US Fed chair says ‘the time has come’ to start cutting rates
The Fed's benchmark lending rate currently sits at a 23-year high of between 5.25 and 5.50 percent, cooling demand in...Economy
Crypto crime drops 19.6% as digital ecosystem matures
Advanced blockchain analysis tools, such as those provided by Chainalysis, are empowering law enforcement agencies and enterprises to counter the...Business Economy
Grain deal in focus as Putin, Erdogan all set to meet
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday, the Kremlin said, amid...Russia pulled out from the UN-backed grain agreement that Turkey helped broker in July, effectively revoking safe navigation for civilian ships sailing through the Black Sea.
Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan said on a visit to Moscow on Thursday that reviving the deal to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea was "critical" for food security.
Iran’s non-oil export to ECO countries from Mar 21 to July 22 2023 reaches $3.6bn
TEHRAN, IRAN – Iran’s export of non-oil products to the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member states in the first four...In the four-month period, Iran exported 8.161 million tons of non-oil commodities to ECO member states.
In the same period, Iran imported 1.394 million tons of goods, valued at $2.445 billion, from the ECO states.
Qatar’s Q2 2023 budget posts record surplus of US$2.7bn
DOHA, QATAR - The Ministry of Finance announced that the budget of Qatar for the second quarter of the year...The surplus would be directed towards reducing public debt, raising the reserves of the Qatar Central Bank.
It would be used for enhancing the savings of future generations through the Qatar Investment Authority.
Agri-Nutrients SABIC, US firms together support sustainable farming
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - Agri-Nutrients SABIC, in cooperation with the American companies ADM and BiOWiSH has helped farmers achieve high...Through these collaborative efforts SABIC aims to help reduce the carbon footprint in the agricultural supply chain.
Farmers will use SABIC's bio-fortified urea for the 2023 agri-nutrient season and enroll in ADM's Re:Generations program.
UAE, New Zealand discuss economic cooperation, free trade pact
DUBAI, UAE – Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade discussed deeper economic collaboration,...The UAE and New Zealand already share a productive trade relationship, with non-oil trade reaching US$805 million in 2022.
UAE is New Zealand's leading trading partner in the Arab World, accounting for 2.5 percent of Wellington’s total foreign trade.
At 5%, Middle East has highest GDP share from tourism: report
Dubai, UAE - The Middle East has seen the strongest rebound in the post-pandemic global tourism recovery, according to a...Saudi Arabia and Türkiye recorded almost pre-pandemic levels of tourist arrivals in Q1 2023
Asia Pacific is second, with over 4 percent of the region’s GDP coming from tourism
Abu Dhabi to unveil one of world’s biggest airport terminal
Dubai, UAE - An airport terminal able to handle up to 45 million passengers a year will open in Abu Dhabi...Terminal A in the Abu Dhabi airport will be able to accommodate 11,000 travelers per hour and 79 aircraft at a time.
The new facility, also known as Midfield Terminal Building, "is scheduled to begin operations in early November 2023", local media said.
Moody’s lowers Country Garden credit ratings
Beijing, China - Moody's further downgraded the credit ratings of Chinese property developer Country Garden on Thursday as the heavily indebted...Moody's said it had cut Country Garden from Caa1 to Ca, indicating obligations that are "highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default"
The Chinese firm is estimated to "not have sufficient internal cash sources to address its upcoming offshore bond maturity", according to Moody's
Bitay to expand in UAE’s burgeoning crypto market
DUBAI, UAE – Bitay, a cryptocurrency platform from Turkey, announced its expansion into the UAE's burgeoning crypto market.The UAE, which...Kickstarted by a government research grant, Bitay has been operational in Turkey since 2018 and expanded its services globally in 2021.
The platform is licensed as a Money Services Business (MSB) in 16 US states and offers services in multiple countries.
UAE economy expected to grow by 3.5 percent in 2023, says UBS
ABU DHABI, UAE - Chief Investment Officer, Emerging Markets at UBS Global Wealth Management Michael Bolliger forecasts the UAE's gross...The bank's positive outlook on the UAE’s medium-term growth prospects is supported by strong demand for its oil exports and energy investments.
The bank also expects a strong 4.5 percent expansion for the non-energy part of the economy for this year.
