Economy and trade

Egypt's Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly (L) welcomes China's Premier Li Qiang upon his arrival at Cairo International Airport in Egypt's capital, on July 9, 2025.

China’s premier makes first visit to Egypt as ties grow: What we know

Egypt and China have significantly deepened their ties in recent years across various sectors such as trade, defense, technology and the economy.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto pose for a family photo.

Egypt urges BRICS to deepen financial ties after Trump threatens tariffs

Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said that due to the global decline in multilateralism and crises engulfing the world, members of the bloc of developing nations should bolster their financial and economic ties.

Hisham Ezz Al Arab CIB CEO

Interview

How Red Sea attacks prepared Egypt’s economy for future shocks

The CEO of Egypt's third-largest bank tells Al-Monitor why he is hopeful about the country's economic recovery.

General view of the opening session of the 11th BRICS Parliamentary Forum at the Federal Senate in Brazil, taken on June 4, 2025.

Analysis

At Brazil summit, BRICS welcomes new Middle East members as divisions continue

A year after formally joining at the Kazan summit, Iran, Egypt and the UAE attend their first BRICS summit hosted outside Russia — as Saudi Arabia continues to weigh whether to join.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Latest News

Analysis

Gulf bets on LNG boom power ahead amid regional energy shifts, war risks

This photo shows Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital, Doha, Qatar, Feb. 6, 2017.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Iran’s rial falls by 3% as Tehran grapples with war aftermath

Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, sit on the stand of an Iraqi money dealer on June 19, 2014, in Arbil, Iraq.

Saudi PIF reports 60% profit drop as inflation, low oil prices bite

CORRECTION / A picture taken in Riyadh shows the sign in Arabic of an Aramco gas station on the outskirts of the Saudi capital Riyadh on November 5, 2024. Energy giant Saudi Aramco reported a 15 percent year-on-year drop in third quarter profit on November 5, 2024, citing low oil prices. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) / "The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Fayez Nureldine has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: changing the second phrase to refer to Saudi

Analysis

Kuwait's heatwaves, high demand strain fragile power grid: What to know

The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City as the Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity requested that citizens ration their electricity usage at peak times due to outages, on June 19, 2024.

Sebastian Castelier

By Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

ISMAILIA, EGYPT - JANUARY 10: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago. (Photo by Sayed Hassan/Getty Images)

Tesla, Volvo pause production lines, oil prices up amid Red Sea tension

There is a fast-growing list of companies that have had to recalibrate their business strategies while the Red Sea shipping route remains volatile.

COSCO

Analysis

Could China’s COSCO halting ships to Israel spark crisis in Sino-Israeli relations?

Experts see the move as part of Beijing's effort to echo what it sees as the voice of the global south regarding the war in Gaza.

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

A Saudi mine worker pours a stream of molten gold from the furnace into moulds to produce gold ingots during a press tour at the Al-Amar Gold Mine, 195kms southwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on May 28, 2008.

Will Saudi Arabia see mining gold rush in 2024?

The kingdom plans to take advantage of the growing demand for critical minerals to power the green transition.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hand with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (Photo by Evan Vucci / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVAN VUCCI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE's MBZ in India, meets Modi as Houthis' maritime threat expands

The visit comes amid a spike in Houthi maritime attacks that are increasingly disrupting Gulf waters and encroaching on India's coast.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE’s AD Ports to develop Egypt Red Sea cruise terminals despite instability

Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis on international ships have prompted some firms to steer clear of the waterway.

Kemi Badenoch 1

UK, Turkish trade ministers meet in Turkey, announce joint railway deal

The two countries have an existing trade deal that covers goods but not services, digital trade or data.

People attend the International E-Sport Gamers forum Next World in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sept. 7, 2022.

Saudi PIF invested $31.6B in 2023, record in global sovereign wealth funds

The PIF is estimated to have nearly $800 billion in assets and wants to become the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund by 2030.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey’s exports to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Russia shoot up in 2023: Erdogan

The Turkish president also said the country’s total export revenues reached an all-time high.

11/24/2023 Tehran, Iran. Two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) armed military personnel are monitoring an area while standing guard next to an Iranian Majid anti-aircraft missile system during the Ela Beit Al-Moghaddas (Al-Aqsa Mosque) military rally in Tehran, Iran. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

2023 in review: Iran sees opportunity in Gaza war, steps up crackdown at home

Iran's theocratic establishment engaged in a flurry of foreign diplomacy to try to ease the international isolation it is facing, while at home it intensified its crackdown on dissent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi hold a meeting in Tehran on July 19, 2022. - Iran's president will host his Russian and Turkish counterparts for talks on the Syrian war in a three-way summit overshadowed by fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Sergei SAVOSTYANOV / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SAVOSTYANOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

What is behind Iran-Russia de-dollarization deal as sanctions bite?

The long-awaited agreement was one among several solutions the two countries have sought to salvage their battered economies, which remain cut off from key international banking systems.

An employee of the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) is pictured in this undated image.

Saudi mining firm Ma’aden announces gold discovery

Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its mining sector, including via investment at home and abroad.

The Container ship Maersk Bratan" is discharged at the terminals of HHLA (Hamburg Port Logistics Inc) in Hamburg on June 22, 2022.

Explainer: Major shipping giants resume Red Sea routes amid Houthi attacks

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have fired on international ships and Israel’s port in the Red Sea since the Gaza war began, wreaking havoc on the global shipping industry.