Banking and Finance

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.

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.

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

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.

People walk past the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street on April 11, 2025, in New York City.

Where Middle East’s top investors stand as tariffs roil US bond market

Turkey's Minister of Finance Mehmet Simsek takes part in a panel discussion during the Doha Forum in the Qatari capital on December 7, 2024. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

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.

Latest News

UAE, Qatar investments fuel Jared Kushner's firm assets to $4.8 billion

Jared Kushner, founder and CEO of Affinity Partners, and Steve Witkoff, US Middle East envoy, during a panel discussion at the FII Priority summit, Miami Beach, Feb. 20, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Meet Karim Souaid, Lebanon’s new central bank chief with daunting mission

Karim Souaid

Imamoglu's arrest triggers emergency market measures as Turkey stocks plunge

Protesters clash with Turkish riot police using tear gas and water cannon during a demonstration following the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul in Ankara, on March 22, 2025.

UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia finance startups lead Forbes Middle East Fintech50

Participants arrive to attend the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh on Oct. 29, 2024.

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

Customers wait outside currency exchange stores on Aug. 5, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan.

Global stocks tank over fears of Middle East war, US recession

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 lost 3.1% while the tech-focused Nasdaq Composite Index lost 3.7% of its value after markets opened in New York Monday morning.

Members of the public walk along the high street on March 21, 2024, in Lewes, England.

Gulf investment in UK real estate to hit $4B annually, says BLME

Research predicts that demographic trends and supply shortages will make the UK's real estate sector a more popular option for investors in the future.

Turkey's Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek speaks during a breakout session on Creating Competitive Economies at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 15, 2024. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey returns $5B deposit to Saudi Arabia amid economic recovery

The Saudi Fund for Development decided to hold the funds in the Turkish Central Bank in March 2023 after ministerial meetings the previous year — the deposit helped Turkey firm up its weakened currency, the lira.

Shoppers walk past a coffee shop at a shopping mall in Ankara, Turkey on April 2, 2024.

Turkey sees 157% wealth growth despite economic malaise

Bloated asset prices due to sky-high inflation put Ankara at the top of the survey, despite many Turks struggling to get by in real cash terms.

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

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2L) meets with Iran's conservative Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2R) on the sidelines of a BRICS (the bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) parliamentary forum in Saint Petersburg on July 11, 2024.

Iran advances de-dollarization among BRICS members to counter US dominance

As a new addition to the BRICS group of nations, Iran has been promoting an ambitious campaign within the alliance to counter US influence over global markets and alleviate the impacts of American sanctions on its own economy.

TOPSHOT - A deliveryman balances a tray of freshly baked bread while riding his bicycle along the al-Darb al-Ahmar district in the old quarters of Cairo on March 6, 2024. (Photo by Amir MAKAR / AFP) (Photo by AMIR MAKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Egypt's new cabinet overcome public skepticism, economic discontent?

The new cabinet in Egypt is expected to address the country’s economic woes, although some analysts doubt its ability to do so.