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Can Iraq’s new prime minister make payroll without the IMF?
Can Iraq’s new PM avoid an IMF bailout? | GCC trade deal does data end-run | BYD overtakes Tesla in MENA | Cenomi rocked by corruption scandal
Friday, 22 May 2026
Happy Friday — except for the Big Four in Riyadh?
We're keeping an eye this weekend on Saudi Arabia's pause on new work for major consultancies, and what comes of talks between Oman and Iran over a permanent Hormuz toll.
Today at a Glance
News
Egypt leaves rates unchanged + Apex Health gearing up for IPO?
Plus: Hajj costs are on the rise
Modi to visit UAE, skipping the rest of the Gulf, as part of five-country tour
Plus: No summer salvation for Lebanon
Banking
Finance
Business
Saudi salary premium is shrinking as the Saudi-UAE talent war matures
The shift is likely driven by the scaling back of…
India doubles down on MENA ties in search of energy, compute for AI, and defense sales
A USD 5 bn pledge, 30 mn barrels of crude storage, an AI supercluster and a cleared bank takeover — the war…
Sovereign funds
Vision 2030 recap shows the private sector is set to take the wheel of Saudi Arabia’s economy
FDI missed the government’s target, while the PIF’s assets under…
More Trojena contracts scrapped
What we’re tracking this morning regionally and around the world
Infrastructure
Real estate
Scorecard
Tech
Energy
MENA+ earnings in 1Q 2026 paint a very mixed (and still incomplete) picture of the war’s impact
Plus: Grocery retailers also had a mixed 1Q, while flynas’ bottom line was weighed down despite higher capacity boosting revenues
Can high-quality oil reserves and a massive reconstruction opportunity draw global investors to Libya?
The oil & gas sector is receiving most of this attention, and how well…
GCC countries face USD bns in foregone energy revenues — and it’s a boon for Algeria
With Brent rising above the USD 100 mark, the North African country is looking…
