Economy & Business - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Business and Economy Cover Image

Economy & Business

Pictured in this undated image is the Al-Thawra oil field in Raqqa governorate, as rehabilitation works continue to restore production capacity.

Syria restores Raqqa oil field in former ISIS stronghold: What to know

Before Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, national oil production stood at between 400,000 and 500,00 barrels per day before falling to under 100,000 bpd during the conflict.

Guests stand at the Aramco booth during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 3, 2025.

Aramco profits jump 26% as Hormuz disruption chokes supply

Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said the market has already lost around 1 billion barrels of oil supply since the US-Israel-Iran war erupted on Feb. 28.

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

Kaja Kallas

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

The move marks a major economic step for Syria's recovery after its 13-year civil war and the fall of the Assad regime.

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

Latest News

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

Egypt ramps up energy investments amid war-driven price pressures

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks in Beirut on Dec. 19, 2025.

Few ships pass Hormuz despite US efforts to break Iran's hold

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via 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

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

A pedlar sells roasted corn cobs by the medieval Sultan al-Ghuri Complex (built in 1505) in Azhar district, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2023.

Inflation in Egypt at 32.9% in latest spike

The Egyptian government’s inflation statistics in February could prompt an interest rate increase when the central bank next meets.

A Saudi man has his picture taken for his election ID card as registration opened 23 November 2004, for the kingdom's first municipal elections, to be held in February 2005. The first round of the elections, in which women are barred from voting, is the first of the three-stage process of choosing half the members of 178 municipal councils, the other half of which are named by the government, in a drive to introduce limited reforms which Riyadh insists must be tailored to Saudi specifications and not neces

What businesses can expect from PDPL, Saudi Arabia's incoming data law

Saudi Arabia’s new personal data protection law, which goes into effect next week, could significantly impact the cost of doing business for multinationals in the kingdom.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A stock market broker works at the Egyptian Stock Exchange, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 6, 2013.

Egypt seeks to attract Islamic investors with debut sukuk, EGX Sharia index

While the move to allow Islamic bond sales will diversify the government's funding sources, Islamic finance is still a relatively small part of the Egyptian economy.

A sign for Moody's rating agency is displayed at the company headquarters in New York, on Sept. 18, 2012.

Moody’s issues warning about Israel’s judicial reform

The credit agency is one of several institutions to warn the controversial reform could hurt the Israeli economy.

murabba

Saudi Arabia's New Murabba project to lure global investors, but at what cost?

Ambitious project announcements are becoming an increasingly common feature of Saudi Arabia’s developmental aspirations.

Robert Mogielnicki

Robert Mogielnicki

People walk beneath advertisement billboards at Boulevard entertainment city in the Saudi capital Riyadh, late on January 19, 2022. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia mulls tax relief for global companies relocating regional HQs

On the sidelines of the International Conference on Justice that began on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia granted three foreign law firms licenses to practice in the country.

United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber speaks during CERAWeek by S&P Global in Houston, Texas on March 6, 2023. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE's Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 head, calls for 7% emissions cut, swifter energy transition

The Emirates’ Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber talked about the importance of carbon capture and hydrogen at the CERAWeek conference.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Turkey fines Elon Musk over Twitter purchase

The decision follows the implementation of a controversial social media law in Turkey that prompted Twitter to open an office in the country.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) reviews the honour guard as he welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia to deposit $5 billion in Turkey after earthquake

Turkey is experiencing a shortage of foreign currency amid its economic crisis and is looking to the Gulf for help.

People walk past the Egyptian Central Bank in downtown Cairo on November 3, 2016. - Egypt floated the country's pound as part of a raft of reforms, after a dollar crunch and exorbitant black market trade threatened to grind some imports to a halt. (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Return of hot money foreshadows even more debt for Egypt

Egypt has witnessed a large inflow of short-term debt in recent weeks. Al-Monitor Pro explains why the government hasn't been able to wean itself off of "hot money" and the economic impact.

Marc Español

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Oil recovers after UAE says no plans to leave OPEC

The price of Brent crude oil fell after a report on tension in the oil cartel between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel's credit rating holds, but could face downgrade over judicial reform

Fitch recently affirmed Israel’s “A+” rating, but the agency and others have warned about heightened risk in the country related to the government’s controversial judicial reform plans.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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