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. Saudi Arabia
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. By Jennifer Gnana In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics
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. Egypt
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is not a compliance exercise but instead amounts to a strategic realignment that challenges the long-standing, but outdated, assumption that foreign expertise is inherently superior. By Amal Altwaijri In Washington, DC, reporting on Saudi Arabia
Analysis France recalibrates Turkey ties as east Med dynamics shift: What to know By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics
Netanyahu set to meet Trump amid differences over Iran, tariffs and Turkey: What to know United States
UK’s new government reboots trade talks with Gulf, Israel, Turkey New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made economic growth a priority of his Labour government and has pledged to make the UK the fastest-growing economy in the G20. Saudi Arabia
Analysis What's behind China carmakers' foray into Turkey following BYD deal? As a growing number of Chinese carmakers have shown interest in investing in Turkey, Turkish companies in the sector are positioning themselves amid the Chinese foray. By Mustafa Sonmez In Istanbul, reporting on economics
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. Turkey
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. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
After 20 years, is Iraq making progress in bid to join WTO? Iraq first applied to join the WTO in 2004, but it made no considerable progress in the accession until its recent efforts to unify tariff and customs regulations between the federal and Kurdistan Region governments. Iraq
Turkey has lost export competitiveness, won't meet annual goal: Official Turkish Exporters Assembly Chairman Mustafa Gultepe said that Turkish exports would likely be between $264-267 billion for 2024. Turkey
China's BYD, world's biggest EV maker, invests $1B in Turkish plant In a post on the social media platform X on Monday, Turkey’s Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz confirmed that BYD is expected to begin production of vehicles in the new factory at the end of 2026 and that the facility will provide around 5,000 direct jobs. Turkey
Middle East startups see funding fall by 34% in first half of 2024 Although startup funding levels have plateaued globally, MENA reported an increase in early-stage rounds and investor participation. United Arab Emirates
Egypt’s remittances reach $2.7 billion in boost to foreign reserves Egypt’s liquidity crisis has been alleviated by recent investment from the United Arab Emirates and help from the International Monetary Fund, though inflation and debt remain issues. Egypt
What’s behind Saudi Public Investment Fund’s $17.2B profit? The sovereign wealth fund’s turnaround following the loss in 2022 is due in large part to the stock market rebounding. Saudi Arabia
Trump Tower deal announced in Jeddah as Saudi business ties grow The Trump Organization recently unveiled a development in Oman, while Trump’s golf course is again hosting the Saudi-backed LIV Golf this year. Saudi Arabia
In win for Simsek, Turkey removed from FATF money laundering watch list Turkey was added to the Financial Action Task Force's watch list in 2021 amid concerns of money laundering and terrorism financing. Turkey
