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Economy & Business

A picture taken from a station of Dubai's Palm Monorail shows traffic on a road in Palm Jumeirah on Aug. 28, 2025.

Feature

Cheap oil, tighter finances, wars constrained Mid East economies in 2025

Low oil prices, tighter financial conditions and elevated geopolitical risk hampered growth across much of the Middle East and North Africa this year.

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

View of Damietta Segas LNG Terminal, in Damietta, Egypt, which is an export terminal belong to Spanish Egyptian Gas Company.

Analysis

Egypt’s $35B Israel gas deal buys time, tests fragile energy partnership

The agreement is a critical stopgap as Cairo grapples with domestic power demands, but the last two years have tested Egypt-Israel energy cooperation in unprecedented ways.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Employees install new solar panels at the Kalyon Energy's Karapinar Solar Power Plant on December 02, 2021 in Karapinar, Turkey.

Turkey hits renewable milestone as solar surpasses gas in power capacity

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in a statement that wind and solar capacity combined had risen to 39,215 megawatts by the end of November.

Traffic moves on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on March 24, 2025.

Analysis

Gulf finance hubs race to expand as hedge funds flock to Dubai, Abu Dhabi

The Gulf’s top financial hubs have posted another strong year in 2025, with the UAE spearheading a regional push to attract hedge funds, asset managers, crypto and fintech firms as regional neighbors target growth of their own.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Egypt lands $572M UAE-backed solar deal, expanding Gulf's clean-energy footprint

Solar panels in a Sinai desert, Egypt.

Morocco’s markets rise as World Cup spending fuels largest IPO in decades

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO - AUGUST 20: In this handout image from Populous, digital renderings of the proposed Stade Hassan II stadium in Morocco, projected to be the largest football stadium in the world with 115,000 capacity are depicted on August 20, 2024 in Casablanca, Morocco. The stadium design is by Populous and Oulalou + Choi (Photo by Populous via Handout/Getty Images)

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

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the northern coastal beach of Nasholim, Israel, Aug. 29, 2022.

Israel's NewMed gas group to build facility in East Med

The move comes as Israel is seeking to export more gas to Europe.

Neptune

Ukraine war at year 1: Europe seeks secure energy ties with Middle East

As the war in Ukraine drags on, Western sanctions on Russia, the world’s largest natural gas and second-largest oil exporter, have sent Europe hunting for alternatives in the Middle East and North Africa.

Sheep walk amid drought and low water levels in the Euphrates River in the western countryside of Tabqa, Raqqa governorate, Syria, Nov. 22, 2022.

Double blow: Syria braces for historic drought after earthquake

For the third consecutive year, delayed rains have left the land scorched and farmers reeling from the impact of a historic drought.

A general view of the oil rig for the Kingfisher development area in Kikuube district on on January 24, 2023. (Photo by Stuart Tibaweswa / AFP) (Photo by STUART TIBAWESWA/AFP via Getty Images)

Junior energy firms to continue to lead hydrocarbons exploration in Morocco

Morocco is hopeful that more gas discoveries will help mitigate its costly oil imports, but it will have to continue to rely on smaller energy firms for exploration efforts.

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Israel protest

Report: $4 billion flew out of Israel over judicial reform fears

The report from the Israeli news outlet Ynet follows warnings from global financial juggernauts JP Morgan and HSBC.

A Lebanese protester flashes the V-sign for victory and shouts slogans as others vandalise banks in Beirut on February 16, 2023, one day after the Lebanese pound hit a record low against the dollar on the black market. - The country's grinding political and economic crises shows no signs of abating as the pound has lost more than 95 percent of its value against the greenback since the start of the economic collapse in 2019. (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Banks burn in Lebanon as exchange rate falls to historic low

Lebanese banks were already on strike and the government’s interventions have failed to alleviate the economic crisis.

A picture taken on May 18, 2017 shows the skyline of northern Tehran from the "Nature" bridge in the capital Tehran on the eve of the presidential elections. / AFP PHOTO / Behrouz MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's 'Productivity Plan' likely to lead to an increase in corrupt transactions

Our latest Pro memo looks at how Iran's new strategy to drive economic growth will play out.

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the Israeli northern coastal beach of Nasholim, on Aug. 29, 2022.

Explainer: Israel is now an oil exporter with Energean deal, how significant?

Experts told Al-Monitor that the export is not a significant development despite the media buzz, though it may have good public relations value for Israel’s energy sector.

(From left to right) Israel's Energy Minister Haim Katz.

Despite divide over settlements, Israel expands energy cooperation with Egypt

Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz chose to travel to Egypt for his first visit abroad since taking office.

UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibion and Conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13, 2017.

COP-28 head Sultan Al Jaber: UAE ‘running toward’ energy transition

As the climate summit president continues to face criticism for his role as head of the UAE's state oil producer, Sultan Al Jaber argued that his position will serve more as an asset than an obstacle to energy transition.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 17, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

IMF director credits Gulf, India in boosting global economy

The World Government Summit highlighted critical issues with the global economy and announced flying taxis in Dubai.

Adani

From Israel to Egypt, how Adani Group's downfall could reverberate in Middle East

The Indian tycoon's crumbling empire had made investments in Israel and Egypt, but relations between India and the region may chill if deals go bad.