Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Middle East

Taif and Abha in Saudi Arabia account for 23% of all visitor numbers in the country

Saudi smaller cities could give best return on investments

Growth in the hospitality sector of the Middle East and North Africa has outpaced that of other regions, driven by expansion in Saudi Arabia’s tourism market. The kingdom, which has increased its annual tourism target from 100 million to 150 million visitors by 2030, is undertaking a country-wide $110 billion dollar investment drive.  While the […]

President Donald Trump takes questions as he announces a trade deal with the UK. His administration wants more investment from Gulf nations

US moves to fast-track deals with Middle East nations

The US is setting up a fast-track process to ease greater investment from the Middle East ahead of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf next week. Trump is slated to visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar from May 13-16. The fast-track process includes launching a portal to collect information from foreign investors before […]

A Maersk container vessel in the Suez Canal in 2021. The company says it will return to the route when the safety of seafarers is guaranteed

Maersk expects Red Sea disruption throughout 2025

Danish shipping major Maersk expects the disruption in the Red Sea to continue throughout the rest of 2025. This week President Donald Trump said that the US will halt bombing the Houthis in Yemen after it agreed to stop attacking shipping lanes in the Middle East. Under the agreement, neither the US nor the Houthis […]

Goldman Sachs believes that the high spare capacity and high recession possibility skew the risks to oil prices to the downside

Goldman Sachs expects oil at $60 after Opec+ decision

Goldman Sachs reduced its oil price forecast following decisions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, Opec+, to accelerate oil output increases, the bank said in a note on Sunday. Goldman now expects Brent crude to average $60 per barrel for the rest of 2025 and $56 per barrel in 2026, […]

A drilling rig at the Zhetybay field in Kazakhstan. It defied Opec+ this month when its energy minister said he will prioritise national interests over those of Opec+

Opec+ accelerates oil output hikes despite weak demand

Opec+ has agreed to accelerate oil production hikes for a second consecutive month, raising output in June by 411,000 barrels per day (bpd), the group said on Saturday. This is despite falling prices and expectations of weaker demand. Following an online meeting lasting just over an hour, the producer group announced the supply increase, saying […]

Inside an Airbus factory. Flyadeal's CEO bemoaned the fact that the company had a backlog of 8,720 aircraft

Expect commercial jet shortages until 2030, warns Flyadeal CEO

The head of Saudi low-cost carrier Flyadeal has warned that deliveries of in-demand commercial jets to the aviation industry will be severely constrained until the end of the decade. Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway told AGBI that despite having eight Airbus A320 aircraft scheduled for delivery in 2025, the airline is planning on receiving only five.  […]

An LNG tanker docked in Dubai. The region has a 21% share of global natural gas reserves

Rising gas exports to boost Gulf economies, says IMF

Increased natural gas production in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Oman will boost their economic growth in the medium term, the International Monetary Fund has predicted. Qatar, the world’s third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is due to nearly double its annual output to 142 million tonnes by 2030.  Saudi Aramco said in March […]

Air cargo demand in the Middle East saw a March decline, down 3.2 percent year on year. A contrast to last year's surge caused by Red Sea shipping disruptions

European slump hits Middle East air cargo demand

Demand for air cargo in the Middle East declined year on year in March, bucking a global growth trend, with the region’s European trade route the hardest hit. New monthly data from industry trade body the International Air Transport Association (IATA), showed that total global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), rose 4.4 percent year […]

Mena's AI research contribution lags global output, but region-wide strategic investment programmes aim to build local expertise

Focus on investment in AI as Mena lags in research

The Gulf and wider Middle East and North Africa region make a woefully small contribution to global artificial intelligence research and academics, but strategic investments could help mitigate some of the risk of dependency on others, industry experts say. The Mena region contributed just 5 percent of all AI-related academic publications and less than 10 […]

KFC is one of the many fast food brands operated by Americana Restaurants in the Middle East

Americana reports growth in revenue and profit

Americana Restaurants reported a higher net income for the first quarter of 2025 compared with this time last year, as a consumer boycott targeted at the company’s brands related to the Gaza conflict eased. Net profit in the three months to March grew 16.5 percent in the quarter to $32.6 million, driven by higher revenue […]

Mena economic data

Mena economic data

The latest indicators for the largest Middle East and North Africa economies outside the GCC, including Egypt, Iran and Turkey

While lower oil prices may squeeze some Mena producers, Gulf nations are expected to maintain long-term investment plans

Gulf oil investment ‘can weather price slump’

International oil prices may have fallen to their lowest in four years but that is unlikely to disrupt the exploration and production investment plans of Gulf national oil producers, energy analysts have said. But Middle East and North Africa producers outside the GCC may not be so lucky. Crude oil fell below $60 a barrel […]

Binance Blockchain Week 2024 in Dubai 'proved how the right setting can turn an audience into a real community'

Binance powers crypto dialogue with community events 

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by volume, is helping to unite the industry, facilitate connections and drive conversation through its calendar of live and online events. Kim Murphy, its head of global event marketing, gives us the lowdown Why are events so important to Binance and the industry?  Events bring crypto to life. They […]

In association with
A supermarket owner in Cairo stocks a fridge. Egypt and Turkey helped power 11 percent revenue growth in PepsiCo’s international beverages business

Gains in Egypt and Turkey help PepsiCo profit

Revenue growth at PepsiCo Inc.’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) division outpaced all its other regional divisions in the first quarter, lifted by stronger demand in Egypt and Turkey.  However, the US snacks and drinks company trimmed its full-year profit outlook and warned of rising global trade costs. The maker of Pepsi, Gatorade and […]

Opec+ has already agreed to increase oil output by 411,000 barrels per day in May

Opec+ to consider further oil output increase for June

Several Opec+ members are to suggest the group accelerates oil output hikes in June for a second consecutive month, as a dispute worsens between members over compliance with production quotas. Oil prices hit a four-year low in April, dragged down by a US-China trade war and an unexpected decision by Opec+ to increase output by 411,000 barrels per day […]

A Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea. India's increasing reliance on cheaper Russian oil erodes the dominance of traditional Middle Eastern suppliers like Saudi Arabia and Iraq

Gulf share of India oil market slides on Russia gains

India’s pivot toward discounted Russian crude oil has accelerated, eroding the dominance of traditional Middle Eastern suppliers in one of the world’s fastest-growing oil markets. In the Indian fiscal year ending March 31, Russia retained its position as India’s top oil supplier for a third year in row, Reuters reported, based on ship tracking data […]

Shams Solar Power Station in the UAE. Both the UAE and Saudi Araba are aiming to increase electricity exports as their share of renewable energy grows

UAE and Saudi Arabia target India and EU electricity exports

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are advancing plans to increase their electricity exports, taking advantage of spare generating capacity after surging investment in solar and wind power and seasonal fluctuation in demand. “The UAE, with around 50 percent spare capacity generation, is among the best-positioned countries to become an exporter of electricity,” Adnan Al Hosani, […]