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
Palestine Monetary Authority gets grip on terrorism funding A new network will help Palestinian banks crack down on illegal money transactions by collecting more data from their customers. Palestine
Palestine no longer a safe environment for investments Economic indicators show an increase in Palestinian investment outside Palestine, stirring fears about the Palestinian economy. Palestine
Turkey’s wealth fund borrows to rescue companies Having borrowed 1 billion euros from foreign lenders, Turkey’s controversial sovereign wealth fund has turned to rescuing troubled construction companies. Turkey
Will Lebanese wait hours in gas lines as fuel crisis bites? Lebanese citizens are living day by day the repercussions of the dollar scarcity crisis, as the fuel sector threatens an open strike next week if the government fails to find a proper solution. Lebanon
A closer look into Lebanon’s fixed currency Lebanon's fixed exchange rate has been a pillar of stability for two decades. However, poor economic conditions threaten its sustainability. Lebanon
Turkish regulator aims to hasten banking sector recovery as loan market remains weak A Turkish regulator instructed banks to write off $8.1 billion in bad debt, but analysts question whether the delayed move will suffice when it comes to reviving the nation’s troubled loan market. Turkey
Palestinian officials encourage competition among banks The Palestinian government in Ramallah will begin allowing Palestinian banks to compete with Bank of Jordan branches in the territories to collect citizens' payments for licenses and taxes owed to the Ministry of Transportation. Palestine
Ankara’s economic measures risk scaring off foreign banks Foreign-capital banks operating in Turkey are growing uneasy over economic measures aimed at pushing lenders to toe the line with government policies. Turkey
Will Egypt launch its own official digital currency? As Facebook announced it might not launch its digital currency as previously announced, experts in Egypt are debating whether the country should regulate digital currency. Egypt
Russia, Lebanon seek synergy in projects to rebuild Syria Moscow and Beirut each see potential benefits in working together to secure lucrative reconstruction contracts in Syria. Lebanon
Will Palestinian private sector rescue national economy? Business owners are trying to launch an initiative to lend the financially struggling Palestinian Authority as much as $200 million, but this effort has yet to take shape. Palestine
Iran’s central bank tightens grip on national payment system Iran’s central bank is increasingly closing loopholes in the country’s payment system that allowed for destabilization of the monetary and foreign currency markets. Iran
