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June 20, 2026

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French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Aramco's VC arm sees boom in emerging technologies, retail

Anas Alqahtani, CEO of Wa'ed Ventures, expects strong growth in Saudi Arabia’s emerging technology and retail sectors over the coming years.

Latest News

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air wins US flight approval: What to know

A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft of Saudi airline Riyadh Air is pictured on the tarmac at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on June 7, 2026.

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

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

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) invites Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (L) to view an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony inside the Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China, March 16, 2017.

Saudi, Chinese companies sign investment deals on renewable energy, cloud services during Xi’s visit

Xi Jinping’s trip to Saudi Arabia has focused largely on economic and energy ties so far.

China's President Xi Jinping (R) greeted by the Governor of Riyadh province Prince Faisal bin Bandar al-Saud (L) at King Khalid International Airport

Analysis

The Takeaway: Xi's Saudi Arabia trip sends a message to US

Plus, the Biden administration gears up for next week’s summit of African leaders and warns that Iran is still fueling Yemen’s war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

A picture taken on November 3, 2019 shows a sign of Saudi Aramco's initial public offering (IPO) during a press conference by the state company in the eastern Saudi Arabian region of Dhahran. - Saudi Aramco confirmed it planned to list on the Riyadh stock exchange, describing it as a "significant milestone" in the history of the energy giant. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Aramco tested by deglobalization and energy transition

Gerald Kepes

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy trends

China's President Xi Jinping attends the 29th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting (AELM) during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on Nov. 19, 2022.

China’s Xi heads to Saudi Arabia, adding strain to US ties

Xi's visit to Saudi, the first in six years, will include two summits with Arab and GCC leaders and could see an agreement on nuclear technology

A picture shows the UAE's al-Badia Farms in Dubai, an indoor vertical farm using innovative hydroponic technology.

Another vertical farm comes to Saudi Arabia

Vertical farming has great potential to help alleviate rising desertification in the Middle East, which could threaten the region’s food supply in the future.

Saudi Arabia Aseer

Saudi wealth fund to invest in mountainous Aseer region

Aseer receives the most rainfall in Saudi Arabia and has some tourism potential, but the kingdom is not close to meeting its tourism goals at present.

A picture taken on Nov. 3, 2019, shows a sign of Saudi Aramco's initial public offering.

Saudi Arabia announces new natural gas discoveries

The kingdom is already a major oil exporter, but it could also start exporting natural gas in the near future.

A man sits next to a currency exchange office at Istanbul's Grand Bazaar on May 5, 2022.

Turkish government banks on Gulf financial support to save economy

As crucial elections near, Ankara pins hope on financial support from “friendly” countries to ease its foreign currency shortfall and rein in inflation.

IVAN PISARENKO/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia to build giant solar power plant

The plant, which will be partially owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, will have more output than other solar energy facilities in the region if all goes to plan.

A worker cleans a car near graffiti of Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Nov. 5, 2017.

Saudi electric car company Ceer to build factory near Red Sea

Ceer, which will be Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle-maker, is the latest Saudi project to help the oil-rich kingdom diversify.

VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images

Kuwait, Saudi Arabia deny supporting OPEC oil production increase

Oil prices dropped after news broke of a potential production increase but have since rebounded.

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

US says Saudi Arabia's MBS has immunity in Khashoggi lawsuit

The Biden administration says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be immune from a US lawsuit holding him responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's murder.