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Economy & Business

gas station in Cairo, Egypt

Eni presses ahead with Egypt gas projects as war raises investment risks

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi met with Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi on Tuesday, with the Italian energy giant revealing it could make a crucial investment decision in coming months.

A Syrian Air passenger jet lands at Aleppo airport on March 18, 2025, the first aircraft to land after it was shut during the offensive that toppled former President Bashar al-Assad.

Syrian Airlines expands Europe comeback with Vienna, Copenhagen flights

Syrian Airlines currently flies to 14 destinations across eight countries, with four additional routes planned.

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

China warns US not to interfere with Iran trade: What to know

China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing was firmly opposed to what it called “illegal unilateral sanctions” and would take “all necessary measures” to safeguard its rights.

Lebanese Presidency

Large UAE delegation set to arrive in Lebanon in major investment push

A large Emirati delegation of around 70 business leaders and government officials is heading to Beirut, in the latest sign of thaw between the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

Latest News

France, Saudi Arabia announce more than $10B in deals on MBS visit

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands

Oil falls 1.8% as traders await 'toughest' sanctions on Iran

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Analysis

UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy

Khor Fakkan Container Terminal

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

An aerial view shows the Kingdom Centre skyscraper (Kingdom Tower) and the King Fahad road in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on May 24, 2020. (Photo by FAISAL AL-NASSER/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia’s 2022 GDP breaks record, exceeds $1 trillion

Saudi Arabia’s government report states that it achieved its highest gross domestic product growth rate in over a decade in 2022 at 8.7% and broke its total amount record of more than $1 trillion last year.

The Ritz hotel is pictured in central London on May 18, 2020.

UK Islamic bank: Soccer boosting Gulf property investments

Andrew Ball, the CEO of the Bank of London and The Middle East (BLME), spoke to Al-Monitor about how soccer is fueling a rise in Gulf investment in northern England.

A pedlar sells roasted corn cobs by the medieval Sultan al-Ghuri Complex (built in 1505) in Azhar district, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2023.

Inflation in Egypt at 32.9% in latest spike

The Egyptian government’s inflation statistics in February could prompt an interest rate increase when the central bank next meets.

A Saudi man has his picture taken for his election ID card as registration opened 23 November 2004, for the kingdom's first municipal elections, to be held in February 2005. The first round of the elections, in which women are barred from voting, is the first of the three-stage process of choosing half the members of 178 municipal councils, the other half of which are named by the government, in a drive to introduce limited reforms which Riyadh insists must be tailored to Saudi specifications and not neces

What businesses can expect from PDPL, Saudi Arabia's incoming data law

Saudi Arabia’s new personal data protection law, which goes into effect next week, could significantly impact the cost of doing business for multinationals in the kingdom.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A stock market broker works at the Egyptian Stock Exchange, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 6, 2013.

Egypt seeks to attract Islamic investors with debut sukuk, EGX Sharia index

While the move to allow Islamic bond sales will diversify the government's funding sources, Islamic finance is still a relatively small part of the Egyptian economy.

A sign for Moody's rating agency is displayed at the company headquarters in New York, on Sept. 18, 2012.

Moody’s issues warning about Israel’s judicial reform

The credit agency is one of several institutions to warn the controversial reform could hurt the Israeli economy.

murabba

Saudi Arabia's New Murabba project to lure global investors, but at what cost?

Ambitious project announcements are becoming an increasingly common feature of Saudi Arabia’s developmental aspirations.

Robert Mogielnicki

Robert Mogielnicki

People walk beneath advertisement billboards at Boulevard entertainment city in the Saudi capital Riyadh, late on January 19, 2022. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia mulls tax relief for global companies relocating regional HQs

On the sidelines of the International Conference on Justice that began on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia granted three foreign law firms licenses to practice in the country.

United Arab Emirates Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber speaks during CERAWeek by S&P Global in Houston, Texas on March 6, 2023. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE's Sultan Al Jaber, COP28 head, calls for 7% emissions cut, swifter energy transition

The Emirates’ Industry and Advanced Technology Minister Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber talked about the importance of carbon capture and hydrogen at the CERAWeek conference.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Turkey fines Elon Musk over Twitter purchase

The decision follows the implementation of a controversial social media law in Turkey that prompted Twitter to open an office in the country.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) reviews the honour guard as he welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia to deposit $5 billion in Turkey after earthquake

Turkey is experiencing a shortage of foreign currency amid its economic crisis and is looking to the Gulf for help.

People walk past the Egyptian Central Bank in downtown Cairo on November 3, 2016. - Egypt floated the country's pound as part of a raft of reforms, after a dollar crunch and exorbitant black market trade threatened to grind some imports to a halt. (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Return of hot money foreshadows even more debt for Egypt

Egypt has witnessed a large inflow of short-term debt in recent weeks. Al-Monitor Pro explains why the government hasn't been able to wean itself off of "hot money" and the economic impact.

Marc Español