Trade Arms, investment and AI top list of deals on busy day for Trump Tens of billions of dollars in new partnerships between the US and Saudi Arabia were announced on Tuesday in Riyadh during the first day of President Donald Trump’s visit to the Gulf. Artificial intelligence, aviation, energy and defence dominated the flurry of deals, with the White House again touting that the kingdom will invest $600 […] May 13, 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
Trade Oman invests $200m in port to bolster re-export business Oman is expanding one of its smallest ports located in the northern town of Shinas, in an attempt to bolster the sultanate’s re-export business and container connectivity. The project, which is expected to start in the third quarter of this year, will increase its area by 40 percent to 1.8 million square metres, according to […] May 12, 2025
Analysis Trade Big money, big deals – but Gulf needs FDI clarity from Trump US President Donald Trump arrives in the Saudi capital Riyadh tomorrow on the first leg of his three-country Gulf visit that will also take in Qatar and the UAE. His overwhelming objective is money and big deals: to sell American goods and secure their investment to the US economy. With that in mind, the US […] May 12, 2025
Trade Egypt and Russia increase trade after record 2024 Trade between Russia and Egypt rose sharply in the first two months of 2025 after setting a new record in 2024. “Last year bilateral trade turnover increased by more than 30 percent, reaching $9 billion,” state-run TASS news agency reported quoting Russian president Vladimir Putin speaking at a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. […] May 12, 2025
Trade US might ease chip export curbs on some Gulf nations President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will soon have an announcement on whether the US will ease microchip export restrictions to some Gulf countries. “We might be doing that, yeah,” Trump said. “And it will be announced soon.” Trump is preparing for his first major diplomatic trip next week that includes a three-country Middle […] May 8, 2025
Analysis Trade Gulf funds weigh risk and reward in Trump’s new trade world order Gulf sovereign wealth funds, including Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala and Saudi Arabia’s Neom Investment Fund, see both risk and opportunity in the heightened global trade tensions linked to US tariffs. “We know what an economic recession looks like – here we’re dealing with something slightly different,” said Oscar Fahlgren, chief investment officer at Mubadala’s alternative asset […] May 7, 2025
Trade Malaysia continues GCC trade talks that began in 2011 Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that talks on closing a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council are continuing, 14 years after they first began. The deal will deepen commercial partnerships and expand economic growth, Kuwait’s state-run Kuna news agency reported, quoting Ibrahim. The GCC and Malaysia agreed on a trade […] May 7, 2025
Trade Morocco’s trade deficit widens on import surge Morocco’s trade deficit widened in the first quarter after a surge in imports, the economy and finance ministry reported. The shortfall grew by nearly a fifth, or 17 percent, to MAD71.6 billion ($7.8 billion) in the three months to March 31, compared with MAD61 billion in the same period last year, ministry data this week […] May 6, 2025
Artificial Intelligence US considers easing of chip export restrictions on UAE The US is considering easing restrictions on the export of high-end semiconductors to the UAE, Bloomberg reported. President Donald Trump could announce the start of work on a bilateral chip deal during his upcoming trip to the Gulf, the news service said, without identifying sources. Nothing has yet been decided but the talks are picking up […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Trade Oman’s tile law could set pattern for the GCC Oman plans to implement anti-dumping measures on ceramic tile imports from China and India, saying the materials that are widely used in the building industry are being sold at below-cost prices. This comes amid a global debate around the impact of increased US import tariffs on China, the world’s biggest manufacturer, and whether the tax […] May 2, 2025
Trade Turkey trade deficit widens paced by consumer goods imports Turkey’s trade deficit widened in the first quarter by 11 percent, paced by a jump in the import of consumer goods and muted growth in high value exports, fresh government data show. Imports in the three months to March 31 rose more than 4 percent to almost $88 billion, while exports expanded by less than 3 […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Trade UK urged to seek standalone trade deals with Gulf states Trade experts, including a former UK government senior advisor, are questioning why talks between the UK and GCC to secure a free trade agreement are taking so long. Many recommend that London pursue bilateral deals with Gulf countries if and when a wider GCC deal is signed. “[The negotiations] have been going on for yonks […] May 2, 2025
Analysis Tech AI will be front and centre during Trump’s Gulf trip Artificial intelligence is expected to be top of the agenda during US president Donald Trump’s visit to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in mid-May, with officials from all sides eager to announce fresh partnerships. Discussions are likely to focus on securing more GCC investments into US technology and expanding Gulf states’ access […] May 2, 2025
Trade UAE and Egypt could benefit most from global trade shift The UAE and Egypt may benefit the most among Mena countries from the US-led reordering of the global trade framework, Citigroup Mena CEO Ebru Pakcan has said. By contrast, oil producers from Iraq to Kuwait and Oman to Bahrain could struggle, Pakcan said, on the back of the lowest international prices in four years. Resource-poor […] April 30, 2025
Trade Ahead of Trump visit, New Jersey courts Gulf investment New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is leading a mission to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain as US states compete for a share of more than $2 trillion of investment and trade which Gulf Arab countries have pledged to the US over the next decade. The trip, which ends on Saturday, comes just two weeks […] April 30, 2025
Economy GCC economic data The latest economic indicators for the Gulf Co-operation Council countries: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain – plus links to in-depth pages on each country April 29, 2025
Finance Saudi Arabia reports record non-oil exports in 2024 Saudi Arabia’s exports of goods and services – excluding oil – hit a record SAR515 billion ($137 billion) last year, the state-run SPA news agency reported, as the world’s second largest oil producer seeks to diversify its economy away from hydrocarbons. The exports, which include re-exports, rose 13 percent over the last year and have […] April 28, 2025
Finance Official email to be required for Kuwait business licences Oil-rich Kuwait intends to force its companies to set up an official email address for correspondence with government offices as part of a new law designed to speed up business and slash paper work, according to local media. Companies that fail to abide by the new rules will have their business suspended and banned from […] April 28, 2025
Finance Saudi Exim Bank’s credit doubling aids non-oil growth The Saudi Export-Import Bank (SEIB) doubled its credit facilities last year, helping to develop non-oil exports of the world’s second largest oil producer, the local Arab News reported. Credit facilities jumped 103 percent to SAR33.5 billion ($8.9 billion) compared with the year before, with export financing rising 70 percent to around SAR12 billion, the newspaper […] April 28, 2025
Trade US-driven trade war forces Mubadala to change ‘assumptions’ Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Company said it will take more time to consider its investments and is changing its “base case assumptions” against the backdrop of heightened global trade tensions driven by the US. The fund, which has more than $300 billion of assets under management in over 50 countries around the […] April 25, 2025
Editor's Insight 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 – […] April 24, 2025
