Gulf investment to turn inward to rebuild postwar infrastructure: QNB Charles-Emmanuel de Beauregard, Qatar National Bank’s head of corporate and institutional banking, said that the Gulf countries will need to rebuild their logistics capabilities after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar
Saudi Aramco's VC arm sees boom in emerging technologies, retail Anas Alqahtani, CEO of Wa'ed Ventures, expects strong growth in Saudi Arabia’s emerging technology and retail sectors over the coming years. Saudi Arabia
Analysis As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties The move eases a key source of friction with Turkey ahead of a NATO summit in Ankara. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Bessent says Iran's frozen assets will pay for Gulf damage, Hormuz tolls US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that any damage Iran inflicts on Gulf allies will be paid for with funds extracted from Iranian accounts. Iran
Who is Bill Pulte, Trump loyalist tapped as intelligence director? By Jared Szuba In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military
Analysis Ports and infrastructure: UAE embraces new economic order in Syria By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Turkish markets rattled after surprise firing of central bank head Turkey’s lira and main stock index slid about 9% Monday as markets reacted to the surprise removal of the nation’s central bank chief amid broader political turmoil. Turkey
Turkish Central Bank holds interest rate steady As forecasted, Turkey’s Central Bank policymakers held a key interest rate steady Thursday, saying they would continue working to reel in the nation’s double-digit inflation. Turkey
Cash-strapped Turkey relies on Qatari investments In only five years, Qatar has come to account for 15% of all foreign direct investments in Turkey, second only to deep-rooted Dutch investors. Turkey
International financial alliance forms to help Iraq Several countries are forming an economic alliance to help Iraq in its financial crisis. Iraq
Iran desperate to maintain Iraqi financial lifeline Iran seeks to maintain the flow of hard currency from Iraq to help it overcome the US sanctions. Iraq
Egyptians turn to Bitcoin amid coronavirus crisis Soaring prices of cryptocurrencies, most notably Bitcoin, are tempting many unemployed Egyptians seeking to achieve quick gains, amid fears of Bitcoin being exploited to finance terrorism or illegal trade. Egypt
Tehran Stock Exchange: The end of an illusion Many Iranian investors have recently seen the value of their portfolios drop significantly due to governmental overregulation in times of market growth. Iran
Lebanon-IMF talks make little progress despite bank collapse The Lebanese ruling elite is still bargaining over the economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund, while the country’s economic situation continues to go downhill. Lebanon
Lebanon's central bank to take over banks that cannot boost capital The central bank is giving Lebanese banks until February to increase their capital by 20% or give their shares to the government amid fears that people's deposits are at risk. Lebanon
IMF calls for Lebanon reforms, explores ways to assist Beirut The International Monetary Fund, which began talks with Lebanon in May, called for critical economic reforms in the aftermath of the Beirut blast. Lebanon
Turkey’s ‘peg-legged’ foreign currency reserves Turkey’s central bank appears increasingly fragile, with more than 60% of its reserves secured through swap deals. Turkey
Lebanese banks raise exchange rate to dollars as crisis worsens A member of the government's IMF negotiations team also resigned in opposition to the government's handling of the worst financial crisis in decades. Lebanon
