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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

The Sultanate of Oman (R) and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L).

UAE, Oman boost ties with deals on high-speed rail, combating financial crimes

The agreements are in line with the UAE’s foreign policy, which prioritizes regional partnerships.

United Arab Emirates

COMESA,

Saudi Arabia partners with Senegal on railway, desalination plant

The UAE, Israel and Turkey have also upped their engagement with African states in recent years.

Turkey economy

Erdogan initiates economic gestures ahead of Turkey's critical elections

Turkey’s president has stepped up economic pledges to the electorate ahead of next year’s polls, which loom as the toughest test of his two-decade rule.

US President Joe Biden (L) and Israel's caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, take part in a virtual meeting with leaders of the I2U2 group, which includes, US, Israel, India, and the United Arab Emirates, at a hotel in Jerusalem, on July 14, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

American investment in Mideast to stay focused on larger economies amid Ukraine war

Howard J. Shatz

Howard J. Shatz

An Egyptian woman shops at a fruit market in Cairo on March 17, 2022.

Egyptian households turn to credit as inflation bites

In the past, locals used to buy only durables in installments. Today, breadwinners buy clothes, schoolbooks, stationery and groceries on credit.

Lebanese depositors queue to withdraw money from a Fransabank branch as banks partially reopened following a week of closure due to security concerns, Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 26, 2022.

Lebanese depositors irate over closed banks

Banks in Lebanon have been shut down for nearly a week amid fears of a bank run.

BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

New EV deliveries from China expand even as Israeli car market shrinks

Fewer new cars are being delivered to Israel, but among them, Chinese electric vehicles are surging.

APM Terminals.

Jordan’s port in Aqaba signs $242 million investment deal

The agreement with the Dutch firm APM Terminals could help increase trade through the Red Sea port.

David Hecker/Getty Images

Qatari oil, gas exports up 100% in 2022

Qatar is working to export more gas to Europe in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Residential buildings are seen unilluminated in the evening on Sept. 10, 2022, in Berlin, Germany.

UAE to help Germany reduce dependence on Russian gas

Qatar is also reportedly close to supplying the European country with natural gas amid the Ukraine war.

United Arab Emirates

Cranes move shipping containers on a Maersk Sealand ship.

Egypt explores production of green fuels for ships

Egypt plans to cooperate with the Maersk global shipping group to establish a national network to produce and distribute green fuel for ships, depending on new and renewable energy sources, as the country gears up to host the COP27 climate summit.

Palestinian farmers harvest cucumbers in a field near Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Sept. 7, 2022.

Palestinian economy falters despite pandemic recovery

Despite the end of the coronavirus pandemic, an improvement in the Palestinian economy does not seem very likely given other factors.