Turkey, US push toward $100B trade goal as Bolat heads to Washington Bilateral trade between the United States and Turkey reached almost $43 billion in 2024, according to the US trade representative. Turkey
Newsletter: Business & Tech Syria seeks investment in new era Syria’s year-old transitional government is accelerating efforts to rebuild its war-battered economy. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
UAE, Russia host first joint business forum despite Ukraine war sanctions Trade between the two countries is projected to exceed $10 billion in 2025. United Arab Emirates
Mideast funds back Paramount's $108B Warner Bros. takeover bid Netflix appeared to have won a weeks-long bidding war with Paramount and Comcast, securing a $72 billion equity deal for Warner Bros. Discovery's TV, film studios and streaming assets, but Monday's $108 billion bid changes the calculus. Saudi Arabia
Feature Syria’s new order faces old problems: Sanctions, reconstruction and volatility By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
US reportedly slows AI chip exports to Mideast as Saudi Arabia turns to China Washington has further restricted imports of critical components for AI systems to certain countries, including some undisclosed ones in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia
Middle East economic outlook caught between low growth, high debt convergence Karen Young In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy
UAE main destination for smuggled African gold, report claims Swissaid estimates that 405 metric tons of gold, mostly mined by small-scale or artisanal miners, were smuggled out of Africa in 2022 and ended up in the UAE. United Arab Emirates
South Korea, UAE ink trade deal lifting tariffs on over 90% of imports The agreement was signed by ministers at a summit in the capital Seoul during the UAE president's first state visit. United Arab Emirates
Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal invests in Elon Musk’s $24B AI startup Kingdom Holding Company also holds a stake in Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter. Saudi Arabia
UAE president arrives in South Korea to talk defense, energy, business ties The visit, the first by the Emirati president, aims to enhance the already strong ties between the two countries. United Arab Emirates
Interview Saudi Expo 2030 to offer major opportunities for French businesses, says official In November, the Saudi capital won the right to host the Expo 2030 world trade fair that is expected to attract around 40 million visitors and billions of dollars of inward investment. Axel Baroux French Trade and Invest Commissioner for the UAE and Middle East
Malaysia courts Gulf investment and economic ties, but Saudi relations remain question mark Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Gaza war complicates IMEC plans even as Gulf-India ties warm The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor's progress is facing some difficulties related to geopolitical complexities, funding and conflicts in the Red Sea and Gaza. By Adam Lucente In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change
Poverty in Lebanon tripled to 44%, as high as 62% in rural areas: World Bank In a recent report, the World Bank revealed a three-fold increase in poverty rates in Lebanon, which is hard hit by an economic crisis and financial meltdown, with nine out of every 10 Syrians displaced in the country living under the poverty line. Lebanon
Goldman Sachs first Wall Street bank to get green light for Saudi Arabia HQ The US-headquartered investment bank received a license from the Saudi Ministry of Investment to set up its regional headquarters in the capital, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia