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Economy & Business

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

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.

Latest News

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

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

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

AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Turkcell

Fitch downgrades several Turkish companies

The leading rating agency previously downgraded Turkey on its debt scale due to high inflation in the country.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Dubai expo

UAE explores economic cooperation with Cuba

The Abu Dhabi and the Cuban chambers of commerce met at the Expo 2020 Dubai event, and a Cuban minister visited an Emirati renewable energy company.

United Arab Emirates

Oman power

Gulf states plan to phase out below-cost electricity for their citizens

Subsidy reform is at the crux of state-led pushes to instill a change in thinking among citizens and a powerful tool to raise environmental awareness.

Serbia expo 2020

Emirati cloud firm G42 signs agreement with Serbia

The memorandum was signed at the Expo 2020 forum in Dubai.

United Arab Emirates

Turkey economy

Turkey's economy to be hit hard by Fed's expected interest rate hikes

Expected interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve to rein in inflation will deal further blows to Turkey’s economic turmoil.

Saudi tourism

Emirates airline to boost Saudi tourism

The Dubai-based carrier has signed an agreement with the Saudi Tourism Authority to bring international travelers to Saudi Arabia.

People hold up their electricity bills as they protest against high energy prices in Ankara on Feb. 9, 2022.

Turkey’s producers face tough choices after staggering energy hikes

Industrial enterprises in crisis-hit Turkey have faced energy price hikes of up to 400% over a year, atop other economic blows, and many might not survive the turmoil, experts warn.

A Palestinian boy waits for falafel at a vendor in Hebron in the West Bank, April 18, 2021.

Rise in price of falafel leaves Palestinians hangry

The price hike of a falafel sandwich, a popular street food once available to all, has stirred wide resentment amid the increase of prices of other foodstuffs.

Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier Duhail passes through the Suez Canal near the port city of Ismailia, Egypt, April 1, 2008.

Egypt breaks LNG export records with eye on Europe

The country recorded 10-year high sales in 2021 following a jump in global prices and resumption of production in its second liquefied gas facility, a flow local authorities hope to maintain as they try to become a regional hub and major player in the market.

Saudi bank

Digital bank backed by Saudi sovereign wealth fund gets approval

The D360 Bank, which aims to operate locally, will be the third digital bank in Saudi Arabia as the kingdom's diversification efforts continue.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Intel HQ

Intel acquires Israeli tech firm

The Silicon Valley tech giant has a large presence in Israel, and has acquired several Israeli companies in recent years.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

A man counts Egyptian pounds at a currency exchange shop, Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 3, 2016.

Standard Chartered eyes churning out profits from Egypt

Egyptian authorities are betting on Standard Charter's expertise to boost online banking and stoke competitiveness.