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Economy & Business

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Kuwait's Zain eyes $1.5B mobile network in postwar Syria: What to know

The Kuwaiti company is planning to invest more than $1.5 billion in Syria after securing a license to operate there, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Here's what to know about Iraq's corruption as Zaidi launches crackdown

Watchdogs and financial institutions regard Iraq as a significantly corrupt country as the new prime minister works to recover public funds.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

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

Latest News

Analysis

Why the Hormuz oil shock never became an energy catastrophe

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

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Explainer

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

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Explainer

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

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

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

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

Group Chairman & CEO, DP World Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem speaks during the 2023 Concordia Annual Summit at the Sheraton Hotel, New York, Sept. 19, 2023.

EV charging infrastructure needed to accelerate carbon emission cuts, says DP World

The UAE-headquartered company's CEO Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem told Al-Monitor that the sector could place more emphasis on equipment providers to allow for cost-competitive electric equipment to drive forward decarbonization goals.

United Arab Emirates

Foreign labourers work on the construction of new luxury houses in the Saudi capital Riyadh on April 13, 2019. - Housing is a potential lightning rod for public discontent in a country where affordable dwellings are beyond the reach of many, posing a key challenge for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he seeks to overhaul the oil-reliant economy. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia bolsters expat incentives as war complicates efforts to lure foreign talent

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

AFP via Getty Images

How Red Sea tension is hurting China's auto industry in EU, US

The Houthis initially claimed to be only targeting ships linked to Israel, but Chinese shipping is also in peril despite its friendliness to the Houthis' supporter Iran.

In this photograph taken on August 25, 2023, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Chair, WTO's 13th Ministerial Conference and Minister of State for Foreign Trade of United Arab Emirates, addresses the gathering on the first day of the three-day B20 Summit in New Delhi.

Davos 2024: Gold, precious minerals to drive UAE-Turkey trade in 2024, says minister

Since 2021, diplomatic ties between the two countries have greatly improved after years of antagonism over differing attitudes toward the Muslim Brotherhood and governance in Egypt.

United Arab Emirates

Newly elected President of the Sixth UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 6), Morocco's Minister for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali (L) adresses delegates at the 50th anniversary of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in Nairobi on March 3, 2022 - The world has a "historic" opportunity to address plastic pollution by starting discussions in early March on a treaty to regulate this phenomenon that chokes biodiversity, according to the Executive Director of the UNEP, Inger Andersen (Photo

Davos 2024: Green ammonia expansion integral to Morocco’s new hydrogen economy, minister says

Morocco's Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development Leila Benali told Al-Monitor in an interview that the COP28 declaration marked the first time an emergence of more inclusive messaging has been seen in official climate text.

A photo taken on October 11, 2023 shows the empty Mount of Olives touristic site overlooking Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock (background), as the ferocious war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement further south enters its fifth day. Hamas has branded its coordinated land, air and sea offensive against Israel that began on October 7 "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood". (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Gaza war interrupts tourism recovery for Israel and neighbors

David Rosenberg

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

Spain's Rafael Nadal hits a return against Austria's Dominic Thiem during their men's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on January 2, 2024. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia nabs Rafa Nadal as its star tennis ambassador amid criticism

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has become an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, leading to criticism from some fans and furthering the kingdom’s tennis ambitions.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Davos 2024: Reaching net zero without space tech 'wishful thinking,' says Saudi minister

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha told Al-Monitor that technology will help countries deliver on climate promises.

A sign is seen at the congress center during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 18, 2023.

Davos 2024: Gaza, Red Sea high on World Economic Forum agenda

More than 300 high-profile public figures will gather at the summit in the Swiss Alpine ski resort, including more than 60 heads of state and government, to discuss global security and business challenges.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JUNE 20: A car enters the drive-thru of a McDonald's restaurant on June 20, 2018 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Many U.S. chains, including restaurants, apparel brands and ice cream shops, are present across Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Viral boycotts serve up challenges and opportunities for global brands in Middle East

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Middle East’s economic woes to drive interest in 'stablecoins' in 2024

Experts say the crypto industry has a bright year ahead in the Middle East and North Africa, one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for decentralized finance.

ISMAILIA, EGYPT - JANUARY 10: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago. (Photo by Sayed Hassan/Getty Images)

Tesla, Volvo pause production lines, oil prices up amid Red Sea tension

There is a fast-growing list of companies that have had to recalibrate their business strategies while the Red Sea shipping route remains volatile.