World merchandise trade growth exceeded expectations in the first quarter of 2026 as surging trade in electronic components related to artificial intelligence (AI) offset the negative impact of the conflict in the Middle East, which began in the final month of the quarter.
Spanish engineering company Técnicas Reunidas has announced that it has secured two major contracts worth a total of more than $5.75 billion from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to provide engineering, procurement, construction and installation services for its Upper Zakum megaproject.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts global natural gas demand will fall 0.5 per cent in 2026 as Middle East conflict-driven supply disruptions, higher prices and reduced LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz weigh on consumption.
VinFast, an electric vehicle brand of Vingroup, a business conglomerate in Vietnam, has appointed Prashanth Rao as the new CEO for its Middle East operations. In this role, Rao will spearhead the regional strategy, accelerate EV adoption and establish a robust footprint in a rapidly growing market.
Samsung E&A, one of the world’s leading engineering, procurement, construction and project management (EPC&PM) companies, has secured a water treatment project worth $790 million in the Middle East, further strengthening its presence in the region’s water infrastructure sector.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) vehicle sales is expected to decline by 3.9% y-o-y in 2026, to 3.90 million units, says a new report.
Acciona said it is deploying a digital platform across its desalination plants, both in the Middle East as well as globally, to improve operational efficiency and real-time decision-making, using Schneider Electric's plant management system (PMS) based on Aveva PI System technology.
Worldwide air cargo tonnages and rates for the first half of 2026 were well up on last year’s levels with the June’s figures up 9% over the same month last year, and stable compared to May, despite the disruptions to capacity and markets in the Middle East, said a report.
Global air passenger demand fell 1.7% year-on-year in June 2026, driven by weaker domestic markets and Middle East pressures, while international traffic showed resilience excluding the region, according to the latest International Air Transport Association (IATA) data.
Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund PIF has anchored the first close of Brookfield Middle East Partners, a new private equity fund focused on Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East, helping raise about $2 billion alongside other institutional investors.
