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Economy & Business

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Kuwait's Zain eyes $1.5B mobile network in postwar Syria: What to know

The Kuwaiti company is planning to invest more than $1.5 billion in Syria after securing a license to operate there, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Here's what to know about Iraq's corruption as Zaidi launches crackdown

Watchdogs and financial institutions regard Iraq as a significantly corrupt country as the new prime minister works to recover public funds.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

Latest News

Analysis

Why the Hormuz oil shock never became an energy catastrophe

A tourist boat passes near crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and other vessels anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, June 19, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Explainer

Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

Syria’s energy push could soon get a major boost from Chevron: What to know

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

France’s TotalEnergies sells stake in Iraqi Kurdish oil field

The sale follows the Iraqi federal government pressuring international firms to pull out of the autonomous region, which has led to concern from the US State Department.

VLADIMIR SMIRNOV/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan looks to Putin to ease foreign currency woes

An extraordinary uptick in capital flows of unknown origin to Turkey has left many wondering whether Russian money could be involved.

A man walks past a currency exchange shop displaying a giant US dollar banknote, Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 3, 2016.

Egyptian pound continues to lose value

Economists expect Egypt's central bank to loosen its grip on the exchange rate of the Egyptian pound in its meeting later this month, but the possible move is fraught with fears from a sharp rise in commodity prices.

Iran uzbekistan

Iran strengthens ties to Central Asia with Uzbekistan deals

The two states pledged to cooperate on energy, transportation and more, including the strategic Chabahar port.

Ohood

Minister for the Future says 'Projects of the 50' aims to make UAE global hub

Ohood Khalfan Al Roumi, the UAE's minister of state for government development and the future, explains the Gulf state's strategic plans over the next half-century.

The platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea

Israeli natural gas revenues boom

With a projected increase in output, Israel will have the opportunity to boost exports to Europe.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Another illegal dig unearths archaeological discovery in Egypt's Giza

After a recent bust in Giza, archaeologists continued to be alarmed by illegal excavations and antiquities smuggling.

A general view taken on May 29, 2019, shows the seafront promenade in the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi, with the ADNOC headquarters.

Dubai supplier to replace coal with natural gas in bid to reduce carbon emissions

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company signed an agreement to provide Dubai with natural gas, which will be used to generate electricity. Natural gas is a relatively clean fuel but does lead to carbon emissions.

United Arab Emirates

Israeli Economy and Trade Minister Orna Barbivai signing an MOU for cooperation on trade and production with Emirati counterparts, Dubai, June 1, 2021.

Israel-Gulf trade flourishes in two years of Abraham Accords

Bahrain and the UAE expect that the scope of bilateral trade with Israel will continue to grow significantly in coming years.

AFP via Getty Images

With warming of diplomatic ties, Israel, Turkey expect bilateral trade boom

Now that diplomatic relations have improved, Israel hopes to increase and expand its exportations to Turkey in fields such as water treatment, smart agriculture and energy.

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt to adopt Russian Mir payment system to encourage tourism, trade exchange

Russian tourists and companies will be allowed to pay through the Russian Mir system in Egypt ahead of the winter season, which Cairo is hoping will boost its tourism sector.

Saudi economy

Saudi GDP quarterly growth rate reaches 10-year high

Saudi Arabia is investing in several sectors in its bid to diversify the economy, but oil remains a major driver of growth.