Syria will be rolling out a new national currency on Jan. 1 in a break with years of the pound’s depreciation.

Central Bank of Syria Governor Abdulkader Husarieh announced the move in Damascus on Thursday, calling it a “pivotal national milestone” and the beginning of a new economic and monetary phase for the country.

An exchange of old notes for the new ones will be managed by the Central Bank, which will set timelines and locations.

Husariah described the new currency as a symbol of renewed financial sovereignty after years of conflict in which the government of former President Bashar Assad was overthrown.

In a bid to attract fresh capital to Egypt’s underdeveloped southeastern desert, the government is preparing a list of investment opportunities in its “Golden Triangle” economic zone.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly directed his cabinet ministers this week to  “identify, develop, and promote” promising ventures across the resource-rich area focused on minerals, petroleum and natural gas for potential investors, Arabian Gulf Business Insight reports.

The triangle, which spans thousands of square kilometers, contains an estimated 2,000 tons of gold as well as large reserves of phosphates, limestone and glass sand.

As Egypt’s economy rebounds under an $8 billion IMF bailout program, the government is carrying out IMF-mandated reforms to lure foreign direct investment and tackle persistent fiscal deficits.

Middle East IPOs slowed to a crawl this year as investors have pulled back from public markets that surged following the global pandemic.

The 2024 boom was driven by high oil prices, strong government spending and privatizations, which helped companies in the UAE and Saudi Arabia raise nearly $10 billion through initial stock offerings in 2024, the Financial Times reports.

In 2025, the funds raised through IPOs have sunk to $6.5 billion. Investor appetite has been hit by weak post-listing performance, with shares of companies such as Pure Health, ADNOC Drilling and Americana Restaurants struggling to generate strong gains after their debuts.

Saudi Arabia’s venture capital firms, meanwhile, are increasingly looking to mergers and acquisitions to exit investments amid the Tadawul Stock Exchange’s weak performance, Bloomberg reports.

Investors such as Riyadh-based Merak Capital and Impact 46 say they prefer buying and selling stakes in private companies because going public has become more expensive and volatile.

International Holding Co., the UAE’s largest publicly traded company, is stepping up its expansion into digital financial services with the purchase of a 70% stake in Peko Holdings.

Peko runs a digital platform that helps small and mid-sized businesses manage tasks such as paying bills, issuing invoices, handling payroll and keeping track of basic compliance requirements, replacing multiple systems with a single online tool.

The deal adds to a run of acquisitions by IHC aimed at building a broad digital finance and services business, following investments that include Invictus Investment and First Women Bank, as well as earlier technology-focused purchases designed to generate recurring, fee-based income.

IHC, which is majority-owned by Abu Dhabi’s Royal Group, plays an outsized role in the UAE economy through a portfolio that includes some of the country’s most valuable companies, such as Alpha Dhabi Holding, Multiply Group and National Marine Dredging Co.

The group is chaired by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE National Security Advisor, and has positioned itself as a key vehicle for Abu Dhabi’s drive to diversify away from oil by backing fast-growing businesses in technology and digital finance.

Libya is opening its oil and gas fields to foreign investors for the first time in more than 17 years, launching a licensing round that includes 22 onshore and offshore blocks.

Major international energy companies, including BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, Shell, and Eni, have qualified to compete for exploration and development licenses, with awards expected early next year, The National reports.

The government has revised its production sharing framework to offer more attractive terms to investors and anticipates several hundred million dollars in new upstream investment.

While the move supports Libya’s broader economic recovery, ongoing political divisions and security risks continue to weigh on investor confidence. 

Saudi Arabia’s new Six Flags Qiddiya City theme park is set to open its gates next week, welcoming visitors on Dec. 31 just in time for New Year’s celebrations with its record-breaking roller coaster and other mammoth attractions. 

The $1 billion park marks the first Six Flags location outside North America and sits at the heart of the vast Qiddiya megaproject, a centerpiece of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 plan to build a global entertainment, sports and culture destination. 

Saudi Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said the theme park’s opening kicks off a phased rollout of other projects being developed across the $10 billion entertainment city by Qiddiya Investment Co., which is owned by the Public Investment Fund. 

Among the 70 new properties under construction are the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, Qiddiya Performing Arts Center, the Mercedes-Benz Performance World and Aquarabia.

The Six Flags park’s Falcon Roller is being billed as the longest, fastest, and highest roller coaster in the world.

The UAE is trying to compete for international yacht traffic by cutting red tape, agreeing to let foreign vessels move more easily between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Under the new system, yachts cleared in one emirate will no longer need to repeat the same entry and exit procedures in the other, Arabian Gulf Business Insight reports.

Officials say the change will reduce paperwork by sharing basic vessel, crew and passenger details between authorities.

The move is part of a broader push to make the UAE a more attractive stop for visiting yachts and marine tourism.

KKR & Co. completed its first private credit deal in Saudi Arabia by financing a desalination project backed by ACWA Power.

The backing is for the Rabigh 3 independent water project, a large-scale seawater desalination plant on the Red Sea coast that will supply potable water to Mecca and surrounding regions, the two companies said in a joint statement.

New York-based KKR, which has more than $500 billion in assets under management and a growing private credit business, will act as anchor investor for the project. ACWA, which is majority-owned by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, is one of the largest private operators of power generation and water desalination assets in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

The project is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader push to expand water infrastructure capacity as demand rises from population growth, urban development and industrial activity.

ACWA CFO Abdulhameed Al Muhaidib called Rabigh 3  a “cornerstone asset” for water security in Saudi Arabia, saying that “the strong participation from international investors reflects its quality, reliability, and long-term value.”

Julian Barratt-Due, KKR’s Head of Middle East Investing, said the deal reflects the firm’s “broader ambition to scale our presence across the kingdom, deepen partnerships with leading corporates, and deploy capital behind essential infrastructure.”