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Finance

Finance, economics, markets and trade news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

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Finance news

Bahrain Financial Harbour District in Manama. Bahrain faces a challenging economic outlook as a ratings agency warns of potential issues with debt and foreign currency reserves

Ratings agency moves Bahrain outlook to negative

A major ratings agency has downgraded its outlook on Bahrain to negative, warning that fiscal reforms may be insufficient to lower the kingdom’s debt-to-GDP ratio and that foreign currency reserves remain weak. Lower oil prices and reduced crude production due to maintenance work at Bahrain’s Abu Safah oil field, which it shares with Saudi Arabia, […]

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman lead countries with young populations that benefit from global trade

India and Saudi Arabia’s common bonds

Events may have overshadowed Narendra Modi’s trip to Jeddah this week – the Indian prime minister was forced to cut his visit short because of an attack in Kashmir – but there was much for him to discuss with his Saudi hosts. Amid market volatility and the new dispensation from Washington, Saudi Arabia and India – […]

Man walks by a sign for The World Bank Group at their global headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Lebanon receives $250m World Bank loan to ease power problems

The World Bank has granted Lebanon a $250 million loan aimed at helping to alleviate persistent power cuts worsened by last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah, the country’s finance ministry said on Thursday. Even before the conflict, Lebanon had for years been struggling with a severe shortage of imported fuel and poor infrastructure. Following the conflict, however, […]

A drive-through ADIB ATM in Ras al Khaimah, UAE. The bank is ranked as the Middle East's 12th most valuable lender

ADIB profit up 18% on increased lending and fee income

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) reported a double-digit growth in net profit for the first quarter, on the back of an increase in lending and income from fees and commissions. The bank, which is ranked by Forbes as the Middle East’s 12th most valuable lender, reported a net profit after tax of AED1.7 billion ($463 […]

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Jeddah

New oil refineries in India among Saudi trade deals

Saudi Arabia and India have strengthened their trade partnership in the areas of energy, defence, tourism and culture following a visit by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi this week. Energy sector agreements include plans for two new oil refineries in India and collaboration on petrochemicals, electricity, renewable energy and climate policy, Bloomberg reported.  The countries, […]

Shoppers in Tripoli, northern Lebanon. Rising food prices contributed to a small inflation increase in March

Lebanon inflation falls to 14% as exchange rate stabilises

Lebanon’s annual inflation rate fell to 14 percent in March, from 70 percent in the same month last year, according to news reports. The primary cause of the drop is the stabilisation of the country’s exchange rate, Arab News reported, citing data from the Central Administration of Statistics in Beirut. The rate has stood at […]

IMF Syria new chief Van Rooden is currently mission chief for Ukraine and an assistant director in the IMF's European Department

IMF appoints first mission chief to Syria in 14 years

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has appointed Ron van Rooden as head of its mission to Syria, the first country mission chief since war erupted there 14 years ago. Syria’s finance minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh said in a written statement, that van Rooden’s appointment came “following our request”. “This important appointment marks an important step […]

Street vendors in the historic Balad district of Jeddah. Falling oil prices have hit the Saudi economy

Saudi Arabia’s debt burden ‘to rise more quickly’, says IMF

The International Monetary Fund has revised its forecast for Saudi Arabia’s debt burden as tumbling oil prices dent the country’s revenues. The IMF is now projecting that Saudi government gross debt will be 44.5 percent of GDP by 2029, according to the twice-yearly Fiscal Monitor released in Washington DC on Wednesday.  In last October’s report, […]

Industrial shipping Maersk container shipping at Salalah Oman Middle east

Oman’s free zones attracted $4bn in investments last year

Private businesses invested OR1.6 billion ($4.1 billion) in Oman’s free zones, economic zones and industrial cities last year, highlighting the sultanate’s growing appeal as a regional business hub. The sultanate signed a total of 325 investment agreements across six major jurisdictions, Oman Daily Observer, a local news outlet, reported, citing a report by Duqm Economist […]

Customers use Al Rajhi cash dispensers at a branch in Mecca. The bank's total assets have topped SAR1 trillion

Al Rajhi Bank reports 34% rise in quarterly profit

Al Rajhi Bank, the world’s largest Islamic bank by capital, has reported a 34 percent increase in net profit for the first quarter of 2025, to SAR5.9 billion ($1.5 billion). The Saudi bank’s total assets have risen by 22 percent to SAR1.02 trillion, marking the first time Al Rajhi has surpassed the trillion-riyal mark. Its […]

Container vessels in Istanbul's Ambarli Port. Turkey's manufacturing base is struggling with rising borrowing costs

Turkey worried that cheap Asian goods will hurt economy

Turkey is concerned that an enduring trade war between the US and China and other Asian countries may encourage manufacturers to flood Turkey’s market with cut-price goods to make up for US losses, the finance minister has said. That could damage Turkey’s own manufacturing base, already struggling with high and rising borrowing costs and domestic […]

A shop in the Gold Souk in Deira, Dubai. Sellers are suffering as the price of gold continues to soar

Gold’s record run brings little joy for Dubai jewellers

In the bustling Gold Souk in Dubai, dubbed the “City of Gold”, 22-karat gold jewellery is a traditional favourite for weddings, religious celebrations, and as a family investment. Yet with bullion prices hitting record highs above $3,400 an ounce, there are signs of change, as buyers opt for diamonds and lighter gold jewellery instead. While […]

GCC officials are expected to push for better access to advanced US semiconductors and AI tech during Donald Trump's visit to the Gulf

Donald Trump will visit Gulf nations in May

US President Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16, the White House has confirmed. The highly anticipated visit to the Gulf region will mark Trump’s second foreign trip of his second term, as he will first travel to Rome this week for Pope Francis’ funeral. […]

Ramadan food discounting and lower transport costs contributed to inflation hitting a five-month low in March in Dubai, though housing costs persist

Dubai inflation falls to its lowest in five months

Dubai’s annual consumer price inflation fell in March to its lowest in five months, driven by lower transport and food costs, according to official data from Dubai Statistics Centre. The headline CPI inflation rate declined to 2.8 percent on an annual basis, from 3.2 percent in each of January and February. That is the lowest […]

2SBHG03 Serious thinking businessman working with tablet computer inside office. Businessman in shirt working at workplace, using laptop, sitting at desk, using financial app.

Turkish startup funding plunges in first quarter

Uncertainty in the Turkish economy and government budget cuts are weighing on the country’s startup environment, with venture capital funding for new projects falling in the first quarter to their lowest in more than 18 months. Turkish technology startups attracted $58 million in the three months to March 31, almost 50 percent down on the […]

Government debt insurance is rising in cost as investors reduce risk in turbulent markets

Saudi government debt insurance costs jump as oil prices fall

The cost of insuring government debt in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) has jumped this month, in some cases – including Saudi Arabia – to multi-year highs. Investors are fretting over the impact of global trade tensions on economic growth and international oil prices, and the risk of Israeli-US military action against Iran. […]

Passenger on the Riyadh Metro. The IMF expects consumer prices in Saudi Arabia to rise by 2% this year

IMF cuts Saudi GDP forecast as trade turbulence continues

The International Monetary Fund has lowered its economic growth forecast for Saudi Arabia in response to escalating trade tensions and falling oil prices. The IMF’s latest World Economic Outlook, released this week, predicts that Saudi Arabia’s GDP will grow by 3 percent this year, down from its previous forecast of 3.3 percent. It now expects […]

Lending income underpins record Q1 for Saudi banks

Three of Saudi Arabia’s five biggest banks by assets have reported record first-quarter profits after generating more income from loans and on lower operating costs. Saudi National Bank, the kingdom’s largest lender, reported a 19 percent jump in profit in the three months to March 31 to SAR6 billion ($1.6 billion), compared with the same […]

Rail tracks maintenance process. Railroad workers repairing a broken track

Iraq and Turkey to devise roadmap for expanded trade

Iraq and its northern neighbour Turkey will hold a series of meetings in the coming weeks to devise a roadmap for increasing bilateral trade, which hit an all-time high of nearly $15 billion in 2024. “There is a plan in this respect and it has been prepared with the help of various Iraqi economic parties… […]