World Bank ups Middle East 2025 economic outlook as oil, tourism rebound The lender expects gross domestic product growth in the region to average 2.8% this year, up from its April forecast of 2.6%. Iran
Supreme Court clears path for Turkey’s Halkbank trial over Iran sanctions The Turkish president personally raised the Halkbank case with US President Donald Trump at the White House, as Ankara pushes for a settlement to avoid a drawn-out legal battle. Turkey
Culture Marrakech's African Contemporary Art Museum reinvents itself two years after quake Marking the two-year anniversary of the 2023 earthquake, Marrakech’s Museum of African Contemporary Art highlights the city’s recovery and its growing role as a hub for African art. Morocco
Blackstone, Abu Dhabi's Lunate set up $5B GCC logistics investment platform The new platform will capitalize on the growing logistics sector in the Gulf. United Arab Emirates
Binance CEO takes heat at Abu Dhabi event after FTX fall Changpeng Zhao maintained that crypto is the future, despite cryptocurrency exchange FTX filing for bankruptcy last week. Legacy: Gulf
Egypt’s Banque Misr receives loan from African Development Bank, China The loan could help Egyptian startups and comes amid Egypt’s ongoing economic crisis. Egypt
‘Stars aligned’ for Palestinian startups, Gulf investors say Entrepreneurs from the West Bank and Gaza recently visited Dubai to attend a conference on funding for new businesses. Palestine
Israeli cryptocurrency market attempts to catch up with global pace An Israeli crypto firm becomes the first in the country to get a capital markets license. Israel
Middle East countries must do more to recover, say IMF event panelists While oil producing countries are projected to benefit from a windfall due to high energy prices, for others the coming years "will be more challenging than ever." Legacy: Gulf
Israel to work with France against money laundering, terror financing The memorandum of understanding signed last week between Israel and France is just part of the very extensive battle championed by Israel’s Money Laundering and Terror Financing Prohibition Authority against criminal money laundering and financing of terror activities. Israel
Israeli autonomous driving firm goes public Mobileye’s stock rose on its first day trading on Nasdaq. Israel
Dubai-based crypto firm to offer payment card The partnership between BitOasis and Mastercard could make cryptocurrencies more usable for daily purchases. Legacy: Gulf
Egyptian Central Bank plans to establish new index of gold, foreign currencies The Egyptian pound is performing poorly against the US dollar but faring better compared to other currencies. Egypt
Saudi Arabia opens up to new fintech players While Saudi Arabia’s fintech sector presents opportunities for entrepreneurs, VC investors and consumers, there are specific, long-standing challenges hindering the market’s full potential. Legacy: Gulf
Is Saudi Arabia changing approach to cryptocurrencies? Although Saudi Arabia seems to be warming to cryptocurrencies, it is unlikely to displace the UAE as the region’s crypto hub anytime soon. Legacy: Gulf
Egyptian households turn to credit as inflation bites In the past, locals used to buy only durables in installments. Today, breadwinners buy clothes, schoolbooks, stationery and groceries on credit. Egypt
