Economy and trade

Jakarta

GCC-Indonesia economic ties deepen with Saudi MoUs, joint Qatar fund

Trade between Indonesia and the Gulf is rising and negotiations are underway for a GCC-Indonesia free trade agreement.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed was hosted in Paris by President Emmanuel Macron, where the sides signed a groundbreaking cooperation agreement in AI, on Feb. 6, 2025.

Analysis

UAE hedges against global economic volatility with EU trade agreement

The UAE is doubling down on bilateral free trade agreements as it hedges against economic headwinds fueled by the United States' universal tariff policy.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

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.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 12: People walk by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) New York headquarters after the company announced a major restructuring on September 12, 2024 in New York City. PwC LLP will let go of up to 1,800 US employees next month as the accounting firm shifts to in-house technology developers and streamlines its advisory practice. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi Arabia-PwC split signals shift to local consultancies: What to know

The Saudization of the consultancy sector is not a compliance exercise but instead amounts to a strategic realignment that challenges the long-standing, but outdated, assumption that foreign expertise is inherently superior.

Amal Altwaijri

By Amal Altwaijri

In Washington, DC, reporting on Saudi Arabia

Latest News

Analysis

France recalibrates Turkey ties as east Med dynamics shift: What to know

TOPSHOT - France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) shares a laugh with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) ahead of a round table as part of the European Political Community Summit in Budapest, on November 7, 2024. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

China courts Gulf, BRICS allies as trade war with US escalates

GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu set to meet Trump amid differences over Iran, tariffs and Turkey: What to know

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

OPEC+ members boost output as Trump tariffs bring down oil prices

Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

Excess hydrocarbons being burned off at the Nahr Bin Omar natural gas field, north of the southern Iraqi port of Basra, January 22, 2018.

Iraq and Turkmenistan make progress toward deal to transport gas via Iran

Iraq, currently dependent on Iran for gas and electricity, is seeking to develop its own gas supply as well as import gas from Turkmenistan.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey returns to dollar bond market as Erdogan shifts approach

The Turkish government has made several fiscal policy changes since the president's reelection in May in an effort to win back investors and address economic problems.

Israeli soldiers are seen in the Palestinian village of Dayr Sharaf, in the West Bank located about seven kilometres (four miles) from the Jewish Einav settlement after an Israeli man was killed leading to dozens of Jewish settlers storming the village on November 2, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Three Palestinians were killed on November 2, 2023, by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, and an Israeli

Breaking | Last Updated: November 2, 2023, 7:03 pm

Israel approves transfer of tax revenues to Palestinian Authority

The Israeli cabinet approved the transfer to pay the Palestinian security apparatus, despite objection by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia arrives at the formal welcome ceremony to mark the beginning of the G20 Summit on November 15, 2022 in Nusa Dua, Indonesia. The G20 meetings are being held in Bali from November 15-16. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images,)

Saudi's GCC-ASEAN summit: Toward an Asia minus China collective strategy

The GCC and ASEAN nations find themselves sharing more strategic commonalities amid the current era of deglobalization, geopolitical instability and economic uncertainties.

Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's oil cuts weigh heavy on economy, GDP tanks by 4.5%

The kingdom's economy shrunk by the most since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 due to energy measures.

Ben Gurion Airport

Full list of airlines that have suspended Israel flights after Hamas attacks

Israel’s main international airport has remained open despite the conflict, and most Israeli airlines are still operating.

A bird flies past a boat sailing along Dubai creek in the Gulf emirate on May 2, 2021 while the Burj Khalifa skyscraper is seen in the background. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

20% rise in Middle East late-stage venture capital funding despite global decline

Startups in the Middle East and North Africa have so far in 2023 reported a 20% year-on-year growth, new data shows, while global funding activity of this type has seen a 49% decline from 2022.

The Pioneering Spirit vessel, which will carry out construction of the offshore section of the Turkish Stream natural gas pipeline, passes the Yavuz Sultan Selim Brigde on the Bosporus, Istanbul, Turkey, May 31, 2017.

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ in talks with Turkey to build railway for trade corridor

Amid increasing cooperation between the two countries, an alternative trade corridor is planned linking Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Dubai marina

Middle East economic growth to fall sharply in 2023, World Bank says

The Middle East and North Africa’s gross domestic product is expected to plummet to 1.9% in 2023 from 6% in 2022.

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli shekel falls to 7-year low of 3.87 against the dollar

The shekel’s fall is the latest sign of economic uncertainty amid Israel’s political turmoil.

A school boy walks near an election campaign bus for Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi adorned with his image, his slogan "long live Egypt", and C-shaped balloons, as Sisi's supporters prepare for a rally in Giza, the twin-city of the Egyptian capital, on October 2, 2023. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt's economy hit with downgrades as Sisi seeks third term

Egypt continues to reel from high inflation, a weak exchange rate and more. Rare protests occurred in the country following President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s reelection bid announcement.

Turkish train

UK, Turkey in talks about third railway project

The project follows the UK government underwriting financing in July to support the construction of a 286-kilometer high-speed electric railway in southern Turkey.