Economy and trade

Australian Prime Ministry

UAE deepens Asia ties as Malaysia, Australia trade deals kick in

Asia accounts for around 60% of the world’s gross domestic product and pursuing trade deals there helps the UAE hedge against dependence on both the US and China.

United Arab Emirates

A Riyadh Metro train makes its way along a track in the middle of a road in Riyadh on December 3, 2024.

What’s next for Saudi Arabia’s budget balancing act as deficit doubles?

The Gulf state now expects a deficit of $65.3 billion in 2025 — more than double the initial forecast — as the kingdom continues heavy spending amid weak oil prices.

The Saudi delegation meets with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi, Sept. 29, 2025.

After China, Saudi industry minister visits Vietnam in eastward economic push

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef met with a number of Vietnamese officials on Monday as the oil-rich Gulf kingdom looks east to diversify its economic alliances.

MAXIM SHEMETOV/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan, Russia sign trade deals as Khartoum seeks funds, Moscow eyes Red Sea port

The meeting in Moscow produced two agreements and an economic and trade cooperation protocol.

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Analysis

OECD forecasts 3.7% growth for Saudi Arabia, citing US tariff shield

Pictured is the entrance to King Abdullah Economic City in Jeddah, on Feb. 3, 2009.

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

Egypt’s Sisi talks water security with Rwanda's president in wake of Ethiopia’s megadam debut

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi greets his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame in Cairo, Sept. 23, 2025.

Turkey scraps tariffs on some US imports ahead of Erdogan-Trump meeting

US President Donald Trump (L) and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) leave the stage after the family photo to head to the plenary session at the NATO summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, northeast of London.

Analysis

As Carrefour retreats in Mideast, can new Gulf superstore brand advance?

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, president of the Federal Republic of Somalia (R), received His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, minister of state, at the start of a working visit to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Aug. 28, 2025.

Somalia, UAE hold talks as tensions simmer over Puntland, Somaliland

The visit occurred on the same day that Somalia's president met with Sudan’s intelligence chief.

United Arab Emirates

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's currency plunges below 1M against dollar as E3 triggers snapback sanctions

Iran's struggles with inflation and the depreciation of the rial could be compounded by Europe reimposing sanctions over the nuclear issue.

Saudi companies signed agreements with Syria’s Ministry of Energy during the kingdom’s participation in the Damascus International Fair in Damascus, on Aug. 28, 2025.

ACWA Power, TAQA among Saudi firms backing Syria's energy comeback

Some 14 years of civil war have wiped at least $800 billion from the country’s gross domestic product, according to UN figures.

An aerial view of the solar mirrors at the Noor 1 Concentrated Solar Power plant some 12.5 miles outside the central Moroccan town of Ouarzazate, on Feb. 4, 2016.

Egypt secures $220M from domestic, Gulf, Chinese investors for solar project

Foreign investment from three countries comes at a pivotal time in Egypt’s recovery from its worst financial crisis in over six decades.

Lebanon's new Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam delivers a statement at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, on Jan. 14, 2025.

Lebanese PM meets Egypt’s Sisi amid Hezbollah disarmament push: What to know

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pledged support for Lebanon’s stability and reconstruction during talks in Cairo with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

A view of buildings in Abu Dhabi, on June 26, 2023.

Abu Dhabi’s Lunate buys stake in UK hedge fund, launches $2B investment arm

With $1.7 trillion in sovereign wealth, Abu Dhabi has long sought to establish itself as a global financial hub.

United Arab Emirates

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid al-Faleh speaks during the fourth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference at the capital Riyadh's Ritz-Carlton hotel on Jan. 27, 2021.

In China, Saudi investment minister looks to build on $100B+ trade ties

China is the kingdom’s largest trade partner, with bilateral trade between the two reaching roughly $107.5 billion in 2024.

uae angola visit

UAE president makes first-ever visit to Angola as part of Africa push

The UAE president’s visit to Angola, his first, marks a major step in the already strong relations between the two nations.

United Arab Emirates

In this photo illustration, Turkish liras are displayed, on Aug. 27, 2018, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Analysis

Turkey to end costly $60B currency-protection scheme — for now

Ankara could soon close the book on a monetary intervention launched to defend the lira in 2021, the latest pivot back to more conventional economic policies following the country's 2023 presidential election.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

The inaugural ride of Kenya's newly acquired Standard Gauge Railway locomotive pulls into Voi railway station on May 31, 2017, in Voi, Kenya.

China, UAE are transforming African economies, but on whose terms?

China and the UAE are racing to get ahead in Africa’s economic future, each using a different playbook.

United Arab Emirates

Botswana Qatar

Qatari royal expands Africa push with $12B in Botswana after $39B in DRC, Zambia

A Qatari delegation began a tour of 10 African countries on Aug. 13 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, to explore investment opportunities.

A Sudanese merchant weighs pure gold on an electronic scale in the village of al-Shirik in northern Sudan on Aug. 8, 2010.

Sudan restricts gold trade as currency falls: What to know

The UAE, historically the largest importer of Sudanese gold, could be affected by the move, and Khartoum is seeking to reduce exports of the commodity to the Gulf state over a dispute related to the civil war.