Islamic Wall Street

Crude oil prices plummeted after the United States and Iran announced a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday, a decline attributed to Pakistani diplomacy.

May contracts for US crude oil were trading at $96.69 a barrel, a $16.26 decrease.
Additionally, London Brent crude dropped $14.23 to $95.04 per barrel.

On April 7, 2026, Rawad Ramadan, the head of the Syrian Business Councils Coordination Council, speaks at the Foreign Economic Relations Board's (DEIK) "Turkiye-Syria Business and Investment Forum" in Istanbul, Turkey.

Following the overthrow of the Assad regime in December 2024, Turkey and Syria have continued to normalize their economic ties, which is reflected in the forum. As Syria starts its restoration efforts following years of civil war, trade between the two nations has surged.

This week, UK Trade Envoy Baroness Winterton traveled to Dhaka to bolster bilateral trade and economic relations, reiterating London's dedication to enduring collaboration and mutual development with Bangladesh.

According to a statement released by the British High Commission here today, Winterton is currently on her third visit to Bangladesh, which coincides with the establishment of the nation's newly elected administration in February.

It further stated that the visit demonstrated the UK's intention to further collaboration in trade, economic growth, higher education, aviation, and defense.

Private sector representatives from both nations attended the event, which took place on Sunday in the city of Kokand in the Fergana region of Uzbekistan.

A group from ACCI, headed by A***n Zalgi Azimi, its deputy for investment, attended the event with prominent Uzbek businessmen, according to the organization.

According to a statement from the chamber, 10 agreements were signed covering sectors including textiles, raw materials and pharmaceuticals — areas seen as key to boosting cross-border trade.

Senior ACCI executives and a group of forty business people made up the Afghanistan delegation. During the visit, participants also toured industrial sites and historical landmarks in Kokand, including manufacturing facilities for garments, ceramics and construction materials, the statement said.

After a competitive pitch, WPP Media Malaysia was chosen as Ikea Malaysia's integrated media agency of record.

The three-year mandate, which spans strategy, planning, and purchasing across all media platforms, represents a change in the way the massive home furnishings company interacts with customers in one of its fastest-growing Southeast Asian regions. Early in 2026, the pitch process came to an end.

Prior to 2021, Omnicom Media Group (PHD Malaysia) controlled Ikea Malaysia's media account in three important Southeast Asian markets: Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

It looked too good to be true. Dubai seems like a haven apart in a conflict-ridden region. It attracted the wealthy and frugal to live, work, and earn money, or to enjoy the sun and shopping. It developed into an international transportation hub that connected the east and west. It has entered the race for artificial intelligence by using its wealth. Avoiding regional tensions was crucial. Not even the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the Gaza War that followed, or the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel last year significantly undermined trust.

Midway through the first quarter of 2026, the most recent Freedom Holding Corp. PMI revealed a fresh downturn in service sector activity throughout Kazakhstan. The value-added tax (VAT) hike in January, which caused further substantial increases in input costs and output prices in February, was blamed by businesses for the decline in new orders. The small employment growth seen in the first month of the year were reversed when businesses cut personnel levels in response.

The number of foreign-owned companies operating in Kazakhstan increased in 2025, reflecting a shift in the country’s external economic ties. Chinese companies, whose growing presence is changing the structure of foreign investment, were the main drivers of growth.

The magnitude of the shift is demonstrated by official statistics. In 2025, the number of registered legal entities and branches with foreign ownership in Kazakhstan rose by 8 per cent to 64,000, according to the Bureau of National Statistics.

Following India's decreased imports, Russian and Iranian oil suppliers are aggressively lowering their prices in an effort to compete for China's limited supply of buyers. Both Moscow and Tehran are under a lot of pressure in this price war, which is being fueled by an expanding global supply surplus and China's limited capability for independent refining. While Russia leverages a shadow fleet to maintain export volumes despite revenue declines, Iran faces increased geopolitical risk, both of which underscore the precarious sustainability of their current market strategies.

The fourth session of the Uzbekistan-Belarus Business Council and the Uzbekistan-Belarus Business Forum will take place in Tashkent on February 24, according to Trend, which is reported by the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus.
The visit's two-day itinerary includes trips to many industrial locations and talks with Abdulla Aripov, the prime minister of Uzbekistan. Additionally, a meeting with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is planned, during which the two leaders are anticipated to discuss additional steps to improve bilateral cooperation in important areas.

Iraq's foreign minister has stated that Turkey will repatriate its citizens who are implicated in terrorism cases from Iraq. Baghdad has begun talks with other countries over the repatriation of their citizens involved in Islamic State activities after the United States successfully transferred detainees from Syria to Iraq.

US Commerce Secretary Howard A. Lutnick met with a group from Pakistan at the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC, under the leadership of Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb.

The Finance Minister was joined by the Trade and Economic Ministers, the Secretary of Commerce, and Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States.

In addition to talking about the USA's interest in investing in ICT, mining, minerals, and energy, both parties stated a willingness to strengthen our economic relations, particularly in the areas of trade and investment.