Banking and Finance

Price tags of olives are seen at a store on March 3, 2025, in Istanbul, Turkey

As Turkey's inflation dips to 35%, will central bank pivot on interest rates?

Inflation has slowed to the lowest level since 2021, sparking speculation that the central bank could resume easing monetary policy amid mounting pressure on Turkey's finance chief — but analysts caution against a rush.

TOPSHOT - Kuwaiti traders follow the stock market activity at Boursa Kuwait, in Kuwait City on April 7, 2025. According to official news agencies, Kuwait's primary index fell 5.7 percent, the Qatari stock exchange was down 4.2 percent, and in Oman, the Muscat stock market closed with a 2.6-percent decline. Under Trump's policy, goods from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates will be subject to a 10-percent "baseline" tariff. The uncertainty over trade and manufacturing has helped t

Analysis

Gulf wealth funds weather US stock dip, target Amazon, Bitcoin in Q1

We take a look at the region’s exposure to American equities as the US president departs the Gulf.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Khaldoun al-Mubarak, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Mubadala Investment Company, speaks at a panel session during the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 12, 2024. (Photo by RYAN LIM / AFP) (Photo by RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Mubadala investments soar by 33% as UAE deepens AI ties with US

Mubadala made 119 billion Emirati dirhams ($32.4 billion) worth of investments in 2024, up 33.7% from the previous year, according to a Thursday statement from the UAE fund.

United Arab Emirates

Commuters drive past a newly-installed billboard bearing the image of a Lebanese flag and a statement that reads in Arabic "Lebanon a new era", replacing a Hezbollah billboard, on the road leading to Beirut's Rafic Hariri International airport on April 10, 2025. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP) (Photo by JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon secures initial World Bank approval for $400M loan

Lebanon is seeking international support to cover an estimated $11 billion in reconstruction costs, as its government navigates ongoing political and security challenges.

Latest News

IMF appoints first Syria mission head in 14 years: What to know

Employees stand behind stacks of local currency notes as they serve clients at an exchange shop in Damascus, on April 16, 2025.

First Syria delegation under Sharaa visits US, will attend IMF meetings: What to know

People wave the flag of Palestine and the new flag of Syria as Syrians gather in a protest dubbed "Syrians Against the Occupation" to denounce Israel's continued war on Gaza as well as its occupation of parts of Syria and Palestine in Damascus, Syria, on April 7, 2025.

Egypt's Sisi visits Qatar, nabs $7.5B in investments: What to know

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi arrives in Doha on Sunday for an official visit and is welcomed by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani upon his arrival.

David Petraeus, ex-CIA head, tapped to lead KKR's push into Mideast markets

Retired US army general, David Petraeus, speaks at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 15, 2024.

Attendees take part in the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh on October 25, 2022. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

What to make of Saudi Arabia's $96B in foreign direct investment in 2023

Driving foreign investment into key sectors is part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify away from an oil-dependent revenue model.

Starbucks sales see 7% drop, largest since pandemic, amid Gaza boycotts

The company has been grappling with protests and boycott campaigns on social media due to the Israel-Gaza war and the union fight in the United States.

AFP via Getty Images

Middle East startups see 34% uptick in global investors

Data firm MAGNiTT reported Tuesday that the Middle East far outperformed other markets and regions, including Africa and Southeast Asia, which saw steeper drops.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday hosts Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during the Egyptian leader's first-ever Turkey visit, in Ankara, on Sept. 4, 2024.

Analysis

With reconstruction in mind, can Turkey-Egypt thaw offer lifeline for Libya?

The complex interplay of regional and international interests and entrenched divisions within Libya itself suggest that progress may be slow and difficult to achieve.

Mohamed Eljarh

By Mohamed Eljarh

Bahrain's Bapco Energies signs pipeline deal with BlackRock

Bahrain, one of the smallest producers in the Gulf, is focused on developing its downstream sector and looking at asset monetization deals.

Employees of Aramco oil company work in Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil processing plant on September 20, 2019.

Analysis

Can Saudi Arabia afford giga-projects with oil prices under $75 per barrel?

Riyadh could soon run a current account deficit as oil revenue declines amid huge spending commitments toward ambitious Vision 2030 projects. Saudi-led OPEC has also deferred an output increase plan to allow more time to reach desired oil prices.

Jennifer Gnana

Samuel Wendel

By Jennifer Gnana , Samuel Wendel

A bank teller counts money as a customer looks on at a bank in Libya's western coastal city of Misrata on Aug. 25, 2024.

Libya factions agree to appoint new central bank chief to end crisis: UN

The House of Representatives, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, and the High State Council in Tripoli in the west signed a joint statement after two days of talks hosted by the UN Support Mission in Libya.

Police officers stand guard outside Libya's Central Bank headquarters in Tripoli on Aug. 27, 2024.

Interview

From Turkey, exiled Libyan Central Bank governor decries 'coup d'etat'

Governor Sadiq al-Kabir spoke exclusively to Al-Monitor after he and other senior officials at the Libyan Central Bank fled to Istanbul at the end of last month, as militias linked to Libya's internationally recognized government threatened them.

Sadiq al-Kabir

Sadiq al-Kabir

Governor of the Central Bank of Libya

A clerk counts banknotes at a currency exchange office in Lebanon's capital Beirut, on January 20, 2023.

Analysis

How close is Lebanon to being added to FATF grey list for money laundering?

The Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is considering adding Lebanon to its ‘’grey list’’ of countries that enable money laundering by terror groups.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A vendor selling dates walks across a street in Islamabad on July 8, 2024, as cash-strapped Pakistan adopted a $68 billion budget laced with tax-raising measures on June 28, seeking to secure a new bailout from the IMF.

Pakistan to raise $4B from Middle East banks amid economic turbulence

For many years, Pakistan has relied on China and Gulf allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to roll over some of its debt to avoid having to repay it sooner.

Libya central bank governor

Analysis

Libya: Behind abduction and failed central bank coup in Tripoli

The bank's head of information technology was abducted on Sunday morning but returned hours later.

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

A man walks out of Bank Station, in The City financial district, in central London, on June 12, 2024. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP) (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Nomo Bank sees increasing appetite for Islamic investments, ETFs

Paul Szumilewicz, chief revenue officer at UK-based Nomo Bank, said there is a growing demand from the bank’s clients to invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) — a pre-defined group of bonds, stocks or commodities poured into a fund and listed on the stock exchange.

Paul Szumilewicz

Paul Szumilewicz

Nomo Bank Chief Revenue Officer