Sandrine Zimra

Saudi Arabia’s economy grew faster than initially expected in the first quarter of 2025, with revised government figures showing a 3.4% year-on-year increase in GDP — up from the earlier forecast of 2.7% published in May by the Saudi General Authority for Statistics.

Saudi Arabia’s shopping mall sector is on an upward trajectory, bolstered by evolving consumer preferences and the ambitious Vision 2030 initiative, which aims to transform the Kingdom into a global business and tourism hub.

Egypt’s annual inflation rate surged to 16.5 percent in May, up from 13.5 percent in April, according to data released by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). 

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA) is actively exploring acquisitions in the United States and other international markets as part of its aggressive expansion strategy, CEO Jasim Husain Thabet revealed in an interview with Reuters.

Morocco’s leading mining conglomerate, Managem, announced on Monday a 20% year-on-year increase in first-quarter revenue, reaching 2.32 billion dirhams ($250 million). 

Russia is nearing the final stages of a major energy agreement with Bahrain that would see Moscow supply 1.5 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually to the Gulf kingdom over a three-year period, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

In a major move to accelerate foreign and domestic investment, Invest Qatar, the country’s investment promotion agency, unveiled a $1 billion economic stimulus program on Wednesday, aimed at driving capital inflows and enhancing the diversification of Qatar’s economy. 

In a bold move reflecting its ambition to become a global artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouse, the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday unveiled Falcon Arabic, a new AI model tailored specifically to the Arabic language and its diverse linguistic nuances. 

Bank Hapoalim, one of Israel’s two largest financial institutions, reported a robust first-quarter net profit of 2.42 billion shekels ($680.6 million), a significant rise from 1.94 billion shekels a year earlier. 

S&P Global Ratings has reaffirmed Israel’s sovereign credit ratings at “A/A-1” for both long- and short-term foreign and local currency debt. However, the agency cautioned that an extended or escalating military conflict could weigh heavily on the country's economic resilience, fiscal health, and external balances.

The Israeli economy is expected to take a hit from the Trump administration’s proposed global tariff plan, with the Finance Ministry estimating a potential annual GDP loss of less than 0.5%, or under NIS 10 billion.

The Central Bank of Turkey announced on Friday that it will maintain its tight monetary stance until inflation shows a sustained and meaningful decline.