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

Starbucks demonstration

How Starbucks fell from favor with pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian activists

The coffee giant is no stranger to frothy accusations of being pro-Israel, and now a pro-Palestinian post on one of its union's social media accounts has sparked a boycott.

A picture obtained by AFP from Iranian News Agency ISNA on June 13, 2019, reportedly shows fire and smoke billowing from Norwegian-owned Front Altair tanker said to have been attacked in the waters of the Gulf of Oman

Houthi missile hits Norwegian-flagged tanker in latest Red Sea attack

Iran-backed rebels hit a Norwegian-owned chemical tanker with a cruise missile, but the ship had no clear connection to Israel, signaling the Houthis may be widening the aperture of their attacks.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's national flags flutter outside the presidential complex in Ankara prior to the arrival of the Saudi crown prince to Ankara, June 22, 2022.

With 32% trade boost, Turkey eyes Saudi investments amid domestic downturn

Trade between the two countries reached $5.86 billion in 2022, a 32.6% increase over the previous year.

The Burj Khalifa (C) stands surrounded by other skyscrapers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 29, 2020.

Kuwait, Qatar, UAE telecoms merge assets into $2.2B tower company

Three Gulf companies will create a new entity, which has not yet been publicly named, combining around 30,000 tower assets in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Tunisia.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

What is behind Turkey’s inflation spike to 61.9% in November?

November's consumer prices also rose by 3.28%, data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute showed on Monday.

IMF

IMF chief urges governments to increase carbon prices, reduce fossil fuel subsidies

Kristalina Georgieva was addressing an audience of business leaders and philanthropists at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.

United Arab Emirates

Chinese flag

UAE-China ink multibillion-dollar deals as ties grow

The United Arab Emirates and China are major trade partners and have strengthened cooperation in both finance and energy in recent months.

Expo 2020

What does Saudi Arabia hosting of Expo 2030 mean for its economy?

Winning the rights to host the world fair follows news that the kingdom will likely host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, among several other major events.

Meloni MBS

Italy and Saudi Arabia in talks for major deals as ties grow under Meloni

The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which came into power in October 2022, has been working to deepen ties with energy- and cash-rich states in the Middle East and North Africa.

Israeli soldiers patrol in Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel on November 5, 2023, nearly a month after the October 7 attack by Palestinian militants that left more that 1400 Isaelis dead. The printing press in Beeri, an Israeli community that suffered one of Hamas's worst atrocities on October 7, has started up again in a small step towards recovery. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP

As Israel’s economy slows, investors ask how long will Hamas war go on

Despite fears, previous periods of violence in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank showed the Israeli economy emerging stronger on the other side.

Turkish football supporters hold banners reading "There is a genocide in Gaza" and "Children killer Israel" during a demonstration to demand a stop to the bombings in Gaza in front of the Israeli consulate in Istanbul, on November 18, 2023 amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by YASIN AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

Why is Turkey securing trade with Israel as Erdogan cheers on Hamas?

The Turkish president may be the loudest leader speaking up for the Palestinians, but he has paid no heed to calls for sanctions that could really bite Israel.

COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan Al Jaber speaks onstage as COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber and UN Special Envoy Michael R. Bloomberg Announce COP28 Local Climate Action Summit at COP28 In Dubai In December Alongside Local Leaders at The Plaza Hotel on Sept. 19, 2023 in New York City.

Business & Tech Briefing: Dubai gears up for COP28

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