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Economy & Business

Saudi Arabia football supporters wave flags

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

The project is a vote of confidence to Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 agenda to diversify the economy away from oil, despite an uptick in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on the kingdom in recent weeks.

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.

Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks

According to data from Kpler, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes across the Middle East averaged more than 24 million barrels a day last week, surpassing prewar levels of 23.3 million.

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

Benoit Tessier / AFP via Getty Images

Macron secures Gulf diesel supplies as France grapples with fuel costs, unrest

France now has commitments for 295,000 metric tons of diesel per month from the Gulf, accounting for just over 10% of the European country’s consumption.

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Explainer

Indonesia first foreign country to own property in Saudi Arabia's Mecca

Vehicles move along a main street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Sept. 16, 2026.

Saudi Arabia postpones 'Davos in the Desert' until 2027 amid Houthi attacks

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege?

shoppers walking through the Tajrish Bazaar, a traditional market in Tehran

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

How much oil can cushion another Middle East supply shock?

A vessel transits the Gulf of Oman

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

UAE wealth fund ADIA scoops into $18B Haagen-Dazs owner Froneri

The UAE sovereign wealth fund has become a co-investor in Froneri in a deal valuing the global ice cream firm at about $18 billion.

United Arab Emirates

aluminium-dutton

Saudi, Chinese companies to develop giant aluminum industrial hub in Riyadh

The new industrial base is set to cover 1.5 million square meters and will be developed in two phases, with the first expected to be completed in 30 months and create more than 1,800 jobs.

Australian Prime Ministry

UAE deepens Asia ties as Malaysia, Australia trade deals kick in

Asia accounts for around 60% of the world’s gross domestic product and pursuing trade deals there helps the UAE hedge against dependence on both the US and China.

United Arab Emirates

A Riyadh Metro train makes its way along a track in the middle of a road in Riyadh on December 3, 2024.

What’s next for Saudi Arabia’s budget balancing act as deficit doubles?

The Gulf state now expects a deficit of $65.3 billion in 2025 — more than double the initial forecast — as the kingdom continues heavy spending amid weak oil prices.

A Ryanair Boeing 737-800 aircraft lands at Barcelona's 'El Prat' airport on September 28, 2018

Ryanair scraps Tel Aviv return amid airport dispute, regional instability

The Irish low-cost carrier said Tuesday it would not restart winter flights to Israel, scrapping some 22 routes to and from Tel Aviv and around 1 million seats.

The Saudi delegation meets with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi, Sept. 29, 2025.

After China, Saudi industry minister visits Vietnam in eastward economic push

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef met with a number of Vietnamese officials on Monday as the oil-rich Gulf kingdom looks east to diversify its economic alliances.

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi, "Science is the power," at the Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

Iran rial hits record low 1.13M to dollar as UN snapback sanctions resume: What to know

The sanctions, which were trigged by the three European signatories to the nuclear deal, will not hinder Iranian oil exports to China, an official said.

EA office building in Austin, Texas, USA.

Gaming giant Electronic Arts taken private in $55B Saudi-backed buyout

The transaction represents a significant deal involving entities close to the Saudi Arabian and US governments.

Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization and the US president's son, looks over the proposed plan ahead of the signing ceremony with Qatar's Diar and Dar Global, Doha, Qatar, April 30, 2025.

Trump family further expands Gulf business with $1B Jeddah plaza project

It will be the second Trump-branded development in the kingdom after the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah last December.

The headquarters of the UAE's state oil company, ADNOC, Dubai, July 27, 2022.

Analysis

After $20B deals unravel, will Gulf oil majors scale back abroad?

International deals pursued by Saudi Aramco and the UAE's ADNOC have collapsed in recent weeks, adding fresh complications for both national oil companies amid their drive to grow in new markets.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

People and street vendors move past one of Hama's landmark historic water wheels on a bridge over the Orontes riverbank in the heart of the central Syrian city on Dec. 30, 2024.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledge $89M for Syrian public sector: What to know

The new Syrian government has struggled to pay public workers sufficiently and is implementing a plan aimed at rooting out “ghost employees" who do not show up to work.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia courts Chinese firms in mining investment drive

Mining and Industry Minister Bandar Alkhorayef met with executives from more than 20 mining firms in Beijing on Thursday.