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Economy & Business

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's influential sovereign wealth fund, addresses the opening ceremony of the Future Investment Initiative, in Riyadh, on Oct. 28, 2025.

Gulf accounted for 43% of global sovereign wealth fund investment in 2025

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund was the world's highest spending sovereign wealth fund in 2025, investing some $36.2 billion.

A picture taken at the port of Dilovasi, outside Istanbul, on June 20, 2019, shows the drilling ship Yavuz scheduled to search for oil and gas off Cyprus.

Turkey eyes offshore energy pact with Syria in 2026 amid East Med isolation

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has offered up details on a deal with Syria that could unsettle regional rivals in the gas-rich Eastern Mediterranean.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Australian LNG deal marks latest step in Turkey's energy diversification push

Although Turkey does not have abundant oil and gas resources, Ankara wants to position itself as a regional gas hub linking Europe and Asia.

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

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkey hits renewable milestone as solar surpasses gas in power capacity

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

Analysis

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

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

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and 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

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Lebanese anti-government protesters take part in a candlelight vigil outside the headquarters of Lebanon Electricity company in Beirut on Nov. 11, 2019.

Lebanese wary of rise of customs duties amid economic crisis

The cash-strapped Lebanese government has approved a draft budget law for 2022 that hikes the customs dollar and imposes new duties, as the country battles a severe economic crisis.

Gaza women

Bleak economy pushes Gazan women toward domestic work

The difficult economic conditions in Gaza have prompted women to resort to domestic work, a profession fraught with challenges as they live in a very conservative society.

Turkcell

Fitch downgrades several Turkish companies

The leading rating agency previously downgraded Turkey on its debt scale due to high inflation in the country.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff

Dubai expo

UAE explores economic cooperation with Cuba

The Abu Dhabi and the Cuban chambers of commerce met at the Expo 2020 Dubai event, and a Cuban minister visited an Emirati renewable energy company.

United Arab Emirates

Oman power

Gulf states plan to phase out below-cost electricity for their citizens

Subsidy reform is at the crux of state-led pushes to instill a change in thinking among citizens and a powerful tool to raise environmental awareness.

Serbia expo 2020

Emirati cloud firm G42 signs agreement with Serbia

The memorandum was signed at the Expo 2020 forum in Dubai.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey economy

Turkey's economy to be hit hard by Fed's expected interest rate hikes

Expected interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve to rein in inflation will deal further blows to Turkey’s economic turmoil.

Saudi tourism

Emirates airline to boost Saudi tourism

The Dubai-based carrier has signed an agreement with the Saudi Tourism Authority to bring international travelers to Saudi Arabia.

People hold up their electricity bills as they protest against high energy prices in Ankara on Feb. 9, 2022.

Turkey’s producers face tough choices after staggering energy hikes

Industrial enterprises in crisis-hit Turkey have faced energy price hikes of up to 400% over a year, atop other economic blows, and many might not survive the turmoil, experts warn.

A Palestinian boy waits for falafel at a vendor in Hebron in the West Bank, April 18, 2021.

Rise in price of falafel leaves Palestinians hangry

The price hike of a falafel sandwich, a popular street food once available to all, has stirred wide resentment amid the increase of prices of other foodstuffs.

Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Duhail passes through the Suez Canal near the port city of Ismailia, Egypt, April 1, 2008.

Egypt breaks LNG export records with eye on Europe

The country recorded 10-year high sales in 2021 following a jump in global prices and resumption of production in its second liquefied gas facility, a flow local authorities hope to maintain as they try to become a regional hub and major player in the market.

Saudi bank

Digital bank backed by Saudi sovereign wealth fund gets approval

The D360 Bank, which aims to operate locally, will be the third digital bank in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom's diversification efforts continue.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff