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Economy & Business

Kaja Kallas

EU restores economic pact to pursue fuller trade ties with Syria

The move marks a major economic step for Syria's recovery after its 13-year civil war and the fall of the Assad regime.

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

The establishment of an entity seeking to control maritime transportation in the Strait of Hormuz is the latest sign that Iran wants to formalize authority in the strategic waterway.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks in Beirut on Dec. 19, 2025.

Egypt ramps up energy investments amid war-driven price pressures

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Wednesday that Egypt has secured commitments exceeding $19 billion from international oil companies over the next three years.

Latest News

Few ships pass Hormuz despite US efforts to break Iran's hold

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran strikes UAE’s Fujairah oil hub as US pushes Hormuz reopening

Meysam MIRZADEH / TASNIM NEWS / AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

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

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Oil and gas

Fossil fuel subsidies in Middle East nearly doubled since 2020, says IMF

The fund said that fossil fuel companies globally benefited from $13 million in subsidies per minute last year.

People wait to exchange money at a currency exchange shop on June 23, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey’s Central Bank shifts gears, hikes interest rates to 25%

The 750 basis point rise was higher than analysts' expectations, prompting lira to rebound from a record low.

BRICS summit 2023

Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE to join BRICS

The Shanghai-headquartered New Development Bank, or so-called “BRICS bank”, had already admitted the UAE and Egypt as shareholders.

Israel gas

Israel to export more gas to Egypt as cooperation grows

Israeli-Egyptian cooperation on gas matters has increased significantly in recent years, despite Egyptian criticism of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians.

Turkey lira

Turkey’s lira sinks further as currency protection scheme changes

Banks are upset with a Central Bank plan to move depositors’ savings out of accounts designed to protect the lira’s value.

A general view during MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM 2021 on Dec. 19, 2021, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's SRMG invests in music streamer Anghami, Spotify’s Middle East rival

Beirut-founded Anghami is the most popular music streaming platform in the MENA region, with 120 million registered users, up from 75 million in 2021.

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon rolls out waste management project

For years, Lebanon's trash has been burned in open dumps, with dangerous environmental and health effects.

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Energy exploration begins in Lebanon’s offshore field

Gas exploration plans in Lebanon’s Mediterranean waters have progressed since the country reached a maritime border deal with Israel last year.

An aerial view shows Emirates aircraft parked on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport during a government-organized helicopter tour, July 8, 2020.

Dubai airport surpasses pre-pandemic passenger traffic in first half of 2023

Dubai International Airport welcomed 41.6 million passengers in the first half of the year, which was “just over 100% compared to traffic recorded during the first six months of 2019,” stated the airport authority in a press release.

Apache Corporation

US shale giant to invest $1.4B in Egyptian fossil fuel projects

At the end of last year, Apache Corp's main interests in Egypt were in the Western Desert with 5.3 million gross acres in six separate concessions.

View of the headquarters of Libya's Central Bank in Tripoli, Oct. 15, 2004.

Libya’s central bank reunifies after clashes in Tripoli

The reunification of the financial institution is a sign of progress and follows disputes over oil revenue distribution and violence in the capital, as Libya continues to grapple with the aftermath of the civil war.

Xi Jinping at BRICS

BRICS summit: which Middle East states could join powerful bloc?

China and Russia are seeking to expand the group and their global influence, and several MENA countries are in line to apply.