Egypt's Sisi visits Qatar, nabs $7.5B in investments: What to know President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s trip to Doha comes amid Egypt’s moves to improve ties with Turkey and tensions with the UAE over the Gaza war. Egypt
David Petraeus, ex-CIA head, tapped to lead KKR's push into Mideast markets The newly-formed team will identify investment and partnership opportunities in the region, with a focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the private equity firm said. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's Simsek says economy will ride out Trump tariffs without lasting scars Mehmet Simsek stressed that his government’s economic program has made the economy more resilient against internal and external shocks, highlighting that inflation has fallen and continues to drop. Turkey
Israel raises interest rates to highest level since 2006 The Israeli economy was also affected by the government’s controversial judicial reform plans earlier in the year, though the situation may normalize following the reform’s pause. Israel
Germany, Italy hold talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar to strengthen energy ties Italy is looking for capital from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for a new fund Rome is setting up to help domestic companies in strategically important sectors. Saudi Arabia
Morocco’s economy to benefit as EU drops it from money laundering list The North African country was removed from the list of high-risk countries for money laundering and terrorism financing in a decision announced by the European Commission on Wednesday. Morocco
Coinbase 'welcomed' to Abu Dhabi's Hub71, hinting at new base in UAE Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said at a Dubai-based tech event that the UAE could serve as a hub for parts of the Middle East, North Africa and Asia. United Arab Emirates
Will Telecom Egypt stake sale help country achieve IMF reforms? An expert said it was "unclear” whether the sale helped solve Egypt’s “key problem” of accessing hard currency. Egypt
Analysis Saudi Aramco, high-value IPOs face impending pressure in 2023 The United Arab Emirates saw the world’s largest IPO of first quarter 2023, with ADNOC Gas PLC raising $2.5 billion on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. By Salim A. Essaid
Egypt inflation drops to 31.5%, but food prices still rising Annual inflation fell slightly in April compared to the previous month as the central bank readies its next decision on interest rates. Egypt
Lebanon’s angry depositors demand their money back from banks Bank depositors staged a sit-in in Beirut to protest the banks' illegal policies imposed on their deposits amid a stifling economic crisis. Lebanon
In boost to China, UAE and Kuwait become 'dialogue partners' in Shanghai Cooperation Organization The Gulf states made up half of the new partners at the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in 2023. United Arab Emirates
Gulf stock markets drop into red with new Fed rate hike The United States Fed raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point on Wednesday, which led to Gulf central banks following suit. Gulf
Who are the UK-convicted couriers smuggling $130 million to UAE? The announcement from police of the bust in the UK follows the UAE government's efforts to combat money laundering in the country. Gulf
Turkey's central bank keeps interest rate at 8.5%, citing inflation The decision will be the bank’s final before Turkey’s crucial election in May. Turkey