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Economy & Business

Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova returns the ball to Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during their WTA Finals tennis tournament in Riyadh on November 5, 2025. (Photo by Fayez NURELDINE / AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

From Six Kings Slam to FIFAe finals, Saudi Arabia's events derailed by war

Some of Saudi Arabia’s flagship events — across sectors including culture, entertainment and sports — have been canceled or postponed following deadly Houthi attacks over the weekend.

Flames burn at a facility belonging to Saudi oil giant Aramco south of Riyadh

Explainer

Aramco HQ attack exposes Saudi defense gaps, infrastructure vulnerabilities

The Iran-linked Yemeni militants struck at the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry this week amid an expanding campaign against key infrastructure.

Abdulrahman Alfozan in an undated photo

Who is Abdulrahman Alfozan, Saudi national charged in bugging OpenAI meetings?

The Saudi national who was arrested for allegedly planting a covert listening device at OpenAI’s offices has extensive experience working at leading technology companies in the US and serves as a venture partner at a Saudi venture capital firm.

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation on March 14, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf's petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran's Kharg Island. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Explainer

IMF projects Gulf rebound in 2027. Can energy production keep pace?

Restoring shipping access in the Strait of Hormuz is only part of the recovery, as Gulf producers also need to repair damaged infrastructure to avoid further disruption to production and exports.

Latest News

Jeddah airport flights disrupted as Houthis escalate threats

Men walk at a terminal at Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah on December 12, 2019. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Manchester City fallout tests Gulf’s global investment model

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Manchester City's Emirati owner and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Explainer

What Houthi airport attacks mean for Saudi Arabia’s aviation ambitions

A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft of Saudi airline Riyadh Air is pictured on the tarmac at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 7, 2026.

Saudi Arabia outlines oil export plans amid escalating Houthi attacks

Guests attend the 25th WPC Energy Congress, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 12, 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

This picture taken on May 13, 2013 shows untreated phosphate being dropped off on a montain at the end of a conveyor belt at the Marca factory of the National Moroccan phosphates company (OCP/public), near Laayoune, the capital of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara. - As a global leader in the market for phosphate and its derivatives, OCP has been a key player in the international market since its founding in 1920, the worlds largest exporter of phosphate rock and phosphoric acid and one of the worlds large

Morocco’s phosphate giant OCP put to test as Africa’s fertilizer market heats up

Global players are taking an interest in the African fertilizer market, putting the dominant position of Morocco's phosphate producer to the test.

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) greets Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People on December 23, 2014 in Beijing, China. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is undertaking his first visit to China in hopes to secure investment deals. (Photo by Greg Baker - Pool/Getty Images)

Egypt’s exports to China up more than 20% in 2022

China is making inroads in the Middle East, including by strengthening economic ties to Egypt.

Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh gestures during an interview with AFP at his office in the capital Beirut on December 20, 2021. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s bank chief Salameh in hot seat as French judge arrives in Beirut

The French judge will question Riad Salameh over the central bank governor’s alleged involvement in financial crimes.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Silicon Valley Bank collapse reverberates in Israel, Gulf

Israeli startups had a lot of money in Silicon Valley Bank and may need the government’s help.

Riyadh Air

Saudi’s new Riyadh Air set to compete with Emirates, Qatar Airways

The airline is expected to better connect travelers to Saudi Arabia’s cultural and natural attractions, create more than 200,000 jobs and add $20 billion to non-oil gross domestic product.

A man counts Egyptian pounds at a currency exchange shop, Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 3, 2016.

Major bitcoin fraud case rattles Egypt

Hundreds of Egyptians were swindled by an international crypto mining company, raising controversy over the digital currency that has grown in popularity in cash-strapped Egypt.

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.