The Middle East and North Africa region is expected to outperform the global economy in 2026, with GDP projected to grow by 3.6% year on year compared to global growth of 3.1%

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa unveiled on Monday new banknotes replacing those showing ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and his family, hoping the Syrian pound can regain some of the value lost to over a decade of war.

Beijing, China -- China will on January 1 launch an "action plan" for boosting management and operations of its digital currency, a deputy governor of the country's central bank said Monday. "The future digital yuan will be a modern digital payment and circulation means issued and circulated within the financial...

Early signals hint that Web Summit Qatar 2026 will be its biggest edition yet, with participation expected to outpace the inaugural year and draw more global investors.

Moving forward, lower oil revenues will continue to pose challenges to the Saudi economy and its overall targets. Earlier this month, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that Saudi Arabia faces a new test: how to sustain reform momentum in an era of potentially lower oil revenues without slipping back...

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from January 1, as Damascus tries to relaunch its economy after emerging from the rule of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad last year.

Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in the latest attempt to modernise transport in the vast country.

From the 1980s onward, the federal government and individual emirates launched broader diversification and liberalization programs to reduce reliance on oil and develop sectors like aluminum, tourism, aviation, re-export trade, and telecommunications, the author adds.

A deteriorating jobs market could nudge the central bank to lower rates further to boost the economy, despite some policymakers' worries that higher inflation could become persistent.

Washington, United States -- An aging president faces poor poll numbers and suspicions about his health but insists that America is thriving. Joe Biden? No, it's Donald Trump. The Republican, back in power for nearly a year, continues to compare himself to his predecessor. Biden would be senile, while Trump...

Yancheng, China -- In a light-filled workshop in eastern China, a robotic arm moved a partially assembled autonomous vehicle as workers calibrated its cameras, typical of the incremental automation being adopted even across smaller factories in the world's manufacturing powerhouse. China is already the world's largest market for industrial robots, and...

The United States signed an agreement on the supply chains with key Asia-Pacific allies concerned about China's growing clout -- Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Australia -- as well as Israel.

However, Qatar faces downside risks from a deeper global economic slowdown that could weaken energy demand and LNG prices amid potential supply surpluses. Also, geopolitical tensions, and increased trade exposure to China add to those vulnerabilities, the author adds.

When the Fed last met in October, Chair Jerome Powell asserted that another rate cut in December was "not a foregone conclusion," pointing to "strongly differing views" within the central bank.

President Donald Trump has been touting the economy's health, and forecasts had incorrectly predicted the monthly data would show a net rise in employment.

The Arab world's largest economy is overseeing a major push to slash its dependence on oil revenues, with officials pouring billions into projects to attract investment and tourism.

Saudi Arabia greenlit its 2026 budget Tuesday, projecting a deficit of 165 billion riyals ($44 billion) as the kingdom presses on with an ambitious spending drive to diversify its oil-dependent economy.

In addition, Kuwait hosted a major joint meeting between the GCC and the United Kingdom in October focused on a Free Trade Agreement which is bound to open broader trade and investment opportunities for Kuwait and other GCC nations, the author adds.

The latest visit of the Canadian PM is a part of his efforts to find new markets for his nation’s products and forge sustainable trade relations outside of North America.

Beijing has struggled to maintain a strong economic recovery from the pandemic, as it fights a debt crisis in its massive property sector, chronically low consumption and elevated youth unemployment.

The project in the Alam al-Roum area, in Egypt's Matrouh Governorate, will span "4,900 acres... extending across a coastline of 7.2 kilometres of the pristine Mediterranean shoreline", a statement from the Qatari Diar company said.

In the post-digital world, Bahrain’s center of activity, the city of Manama, has stiff yet healthy competition from the GCC financial centers such as Dubai, Riyadh and Doha. However, one must acknowledge that when it comes to reforms and financial services Bahrain has been the pioneer in the region, the...

The 137,000-barrels-per-day hike will apply from December and remain at that level for the following three months, signifying a "pause" in what had been regular increases since April this year, the group said in a statement following a virtual meeting.

The company, launched in May, is bankrolled by Saudi's powerful Public Investment Fund, which has played a key role in financing the kingdom's gigaprojects - major developments aimed at boosting and diversifying its oil-reliant economy.

With volatile geopolitics and the resulting uncertainty, the year 2025 has been challenging for most of the countries across the world. The tariff winds emerging from Washington D.C. have shaken economies in all directions, but Oman managed to get the basic 10 percent tariff despite the 2009 US-Oman Free Trade...

The central bank's second-to-last rate meeting of the year is taking place against the backdrop of a weeks-long standoff between Republicans and Democrats over healthcare subsidies, resulting in the ceased publication of almost all official data.

Iran declared one of the country's largest private banks bankrupt with its assets absorbed by the state, official media reported Saturday, in a rare move in the country grappling with international sanctions.

Beijing, China -- China will develop its high-tech sector on a massive scale in the next decade, top officials vowed Friday, a day after meetings on the country's future policy priorities concluded in Beijing. The four days of closed-door discussions began on Monday and involved high-ranking officials outlining long-term strategies...

Deir el-Balah, Palestinian Territories -- The Palestinians trying to rebuild their lives in the ruins of Gaza are short of many things: food, clean water, medicine -- and cash. On Sunday, two bank branches reopened, triggering an eager rush of clients. They were quickly disappointed. "The Bank of Palestine reopened...

Bangkok, Thailand -- Call it the China power paradox: while Beijing leads the world in renewable energy expansion, its coal projects are booming too. As the top emitter of greenhouse gases, China will largely determine whether the world avoids the worst effects of climate change. On the one hand, the...

In its flagship World Economic Outlook (WEO) report -- compiled before the most recent US-China tariff spat -- the IMF hiked its 2025 global growth forecast to 3.2 percent, up from 3.0 in July, while leaving its prediction for 2026 unchanged at 3.1 percent.

Washington, United States - A winner of this year’s Nobel prize in economics warned Monday that artificial intelligence offers "amazing possibilities" but should be regulated because of its job-destroying potential. The remarks from Canadian Peter Howitt, professor emeritus at Brown University in the United States, came amid growing concerns about...

China said on Tuesday it was ready to "fight to the end" in a trade war with the United States after President Donald Trump said he would impose an additional 100 percent tariff on the world's second-largest economy.

Beijing, China -- China accused the United States of "double standards" on Sunday, after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 100 percent tariff on the world's second-largest economy. Trump reignited his trade war with China on Friday, accusing Beijing of imposing "extraordinarily aggressive" new export curbs relating to rare earths....

US President Donald Trump said Friday he no longer feels the need for a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this month, slamming Beijing for hostile trade practices and threatening "massive" tariffs.

US and European stock markets mostly rose while Asian equities fell as investors also kept tabs on the AI investment boom and the prospect of further US interest rate cuts this year.

The WTO raised its forecast for trade volume growth in 2025 to 2.4 percent -- up from 0.9 percent in August -- and slashed its 2026 outlook from 1.8 percent to 0.5 percent.

Hanoi, Vietnam -- Vietnam recorded economic growth of 8.2 percent in the third quarter, among the highest increases in more than a decade, the government said Sunday, despite fresh US tariffs taking effect. Finance Minister Nguyen Van Thang said the figure -- excluding the surge in 2022 driven by a...

The Fed's likely move would follow a monthslong push from President Donald Trump to slash rates, and comes amid growing concern about political pressure on the independent central bank.

Paris, France -- Global oil supply hit a record high in August as OPEC+ and other countries ramped up production, with a looming surplus keeping prices in check, the International Energy Agency said Thursday. Eight key members of OPEC+ group, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, have been gradually increasing production...

Gains for oil prices were relatively modest, while gas futures were unmoved after Israel's strikes Tuesday against Hamas in gas-rich Qatar. Gold, a traditional safe haven investment, traded close to its recent record highs.

Oil ministers in the V8 grouping -- comprising Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria and Oman -- decided to increase production by 137,000 barrels a day (bpd) from next month.

Beijing, China -- China's factory output ticked up in August but still recorded a fifth straight month of contraction, official data showed Sunday, as Beijing and Washington press on with trade talks. The Purchasing Managers' Index -- a key measure of industrial output -- was 49.4, the National Bureau of...

Dubai, UAE -- The United Arab Emirates has continued to attract global companies looking to establish regional or global headquarters. In 2025, several major corporations, including PayPal and Veon, have either announced or completed the relocation of their headquarters to the UAE. This trend is supported by the country's legislative...

The Trump administration said late last month that it will abolish a tax exemption on small packages entering the United States from August 29.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports rose by 17.8 percent in the second quarter of 2025, according to official data. The increase included a 46.2 percent rise in re-exports, while national non-oil exports excluding re-exports grew by 5.6 percent, the General Authority for Statistics of Saudi Arabia reported....

Mumbai, India -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to slash consumption taxes on everyday goods could deliver billions of dollars in annual relief and boost demand in an economy bracing for painful US tariffs, experts say. US President Donald Trump has threatened to double import duties on India from...

Last year, the Fed chair used his keynote speech at the Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium to indicate the time had come for interest rate cuts. This time, however, the picture is murkier.

Hong Kong, China - Asian markets edged mostly upward in muted morning trading on Thursday, one day before a key speech expected to offer signals about future interest rate cuts in the United States. US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who has resisted public demands by President Donald Trump to...

Washington, United States -- President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the US central bank Wednesday, calling for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to step down -- after his recent criticism of Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates sooner. "Cook must resign, now!!!" Trump wrote on his...