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Economy & Business

Dock workers load and unload shipping containers in the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Canada, UAE sign trade pact as Ottawa seeks to diversify beyond US

The agreement is set to broadly lift tariffs on key products as Canadian officials hope to boost bilateral trade to $7 billion within a decade.

United Arab Emirates

BILAL QABALAN/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi oil infrastructure in crosshairs as Houthis claim Ras Tanura strike

Ras Tanura is home to the kingdom’s largest refinery and one of the world’s most important oil export terminals.

A man looks at a screen displaying the flight schedule at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, on Oct. 12, 2026, as Saudi Arabia-bound flights remain canceled a day after a Houthi strike at Riyadh's international airport.

Riyadh airport reopening faces turbulence as Houthis claim new strikes

A trickle of flights landed and departed from the Saudi capital on Monday as the Houthis continued to threaten aviation in the Gulf state.

a large billboard featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

What Netanyahu win or loss could mean for Israel’s economy

Economic concerns have taken a back seat to security as voters weigh Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s future — but rising deficits, cost of living and politically charged issues will be a challenge for whoever eventually prevails.

Latest News

Qatar locks in US LNG through 2054 as it looks beyond Hormuz

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha, on June 22, 2026.

China-Saudi consortium wins $306M World Cup stadium deal: What to know

Saudi Arabia football supporters wave flags

Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah east of the UAE, on Oct. 13, 2026.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Air Arabia airlplane.

Emirati budget airline Air Arabia reports record profits after loss in 2020

The Sharjah-based carrier said profits went up due to relaxed coronavirus-related restrictions.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

People queue outside Megasis, the first Iranian supermarket in Venezuela, in Caracas on July 31, 2020.

Direct Iran-Venezuela flights to begin next month

A Venezuelan official said the South American country wants to attract Iranian tourists.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

A picture taken on Sept. 3, 2019, shows freshly painted blue roads in Doha, an experiment to cool the tarmac surface and reduce the temperature of surrounding areas.

Qatar National Bank launches environmentally friendly finance project

The Doha-based bank will loan cash to the British bank HSBC to be used for green transportation investments.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish women work on computers in the central city of Holon on April 17, 2016.

Record number of ultra-Orthodox women join Israeli workforce

More and more Israeli ultra-Orthodox women turn to computer programming, accounting, entrepreneurship and other jobs instead of traditional positions in the education system.

Leviathan gas field

Negotiations likely to start over in Israel-Cyprus gas field dispute

Israel’s Energy Minister Karine Elharar is reexamining the Israel-Cyprus dispute over the gas field on their maritime border.

An Egyptian woman casts her vote at a polling station, Cairo, Egypt, Nov. 9, 2005.

Egypt empowers disabled with entrepreneurship incubator

Egypt will establish a new incubator to help entrepreneurs with disabilities turn their projects into viable businesses, as the Arab country aspires to turn this segment of society into a driving force of economic growth.

Bitcoin

Jordanians turn to cryptocurrency despite ban

Despite the risk in the cryptocurrency trading market, it remains largely unregulated in Jordan, where thousands have invested amid lack of job opportunities.

Yemen currency

Divergent currency values make life even harder in Yemen

Yemenis continue to bear the brunt of the war, including a devastated economy and banknotes that may have no value depending on which part of the country they visit.

A general view taken on Dec. 20, 2019 shows the skyline of the Qatari capital Doha.

Doha Bank releases 2021 profits

The Qatari bank reported a slight increase in profits compared to 2020, though it experienced a loss in its amount of total assets.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Passengers from Iran arrive to Najaf airport after it reopened on July 16, 2018.

Iraq receives 145% more foreign visitors in 2021

Iraq waived the visa requirements for citizens of many economically powerful countries last year in a bid to attract tourists and businesspeople.

Turkey electricity

Popular anger simmers in Turkey over ballooning electricity bills

Electricity bills have doubled and even tripled in Turkey after massive price hikes, fueling frustration with Erdogan’s economic management.

Turkey protest

Turkish unemployment down at end of 2021

Turkey is in the midst of an economic crisis, marked by historically high inflation. The government has misled the public with its unemployment figures in the past.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff