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

Business and Economy Cover Image

Economy & Business

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)

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

Shares in SGTM jumped by 10% on Dec. 16 after the construction firm raised roughly $550 million from its IPO, underscoring demand in a market that has featured few new listings in recent years.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II (R) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jordan, on Dec. 16, 2025.

India’s Modi eyes closer ties with Jordan, Oman during visits

Modi’s two-day visit to Jordan made investments and economic cooperation a central piece of the talks with Amman.

Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El Khatib speaking at the Egyptian-Qatari Investment Forum in Cairo, Egypt on Dec. 14, 2025 (State Information Service)

Egypt secures Qatari investment boost, launches first SCZONE industrial deal

Bilateral trade between the two countries rose to $143 million during the first 10 months of 2025.

Latest News

Analysis

Yemen’s oil heartland fuels new conflict as STC seeks new political power

Yemeni employees walk at the Aden oil refinery company in Yemen's port city of Aden on Sept. 29, 2015.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Turkey, US push toward $100B trade goal as Bolat heads to Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office at the White House on September 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump has signaled that the U.S. might lift a ban on F-35 sales to Turkey during Erdogan's first visit to the White House since 2019. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

UAE, Russia host first joint business forum despite Ukraine war sanctions

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walk at the Kremlin following their talks in Moscow on August 7, 2025. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

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

Dubai floods

Dubai floods bring travel to halt after heaviest UAE rainfall on record

The National Center of Meteorology said the downpour was the largest volume of rainfall the UAE has experienced since data collection started 75 years ago.

United Arab Emirates

VICTORIA VALDIVIA/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Starbucks pledges $3M to World Central Kitchen for Gaza meals

The coffee giant has announced a large donation to the aid group World Central Kitchen, which lost seven of its staff members earlier this month in an Israeli airstrike.

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

UK’s easyJet suspends Israel flights through October after Iran attack

Britain’s biggest low-cost airline has suspended all service to Israel following Iran’s unprecedented attack on the Jewish state over the weekend.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Microsoft pumps $1.5B into UAE's G42 amid US-China tech power struggle

Washington reportedly threatened to punish G42 if it did not reduce its ties with Beijing and strengthen its US commitments.

United Arab Emirates

LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey: Meta temporarily shuts down Threads following government order

It remains unclear whether the platform will become available again in Turkey.

ROY ISSA/AFP via Getty Images

How Iran's attack on Israel is disrupting air traffic

The weekend's Iranian attack has massively disrupted air traffic across the region.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek looks on before the press conference following the cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 21, 2023. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Turkey’s economic czar stick to belt-tightening after election loss?

The Turkish government hopes that its remaining four-year mandate will give it time to placate popular anger before the next polls.

von der Leyen/Sisi

EU releases another $1.06B to Egypt to boost fragile economy

The European Union's latest package of support for the North African country's economic recovery follows an $8 billion deal announced March 17.

Lufthansa aircraft parked in front of a hangar during a nationwide strike of Lufthansa ground employees, Frankfurt Airport, March 7, 2024.

Lufthansa extends Tehran flights ban as Iran-Israel tensions flare

The Middle East remains on high alert after a suspected Israeli airstrike killed seven senior Iranian commanders in Damascus April 1.

UAE’s high stakes crypto bet poised for crucial test as Bitcoin rebounds

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Saudi Defense Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gestures during a press conference in Riyadh, on April 25, 2016.

Analysis

After Neom cut, Saudi Arabia expected to scale back more Vision 2030 plans

Authorities had originally planned for 1.5 million residents to live in The Line part of Neom, but they scaled back their ambitions to around 300,000.

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

Workers tasked with putting out the fire in an oil well, set ablaze by retreating Islamic State (IS) jihadists, assemble a water pipeline in the town of Qayyarah.

Iraq plans to reopen own oil pipeline as talks to restart Kurdish route stall

The move to reopen the pipeline will irk the Kurdistan Regional Government, as it introduces a rival route to a section of the pipeline in Kurdistan that has been shut for a year and is a crucial economic source for the semi-autonomous region.