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Economy & Business

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UAE steps in to support banks as war pressure builds: What to know

The United Arab Emirates' banks have seen their stocks plummet since the war erupted on Feb. 28.

United Arab Emirates

The city skyline is pictued in Dubai on March 11, 2026. The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting US assets but also civilian infrastructure. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran war tests Gulf dealmaking as foreign investors assess risks

A multibillion-dollar pipeline sale in Kuwait has emerged as one of the early signs that the Gulf’s dealmaking machine is taking a hit from the US-Israel-Iran war.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

The city skyline is pictured in Dubai on March 11, 2026.

Analysis

How long can markets hold their bet on Gulf resilience as war drags on?

A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz and continued assaults on Gulf energy infrastructure are likely to lead to regionwide credit deterioration, experts say.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Latest News

Iran war hits Gulf aluminum exports, risking nearly 10% of global supplies

Aluminum ingots in the Aluminium Dunkerque plant of the American Industrial Partner group on Jan. 13, 2022, in Loon-Plage, near Dunkirk, France.

IEA's Asian members begin deploying emergency oil reserves

A fuel pump is seen while refuelling a car at a gas station on March 13, 2026 in Kobe, Japan. Japan will release oil reserves to address the rise in gasoline and other petroleum products prices starting next Monday, said Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated that its member countries agreed to release the largest volume of emergency oil reserves in its history, responding to the disruption in energy markets caused by the Middle East War. (Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/G

Analysis

How Russia stands to win, lose as Iran war squeezes Gulf oil exports

Lukoil

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Alternative supply routes emerge as Iran war tests Gulf food security

Saudis shop for fresh products at a market in Riyadh on Feb. 18, 2026, on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Traders work at their desks on the floor of the Borsa Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey, May 22, 2018.

Turkey’s main stock index falls after election stalemate

The Turkish stock market rallied last week as opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu gained momentum in the race to defeat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Refugees cross into Egypt through the Argeen land port with Sudan, April 27, 2023.

Egypt’s economy braces for new hit from Sudan conflict

Egypt fears that a prolonged conflict in Sudan, a major market for its exports, will add to its economic hardships.

Dubai port

Dubai’s DP World signs deals with China seaport companies in latest push

Ningbo-Zhoushan port said it will boost its Dubai station project as part of China’s Road and Belt Initiative.

United Arab Emirates

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman prior to a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 20, 2019. - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a warm welcome in India on February 20, with Riyadh eager to demonstrate it is not an international pariah after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA / AFP) (Photo credit should read MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

In Saudi, US embraces a West Asia architecture with India, UAE

New relationships across the continent may promote both economic development and security.

This picture shows the swimming pool of a luxury villa for sale on one of the Palm Jumeirah man-made island, on the coast of the Gulf emirate of Dubai, on May 19, 2021. - Dubais property market is powering out of a six-year malaise as "lockdown dodgers" and wealthy international investors drive a buying frenzy that is breaking records and fuelling an economic recovery. Luxury villas are the hottest segment in the market, with European buyers in particular seeking homes on Dubais signature Palm Jumeirah man-

Dubai’s real estate, cost of living conundrum creates opportunities for Gulf rivals to capitalize

The UAE’s red-hot real estate market could price out many expats and drive them towards neighboring countries, greatly impacting the regional competition to become a global business hub.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

Russia’s Tatneft makes new oil discovery in Libya

Russia and the controversial military contractor Wagner Group have longstanding interests in Libya’s oil, but instability has hurt the ability of Russian oil companies to operate in the North African country.

Lionel Messi Argentina

FC Barcelona 'hugely confident' on Messi return despite Saudi bid

The Catalonian soccer team are in a tug-of-war with Saudi Arabian team Al Hilal to snap up the 2022 World Cup winner.

UAE China flags

HSBC projects strong China-Middle East economic growth

In 2021, trade between countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and China surpassed GCC trade with the United States and Europe for the first time, according to the IMF.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi Aramco, high-value IPOs face impending pressure in 2023

The United Arab Emirates saw the world’s largest IPO of first quarter 2023, with ADNOC Gas PLC raising $2.5 billion on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

By Salim A. Essaid

A man walks past a shop selling replicas of Ancient Egyptian statuettes, figurines, and canopic jars at the Khan el-Khalili bazaar area in Egypt's capital Cairo on June 3, 2021. - Pyramids, Tutankhamun masks, Nefertiti busts -- Egypt's souvenir craftspeople are pinning their hopes on a new lease of life, after tourism was battered by the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt: Leading textile executive pushes for low-interest loans to save industry

Textile manufacturing is Egypt’s second-largest industry, but it was severely impacted by the pandemic and now the country’s economic downturn.

Workers at the Northern Oil Company carry out maintenance work at the pumping station in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Iraq asks Turkey to resume oil exports as firms in Kurdistan region scale back

Turkey has still yet to restart oil flows from northern Iraq following a controversial court ruling despite efforts by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities. The stoppage is threatening the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector.

An Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft descends on its landing approach to Dubai International Airport, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 17, 2023.

UAE's Emirates reports record $2.9 billion in profit after two years of losses

The Dubai-based airline’s numbers indicate it has finally recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.

United Arab Emirates