Economy & Business - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Business and Economy Cover Image

Economy & Business

People walk past a cryptocurrency exchange office with a screen featuring US President Donald Trump holding cryptocurrency coins in Hong Kong on March 12, 2025.

Trump earns $810M from UAE-backed crypto firm: What to know

According to the disclosure, Trump earned $810 million from crypto token sales and sales of interests in UAE-backed World Liberty Financial.

United Arab Emirates

Omar Albaw / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

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.

Latest News

Interview

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

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

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

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.

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

Central bank

UAE laws clamp down on money laundering, terrorism financing

The Emirates recently sanctioned some financial institutions in the country.

United Arab Emirates

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

ESG investments gain momentum in Middle East

Many Middle Eastern investors consider sustainable assets attractive from an ethical perspective, though some ambiguity clouds their economic benefits.

Saudi Aramco acquires lubricant giant Valvoline

Aramco has been investing in futuristic technology amid high oil prices and profits.

stock exchange

Foreign investment grows in Abu Dhabi stock exchange

The UAE has invested in several regional states this year.

United Arab Emirates

Austrian policemen guard the entrance of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headquarters during the 176th meeting of the OPEC conference and the 6th meeting of the OPEC and non-OPEC countries on July 1, 2019 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP) (Photo by JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images)

OPEC+ faces critical decision on next moves

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

A member of Iraq's Hashid Shaabi paramilitary force looks on while standing along a runway at the heavily damaged airport of the northern city of Mosul.

Iraq starts rebuilding Mosul airport

Determined to complete the delayed Mosul airport reconstruction project, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is granting the project special exceptions to shield it from corruption and complex administrative procedures.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

More gas discovered off coast of Abu Dhabi

The field, which is operated by Italy’s Eni, has yielded considerable natural gas to the UAE this year.

A farmer holds a handful of soil parched because of drought in Tunisia's east-central area of Kairouan.

Water crisis threatens millions with thirst in Tunisia

Tunisian President Kais Saied has called on the government to immediately address the water crisis in the country, where millions who rely on agriculture are facing the threat of thirst amid repeated water cuts and the disruption of work of the concerned institutions.

Total Energies

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to increase footprint in Egypt

The oil firm’s move to buy half of TotalEnergies' stake in the country is the latest example of Emirati investment in Egypt.

Price tags are seen on a market shelf of fresh fruit and vegetables on May 05, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey raises inflation forecasts

The Turkish lira is also again falling close to historically low levels against the US dollar.

A huge banner bearing portraits of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and his predecessor, the founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R), is seen on a building being constructed at phase 15 and 16 of South Pars gas field development in the southern Iranian port town of Asaluyeh on July 19, 2010 as a top official announced that global energy majors are welcome to help develop oil and gas projects in Iran despite new sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic. AFP PHOTO/ATT

Russian Gazprom's deal with Iran could prompt further cooperation

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

Dubai skyline

UAE Central Bank announces more sanctions

The Emirates is seeking to improve its record on financial transparency after being implicated in money laundering and sanctions evasion controversies.