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Economy & Business

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

A tourist boat passes near crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and other vessels anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, June 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why the Hormuz oil shock never became an energy catastrophe

The US-Israel-Iran war produced a historic oil supply shock but not a severe global economic crisis, due to ample prewar supplies, China's energy pivot and strategic reserve releases.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image

Several Gulf states are working to recover their images as global havens of stability in the wake of the Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

Iraq is seeking a higher production quota as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has slashed oil revenues and plunged the country into a fiscal crisis.

Latest News

Explainer

Syria’s energy push could soon get a major boost from Chevron: What to know

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Oil falls below $74 as Hormuz traffic recovers after Iran war

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Explainer

Hormuz tolls, frozen funds pose early tests for US-Iran peace progress

AMIRHOSSEIN KHORGOOEI / ISNA / 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

This picture shows a construction site for Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in Riyadh, on April 16, 2023.

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector grows at fastest rate in over a decade

Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics said last week that the kingdom's non-oil GDP growth rate was up 4.3% from 2023, while oil activities declined by 4.5%.

Ruwais

Samsung E&A to build UAE's first methanol plant as country shifts to greener fuels

The methanol facility, based in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ruwais Industrial City, is expected to be completed in 2028.

United Arab Emirates

CNN launches new operation in Qatar amid regional rivalry: What we know

CNN's move will fuel Qatar’s growing role as a media hub in the region.

A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on Nov. 3, 2024 in Suez, Egypt.

Egypt’s Suez Canal chief optimistic about Red Sea as attacks die down

The Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have ceased owing to the ceasefire in Gaza, prompting Egypt to encourage shipping companies to resume sailing through the waterway.

Egyptian pound banknotes sit on a table on March 6, 2024, in Cairo, after Egypt's central bank announced it will allow the exchange rate to be set by the market.

Egypt’s economic reboot fuels bond market return with $2B sale

Egypt is making big moves to resuscitate its economy.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni together in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 26, 2025.

Saudi Arabia, Italy sign $10B in deals during Meloni visit: What we know

Italy is a strong trading partner of Saudi Arabia's, and the two countries are eying cooperation on renewable energy.

AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia eases foreign investment laws for Mecca, Medina real estate

Foreign investors will have access to limited shares of companies listed on the Saudi capital market, convertible debt instruments or both, the Saudi Capital Markets Authority said in a statement.

A vendor sells dates and dried fruits at a market in Cairo's central Sayyida Zeinab district, March 12, 2023.

Analysis

Egypt’s economic overhaul advances after 2024 turning point but pressures remain

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan attends a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on Jan. 19, 2024.

Exclusive

Saudi finance minister hints kingdom could meet 2030 renewables target early

On Monday, the kingdom commissioned its largest battery energy storage system to its grid, with a capacity of 500 megawatts and the ability to store 2,000 megawatt hours of electricity.

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

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani looks on during a session as part of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, on Jan. 23, 2025.

WEF: Arab businesses ‘very keen’ to invest in Syria after Assad’s ouster

Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani, attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week, along with over 50 heads of state and hundreds of business moguls.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Zeyoudi expects 14% trade increase in 2024: Interview

This rise has been propelled by the country's growing non-oil trade and trade deals, the UAE minister told Al-Monitor.

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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi borrowing blitz picks up as Vision 2030 deadlines, World Cup loom

Saudi Arabia is ahead of the pack as countries wary of volatility borrow cash before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech