Oil & Gas Israel to develop more natural gas exports UK oil and gas company Energean has agreed the $1.2 billion development of the Katlan offshore gas field in Israel, with output set to start in the first half of 2027. The production will underpin Energean’s existing gas sales agreements with Israeli clients and target international markets. Katlan – owned and operated by Energean – […] July 24, 2024
Trade Trade flourishes between Israel and Arab states Israel’s trade with Middle Eastern countries including Egypt, Morocco and Bahrain grew in the year to the end of May despite regional tensions and the Gaza war, a think tank report has revealed. The figures, compiled by the Abraham Accords Peace Institute (AAPI), rely on data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Israel’s trade with […] July 2, 2024
Oil & Gas Israel’s gas export plans complicated by war Israel has agreed a move to double its natural gas exports from the Leviathan reservoir, but experts warn that tension with Hezbollah and a potential escalation in Lebanon may undermine expansion plans. The Israeli government is seeking additional revenues to improve an economy that has been badly hit by the war in Gaza. The energy […] June 28, 2024
Oil & Gas New Carlyle entity to manage East Med gas projects Carlyle, the Nasdaq-listed private equity company, is creating a new oil and gas company to manage recently-acquired assets in the Mediterranean hydrocarbons market. The new as yet un-named entity will be led by former BP CEO Tony Hayward and will manage a portfolio of gas-weighted exploration and production assets in Italy, Egypt and Croatia, according […] June 24, 2024
Economy Cairo and Istanbul feel biggest cost of living squeeze Dubai has become the most expensive city in the Middle East for expatriate workers, while Cairo and Istanbul were among the cities that saw the biggest rise in the cost of living this year, as soaring inflation impacted wages. Dubai, the UAE’s largest city, saw rental prices rise by about a fifth in the last […] June 18, 2024
Aviation Malaysian airport deal faces Gaza war backlash Plans by a consortium, including the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, to buy a stake in Malaysian airports have been hit by protests against the deal from local business organisations in the Asian country. As many as 22 organisations have called upon the Malaysian government to block US investment bank BlackRock’s participation in the bid […] May 27, 2024
Infrastructure Israeli bombardment costs Lebanon at least $1.5bn Israel’s bombardment of southern Lebanon in response to the Hamas attacks on October 7 has caused more than $1.5 billion of damage to buildings and infrastructure, the country’s Southern Council says. The president of the council, Hicham Haidar, told AGBI that damage to residential and commercial buildings stands at $1 billion, with 1,700 buildings destroyed […] May 13, 2024
Economy Saudi Arabia world’s fifth biggest arms buyer in 2023 Saudi Arabia remains the world’s fifth largest arms buyer, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The think tank’s latest report said that Saudi Arabia spent $76 billion on arms in 2023, a 4 percent increase on the previous year, making it the biggest spender after the US, China, Russia and India. The kingdom’s […] April 23, 2024
Opinion Markets Middle East escalation would have severe market implications Energy market disruption would be substantial and global oil supply would contract by around 6% April 19, 2024
Opinion Oil & Gas Iran, Israel and the one simple question for oil markets Geopolitical pressures are building on global energy markets April 15, 2024
Trade Israel’s trade with Arab countries up 16% in 2023 Trade between Israel and the seven Arab countries that have normalised relations with the Jewish state broke records in 2023, exceeding $4 billion, up 16 percent from 2022, according to a report. Bilateral trade among the nations decreased by only 4 percent following the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October, from $937 million […] April 5, 2024
Energy Adnoc and BP suspend bid for Israel’s NewMed Energy Abu Dhabi state oil company Adnoc and BP have suspended a proposed $2 billion bid to buy a major stake in Israel’s NewMed Energy as a result of the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange-listed natural gas operator, part of the Israeli conglomerate Delek Group, said on Wednesday that the deal was […] March 13, 2024
Economy Lebanon pushed to the brink by the war next door Three years of deep recession and a full-scale war with Israel could halve Lebanon's economy February 28, 2024
Energy Israel’s gas exports to Egypt and Jordan up 25% in 2023 Israel said on Monday that gas supplies to Egypt and Jordan rose by about 25 percent in 2023, despite brief disruptions at the start of the war in Gaza, adding that exports could be expanded further. Israel is positioning itself as a regional energy hub and has committed to supply natural gas to Europe, which […] February 27, 2024
Tourism Egypt tourism up 5% in early 2024 despite Gaza conflict The number of tourists visiting Egypt increased by five percent year on year in the first 40 days of 2024, according to Egypt’s tourism minister, Ahmed Issa. The announcement came after reports in January that visitor numbers for the whole of 2023 reached a record high of 14.9 million, just shy of the 15 million […] February 23, 2024
Opinion Logistics Red Sea attacks could harm more than ports and shipping The Houthi strikes could have serious implications for Saudi Arabia and Egypt January 23, 2024
Opinion Markets Frogs, dogs and elephants – the zoology of business talk Sometimes only an animal analogy will do to describe complex corporate concepts January 19, 2024
Economy Egypt stable for now but vulnerable, economists warn A few days after Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in Gaza, Fitch Ratings downgraded Egypt’s credit score to B- from B. The conflict could scare off tourists and investors, the ratings agency said in November, posing a risk to Egypt’s economy. This was Fitch’s second downgrade in six months: it stripped Egypt of B+ status […] December 6, 2023
Opinion Economy Egypt must weigh up finance woes with key role in conflict The country has a crucial part to play November 17, 2023
Markets Investors unsure on pricing Gaza conflict, says UBS Global investors and markets are “not sure” how to price in the fallout from the Israel-Gaza conflict, according to Swiss private wealth bank UBS. “It’s very hard for the markets to price these events,” Mark Haefele, chief investment officer in the global wealth management division at Swiss bank UBS, told reporters on Thursday. “So far, […] November 17, 2023
Analysis Energy War puts Israel’s big plans for gas exploration in jeopardy Oil markets may have shrugged off Israel’s war with Hamas, but a month into the Gaza conflict the intense violence is affecting Israel’s plans to become a regional hub for exporting natural gas, according to analysts. Last week the government awarded 12 new exploration and development licences to six operators. One group comprises Italian energy […] November 9, 2023
Oil & Gas Israeli gas exports to Egypt resume in small volumes Israeli natural gas exports to Egypt have resumed after a disruption last weekend but in small volumes, an official in Egypt’s petroleum ministry said on Thursday, without specifying the current flow. Three people with knowledge of the matter also told Reuters on Tuesday the flow had resumed, with two saying it had only been reduced, […] November 3, 2023
