Economy Saudi Arabia and Qatar extend financial support to Syria Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said on Saturday that the kingdom will jointly offer with Qatar financial support to Syria. “The kingdom will provide with Qatar joint financial support to state employees in Syria,” Bin Farhan said during a press conference with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shibani in Damascus. He did not provide […] June 2, 2025
Analysis Economy Turkish economy cools as major sectors struggle Turkey’s economic growth slowed in the first quarter of the year, as declining activity in industry and agriculture offset expansion in other sectors, notably construction and information and communications. Gross domestic product expanded 2 percent year on year in the first three months of 2025, according to data issued by the state statistics agency Turkstat […] May 30, 2025
Economy Oman raises borrowing to settle budget deficit Oman has posted a fiscal deficit for the first three months of this year and it is resorting to borrowing to maintain a balanced budget in 2025. The sultanate posted a deficit of OR136 million ($352 million) for the first three months of 2025, which is 16 percent lower than the deficit of the same […] May 28, 2025
Economy IMF urges Egypt to move faster on asset sales to create jobs Egypt must be even more ambitious in its efforts to bolster growth and employment prospects as its economic picture gradually improves, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. The Egyptian government should in particular move forward with plans to sell state assets and work towards “decisively reducing the role of the public sector in the […] May 28, 2025
Economy Bahrain T-bills oversubscribed despite debt concerns The government of Bahrain sold close to $190 million in three-month treasury bills this week in a sale that was almost three times oversubscribed, despite IMF concerns over the kingdom’s rising debt levels. The BD70 million in bills carry a weighted average interest rate of 5.23 percent, the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on […] May 26, 2025
Economy Egypt’s non-oil trade deficit narrows as exports surge Egypt’s non-oil trade deficit has narrowed substantially in the first four months of 2025 amid a surge in exports, according to local media. The non-oil trade deficit, the difference between the value of exports and imports, fell 28 percent to $8 billion, Ashraq News, an Arabic news portal, reported citing a government document. Non-oil commodity […] May 26, 2025
Economy Egypt cuts interest rates as economy grows Egypt’s central bank said on Thursday that it was cutting overnight interest rates, as it expects economic recovery and lower inflation. The monetary policy committee (MPC) lowered the overnight deposit and lending rates by 100 basis points to 24 percent and 25 percent, respectively, its second rate cut this year, the bank said in a […] May 23, 2025
Economy Owner of Emirates Airline reports climb in profit The Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) said profit and the value of its assets rose last year, buoyed by performance in its aviation, real estate and banking portfolio. Net income climbed 6 percent to AED53.2 billion ($14.5 billion) and the value of its assets more than 10 percent to AED1.47 trillion, the sovereign wealth fund […] May 21, 2025
Economy Qatar offers $1bn of incentives to boost business investment Qatar is offering $1 billion of incentives to encourage local and international business investment in the gas-rich Gulf state. Under the programme, Qatar will cover up to 40 percent of local expenses for five years, according to a statement on Wednesday. Business setup costs, construction, office leases, equipment and employee-related expenses can be claimed, Invest […] May 21, 2025
Economy Kuwait to generate $1.6bn from government fees increase Kuwait’s strategy to diversify its non-oil revenue by hiking government services fees is reportedly forecast to generate nearly KD500 million ($1.6 billion) a year for the Gulf state. Government offices have a tendency to “re-price” services they offer to the public, following an Emiri decree in early 2025 allowing them to revise such fees, local […] May 21, 2025
Economy EU clears €4bn loan for Egypt’s economic growth The European Union (EU) has got clearance to disburse €4 billion ($4.2 billion) in financial aid to Egypt to support its economic growth. “The representatives from parliament and the Polish presidency of the council have secured a provisional agreement on providing Egypt with macro-financial assistance,” the EU said in a statement. Egypt will have 35 […] May 21, 2025
Economy Kuwait to borrow up to $20bn over next year Kuwait is on the verge of returning to the debt market after an eight-year absence with plans to borrow up to $20 billion during the 2025-2026 fiscal year, according to local media. The loans will be used mainly to fund infrastructure projects worth KD2.3 billion ($7.6 billion) included in the current fiscal year, which started […] May 20, 2025
Finance Jordan gets $2bn to support national projects Jordan has secured more than $2 billion in grants and concessional loans to build a series of development projects, according to local media. The agreements were signed last month with the World Bank, Germany’s KfW Development Bank, the Netherlands embassy and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Jordan Times newspaper reported, quoting […] May 19, 2025
Opinion Trade Lesson from Trump in Riyadh: Sleep is for losers The Trump show had it all – razzamatazz, politics and a moment of affection for the crown prince May 15, 2025
Opinion Economy Gulf investors may gain from UK pound recovery Shifts in currency position the pound to benefit from US dollar index falls May 15, 2025
Trade Qatar takes centre stage on Trump’s Middle East mission Major deal announcements kept rolling in on Wednesday as Donald Trump travelled from Riyadh to Doha on the second day of his visit to the Gulf. Qatar Airways agreed to purchase up to 210 Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 777X jets for $96 billion in what the White House described as Boeing’s “largest ever wide-body order”. […] May 15, 2025
Finance Turkish minister says economy on track despite slower growth Turkey’s finance minister has said the country’s economic transformation was on track and that the country was prepared to deal with slower growth. Finance minister Mehmet Simsek said that tighter financial conditions, lower oil prices and a weaker dollar were likely to be disinflationary, boosting the economy. “Growth is slower but we can live with […] May 14, 2025
Opinion Trade Trump in his happy place: Purple carpets and big deals in Saudi Arabia The challenge now is to maintain the momentum and atmosphere of the trip May 14, 2025
Opinion Trade Trump in Riyadh: power plays and photo ops It is hard to predict what the big headline will be, but it would be wise not to rule anything out May 12, 2025
Opinion Development State first, market later for Algeria’s economic vision A firm social contract shapes the path of national development May 12, 2025
Economy Egypt’s inflation climbs as fuel becomes expensive Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation accelerated to 13.9 percent in April from 13.6 percent in March, matching analyst expectations, data from statistics agency Capmas showed on Saturday. Month on month, prices were 1.5 percent higher at the end of April than at end-March. Food and beverage prices decelerated by 1.5 percent. Annually, food and […] May 12, 2025
Opinion Economy On the vain hunt for black swans in dynamic Dubai Are there any signs of fluttering dark feathers that could herald another crisis in the emirate? May 9, 2025
