deal comes into effect, it will likely be the GCC's first since 2009.

A man monitors the board at the Stock Exchange Market (Tadawul) bourse in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 12, 2019.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia fastest growing crypto economy globally amid regional drive

The kingdom led globally with a 12% increase in crypto transaction volume reaching nearly $31 billion from July 2022 through June 2023, according to an industry report released Tuesday.

By Salim A. Essaid

Gold bar wrapped in a financial newspaper.

Russia becomes UAE’s top gold supplier as Ukraine sanctions bite

The United Arab Emirates bought 96.4 tons of gold from Russia in 2022, making it Moscow's top gold importer.

United Arab Emirates

UAE trade minister

UAE eyes Serbia trade deal as CEPA blitz continues

Non-oil trade between the two countries reached $57.6 million in the first half of 2023, surpassing their entire non-oil trade value for the year 2020.

United Arab Emirates

WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images

China’s Alibaba to invest $2 billion in Turkey

The news follows economic changes in Turkey as well as improving ties between Turkey and China.

This image shows high-rise buildings in Dubai, on Feb. 18, 2023.

Dubai ranks first in luxury home sales in second quarter: report

Dubai was one of only four markets to see growth in its overall sales volume of luxury homes between Q2 2022 and Q2 2023 at 79%, along with Sydney (46%), Paris (17%) and Geneva (7%).

United Arab Emirates

Captagon

Dubai's $1 billion Captagon bust ranks as one of world’s biggest

Sales of the highly addictive stimulant continue to fund the Syrian government, despite regional efforts to break up smuggling rings.

United Arab Emirates

Interview

Fintech, digital sukuk could spur Islamic finance growth in Middle East

The Gulf has seen a boom in funding for fintech startups, more than quadrupling from $200 million in 2020 to $885 million last year.

Mohamed Damak

Mohamed Damak

Global Head of Islamic Finance at S&P