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Top stories

Helmet, Adult, Male Third-quarter earnings before interest and taxes from Aramco’s hydrocarbon extraction business fell 12.9 percent year on year to $52.8 billion

Saudi Aramco blames lower sales for drop in profit

Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest listed oil company, reported a 21 percent drop in third-quarter net profit on Tuesday that it blamed on lower crude prices and sales volumes and shrinking refining margins. The state-controlled conglomerate made a net profit attributable to shareholders of $26 billion in the three months to September 30, down from […]

A Volkswagen plant in Emden, Germany. Qatar's substantial investment in the carmaker could have provided better returns elsewhere

Volkswagen’s troubles sour Qatari investment

Volkswagen’s shares have tumbled by more than two-thirds from a 2021 peak, slashing the value of Qatar’s stake in the German conglomerate, as shrinking margins, weakening sales and production overcapacity weigh on the troubled automaker’s bottom line. Even with several billion dollars accrued in dividends since Qatar Holding invested in 2009, Volkswagen’s problems suggest the […]

Trendyol

Alibaba-backed Trendyol plans $2bn Gulf investment

Trendyol, Turkey’s largest ecommerce platform, is to invest $2 billion in the Gulf region over the next three years. The company is backed by Chinese tech giant Alibaba, and has established a presence across all six GCC countries. It has had rapid growth in Saudi Arabia, now its second-largest market, in particular. Its group president, […]

Trending

  1. Saudi Arabia’s deficit rises again as oil output cuts bite

  2. Americana CEO says boycott ‘worst is behind us’

  3. Italy’s Eni will restart gas drilling in Egypt and Libya

  4. More Turkish companies open in UAE after trade deal

  5. Gulf air traffic rebounds but fares still high

OPINION & Analysis

Best of AGBI

How the UAE has made a global mining power grab

Embracing copper from Peru, lithium from Zimbabwe, tantalum from Kenya and bauxite from Pakistan, the UAE’s mining interests nowadays span three continents. Trade deals with Australia and New Zealand agreed in September may also soon see those interests Down Under. Certainly, Australia’s minister for trade and tourism, Don Farell, hopes so. “The negotiated package,” he […]

Middle East, not the West, should lead rebuilding, say experts

Rebuilding Palestine and Lebanon will take upwards of a decade once the conflict between Israel and Hamas and Iran-backed Hezbollah ends, according to the International Monetary Fund. But the two countries should be assisted by Middle East neighbours and not left in the hands of Western superpowers, say experts. The United Nations Development Programme’s initial […]

US Election

united states

US Election: The Greatest Show on Earth

Join Frank Kane and guest panellists live at the Capital Club, Dubai, for expert analysis of the US Presidential Election
Click here to register for the event

UAE latest

The 44.01 team. Together with Adnoc the company mineralised 10 tonnes of CO2 in Fujairah in under 100 days

Adnoc and Oman’s 44.01 scale up carbon-to-rock project

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Omani company 44.01 have announced plans to scale up their carbon-to-rock project in the emirate of Fujairah following the successful completion of a pilot initiative. Muscat-based startup 44.01 – named after the molecule mass for CO2 – uses technology to accelerate a natural process in which carbon dioxide […]

UAE Turkey trade DMCC

More Turkish companies open in UAE after trade deal

A free trade agreement between the UAE and Turkey has been followed by a jump in the number of Turkish companies opening offices in the UAE.  The signing of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) between the two nations in March 2023 was designed to create greater collaboration and remove tariffs on a range of […]

Based on the offer price range, Lulu is set to list with a market capitalisation of between AED20.04bn and AED21.07bn

High demand leads Lulu to upsize IPO stake to 30%

Lulu Retail Holdings has increased the size of its initial public offering (IPO) by 5 percent to 30 percent to potentially raise AED6.32 billion ($1.72 billion) on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) following high demand from investors. The retail chain operator in the Middle East initially offered a 25 percent stake sale. The total […]

Drillships off the coast of Limassol, Cyprus. The country says Adnoc is interested in gas acquisitions in the region

Adnoc has expressed interest in Cyprus gas, minister says

United Arab Emirates energy major Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc) has expressed interest in Cyprus’ emerging natural gas sector, the country’s energy minister told Reuters on Monday. Major gas discoveries and developments off Egypt and Israel have attracted companies to offshore developments in the eastern Mediterranean in recent years, while state-owned Adnoc sees gas […]

UAE energy minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said the UAE is a model for an ambitious and practical transition to clean energy

UAE to invest $54bn to meet sustainable energy goals

The UAE plans to invest up to AED200 billion ($54.4 billion) to meet sustainable energy demand over the next six years, minister of energy and infrastructure Suhail Al Mazrouei has said. The move intends to “decarbonise economy and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050”, the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. “Our efforts to diversify the […]

Saudi Arabia latest

Saudi Arabia's finance minister Mohammed Al Jadaan on stage at the FII conference. The country's revenue has risen 12%

Saudi Arabia’s deficit rises again as oil output cuts bite

Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit was SAR58 billion ($15.5 billion) in the first nine months of 2024, rising by SAR30 billion in the third quarter alone and confirming predictions of a funding crunch for the country’s giga-projects.  The finance ministry said in October that it expects to post an overall deficit of SAR118 billion this year […]

The undersea cable will connect Duba (pictured) in Saudi Arabia with Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt

First Saudi Arabia-to-Egypt subsea cable announced

Mobily and Telecom Egypt have signed an agreement to lay the first subsea cable between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the companies announced in a joint press statement on Monday. The new cable will connect the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh with the Saudi city of Duba. Egypt already has landing points for 18 […]

A metal worker at a factory in Dammam. Saudi Arabia logged increases in sales and employment in October, says S&P Global

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector hits 6-month high

Business conditions in Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector improved at the fastest rate for six months in October, according to S&P Global. Saudi Arabia logged a 56.9 rating in S&P’s Global purchasing managers’ index (PMI), a monthly indicator of operating conditions in the non-oil economy.  October beat September’s figure of 56.3 and is well above […]

Helmet, Adult, Male Third-quarter earnings before interest and taxes from Aramco’s hydrocarbon extraction business fell 12.9 percent year on year to $52.8 billion

Saudi Aramco blames lower sales for drop in profit

Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest listed oil company, reported a 21 percent drop in third-quarter net profit on Tuesday that it blamed on lower crude prices and sales volumes and shrinking refining margins. The state-controlled conglomerate made a net profit attributable to shareholders of $26 billion in the three months to September 30, down from […]

Richard Attias, CEO of the FII Institute

Saudi Arabia: from oil giant to ESG pioneer

Home to the world’s second largest oil reserves, Saudi Arabia has not historically been associated with environmentally friendly investments.   But times are changing.  Last Friday, the heavyweights of Saudi business converged on London for a summit hosted by the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, a global non-profit organisation, during which it unveiled a new inclusive […]

Around the Middle East

More oil could come from Opec producer Iran as Tehran has approved a plan to increase output by 250,000 barrels per day

Oil trades in tight range ahead of US election result

Oil prices traded in a narrow range on Tuesday ahead of what is expected to be an exceptionally close US presidential election, after rising more than 2 percent in the previous session as Opec+ delayed plans to hike production in December. Brent crude futures were up 45 cents, or 0.6 percent, to $75.53 a barrel by 12:26 […]

The 44.01 team. Together with Adnoc the company mineralised 10 tonnes of CO2 in Fujairah in under 100 days

Adnoc and Oman’s 44.01 scale up carbon-to-rock project

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) and Omani company 44.01 have announced plans to scale up their carbon-to-rock project in the emirate of Fujairah following the successful completion of a pilot initiative. Muscat-based startup 44.01 – named after the molecule mass for CO2 – uses technology to accelerate a natural process in which carbon dioxide […]

A Volkswagen plant in Emden, Germany. Qatar's substantial investment in the carmaker could have provided better returns elsewhere

Volkswagen’s troubles sour Qatari investment

Volkswagen’s shares have tumbled by more than two-thirds from a 2021 peak, slashing the value of Qatar’s stake in the German conglomerate, as shrinking margins, weakening sales and production overcapacity weigh on the troubled automaker’s bottom line. Even with several billion dollars accrued in dividends since Qatar Holding invested in 2009, Volkswagen’s problems suggest the […]

Passengers in Terminal 3 at Dubai Airport. The UAE and Saudi Arabia reported respective air traffic growth of 39 percent and 30 percent

Gulf air traffic rebounds but fares still high

Air traffic in the Middle East and North Africa region has rebounded beyond pre-pandemic levels, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE marking the highest gains in volume. Traffic up to the second quarter of 2024 has also surpassed levels seen before 2020, according to a study by Airports Council International (ACI).  Bahrain (+24 percent), Qatar […]

If the Maaden deal goes ahead it will create the seventh largest aluminium manufacturer in the world

Bahrain’s Alba looking to Europe after Maaden deal

Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) will keep exploring mergers and acquisitions, with a particular eye on Europe, once it completes its multi-billion dollar deal with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden). The deal is expected to be signed off in the first half of next year. The two companies penned a non-binding agreement in September and are in […]

Eni had paused its operations at the Zohr gas field but plans to resume drilling in Egypt by the end of the year

Italy’s Eni will restart gas drilling in Egypt and Libya

Italian energy company Eni is reviving its exploration operations on Zohr, Egypt’s largest natural gas field, by the end of the year, its CEO confirmed on Monday. “After some time, we were not really working on Zohr, we will restart drilling by the end of the year, and we are going to drill another well […]

Investors check prices at Oman's stock exchange. OQ Base Industries is due to list in December

OQ’s methanol unit is latest in Oman’s privatisation push

OQ Base Industries is to sell up to 49 percent of its shares through an initial public offering in Oman – the fourth flotation of an OQ subsidiary since March 2023. The Omani state oil company raised OR748.8 million ($1.94 billion) in October by offloading a 25 percent stake in its upstream subsidiary OQ Exploration […]

Bahrain's Minister of Finance and National Economy, Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa al-Khalifa speaks during a financial conference in Manama, Bahrain February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Bahrain’s Mumtalakat prizes local investment over global

Bahrain’s multi-billion dollar sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat is looking closer to home for investments, prioritising local over international opportunities. Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, minister of finance and national economy at Mumtalakat, said: “What we have found is the most compelling investment opportunities, the highest return on equity investments, are increasingly at home or […]

Topics:

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HYDROGEN
SAUDI VISION 2030
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mergers & acquisitions
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Electric cars
israel-hamas war
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ukraine-russia war
OPEC
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Turkey Latest

UAE Turkey trade DMCC

More Turkish companies open in UAE after trade deal

A free trade agreement between the UAE and Turkey has been followed by a jump in the number of Turkish companies opening offices in the UAE.  The signing of the comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa) between the two nations in March 2023 was designed to create greater collaboration and remove tariffs on a range of […]

Turkish Airlines' fleet consists of 467 aircraft, with Airbus and Boeing split at 56 percent and 44 percent, respectively

Turkish Airlines profit falls despite revenue rising 8%

Revenue at Turkish Airlines rose 8 percent year on year in the first nine months of 2024 to $17 billion, driven by increased passenger numbers. The airline flew 65 million passengers from January to September, rising 2 percent annually, according to its latest investor presentation. Passenger revenue climbed 3 percent year on year to $14 billion, […]

Trendyol

Alibaba-backed Trendyol plans $2bn Gulf investment

Trendyol, Turkey’s largest ecommerce platform, is to invest $2 billion in the Gulf region over the next three years. The company is backed by Chinese tech giant Alibaba, and has established a presence across all six GCC countries. It has had rapid growth in Saudi Arabia, now its second-largest market, in particular. Its group president, […]

A greengrocer at a food market in Uskudar, Istanbul. Turkey's October inflation figure was higher than expected

Turkish inflation sticks on food and rental costs 

Turkey’s inflation remains stubbornly resistant to efforts to bring it under control, easing only marginally in October as food and rental pricing pressures continued to build.  Annualised inflation dipped to 48.5 percent in October, down slightly from 49.3 percent the preceding month. Month on month, consumer prices were up 2.8 percent, just under September’s 2.9 […]

The CIF funding will raise $790 million to transform the country’s power transmission system and invest in smart-grid upgrades

Turkey’s clean energy plan gets $1bn backing

Climate Investment Funds (CIF), one of the world’s largest multilateral funds, has backed a $1 billion funding for Turkey’s green energy scale-up. The fund’s board approved a $70 million investment from its renewable energy integration (REI) investment platform, which will contribute to the green expansion of Ankara’s energy system. The CIF funding will raise $790 […]

Egypt Latest

The undersea cable will connect Duba (pictured) in Saudi Arabia with Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt

First Saudi Arabia-to-Egypt subsea cable announced

Mobily and Telecom Egypt have signed an agreement to lay the first subsea cable between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the companies announced in a joint press statement on Monday. The new cable will connect the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh with the Saudi city of Duba. Egypt already has landing points for 18 […]

Eni had paused its operations at the Zohr gas field but plans to resume drilling in Egypt by the end of the year

Italy’s Eni will restart gas drilling in Egypt and Libya

Italian energy company Eni is reviving its exploration operations on Zohr, Egypt’s largest natural gas field, by the end of the year, its CEO confirmed on Monday. “After some time, we were not really working on Zohr, we will restart drilling by the end of the year, and we are going to drill another well […]

IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva and Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly at a press conference

Egypt awaits $1.3bn loan from IMF as review begins

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will conduct its fourth review of Egypt’s loan programme on Tuesday, after which $1.3 billion is expected to be released, Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly has said. The IMF team will collaborate with officials from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and various ministries, local media reported, citing Madbouly’s speech […]

United Marine Egypt Shipping will receive an undisclosed number of the Regent seaglider

Egyptian company buys into Neom-backed seaglider

United Marine Egypt Shipping will be the launch customer for a large passenger seaglider that is designed to travel at high speeds over water.  US maritime transport company Regent said UME will be the first to receive its Monarch seaglider. The Monarch is a 50-to-100-passenger electric craft that Regent says will travel up to 650km […]

Dubai's Emaar Properties owns 79 percent of Emaar Development and also has hospitality and retail divisions

Dubai’s bellwether Emaar to report Q3 profit rise

Dubai’s Emaar Properties, bellwether of the emirate’s bourse, and its real estate development subsidiary, are likely to report sizeable increases in third-quarter profits versus the preceding three months as margins expand and under-construction projects reach revenue recognition thresholds. Emaar Properties owns 79 percent of Emaar Development and also has hospitality and retail divisions. It is […]

Features

Saudi riyadh expo 2030

The remaking of Riyadh ahead of World Expo 2030

Expo 2030 is already propelling real estate development in Riyadh six years before the international fair is scheduled to take place – and, along with other giga-projects, is helping to shift the city’s core to the north. The World Expo, which typically takes place in a different city every five years, is expected to occupy […]

UK is ‘actively seeking’ Gulf investors, says trade minister

“Britain is back and Britain is open for business,” UK trade minister Douglas Alexander has told AGBI.  In an interview at the Future Investment Initiative summit taking place this week in Riyadh, Alexander said the Labour government’s budget on Wednesday would seek to “raise the level of investment in the UK economy”. “The kind of […]

Diwali gold buyers change their approach as prices rise

Dhanteras, the first day of Diwali, is seen as an auspicious time to buy gold by the Gulf’s roughly three million Hindus. But as the price of gold hits record levels consumers are shopping differently, gold traders told AGBI. Gold’s price has surged by 34 percent in the past year alone. This trend is being […]

US sanctions unlikely to stop Iran’s oil smugglers

Tighter US economic sanctions are unlikely to disrupt Iran’s oil exports in the long run because Tehran has developed a sophisticated system of oil smuggling, using a dedicated fleet of tankers and middlemen in multiple countries, industry observers say. The regime in Tehran has been under US sanctions since the Islamic revolution of 1979.  But […]

People & Lifestyle

A perfume shop in Sabya, Saudi Arabia. The country's fragrance sector is worth $2.3bn

Investors scent riches in Middle East perfume

The retail offering of Al Majed for Oud Company was more than nine times oversubscribed this week, as investors rushed to buy up the first tranche of 1.5 million shares in the Riyadh-based perfume and oud products manufacturer. The full listing of 7.5 million shares, or a 30 percent stake in the company, will raise […]

Saudi Arabia tourism projects Dragon Ball theme park

Arab Disneyland and Da Vinci: Saudi Arabia’s two great hopes

Saudi Arabia is spending billions on tourism projects at the heart of its grand plan to transform a once isolated kingdom into a global tourist destination. But a nagging question is haunting policymakers: will the world pay attention?   Tourism numbers are rising, hitting 27.4 million in 2023, but half of those were religious visitors.  The […]

Lionel Messi poses for a photo at Dubai Expo 2020. He and his Argentina teammates will soon be appearing on 'giant billboard on Sheikh Zayed Road' to advertise property

Project stardust: why Dubai developers still want celeb tie-ins

Lionel Messi, Rohit Sharma and Chris Hemsworth are just some of the famous faces who have promoted UAE real estate in recent years. Superstar sportsmen and Hollywood heroes do not come cheap, but are they really a good investment for developers or just an excuse for the CEO to get a selfie?  Many industry observers […]

Around 3.5 million bottles of Champagne were shipped to the Gulf states in 2023, an increase of about 40 percent

Champagne shipments to the Gulf slow but still flowing

The growth in champagne shipments to the Gulf has slowed in recent years but the market is still one of the strongest in the world, bucking a global trend for declining sales. Around 3.5 million bottles of champagne were shipped to the Gulf states in 2023, an increase of about 40 percent, according to data […]

Around the world

Swiss gold

Record gold price dents demand for Swiss bullion in Gulf

Swiss gold exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE have slumped in the past year, as its price rose by more than 30 percent driven by geopolitical challenges. Gold passed $2,700 per ounce on Friday for the first time ever. A year ago it was $1,980 per ounce, and a month ago $2,559. While global […]

Manara's stake in First Quantum Minerals’ Zambian operations could be worth between $1.5bn and $2bn

PIF’s Manara in talks to buy minority stake in Zambian mines 

Manara Minerals, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) and the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF), is in advanced talks to acquire 15 to 20 percent in Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals’ Zambian copper and nickel assets. The stake could be potentially valued between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, Reuters reported, citing informed […]

Visitors tour the exhibition halls at Gitex Global. This year's expo runs until October 18

Tech startups drive rise in Ireland’s exports to UAE

Exports from Ireland to the UAE rose by 21 percent last year, driven by Irish technology and healthcare companies.  The trade agency Enterprise Ireland says exports to the GCC increased 13 percent last year, reaching €532.5 million ($580 million). Qatar had the region’s fastest growth in exports from Ireland last year, with a rise of […]

A Mitsubishi H3 rocket on the launchpad in Japan. The UAE will use the model in its asteroid belt mission

UAE and Mitsubishi sign agreement for asteroid belt mission

The UAE has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to provide services for its 2028 mission to the asteroid belt.  The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt – the first multiple-asteroid tour and landing mission to the main belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter – will launch the Mohammed Bin Rashid Explorer spacecraft […]