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Economy & Business

An attendee walks past signage displayed inside the venue for the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok on October 14, 2026. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Syria to rejoin Arab group at IMF, leaving Russian-led constituency

Syria will rejoin the Arab constituency at the International Monetary Fund beginning Nov. 1 and has applied for membership in the EBRD.

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.

Latest News

Explainer

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

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) /

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.

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

Workers hang their laundry out to dry on the railings of their labor accommodation, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 27, 2022.

UAE touts new domestic workers law

The UAE, like other Gulf countries, has faced criticism for its treatment of foreign workers.

United Arab Emirates

Inmates performing in a band are seen during a government-guided tour for the media,at the Correctional and Rehabilitation Center in Badr city, east of Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 22, 2022.

Egypt's released political prisoners get economic aid

A presidential initiative puts former political detainees on economic track after their release.

Russian tourism

Egypt freezes Russian MIR payments to avoid US sanctions

Acceptance of MIR bank cards would have eased Russian tourists’ payments inside Egyptian hotels and resorts.

Egyptian farmers harvest wheat in Bamha village near al-Ayyat town in Giza province, Egypt, May 17, 2022.

Egypt claims wheat self-sufficiency despite Ukraine war

Over the past three months, Egypt has bought 3.5 million tons of wheat from local farmers as it works to achieve self-sufficiency and weather the effects of the global crisis caused by the Russian war on Ukraine.

Israel gas

More gas discovered off coast of Israel as Lebanon talks falter

Energean’s discovery follows a setback in the US-mediated negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border.

MENA gas

The natural gas substitution: The Middle East's opportunity to replace Russian gas to the EU

Iranians walk past Sepah Bank in the capital Tehran, on June 15, 2022. - Iran has been wrestling with rampant price growth for years, exceeding 30 percent annually every year since 2018, according to the International Monetary Fund. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's banking sector faces hurdles to reconnect to global financial system post-sanctions

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

Representatives of OPEC member countries attend a press conference after the 45th Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, Vienna, Austria, Oct. 5, 2022.

Iraq's commitment to OPEC oil reduction won't affect exports

Iraq's oil reduction per the recent OPEC+ agreement will not affect the country's revenues, according to Iraq's oil minister.

OPEC

Oil prices up after OPEC+ cut

Saudi Arabia has been pushing for production cuts due to fluctuations in global oil prices.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi (2nd right) and his Jordanian counterpart, Bisher al-Khasawneh (2nd left), are seen during the launching ceremony of the electrical grid connection project between the two countries, Anbar province, Iraq, Oct. 6, 2022.

Iraq, Jordan launch electrical grid connection project

Iraq and Jordan launched a project for an electrical grid connection between the two countries in order to improve Iraq's electricity situation and boost economic ties between the two countries.

A guest walks in the lobby of Al-Masa Hotel during an African Ministers of Finance Economy and Environment Meeting for the COP27 climate summit, at the New Administrative Capital, east of Cairo, Egypt, Sept. 7, 2022.

COP27 presents Egypt financing opportunities for sustainable development

Egypt is considering dozens of national green and sustainable development projects as part of the government’s plan to adapt to climate change and switch to green sustainable development, as it prepares to host the UN Climate Change Conference.

A picture taken on Aug. 25, 2022, shows Egyptian pounds and US dollars banknotes.

Egyptian pound hits nominal record low ahead of IMF deal

The global economic storm has put a lot of pressure on the local currency, which nevertheless remains strong against other currencies.